Stephen Colbert’s Cartoon Trump Goes to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner
While the media continues to have a navel-gazing performative freakout over Michelle Wolf’s honest monologue about the Trump administration, Stephen Colbert presents us with an alternate reality where the President isn’t such a thin-skinned coward and actually goes to the dinner himself.
Our Cartoon President, once a Late Show segment and now a Showtime series produced by Colbert, can be both cutting and surprisingly light-hearted, considering its angry, rambling, and possibly justice-obstructing “star.” So while there are digs aplenty here at Trump, it’s hard not to long for this animated world where he was actually reasonable enough to attend the WHCA dinner (if it has to exist at all), rather than hold a counter self-aggrandizing rally.
The mockery is not solely aimed at Trump. There’s also some ribbing and extremely inside baseball jokes about the news media here, as the cartoon depicts Wolf Blitzer, Sean Hannity, Rachel Maddow, Shepard Smith, MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, Fox & Friends’ Brian Kilmeade, and The New York Times‘ Maggie Haberman.
My first favorite joke is visual:
We see you, Jeff Sessions, you lawful evil elf.
My second favorite joke is delivered by “Trump” and takes aim at one of the left’s most beloved podcasts: “A lot of people complain that Washington is just a bunch of white guys talking to an audience who agrees with them. But I like Pod Save America.”
I’m a friend of the Pod, but that’s a great line.
Ultimately, however, while it can feel cathartic to laugh at this cartoon version of Trump, the last parting shot here should give everyone pause. “Congratulations to tonight’s honorees!” The “President” says. “I look forward to locking you all up in the coming years.” Ha … ha.
(via The Daily Beast, image: screengrab)
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