Jon Stewart on Donald Trump's Assertion of Being Unaware Regarding His Personal MRI: 'That’s An Impossibility'.
Late-night television hosts recently trained their comedic fire on former President Donald Trump, criticizing his use of an derogatory term and portrayed as unconvincing attempts to address growing questions about his cognitive health.
Jon Stewart's Scathing Critique
Kicking off the week, Jon Stewart took aim at a controversial post in which Trump referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz using a widely condemned ableist term. "On the holiday?!" Stewart remarked. "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, stating there was "a genuine problem" with the Democratic governor.
"Something wrong with him? With him?" Stewart retorted. "You were sitting with your family at Thanksgiving, stomach 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 turned to Trump's peculiar account of a recently revealed MRI. In an attempt to dismiss concerns, Trump stated he had "zero knowledge" what part of his body was even scanned, suggesting it "couldn't have been his brain" because he "took a cognitive test."
"That’s not physically possible," 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 MRI reveal party.’"
He added, "For God’s sakes, man, were you not curious at all? When they laid you down 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 further ridiculed Trump's assertion 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, ‘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 meat animals," he said, citing criticism over building a luxury ballroom over tackling affordability concerns.
"In other news, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his customary fashion – with racism," Colbert noted, alluding to an inflammatory post from the weekend. "Somewhere in all of that nonsense," he recapped, the president employed the ableist slur against Governor Walz.
After Walz responded to "Release the MRI results," Trump said he would do so, despite his stated unawareness 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 suggested.
He then poked fun at the subsequent White House justification—a doctor's letter stating the MRI was for preventative screening. "OK, fair enough," 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 blasted Trump's use of the slur. "See, he can be presidential when he wants to be!" he remarked sarcastically. "It's puzzling 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 blunt: "yet another profound insight from the president of the middle school."
Kimmel also touched on Trump's insistence of record-high approval ratings. "Which means it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel said, pointing to survey data showing high negative ratings. "You can find gas station bathrooms on Yelp with better reviews than Donald Trump right now."
The host finished by criticizing Trump's pledge to pardon a convicted international drug trafficker. "Critics have noted the unbelievable hypocrisy of Trump tough on drugs 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 haters and losers, you know? Lighten up!"
"When he was running, Trump made it very clear: his key goals were a) granting clemency to cartel leaders and b) building a place to host formal dances," he summarized. "Promises made, promises kept."