Trevor Noah makes the black case for keeping Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam in office

Virginia, "a state that used to be known for things like slavery, plantations, and being the capital of the Confederacy," is now seeing that "proud" history "tainted by accusations of racism," Trevor Noah deadpanned on Monday's Daily Show. Gov. Ralph Northam (D) capped a week of blackface scandal by sitting down with Gayle King at CBS News, and in a "baller" move, Northam said "he should keep his job because he's learned his lesson," Noah said. "Ironically, he's learned so much about black history that it's getting him into even more trouble."

Noah played the clip about indentured servants in early colonial Virginia. "Poor Northam, man," he said. "Seems like no matter what he says, he just makes it worse. Because almost everyone who saw that clip had the same reaction as Gayle. They're like, 'Uh, indentured servants? That's a nice way to say slavery. Like, what do you call blackface? Extreme tanning?'" But "some historians do say the first Africans to arrive in Virginia were actually indentured servants, not slaves," he pointed out. "I'm not gonna lie: One of the things that makes Northam so entertaining is that he's like the Michael Scott of politics, right? Every time he tries to get out of a hole, he just keeps digging himself deeper."

Still, black Virginians want Northam to stay in office by a 3-to-2 margin, "which seems crazy, but it actually makes sense," Noah said. "Think about it: To black people, especially in Virginia, every white guy serving in office has probably done some racist sh-t in their past. So you might as well have a white guy who has already been caught and feels bad about it. ... Until his term is over, he's gonna be working every day to pay black people back for what he's done. And I know what you're thinking: You're like, 'What are you saying, Trevor? He's their slave?' No, no, no, not slave, indentured servant." Watch below. Peter Weber

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