President Trump has ordered the Pentagon to draw up plans for a big military parade through Washington, and like a lot of people, Trevor Noah isn't impressed. "America doesn't need a big parade to convince the world that it has a military," he said on Wednesday's Daily Show. "Trust me, the world knows America has a military — it's in their countries right now." Still, while "Trump is really excited about getting to play with the Army like they're his G.I. Joes, luckily, most people are adults," even some you might not expect, he added. "You know it's bad when even Fox News thinks this is a waste of money."
But it isn't just the wasted money — aside from France, military parades are typically associated with authoritarian regimes like China, North Korea, and Russia. "Now look, a military parade on its own doesn't mean that Trump is gonna be a dictator," Noah said. "But it's when you look at everything else that your Spidey sense starts to tingle." He ran through Trump's politicization of the FBI, giving top White House jobs to his own kids — "sure, those are his smartest kids, but who's their competition?" — and his frequently stated admiration for strongmen like Saddam Hussein, Vladimir Putin, and Rodrigo Duterte, among others.
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.
-
The best new music of 2024 by genreThe Week Recommends Outstanding albums, from pop to electro and classical
-
Nine best TV shows of 2024 to binge this ChristmasThe Week Recommends From Baby Reindeer and Slow Horses to Rivals and Shogun, here are the critics' favourites
-
Crossword: December 28, 2024The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talksSpeed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tourSpeed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamationSpeed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box officeSpeed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appealSpeed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproarSpeed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
