Jon Stewart on Donald Trump's Assertion of Not Knowing About His Personal MRI: 'That’s An Impossibility'.
Late-night television hosts this week directed their focus on former President Donald Trump, criticizing his use of an derogatory term and what they described as unconvincing attempts to address growing questions about his cognitive health.
The Daily Show's Scathing Critique
Kicking off the week, Jon Stewart focused on a controversial post in which Trump referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz using a highly offensive slur. "On Thanksgiving?!" Stewart exclaimed. "Did you mix it up with Festivus?"
When asked later if he regretted the remark, Trump reportedly doubled down, insisting 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, enveloped in the love of your notorious associates, 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 revealed MRI. In an attempt to downplay worries, Trump stated he had "no idea" what part of his body was even scanned, suggesting it "couldn't have been his 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 scan unveiling celebration.’"
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 boast of a "flawless result" on the scan. "That’s how 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 highlighted growing discontent among some former supporters. "Certain supporters are starting to notice that Trump views them like livestock," he said, referencing anger about building a luxury ballroom over addressing affordability concerns.
"In other news, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his customary fashion – with racism," Colbert noted, alluding to an anti-immigrant rant from the weekend. "Amidst all of that nonsense," he summarized, the president also used the ableist slur against Governor Walz.
After Walz responded to "Release the MRI results," Trump promised do so, 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 poked fun at the subsequent official explanation—a doctor's letter stating the MRI was for preventative screening. "Alright, that's reasonable," Colbert said. "Men in his age group also benefit from retiring, so … can we write that prescription next?"
Kimmel's Blunt Assessment
Jimmy Kimmel likewise condemned Trump's use of the slur. "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 follow-up comment that he thinks "there’s something wrong" with Walz, Kimmel was direct: "yet another profound insight from the president of the middle school."
Kimmel also touched on Trump's insistence of unprecedented approval ratings. "This indicates it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel said, pointing to survey data showing high negative ratings. "There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp with higher approval ratings than Donald Trump right now."
The host finished 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 elsewhere, while simultaneously pardoning a man who sent a million pounds 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) building a place to host formal dances," he summarized. "Promises made, pledges fulfilled."