Jon Stewart on Donald Trump's Claim of Not Knowing Regarding His Personal MRI: 'It's Not Physically Possible'.
Late-night television hosts recently directed their focus on ex-President Donald Trump, lambasting his use of an ableist slur and what they described as feeble efforts to address public concerns about his cognitive health.
The Daily Show's Pointed Commentary
Beginning his monologue, Jon Stewart took aim at a controversial post in which Trump referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz with a widely condemned slur. "On Thanksgiving?!" Stewart exclaimed. "Did you mix it up with Festivus?"
When questioned by reporters if he felt any remorse, Trump reportedly intensified his attack, insisting there was "something seriously wrong" with the governor.
"Something wrong with him? With him?" Stewart retorted. "You were sitting with your family at Thanksgiving, stomach full of turkey and pie, enveloped in the love of your notorious associates, but your first thought was to Truth a slur at Tim Walz? And there’s something wrong with him?"
The host then addressed Trump's peculiar account of a recently revealed MRI. In an effort to downplay worries, Trump stated he had "zero knowledge" what part of his body was examined, remarking it "wasn’t the brain" because he "aced a cognitive test."
"That is an impossibility," Stewart countered. "Being completely unaware, it’s not possible. What could you possibly say to the doctor? ‘No no no, don’t tell me. I want to find out at my scan unveiling celebration.’"
He continued, "Good grief, man, were you not the least bit interested? When they placed you in a tube for a half an hour, 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 assertion of a "perfect score" on the scan. "That’s how they score the MRIs," he quipped. "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 one-time allies. "Certain supporters are starting to notice that Trump treats them like livestock," he said, citing criticism over funding a gilded event space over addressing affordability concerns.
"In other news, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his customary fashion – with racism," Colbert noted, alluding to an anti-immigrant rant from the weekend. "Amidst all of that nonsense," he summarized, the president employed the offensive term against Governor Walz.
After Walz responded to "Release the MRI results," Trump promised do so, despite his claimed ignorance of what was scanned.
"Well, here's an idea: maybe the part that’s malfunctioning is the part that’s meant to retain that information," Colbert suggested.
He then mocked the subsequent official explanation—a doctor's letter stating the MRI was for preventative screening. "Alright, that's reasonable," Colbert conceded. "Men in his age group also benefit from retiring, so … can we write that prescription next?"
Jimmy Kimmel's Direct Criticism
Jimmy Kimmel likewise blasted Trump's choice of words. "Look, he is capable of being 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’s something wrong" with Walz, Kimmel was direct: "yet another profound insight from the president of the middle school."
Kimmel also touched on Trump's insistence of unprecedented approval ratings. "Which means it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel said, noting polling showing significant disapproval. "There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp with better reviews than Donald Trump right now."
The host finished by highlighting Trump's pledge to pardon a convicted former Honduran president. "Critics have noted the staggering contradiction of Trump tough on drugs elsewhere, while at the same time freeing a man who shipped a million pounds of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "But those people are just haters and losers, you know? Lighten up!"
"During his campaign, Trump made it perfectly obvious: his key goals were a) pardoning drug kingpins and b) building a place to ballroom dance," he summarized. "Commitments stated, pledges fulfilled."