Late-night hosts respond to Trump's acquittal: 'Nobody is left to check his power'
You could feel the frustration and incredulity among the late-night television hosts in light of President Donald Trump‘s acquittal by a Republican-dominated Senate.
“The undying devotion most Republicans have pledged to a shameless corrupt liar was on full display today when they acquitted him after a sham impeachment trial in which they ignored the evidence and refused to hear from witnesses,” Seth Meyers said on Late Night. “A Senate Republican caucus,” he added, “again, representing a minority of Americans acquitted a president who lost the popular vote in 2016 election and tried to cheat in the 2020 election. You can’t call that democracy.”
“Trump’s acquittal is bad for many reasons,” Samantha Bee said over on Full Frontal. “For one, it would’ve been fun seeing [Vice President Mike] Pence try to figure out if he wants to call his wife First Lady Mother or First Mother Lady. But, more importantly, now that his executive overreach has been sanctioned by the Senate, Trump is free to basically do anything. Trump is in effect a king. Not like King Arthur, more like Burger King. I mean, not the Burger King, a Burger King.”
Put more succinctly, “Nobody is left to check his power.”
Jimmy Kimmel and The Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah also chimed in, but Noah was more calm about the situation, mainly because he knew the Republicans in the Senate would always acquit Trump. What was more surprising was Senator Mitt Romney announcing his decision to vote to impeach on Wednesday. “That is shocking,” Noah said. “Who would’ve thought that the most badass Republican in the Senate would end up being a Mormon dude named Mitt?”
He did, however, take issue with all the political talking heads on Fox News being up in arms over the sight of House Speak Nancy Pelosi ripping up Trump’s State of the Union speech while standing behind him after he made it. “These people, the people that support Trump, have no business complaining about breaches of decorum,” Noah said. They’re dude is literally the king of that sh—. He puts the dick in dick-orum.”
Most of the late-night hosts called out the Senate Republicans who tried to convince everyone that Trump somehow learned his lesson, specifically Maine Senator Susan Collins.
“Of all the silliness we’ve had the displeasure of hearing this week this ‘thought’ from Susan Collins might very well take the cake,” Kimmel said. Appearing on ABC News, Collins was asked whether she felt Trump would again seek foreign assistance to dig up dirt on his American political opponents. “I believe that the president has learned from this case,” Collins said. When asked what she believes the president has learned, she added, “The president has been impeached. That’s a pretty big lessons.”
Kimmel just laughed because when Trump was asked by reporters to respond to Collins’ comments, he said he did nothing wrong and repeated his single talking point on the Ukraine call, in which he was revealed to have pressured the Ukrainian leader into digging up dirt on the Bidens: “It was a perfect call.”
“What he learned is I will do whatever I want and you will eat it,” Kimmel said. “This is a man who’s declared bankruptcy six times. Does that sound like someone who learns?”
Out of all the hosts, Noah seemed to make the most crucial point. As his Daily Show studio audience booed the Senate for acquitting Trump, the host said, “Don’t boo. Vote.”
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