Jon Stewart on Trump's Assertion of Not Knowing About His Own MRI: 'That’s Not Physically Possible'.

Comedy show hosts this week directed their focus on ex-President Donald Trump, lambasting his employment of a ableist slur and what they described as unconvincing attempts to alleviate public concerns about his mental fitness.

The Daily Show's Scathing Critique

Kicking off the week, Jon Stewart focused on a controversial post in which Trump described Minnesota Governor Tim Walz with a widely condemned slur. "On the holiday?!" Stewart exclaimed. "Are you confusing that with your own personal grievance airing day?"

When questioned by reporters if he felt any remorse, Trump is said to have doubled down, insisting there was "a genuine problem" with the 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 comedian then addressed Trump's peculiar account of a recently revealed medical scan. In an effort to dismiss concerns, Trump stated he had "no idea" what part of his body was even scanned, suggesting it "wasn’t the brain" because he "took a cognitive test."

"That is an impossibility," Stewart shot back. "Being completely unaware, it’s not possible. What would you say to the doctor? ‘Wait, stop, don’t tell me. I want to find out at my MRI reveal party.’"

He continued, "For God’s sakes, man, were you not curious at all? When they laid you down 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 further ridiculed Trump's assertion of a "flawless result" on the scan. "Apparently, that's the way they score the MRIs," he joked. "You either get a big stamp, ‘Perfect,’ or you get in red ink, ‘We need to talk.’"

The Late Show's Satirical Take

On his own program, Stephen Colbert pointed out growing discontent among some one-time allies. "Maga folks are starting to notice that Trump treats them like meat animals," he said, referencing criticism over building a luxury ballroom over addressing economic issues.

"Elsewhere, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his traditional way – with racism," Colbert noted, referring to an inflammatory post from the weekend. "Somewhere in all of that nonsense," he summarized, the president also used the ableist slur against Governor Walz.

After Walz responded to "Make the scan public," Trump said he would release them, despite his stated unawareness of what was scanned.

"Uh, here’s a theory: maybe the part that’s malfunctioning is the part that’s meant to retain that information," Colbert noted.

He then mocked the follow-up official explanation—a medical note stating the MRI was for routine evaluation. "Alright, that's reasonable," Colbert conceded. "Men in his age group also benefit from retiring, so … can we write that prescription next?"

Jimmy Kimmel's Direct Criticism

Jimmy Kimmel also condemned Trump's choice of words. "See, he can be presidential when he wants to be!" he remarked sarcastically. "I wonder why he didn’t get that Nobel peace prize. It defies all logic."

Regarding Trump's follow-up comment that he thinks "there is a problem" with Walz, Kimmel was direct: "another bold statement from the president of the eighth grade."

Kimmel also addressed Trump's insistence of unprecedented approval ratings. "This indicates it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel remarked, noting survey data showing high negative ratings. "There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp with higher approval ratings than Donald Trump right now."

The host concluded by criticizing Trump's pledge to pardon a convicted former Honduran president. "Critics have noted the unbelievable hypocrisy of Trump taking a hard line elsewhere, while at the same time freeing a man who shipped a million pounds of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "But those people are just haters and losers, you know? Lighten up!"

"During his campaign, Trump made it perfectly obvious: his key goals were a) pardoning drug kingpins and b) building a place to ballroom dance," he added. "Commitments stated, promises kept."

John Newton
John Newton

A film critic with over a decade of experience, specializing in indie cinema and international film festivals.