Jon Stewart on Trump's Assertion of Not Knowing Regarding His Personal MRI: 'It's An Impossibility'.
Late-night television hosts this week trained their comedic fire on ex-President Donald Trump, lambasting his employment of a ableist slur and what they described as feeble efforts to alleviate growing questions about his mental fitness.
The Daily Show's Pointed Commentary
Beginning his monologue, Jon Stewart took aim at a inflammatory Truth Social message in which Trump described Minnesota Governor Tim Walz using a widely condemned slur. "On Thanksgiving?!" Stewart exclaimed. "Did you mix it up with your own personal grievance airing day?"
When asked later if he felt any remorse, Trump reportedly intensified his attack, insisting there was "a genuine problem" with the Democratic governor.
"The issue is with him? With him?" Stewart retorted. "You sat 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 comedian then addressed Trump's peculiar account of a recently revealed medical scan. In an attempt to downplay worries, Trump claimed he had "no idea" 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. "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 MRI reveal party.’"
He added, "Good grief, man, were you not curious at all? When they placed you 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, ‘This is a noisy tanning bed’?"
Stewart also mocked Trump's assertion of a "perfect score" on the scan. "Apparently, that's the way they score the MRIs," he quipped. "It's either a big stamp, ‘Perfect,’ or you get in red ink, ‘See me.’"
Stephen Colbert's Witty Observations
On his own program, Stephen Colbert highlighted growing discontent among some one-time allies. "Maga folks are starting to notice that Trump views them like livestock," he remarked, referencing anger about building a gilded event space over addressing economic issues.
"In other news, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his traditional way – 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 challenged him to "Release the MRI results," Trump said he would release them, despite his stated unawareness 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 poked fun at the subsequent official explanation—a medical note stating the MRI was for routine evaluation. "Alright, that's reasonable," Colbert conceded. "People his age also benefit from retiring, so … can we get that ordered 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 subsequent statement that he thinks "there’s something wrong" with Walz, Kimmel was blunt: "another bold statement from the president of the middle school."
Kimmel also addressed Trump's insistence of unprecedented approval ratings. "Which means it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel remarked, pointing to survey data showing high negative ratings. "There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp with better reviews than Donald Trump right now."
The host concluded by criticizing Trump's pledge to pardon a imprisoned international drug trafficker. "Critics have noted the staggering contradiction of Trump tough on drugs in one instance, while simultaneously pardoning a man who sent a million pounds of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "But those people are just haters and losers, you know? Relax!"
"When he was running, Trump made it perfectly obvious: his top priorities were a) granting clemency to cartel leaders and b) constructing a venue to ballroom dance," he summarized. "Promises made, promises kept."