Jon Stewart highlighted Donald Trump‘s second term so far with a special episode dubbed “President Trump’s Second First 100 Days: An Incredible 100 Days With Zero Disturbance.”
In the episode, Stewart reflected on Trump’s first 100 days in office. The late-night host emerged from under his desk in a long white beard, intoning, “I’m so tired. It’s aging this nation in Tom Hanks’ Castaway years.”
Stewart eventually re-emerged without the beard before playing a clip of Trump proclaiming that he had “the most successful 100 days in the history of our country.”
“Suck it, Jefferson! Suck it, Lincoln! Suck it, Roosevelts squared,” Stewart replied. “Trump’s first 100 days is like if America landed on the moon and killed Bin Laden in the same mission! ‘Thought you could hide on the moon, Bin Laden? Get him, boys!’ According to Trump, the most successful 100 days in the history of our country. Can anyone offer a counterpoint?”
Stewart offered a series of clips that were, in fact, a counterpoint. One noted that Trump has the “lowest approval rating of any president in the past 80 years.” Stewart responded, “He doesn’t care. He’s not afraid of being underwater because he’s equipped with a flotation unit protective accessory, or a FUPA. He has a FUPA. Look it up.”
Stewart also looked at how Trump has handled the U.S. economy. The host noted that people’s displeasure at the president’s performance “might have something to do with what he’s promised and what he’s delivered.” In a clip, Stewart recalled how Trump had assured voters there would be a “brand-new Trump economic boom.”
“Unfortunately, I think it’s pretty clear that on the economy, Donald Trump did make a boom-boom,” Stewart said. ““He made a little boom-boom. Aw, did Trump go boom-boom? Perhaps Trump feels so positive because while the economy is headed south for most people, there have been some winners!”
These winners, of course, include Trump himself. Many outlets have reported that Trump’s net worth more than” doubled over the first 100 days of his term. He also reportedly signed a”$40 million” licensing deal with Jeff Bezos for a documentary on his wife Melania Trump.
“Ah! The free market,” Stewart said. “But seriously, $40 million for a documentary about Melania Trump? No offense, I’m sure she’s an interesting person, but PBS made the entirety of the Ken Burns Civil War series for $3.5 million. Shoah was $3 million; obviously they wanted $4 million, but they still got a good price. The entirety of the Planet Earth series, 11 episodes, was less than that: $25 million. And I know Melania is a mysterious and private woman, but I guarantee you don’t have to wait outside her house for weeks at a time hoping to catch a rare nocturnal feeding on a striped South American toad.”
Later, Stewart tackled Trump’s promises about immigration. Instead of delivering the “the largest deportation in history,” the president deported “three American children, all U.S. citizens. One of them battling cancer.”
“Oh my fucking God,” Stewart replied. “What? That is who we are deporting? A kid with cancer? Trump really doesn’t understand how the Make-A-Wish Foundation works, does he? The cancer kid gets the wish.”
Stewart concluded his monologue by reminding viewers that Trump’s capitalist approach to running the country is in opposition to its founding.
“It took the people 250 years of striving to live up to a constitutional republic and rule of law, painstaking equity that you are squandering,” he said, directing the words at Trump. “That is the crux of American exceptionalism. You just want to make us great. That’s a downgrade. Our brand is not ‘strategic uncertainty‘ and you are not the keeper of our ‘pot of gold.’ You are a temporary leprechaun. So if I could just put this in negotiating terms you can understand: all caps, ‘Donald, STOP!‘”
From Rolling Stone US
