Late Night USA "Trump is not a racist. He just meets a lot of people in death helmets"

Jon Stewart has a soft spot in his heart for Donald Trump, who misses his intimate enemy Joe Biden. But the 78-year-old simply recycles his attacks for Kamala Harris, relies on familiar warnings about the end of the world - and falls into the racism trap again.

"On this program, we occasionally make fun of Donald Trump," living late-night legend Jon Stewart begins the "Daily Show." "With the ribbing, the teasing, the pants down and finger pointing. But: He's in a bad way right now."

Late Night USA - Understanding America

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50 states, 330 million people and even more opinions: How are you supposed to "understand America"? If you want to keep an overview without running aground, you need a beacon. The late-night stars offer one of the best navigational aids: They are the perfect pilots, relentlessly naming the shoals of the country and its people, and serve our author Philipp Dahm as a comic compass for the state of the American soul.

In the clip from minute 1:24, headlines follow in which Trump complains that Joe Biden is no longer running. They culminate in the offended statement: "Now we have to start all over again." "Not fair," Stewart rages. "A month ago, he was basically already the fucking president," he whispers.

The 78-year-old had only just cheated death - because of the failed assassination attempt. "At the time, people thought his [vice president-elect] choice was smart," the presenter blasphemes, referring to James David Vance. "[Trump] had it all in the bag and it was taken away from him."

"What am I going to do with my Indian expletives that I was going to use?"

After six years of attacking Biden, the Republican now has to relearn, he said. "And the audience literally has to sit through Trump trying to get going." In the clip from minute 2:51, Trump explains that there are many ways to pronounce his opponent's first name. "You can say Kamela. You can say Kamala." He also has Kämela and Kamabla on offer.

Stewart's reaction:

But what the Republican calls Harris is less important than finding out what she is, Stewart said. A clip of Trump's appearance in front of black journalists follows, in which he says: "She was Indian all along, and all of a sudden she turned off and became a black person."

"What am I doing with my Indian expletives that I was going to use?" the presenter mimics the politician. "They mainly contain turmeric and cumin. But then I turned off. To black. He pretends she drove into the wrong neighborhood: She drove through [the ritzy New York neighborhood of] the Upper West Side, and then - boom - she's [in the predominantly black neighborhood of] Harlem."

"I got 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the crowd."

Because Trump is "obviously struggling," Stewart wants to help. "Forget the biographical stuff," he calls out to him. "Let's focus on the problems." And what is the clip from 4:54 minutes onwards about? "I've spoken to the biggest crowds," Trump boasts in Palm Beach, Florida. "Nobody has spoken to bigger crowds than me."

Stewart's reaction:

Trump isn't done. "I had 107,000 people in New Jersey. You guys didn't report on it. We had 20,000, 25,000 people in Harrisburg, and 20,000 couldn't get in. Nobody mentions that. When [Harris] gets 1,500, they say, 'Oh, the crowd was so big.'" Trump takes an audible breath through his nose: "I got 10 times, 20 times, 30 times the crowd."

"I had an infinite crowd," Stewart mimics the ex-president. "She had a guy named Jeff." The presenter changes his tone: "It's very clear: You have everyone. She has no one. Can we move on?"

"It sounds like he's losing his mind"

Unfortunately not: there is Trump's Truth social post, in which Harris is dubbed a "fraud" because a photo has allegedly been manipulated to show a large crowd in front of her plane. This was "election interference", the 78-year-old raged.

"Oh my fucking God," moans Stewart. "For those at home saying, 'It sounds like he's losing his fucking mind': Just because there's video and photo evidence that Kamala Harris' crowd was real doesn't mean it was real!" More importantly, he said, Trump has incriminating evidence about Harris from someone who was with her.

"Well, I know Willie Brown very well," Trump says in the clip starting at minute 7:17. "In fact, I crashed in the helicopter with him. We thought that might be the end. We were in the helicopter on the way to a certain place, and there was an emergency landing. But he told me terrible things about her."

"Are you kidding me?"

Stewart's reaction:

He summarizes:

"You were in a helicopter? With the former mayor of San Francisco, Willie Brown, who famously dated Kamala Harris? And as the helicopter was going down, as you were falling to your imminent death, Willie Brown turns to you and says, 'It may not mean anything to you now, but remember that lady I was with? The district attorney? Well, before we die, I want you to know: she's the worst! I don't want to go before my maker without giving you this information."

This event is probably not only etched in Trump's mind, but also in Willie Brown's. The problem: he knows nothing about it. "Are you kidding me?" he replies when asked. "I assume he was on a helicopter flight with someone who was black and he made a mistake and thought it was me."

The horseman of the apocalypse

"This is so fucking stupid," Stewart exclaims. "I'm sure that's not what happened. What are the chances that Trump has his black people mixed up?" But the clip from minute 9:47 proves exactly that: in 1990, Trump was flying with Nate Holden in a helicopter that had problems. Holden is a member of the Los Angeles City Council.

Stewart's reaction:

Holden can only laugh about the whole thing: "I think we all look the same," he jokes to "Politico". Stewart says: "Hey, Donald Trump is not a racist. He just meets a lot of people in death helmets." He builds a mnemonic bridge that only works in English: "If the chopper goes down, that's not Willie Brown. If the flight's not going great, you're probably riding with Nate."

In the clips from minute 11:41, 12 and 12:34, the "Daily Show" clearly shows that Trump is using the same incantations for Harris that he has already tried with Biden: A "stock market crash like 1929," "World War III" and "the death of the suburbs" are looming, he warns, using some of the exact same wording. "That's just a remix?" Stewart wonders, accusing Trump of "laziness in apocalypse".

And looks like this:

But Trump can't actually get over Biden: he's still talking at campaign events about whether he should say "Sleepy Joe" or "Crooked Joe". Stewart shakes his head: "It's sad. It's like seeing an old man talking to someone alone on a bench and you realize: That's where his wife used to sit. He would give anything for one last moment with Crooked Joe."

And Trump? Also says that Biden will get his candidacy back. Stewart speaks as if to a lovesick person: "He's not coming back, Donald!"

Ticker for the US election campaignClose result: statistics guru simulates election 80,000 times +++ Another candidacy in 2028? Trump "will not go"

US-Wahlen 2024 | Aktuelle Umfragewerte

Donald Trump

Republican Party

44%

Kamala Harris

Democratic Party

46%

An 100 fehlende Prozente entfallen auf den Kandidaten der Unabhängigen. Quelle: National Polls: YouGov, The Economist, 11.-13. August 2024