Comedy show hosts this week trained their comedic fire on ex-President Donald Trump, criticizing his employment of a ableist slur and what they described as feeble efforts to alleviate public concerns about his cognitive health.
The Daily Show's Scathing Critique
Kicking off the week, Jon Stewart focused on a inflammatory Truth Social message in which Trump referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz with a widely condemned slur. "On Thanksgiving?!" Stewart remarked. "Are you confusing that with Festivus?"
When asked later if he regretted the remark, Trump is said to have intensified his attack, stating there was "something seriously wrong" with the governor.
"The issue is with him? With him?" Stewart responded. "You were sitting with your family at Thanksgiving, belly full of turkey and pie, surrounded by the love of your notorious associates, but your initial instinct was to post an insult at Tim Walz? And there’s something wrong with him?"
The host then addressed Trump's bizarre explanation of a recently revealed MRI. In an effort to downplay worries, Trump claimed he had "no idea" what part of his body was examined, suggesting it "wasn’t the brain" because he "aced a cognitive test."
"That’s not physically possible," Stewart shot back. "To have no idea, it’s not possible. What would you say to the doctor? ‘No no no, don’t tell me. I want to find out at my scan unveiling celebration.’"
He added, "For God’s sakes, man, were you not curious at all? When they laid you down in a tube for 30 to 45 minutes, you didn’t want to know what they might be doing? Or did you just think to yourself, ‘What a loud tanning bed’?"
Stewart also mocked Trump's boast of a "perfect score" on the scan. "That’s how they score the MRIs," he joked. "It's either a big stamp, ‘Perfect,’ or you get in red ink, ‘See me.’"
The Late Show's Satirical Take
On his own program, Stephen Colbert pointed out increasing frustration among some former supporters. "Certain supporters are starting to notice that Trump treats them like livestock," he remarked, referencing criticism over building a luxury ballroom over tackling affordability concerns.
"In other news, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his traditional way – with racism," Colbert quipped, referring to an inflammatory post from the weekend. "Amidst all of that nonsense," he summarized, the president employed the ableist slur against Governor Walz.
After Walz challenged him to "Make the scan public," Trump said he would release them, despite his stated unawareness of what was scanned.
"Uh, here’s a theory: maybe the part that’s malfunctioning is the part that’s supposed to know," Colbert noted.
He then poked fun at the follow-up White House justification—a doctor's letter stating the MRI was for preventative screening. "Alright, that's reasonable," Colbert said. "Men in his age group also benefit from retiring, so … can we write that prescription next?"
Jimmy Kimmel's Blunt Assessment
Jimmy Kimmel likewise condemned Trump's choice of words. "See, he can be presidential when he wants to be!" he joked. "I wonder why he didn’t get that Nobel peace prize. It makes no sense."
Regarding Trump's follow-up comment that he thinks "there is a problem" with Walz, Kimmel was direct: "yet another profound insight from the president of the eighth grade."
Kimmel also touched on Trump's claims of unprecedented approval ratings. "Which means it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel remarked, pointing to polling showing high negative ratings. "You can find gas station bathrooms on Yelp with higher approval ratings than Donald Trump right now."
The host finished by highlighting Trump's promise to grant clemency to a convicted former Honduran president. "Critics have noted the staggering contradiction of Trump taking a hard line in one instance, while simultaneously pardoning a man who shipped a million pounds of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "But those people are just detractors, you know? Relax!"
"When he was running, Trump made it perfectly obvious: his top priorities were a) granting clemency to cartel leaders and b) building a place to ballroom dance," he summarized. "Commitments stated, pledges fulfilled."
