Jon Stewart on Donald Trump's Assertion of Being Unaware Regarding His Personal MRI: 'That’s An Impossibility'.
Comedy show hosts this week directed their focus on former President Donald Trump, criticizing his use of an ableist slur and what they described as feeble efforts to address public concerns about his cognitive health.
Jon Stewart's Pointed Commentary
Beginning his monologue, Jon Stewart focused on a controversial post in which Trump referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz with a highly offensive slur. "On the holiday?!" 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 "something seriously wrong" with the governor.
"Something wrong 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 extended crime family, but your first thought was to post an insult at Tim Walz? And there’s something wrong with him?"
The host then turned to Trump's bizarre explanation of a recently disclosed medical scan. In an attempt to dismiss concerns, Trump stated he had "zero knowledge" what part of his body was even scanned, suggesting it "wasn’t the brain" because he "aced a cognitive test."
"That is an impossibility," Stewart shot back. "Being completely unaware, it’s not possible. What could you possibly say to the doctor? ‘Wait, stop, don’t tell me. I want to find out at my MRI reveal party.’"
He continued, "Good grief, man, were you not the least bit interested? 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, ‘This is a noisy 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 joked. "It's either a big stamp, ‘Perfect,’ or you get in red ink, ‘We need to talk.’"
The Late Show's Witty Observations
On his own program, Stephen Colbert pointed out increasing frustration among some one-time allies. "Maga folks are starting to notice that Trump treats them like livestock," he said, citing anger about funding a luxury ballroom over tackling economic issues.
"Elsewhere, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his traditional way – with racism," Colbert quipped, referring to an inflammatory post from the weekend. "Somewhere in all of that nonsense," he recapped, the president employed the offensive term against Governor Walz.
After Walz challenged him to "Release the MRI results," Trump promised release them, despite his stated unawareness of what was scanned.
"Uh, here’s a theory: maybe the part that’s broken is the part that’s meant to retain that information," Colbert suggested.
He then poked fun at the subsequent official explanation—a doctor's letter stating the MRI was for routine evaluation. "Alright, that's reasonable," Colbert said. "Men in his age group also benefit from retiring, so … can we get that ordered next?"
Kimmel's Direct Criticism
Jimmy Kimmel also condemned Trump's use of the slur. "See, he can be presidential when he wants to be!" he remarked sarcastically. "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: "another bold statement from the president of the middle school."
Kimmel also addressed 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 better reviews than Donald Trump right now."
The host concluded by highlighting Trump's promise to grant clemency to a imprisoned former Honduran president. "Now some have pointed out the staggering contradiction of Trump taking a hard line elsewhere, while simultaneously pardoning a man who shipped 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 very clear: his top priorities were a) granting clemency to cartel leaders and b) constructing a venue to ballroom dance," he added. "Commitments stated, promises kept."