Late night hosts were perplexed at Biden's low-rent nomination party, Trump's Goodyear boycott, calamari

(Image credit: Screenshots/YouTube/Late Night, The Late Show, The Daily Show, The Late Late Show)

published 20 August 2020

"Yesterday was Day 2 of the Democratic National Convention," and some things really are better in this all-online format, like Rhode Island's calamari-centric roll call vote, Trevor Noah said on Wednesday's Daily Show. The night also had "speeches from Jill Biden, Bill Clinton, Colin Powell, and a quick appearance from AOC" that "a bunch of media outlets who should know better" ingenuously tried to paint as a Biden snub.

"The night's big moment was when Joe Biden officially became the Democratic nominee — and for reasons I don't understand, the DNC also made it the weirdest moment," Noah said. "What the hell was that? The music, the basement library, the cheap party decorations — I thought the Democrats had millions of dollars for this. Why did it feel like the grand opening of a used Kia dealership? Like, did they blow all their money on the calamari?"

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"While the Democrats have been laying out a case that Trump is grossly unfit for office, Trump has been focused on his top priority: Proving that he is grossly unfit for office," Stephen Colbert said at The Late Show. Trump embraced the adulation from the "insane right-wing conspiracy group called QAnon," and "also got mad at Goodyear, the tire people," calling for a boycott over its MAGA hat policy. "Goodyear is headquartered in Ohio, which is a 2020 swing state, and they employ roughly 63,000 people," he noted, so "go ahead, boycott one of the biggest employers in a swing state, and don't forget to boycott Iowa corn, Wisconsin cheese, and Florida meth gators."

"Trump supporters were, like, 'That's it, I'm getting rid of my blimp! Cancel the Blimpers for Trump rally!'" Jimmy Fallon said at The Tonight Show. And "I actually feel bad for Biden — the guy's been in public office for 50 years, he finally wins the Democratic nomination, and then has to celebrate in the back of an abandoned library." He also really leaned into the calamari. 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.