Late night hosts joke about Trump's secret COVID test, CNN's Cuomo suspension, Dr. Oz's Senate run
According to Mark Meadows, former President Donald Trump "tested positive for COVID a few days before his first debate with Joe Biden," Stephen Colbert said on Wednesday's Late Show. Three days afterward he was hospitalized with COVID, "but who could have known that he might have been positive at the debate that Tuesday? Let's ask my good friend, me from last year." He showed the goods.
Trump treated a second, negative test result as license to act like nothing happened, Colbert said, but "Meadows took a totally different view and 'instructed everyone in the president's immediate circle to treat him as if he was positive.' So no touching him, no getting close to him, avoid him unless absolutely necessary — a strategy the CDC calls The Melania."
"Meadows wrote that when he informed Trump he tested positive, Trump replied, 'Oh, sh-t, you've gotta be f---ing kidding me' — which is what most of us said when he was elected president," Jimmy Kimmel said on Kimmel Live. "Sadly, testing positive for COVID was the only positive thing he did in four years a president."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Meanwhile, "despite living in New Jersey for the past two decades, Dr. Oz is running as a Republican in Pennsylvania," Kimmel said. "But he promises to be the best New Jersey senator Pennsylvania has ever had."
The Tonight Show's Jimmy Fallon tested some Senate campaign slogans for Dr. Oz. The hands-down winner? "I Know Oprah."
"CNN has suspended Chris Cuomo indefinitely for his role in advising his brother, Andrew Cuomo, during his recent scandal," Fallon added. "Yep, Chris Cuomo knew something was up when CNN added a suspension countdown clock."
"The big problem is that Chris used his influence as a CNN journalist to help dig up info on Andrew's accusers, and people, that's not what CNN is about," Trevor Noah said on The Daily Show. "CNN is about sitting 12 people together at a desk and having them yell at each other about whether Adele's Las Vegas residency is going to hurt Biden's poll numbers or not."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Trump ignoring his positive COVID test "is very relatable — I mean, that's why you second opinions," Noah said. But it was "especially irresponsible" that he then "went on stage and screamed at 98-year-old Joe Biden for two hours. Now, I'm not saying that Trump was trying to assassinate Joe Biden, but he definitely wasn't going out of his way to avoid it." He also slyly solved America's abortion argument.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Paramount fights Netflix for Warner as Trump hoversSpeed Read Paramount Skydance is seeking to undo Netflix’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery
-
How will the Warner Bros. bidding war affect the entertainment industry?Today’s Big Question Both Netflix and Paramount are trying to purchase the company
-
Political cartoons for December 9Cartoons Tuesday's political cartoons include black market vaccines, FIFA prizes, and drone deliveries
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
-
Moscow cheers Trump’s new ‘America First’ strategyspeed read The president’s national security strategy seeks ‘strategic stability’ with Russia
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
-
Supreme Court revives Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read Texas Republicans can use the congressional map they approved in August at President Donald Trump’s behest
-
Boat strike footage rattles some lawmakersSpeed Read ‘Disturbing’ footage of the Sept. 2 attack on an alleged drug-trafficking boat also shows the second strike that killed two survivors who were clinging to the wreckage
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
