Political comedians are the new rock stars in defense of reason in the age of Donald Trump.
For many Democrats — and some Republicans — Donald Trump’s presidency has had few upsides. From the furious rolling out of a set of executive orders and early policies that included a travel ban against Muslim-majority countries, to a reversal of Barack Obama’s climate change provisions and the attempted repeal of the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration has relentlessly dominated the world news cycle.
Trump’s relationship with the media has been contentious and confusing from the start of his election campaign. Yet while having attacked the mainstream media as “fake news” and “enemies of the people,” the 45th US president has also inadvertently provided consistently high ratings and revenues.
Yet covering Trump has been a readjustment for many serious journalists, who suddenly found themselves operating in a vacuum of factual information and verifiable statements. While mainstream media were furiously fact-checking, debating and refuting the “unpresidented” amount of outright ridiculous claims made by the president and his staff, political comedians — with their innate low tolerance for bullshit — became the new rock stars in defense of reason.
Razor-sharp political satire from Saturday Night Live, John Oliver, Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert and many others has not only been the silver lining to lift the dreary mood of Trump’s presidency. It has also created a space in which to question the absurd by cutting through a fat sliver of lies with humored rationality. After all, if the Trump administration does seem to be trolling the press, maybe the best way to fight back is with a laugh.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.
Photo Credit: Reid Rosenberg
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