The Daily Show host on Trump's Claim of Being Unaware About His Own MRI: 'That’s Not Physically Possible'.
Comedy show hosts this week trained their comedic fire on former President Donald Trump, criticizing his use of an ableist slur and portrayed as feeble efforts to alleviate public concerns about his mental fitness.
Jon Stewart's Scathing Critique
Kicking off the week, Jon Stewart took aim at a inflammatory Truth Social message in which Trump described Minnesota Governor Tim Walz using a widely condemned ableist term. "On the holiday?!" Stewart remarked. "Are you confusing that with your own personal grievance airing day?"
When questioned by reporters 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, belly full of turkey and pie, surrounded by 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 disclosed medical scan. In an effort to dismiss concerns, 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’s not physically possible," Stewart shot back. "To have no idea, 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 added, "For God’s sakes, man, were you not the least bit interested? 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, ‘What a loud tanning bed’?"
Stewart also mocked Trump's boast of a "perfect score" on the scan. "Apparently, that's the way they score the MRIs," he quipped. "You either get a big stamp, ‘Perfect,’ or you get in red ink, ‘We need to talk.’"
Stephen Colbert's Satirical Take
On his own program, Stephen Colbert pointed out growing discontent among some former supporters. "Maga folks are starting to notice that Trump treats them like meat animals," he said, citing criticism over building a gilded event space over tackling economic issues.
"In other news, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his customary fashion – with racism," Colbert noted, referring 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 "Make the scan public," Trump said he would release them, despite his claimed ignorance of what was scanned.
"Well, here's an idea: maybe the part that’s broken is the part that’s meant to retain that information," Colbert noted.
He then mocked the subsequent White House justification—a medical note 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 get that ordered next?"
Kimmel's Direct Criticism
Jimmy Kimmel likewise condemned Trump's choice of words. "Look, he is capable of being presidential when he wants to be!" he remarked sarcastically. "It's puzzling why he didn’t get that Nobel peace prize. It defies all logic."
Regarding Trump's follow-up comment that he thinks "there is a problem" with Walz, Kimmel was blunt: "yet another profound insight from the president of the eighth grade."
Kimmel also touched on Trump's insistence of record-high approval ratings. "This indicates it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel remarked, pointing to polling showing high negative ratings. "There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp with higher approval ratings than Donald Trump right now."
The host concluded by highlighting Trump's promise to grant clemency to a imprisoned former Honduran president. "Critics have noted the unbelievable hypocrisy of Trump taking a hard line in one instance, while simultaneously pardoning a man who sent a massive quantity of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "But those people are just detractors, you know? Lighten up!"
"During his campaign, Trump made it perfectly obvious: his top priorities were a) granting clemency to cartel leaders and b) building a place to ballroom dance," he added. "Commitments stated, pledges fulfilled."