‘Trump worst person to reassure the nation’
Late-night hosts roast U.S. president’s response to the coronavirus outbreak
Trevor Noah sat frozen behind his desk on the set of The Daily Show on Wednesday night, his face contorted into an expression of mock disbelief and worry.
The Comedy Central host had just played clips of U.S. President Donald Trump attempting to quell concerns about the impact of coronavirus on Americans while speaking at a news conference earlier this week in India. In what was likely intended to be a comforting statement, Trump had said, “There’s a very good chance you’re not going to die.”
Only Noah wasn’t convinced. “We’re definitely all going to die,” he said. “Trump is great for jokes, but in times of crisis, Trump is the worst person to reassure the nation.”
Trump has faced scrutiny over his administration’s response to the COVID-19 virus and what is being done to contain its spread within the United States. In recent days, Trump’s public statements about the coronavirus have largely been focused on accusing the media and Democrats of trying to use it to harm his re-election bid.
On Wednesday, as Trump continued to downplay risks while tapping Vice-president Mike Pence to lead the country ’s containment effort, late-night hosts joined critics to slam Trump for not doing more. Trump’s announcement about Pence came as health officials confirmed the first coronavirus case in the United States that has no known link to foreign travel or contact with someone known to be infected.
“A president is like a parent, they’re supposed to make people feel like they have things under control,” Noah said. “(Trump is) the kind of parent who would freak their kid out even more.”
Stephen Colbert was equally unimpressed with Trump’s efforts.
“Now, concerns of a global pandemic are growing, but fear not, the president knows he has a solemn duty to protect himself,” Colbert said on his CBS show Wednesday night, referencing Trump’s worries about how coronavirus could affect his campaign.
“I look forward to that transcript being released,” the host joked, before impersonating Trump. “Hello, Ukraine? I need dirt on a ‘Hunter Coronavirus.’”
Colbert went on to mock Trump’s news conference in India this week, zeroing in on Trump’s comment about how Americans have a “very good chance” of not dying from the fast-spreading virus.
“This is your captain speaking,” Colbert said, mimicking a pilot’s PA announcement. “We are beginning our final descent into Chicago’s O’hare Airport. Put your tray tables up because we have a solid chance of landing this sucker. I say odds are 60-40 we walk away from this.”
Meanwhile, Noah attacked Trump for appearing to care more about the effect of the virus on the country’s markets than its citizens, citing a Wednesday article from The Washington Post that reported on Trump’s private fury over the current state of the U.S. stock market, which has plunged more than 2,000 points this week due to coronavirus-fuelled sell-offs.
“That’s Trump’s real nightmare, if his stock market gets sick,” Noah said. “He’d be like, ‘No, not my poor stock market, not Wall Street. I’ll nurse you back to health with my special chicken soup. It’s a KFC bucket poured with Diet Coke.’”