Late-night television hosts Jon Stewart and Seth Meyers ridiculed Donald Trump’s performance at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, criticizing the routine as an awkward and unfunny affair that left attendees stunned into silence, according to recent broadcasts of The Daily Show and Late Night.
Jon Stewart Calls Out Trump’s Routine on The Daily Show
Jon Stewart opened a segment on Comedy Central by joking that there was a “hydration break” in the war between the US and Iran with a second straight day of peace, according to a transcript of the show. Stewart quipped that Donald Trump decided to “stop bombing the strait of Hormuz and to start bombing at the White House correspondents dinner.” The president’s performance at the annual event drew widespread criticism for lacking humor. “Normally I’d say don’t quit your day job but in this case … I will make an exception,” Stewart said.
Prior to the event, right-wing pundits praised Trump’s “joyful love of mirth,” claiming he possessed strong comedic timing. “How the fuck is he funny?” Stewart asked viewers. He played a clip of the routine showing Trump attempting a joke about a UFC fight before he “set up the premise and then just walked off into the street.” Another clip showed the president interrupting a traditional roast joke by stating he hated Adam Schiff, the subject of the bit. “Traditionally roasts work because at the heart of it all you only roast the ones you love,” Stewart said. “Saying you hate someone in the middle of the joke really takes a lot of the pleasure.”
Stewart also pointed out the dynamics of the room, noting that “the only funny part of the jokes was watching the crowd’s reactions,” which left guests “clearly rethinking the choices that led them to that night.” According to Stewart, Trump “has lived so long in a magical world of his own creation curated for his comfort and positive reinforcement” and has become “the ultimate snowflake.” He added that Trump had “no one to blame but everyone else” because “a great carpenter always blames his tools and Donald Trump is surrounded by tools.”
Seth Meyers Analyzes the Room’s Reaction on Late Night
On NBC’s Late Night, Seth Meyers offered a similar assessment, describing the routine as “so great that everyone was stunned into silence,” according to broadcast clips. Meyers defined the event simply as “a press-hating president speaking at an event honouring the press.” According to Meyers, Trump began by rambling about his “stupid ballroom” and consequently “icing his own crowd,” earning him the title of the “first cool-down comic in history.”
Meyers played footage showing Trump criticizing the very material he had been given to read, noting that “he bombed so bad he kept shitting on his own speech.” When asked whether Trump benefits comedy, Meyers often replies that “he’s better for it than he is at it.” Comparing the expressions of the audience to cinematic hardship, Meyers remarked that the attendees “looked like Matt Damon at the end of The Odyssey.”
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Fox pundits attempted to defend the performance by arguing that those in the room were being bad sports for not laughing. In response, Meyers asked, “You wanted people to laugh but my question is when and at what joke?” adding that “in order for you to take a joke, you have to make a joke.”
The Wider Implications of the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
Both hosts highlighted the event as a troubling spectacle. Stewart characterized the evening as a “perverse bargain” and “an act of submission,” given Trump’s history of attacks against the press. “He just gets to shake hands with the leaders of a profession whose members he has subpoenaed, arrested, sued, cut their funding, threatened their licences, barred their access and even had them fucking deported,” Stewart stated.
Meyers echoed these sentiments by placing the event in the context of the political landscape. He noted that the misfire proved what happens when Trump steps outside the comfort of his MAGA bubble, an environment typically maintained by individuals working to “nurture his fragile ego.”
Frequently Asked Questions
How did late-night hosts react to Donald Trump’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner routine?
Jon Stewart and Seth Meyers heavily criticized the performance, describing it as unfunny, awkward, and poorly delivered, while noting that the audience sat in stunned silence.
What specific criticisms did Jon Stewart make?
According to The Daily Show, Stewart pointed out that Trump abandoned his joke setups prematurely, expressed genuine hatred for subjects like Adam Schiff during what should have been a playful roast, and surrounded himself with enablers.
How did Seth Meyers describe the audience’s reaction?
Meyers compared the facial expressions of the dinner guests to Matt Damon at the end of The Odyssey, noting that the crowd was trapped listening to a press-hating president speak at an event honoring the press.
What are your thoughts on political comedy at formal dinners? Let us know in the comments below, and subscribe to our newsletter for more media analysis and late-night television coverage.
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