The Daily Show's Trevor Noah recaps Trump's trip abroad, focusing on what his hands were doing
With President Trump in Europe and the Middle East last week, The Daily Show took the week off. On Tuesday, Trevor Noah caught up, touching on the highlights of Trump's trip abroad, focused on Trump's hands. Trump's first stop was Saudi Arabia, he noted, and "I don't know about you, but I was waiting for him to spark an international incident. You know, like I was waiting for him to walk off the plane going 'So many ninjas!'"
Trump probably wanted people to pay attention to his big speech on Islam, "but unfortunately his mouth was soon overtaken by his hands," specifically their placement on a glowing white orb next to the hands of the Saudi king and Egyptian president. "It looks less like a summit of world leaders and more like a scene out of a bizarro Captain Planet," he said. He pointed out the hypocrisies of Trump's big arms deal with the Saudis, but said, "all in all, Trump handled the Saudi trip well."
Trump next went to Israel, Noah said, where he "got to lay his hands on one of Jerusalem's holiest sites, the Western Wall. And you know that made a big impression on Trump. 'You see this folks? They build one wall 2,000 years ago, zero Mexicans in their whole country.'" He played his favorite clip from Trump's Israel trip — Trump's flub about arriving from the Middle East — noting the reaction from Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer. A lot of the media attention was less on Israeli-Palestinian relations and more on Trump-Melania relations, Noah added, playing that clip of Melania and the president not quite holding hands — and Fox News' Howard Kurtz saying he did not see the first lady actually slap away her husband's hand. "Leave it to Fox News not to recognize what rejection from a woman looks like," he said, unkindly.
Subscribe to 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.
In Europe, Trump's hands met their match in French President Emmanuel Macron, but "Trump's hands' real agenda at the NATO meeting" was "finger-wagging," Noah said. "In one day, Trump may have done what Russia has been trying to do for 50 years, and that is break the alliance between the United States and Europe." There's one more orb reference. You can watch below. Peter Weber
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in 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.
-
A Man on the Inside: Netflix comedy leaves you with a 'warm fuzzy feeling'
The Week Recommends Charming series has a 'tenderness' that will 'sneak up' on you
By The Week UK Published
-
Bread & Roses: an 'extraordinarily courageous' documentary
The Week Recommends Sahra Mani's 'powerful' film examines the lives of three Afghan women under the Taliban
By The Week UK Published
-
V13: a 'marvelous and terrifying' account of the Bataclan terror trials
The Week Recommends Emmanuel Carrère's work is 'absolutely gripping'
By The Week UK Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Kevin Hart awarded Mark Twain Prize
Speed Read He is the 25th recipient of the prestigious comedy prize
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is Downton Abbey set to return for a final film?
Speed Read Imelda Staunton reveals that a third movie may be in the pipeline
By Adrienne Wyper, The Week UK Published