Trevor Noah explains why it's 'terrible news' Bob Woodward just proved 'Trump isn't as dumb as we thought'

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Daily Show)

published 10 September 2020

"There was some big, crazy Trump news today — and I know we say that every day, but this time it's true," Trevor Noah said on Wednesday's Daily Show. "And it starts with the president and his administration making a shocking legal maneuver," pressing the Justice Department into service "defending Trump in a defamation suit against one of his rape accusers, which means taxpayer dollars are paying for this."

"Yes, this is unprecedented for a president, but I can't say I'm surprised at this point, because Trump has basically turned the government into his own personal concierge service," Noah said. "But hey, conservatives wanted someone to run the country like a business, and what's more corporate than a CEO using company resources to shut down sexual abuse accusations."

The day's bigger scandal revolves around Bob Woodward's new book, Rage, Noah said. "You might remember back in February and March, Donald Trump was very confidently saying that the coronavirus was not a big deal, and it was basically just like the flu. But since then, we've all learned that that was bulls--t. Well, today it's come out that Trump privately knew it was bulls--t." And Trump's explanation for hiding this knowledge, that he didn't want to "create a panic," just doesn't pass the smell test, he said, because creating panic "is literally his favorite thing. 'Cities are burning! Suburbs are collapsing! Caravans of antifa Mexicans are committing Muslim voter fraud!'"

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And two-facing the public on the severity of COVID-19 is just one of the things Woodward's tapes reveal, Noah said. "It really is interesting how private Trump seems to know a lot more than public Trump. I mean, this whole time, I thought there were going to be secret tapes of Trump saying the N-word, but instead we got secret tapes of him being an epidemiologist with a PhD in critical race theory. And you might be thinking, 'Oh, but this is good news, Trevor — it means that Trump isn't as dumb as we thought.' No, this is terrible news. Because you know what it shows? It shows you that Donald Trump is willfully misleading the public. It reminds you that he's a con man. ... Once again, we're reminded today that Donald Trump doesn't care about America, he cares about himself, he cares about his money, and he cares about two-fifths of his family." 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.