They say politics is show business for gimmicky people, but late-night comedians have turned it into a comedy goldmine. Humor, after all, is like a truth serum wrapped in a punchline – it reveals what we’re all thinking but too polite (or terrified) to say out loud.
Jokes are a safe outlet for expressing repressed thoughts and emotions. And who better to wield this power than the late-night hosts, who transform political absurdities into laugh-out-loud moments that make us think, cringe, and occasionally spit out our coffee?
To keep this discussion timely and relevant, let’s tackle the recent pause on U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs – a decision that has stirred both relief and uncertainty. Trump, in a move that surprised many, hit the snooze button on his big beautiful tariffs, delaying them for 90 days. While the financial world breathed a sigh of relief, the underlying turmoil remains undeniable.
Late-night hosts, known for their sharp wit and incisive commentary, wasted no time grappling with this development. Take Jimmy Kimmel, for instance, whose quick-witted observations captured the absurd situation.
Kimmel quipped:
“Think about that, the best thing Trump has ever done for America was undo the incredibly dumb thing he did. Imagine if he quits - he could usher in a new era of prosperity.”
The laughter that followed underscored the biting truth embedded in his humor. Kimmel didn’t stop there. He pointed out the lack of strategy behind Trump’s decision, remarking:
“Not only doesn’t he have a plan, he doesn’t understand why he did this. Maybe he did it to distract us from all the other horrible stuff.”
He then enumerated a litany of issues, from deporting college students to firing officials tasked with combating diseases and wildfires, to attacking judges, journalists, and lawyers. His punchlines, though humorous, painted a sobering picture of the administration’s actions.
A Monkey Flying The Plane
In one particularly striking analogy, Kimmel likened Trump’s leadership to a monkey flying the plane.
Kimmel joked:
“Almost half the passengers say, ‘I think the monkey’s doing a good job. It’s still in the air. I like the monkey. Look out the window, gang – the plane’s pointing down.’”
The laughter that followed was tinged with unease, as the metaphor hit uncomfortably close to home. Kimmel didn’t hold back when addressing the follies of Trump’s recent policies. Tone dripping with incredulity, he pointed out:
“These supposed violent criminal migrants he shipped off to a prison in El Salvador – turns out 90% of them have no criminal records. Somehow, a bunch of people with no criminal records got sent to prison in another country by a guy who does.”
The irony was as sharp as his delivery, leaving the audience laughing and reflecting.
Shower Heads
But Kimmel wasn’t done. He pivoted to another bizarre focus of the administration.
“But what is he focused on? I’ll tell you what – shower heads.”
Kimmel ribbed, before rolling a clip of Trump lamenting water pressure. In the video, Trump declared:
“You wash your hands, and in my case, I like to take a nice shower to take care of my beautiful hair. I have to stand in the shower for 15 minutes, till it gets wet. It comes out drip, drip, drip. It’s ridiculous.”
Kimmel, ever the provocateur, seized the moment for a cheeky punchline:
“I believe that’s how Stormy [Daniels] described it too.”
The audience erupted in laughter.
Female hosts and comedians are no strangers to the humor race, as demonstrated by the quick-witted duo of Desi Lydic and Olivia Munn. Their sharp banter cuts through the noise, delivering biting commentary on Trump’s tariff policies.
Desi Lydic opened with a pointed question:
“How does any of [these tariffs] make up the trade deficit?”
Olivia Munn, ever the sharp observer, responded with a dose of humor and insight:
“Desi, baby girl, it’s not the trade deficit. This is all to make up for Donald Trump’s enormous deficit of attention and love. He said that much last night.”
The duo then played a clip of Trump’s boasting:
“I’m telling you these countries are calling us up, kissing my ass. They are. They are dying to make a deal. Please, please, sir. Make a deal.”
A Boy
“See? He’s just a boy, standing in front of the world asking to have his ass kissed.” Munn quipped. “And once the world fills the aching hole in his heart, the tariffs will end.”
“But that will not happen,” Lydic said with a knowing nod. “There’s not enough attention in the world to make him feel like a human again.”
“Exactly,” Munn wryly concluded, leaving the audience laughing – and thinking.
Seth Meyers, another late-night heavyweight, offered his incisive take on the tariff turmoil.
“Trump seemed very pleased on Wednesday with the rally he caused by single-handedly tanking the markets and then reversing himself,” Meyers remarked, then played a clip of Trump proudly saying:
“We were up, like, close to 3,000 points. Nobody’s ever seen a day like that. I think that’s a record, isn’t it, fellas?”
“Because you tanked it. You set a house on fire. Then you called the fire department. And now you want credit for saving the house from the fire you started,” retorted Meyers, cutting through the bravado. Mimicking Trump’s voice, he added:
“The house is still there. You’re welcome. Yes, lots of it very black, and everything’s wet.” Meyer’s humor underscores an unvarnished truth as he asserted:
“The reality is, there was never a grand plan. There are clearer ways to revitalize American industry and create good-paying union jobs. But slapping arbitrary, made-up tariffs on islands populated by penguins obviously won’t do that.”
Bizarre Tariff Formula
These absurd tariffs haven’t escaped the scrutiny of economic experts either. Words like folly, bizarre, and madness have been used to describe the Trump administration’s tariff formula. While the approach of reciprocity - giving countries a taste of their medicine - might have superficial appeal, closer examination reveals its flaw.
Leading U.S. economist Brent Neiman, whose research was cited by the Trump administration to justify sweeping tariffs, publicly stated that the White House got his calculations very wrong, overstating the tariffs by a factor of four. Neiman wrote:
“The biggest mistake was treating bilateral trade deficits as proof of protectionism. That’s just wrong.”
Such a glaring economic misstep underscores the folly of these policies, leaving little need for late-night comedians to hold up a mirror to the Trump administration’s error. The world is already laughing.
In the end, humor remains one of the sharpest tools for dissecting the madness of modern politics. Late-night comedians, with their fearless wit and biting satire, transform political chaos into moments of clarity, forcing us to confront uncomfortable truths while keeping us entertained. Their jokes are never just jokes - they hold a mirror to society, exposing contradictions, failures, and sheer unpredictability of leadership.
And perhaps that’s why, in times of uncertainty and upheaval, we turn to them. Because laughter is the best medicine – not just for the soul, but for navigating the dizzying whirlwind of political folly. When reason falters and rhetoric obscures reality, humor cuts through the noise, reminding us to think critically while still finding reasons to smile.
Content & editing put together in collaboration with Bing Microsoft AI-powered Co-pilot
Head cartoon courtesy of ChatGPT & Canva
Still photos courtesy of YouTube, Buzz Feed, Facebook, The Independent, El Pais English, The Economic Times, The Economist, & ChatGPT
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