Late-night hosts discuss former chief of staff John Kelly calling Donald Trump a fascist and Tim Walz’s dad-humor burn about Elon Musk’s stage antics.
Seth Meyers
With less than two weeks left in the presidential campaign, Seth Meyers on Wednesday’s Late Night commented on Donald Trump’s behavior, describing him as a “ridiculous buffoon and incredibly dangerous menace” at the same time.
Meyers also highlighted Trump’s recent antics, such as working at a McDonald’s for half an hour and acquiring a “french-fry certification” pin that he proudly displayed at a rally in North Carolina. Meyers humorously suggested Trump could add this pin to his collection alongside a “convicted felon pin” and a “cognitive decline pin.”
Former chief of staff John Kelly spoke out about Trump, stating that he fits the general definition of a fascist. Meyers found it remarkable that Kelly went through the dictionary definition of fascism and checked off all the boxes for Trump.
Kelly also mentioned that Trump openly praised Hitler, which Meyers found concerning. He criticized Trump’s apologists for trying to downplay or excuse his comments about Hitler.
“The lack of morality one has to have to go to work cleaning up Trump’s affection for Hitler’s generals is astounding,” said Meyers.
“There’s only one reason that he fucking likes Hitler,” he added. “It’s a bombshell revelation, but you don’t have to look far to find Trump’s affection for dictators and his aspiration to be one.”
Stephen Colbert
On the Late Show, Stephen Colbert joked about vice-presidential candidate Tim Walz’s comments on Elon Musk’s stage antics for Trump. Colbert found Walz’s criticism of Musk’s behavior entertaining.
Colbert also discussed Kelly’s remarks about Trump and fascism, calling it an “early-autumn ‘no shit'” moment. He pointed out that Kelly declined to endorse a candidate but his comments essentially indicated his stance.
“Ok … technically,” Colbert laughed. “This is kinda an endorsement, right? ‘I am your father, and I would never pick a favorite child but Kyle did lose our dog, fail out of school and framed his parents for several of his arsons. The point is, I love both my children equally: my straight-A student Amanda and Kyle, the flaming dog loser. No choice! No judgment.’”
The Daily Show
On the Daily Show, guest host Michael Kosta discussed Kelly’s comments about Trump being a fascist. Kosta humorously remarked on the gravity of such an announcement being made in an audio clip.
Kosta also touched on the definition of fascism and how it aligns with Kelly’s characterization of Trump. He pointed out that other generals in Trump’s administration have expressed similar concerns about Trump’s behavior.
“Keep in mind, these guys were the adults in the room in the first Trump administration keeping Trump from going full dictator,” said Kosta. “And they’re not going to be there the second time around. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not ready to put the future of American democracy in the hands of Secretary of Defense MyPillow guy.”
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