The Daily Show's Trevor Noah finds the tragedy and upside in Trump's reported secret-spilling to Russia
On Monday night's Daily Show, Trevor Noah reminded everyone that less than a week ago, President Trump fired FBI Director James Comey, then the very next day met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Ambassador Sergey Kislyak in the Oval Office. "And then we were all, like, 'Man, it can't get any worse,'" Noah said. "We were wrong." He played a CNN synopsis of the Washington Post bombshell about Trump sharing highly classified intelligence with Lavrov and Kislyak during the meeting. "I knew something was up when we saw President Trump with the Russians — and they were smiling," Noah said. "There's only two times a Russian man smiles: the day he dies, and this."
Trump "probably doesn't even know what 'intel' is short for," Noah said, breaking out his Trump voice: "'My intelevision is the best! It gets the highest ratings! Best ratings of all.' What's really sad about this is that Donald Trump is trying to impress the Russians with the fact that he's president. They know!" There were fears that the Russian camera crew would try to plant bugs in the Oval Office, but "right now, if I were Putin back in Moscow, I would be, like, 'This is trap, no?'" he said. Russia clearly "thought it was going to be a lot harder."
Still, "before you get your hopes up, the White House has already called The Washington Post's report 'false,'" Noah said, and in any case "the chance of Donald Trump getting into trouble for this is next to nothing." Legally, the president can't leak classified information — if he discloses it, it is no longer classified. "I will say this, though, people: At least now we know there's no aliens," Noah said. "Because if there were, Donald Trump would have told us by now." He ended with his bottom line: "So the good news is, Trump listens during intel briefings. And the bad news is, Trump listens during intel briefings." Watch below. Peter Weber
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
Eel-egal trade: the world’s most lucrative wildlife crime?Under the Radar Trafficking of juvenile ‘glass’ eels from Europe to Asia generates up to €3bn a year but the species is on the brink of extinction
-
Political cartoons for November 2Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the 22nd amendment, homeless camps, and more
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago.
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
