Jon Stewart on Donald Trump's Assertion of Being Unaware About His Own MRI: 'It's Not Physically Possible'.

Late-night television hosts this week trained their comedic fire on ex-President Donald Trump, criticizing his employment of a derogatory term and portrayed as feeble efforts to address growing questions about his mental fitness.

Jon Stewart's Scathing Critique

Beginning his monologue, Jon Stewart focused on a inflammatory Truth Social message in which Trump described Minnesota Governor Tim Walz with a highly offensive slur. "On Thanksgiving?!" Stewart remarked. "Did you mix it up with Festivus?"

When asked later if he regretted the remark, Trump reportedly doubled down, stating there was "something seriously wrong" with the governor.

"The issue is with him? With him?" Stewart responded. "You were sitting with your family at Thanksgiving, stomach full of turkey and pie, enveloped in the love of your notorious associates, but your initial instinct was to Truth a slur at Tim Walz? And there’s something wrong with him?"

The host then addressed Trump's peculiar account of a recently revealed medical scan. In an attempt to downplay worries, Trump claimed he had "no idea" what part of his body was even scanned, suggesting it "couldn't have been his brain" because he "took a cognitive test."

"That is an impossibility," Stewart shot back. "Being completely unaware, it’s not possible. What would you say to the doctor? ‘No no no, don’t tell me. I want to find out at my MRI reveal party.’"

He continued, "For God’s sakes, man, were you not curious at all? When they laid you down in a tube for a half an hour, you didn’t want to know what they might be doing? Or did you just think to yourself, ‘This is a noisy tanning bed’?"

Stewart also mocked Trump's assertion of a "perfect score" on the scan. "That’s how they score the MRIs," he joked. "It's either a big stamp, ‘Perfect,’ or you get in red ink, ‘See me.’"

Stephen Colbert's Witty Observations

On his own program, Stephen Colbert pointed out growing discontent among some former supporters. "Maga folks are starting to notice that Trump views them like meat animals," he said, citing criticism over building a luxury ballroom over addressing affordability concerns.

"Elsewhere, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his traditional way – with racism," Colbert quipped, alluding to an anti-immigrant rant from the weekend. "Amidst all of that nonsense," he summarized, the president also used the ableist slur against Governor Walz.

After Walz responded to "Release the MRI results," Trump said he would do so, despite his claimed ignorance of what was scanned.

"Uh, here’s a theory: maybe the part that’s broken is the part that’s meant to retain that information," Colbert noted.

He then mocked the follow-up White House justification—a medical note stating the MRI was for routine evaluation. "OK, fair enough," Colbert said. "Men in his age group also benefit from retiring, so … can we write that prescription next?"

Kimmel's Blunt Assessment

Jimmy Kimmel also condemned Trump's use of the slur. "Look, he is capable of being presidential when he wants to be!" he remarked sarcastically. "I wonder why he didn’t get that Nobel peace prize. It defies all logic."

Regarding Trump's subsequent statement that he thinks "there is a problem" with Walz, Kimmel was blunt: "another bold statement from the president of the eighth grade."

Kimmel also touched on Trump's claims of unprecedented approval ratings. "This indicates it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel said, pointing to polling showing high negative ratings. "There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp with better reviews than Donald Trump right now."

The host concluded by highlighting Trump's pledge to pardon a imprisoned former Honduran president. "Critics have noted the staggering contradiction of Trump taking a hard line elsewhere, while simultaneously pardoning a man who shipped a massive quantity of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "But those people are just detractors, you know? Lighten up!"

"When he was running, Trump made it very clear: his top priorities were a) granting clemency to cartel leaders and b) constructing a venue to host formal dances," he added. "Commitments stated, pledges fulfilled."

Shannon Smith
Shannon Smith

Elara Vance is a tech writer and innovation strategist passionate about exploring disruptive ideas and future trends.