Trevor Noah recaps the good, the bad, and the hilarious of Trump's mid-impeachment State of the Union show
President Trump delivered the final State of the Union speech of his first term Tuesday night, and this year's speech "was extra weird, because in case you forgot, it's happening right in the middle of Trump's impeachment," Trevor Noah said in a special live Daily Show. "It's like you're in the middle of firing someone who's belligerent at work, but then you get interrupted by their birthday party."
At least 10 Democrats decided to skip "tonight's awkwardness" and boycott she speech, but those who did show up "got to witness a very awkward start to the State of the Union, where Nancy Pelosi tried to shake Trump's hand, but he was having none of it," Noah said. A "focused" Trump "dove right into his greatest hits," showing off "his player-hating degree" and continued obsession with former President Barack Obama, and "of course, no Trump speech would be complete without an absolute, blatant lie."
The biggest lie, about health care, was "so extreme that if Trump was Pinocchio, he would have impaled Mitch McConnell in his seat," Noah said. "Him claiming to be the champion of protecting pre-existing conditions is like the coronavirus being, like, 'I love Chinese people, I really do.'"
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Still, the theme of the evening was "Trump doing what he does best: creating a show made for TV," Noah said. And "judging by the 212 standing ovations on the Republican side, they're loving their guy. But as for the Democrats, I think Nancy Pelosi's actions speak louder than words." He laughed at her ripping up Trump's speech: "Nancy Pelosi has done it again. I feel like every year she finds a new way to show Trump just how little she thinks of him and his speech." He recalled last year's sideways clap and predicted what Pelosi might do if Trump gets another State of the Union. Watch below. Peter Weber
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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.
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