More and more Republicans are announcing they won’t run for re-election in 2026, and Stephen Colbert thinks it’s a good decision. The CBS host said it would be best to get out of the “sinking ship” of the Trump administration before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth orders a “second strike” on the Trump administration.
During his monologue Tuesday night, Colbert highlighted the six Texas Republicans who have announced they will not run for re-election in the midterm elections, including Troy Niers. The host was surprised by how many people resign from a state, then pointed out that it might actually be a good decision.
“They’re running away from the sinking ship of the Republican Party, which is smart because Hegseth is about to order a second strike against it,” Colbert joked.
The late-night host’s quip was, of course, a reference to the recent U.S. attack on a vessel that Hegseth and his team claimed was a drug-trafficking vessel in the Caribbean this week. The ship was destroyed, but a second attack was ordered, killing the two survivors.
Hegseth has since claimed that he himself did not order the attack but supported the military officials who ordered it because “we always have the support of our commanders.”
“We always root for them because that’s where the great carnivore comes from,” Colbert joked.
The “Late Night” host also laughed at Rep. Tim Burchett, who said he was “just one flu season away” from losing his House majority, fearing a mass Republican exit this week.
“Congressman, our health secretary is Robert F. Kennedy Jr. One more flu season and we’re going to lose this species,” Colbert retorted.
You can watch Stephen Colbert’s full monologue in the video above.
Stephen Colbert says Republicans would be ‘smart’ to jump ship because ‘Hegers is about to order a second strike’ | Video appeared first on TheWrap.
