Mindy Kaling to grads: Buy a plunger
HANOVER, N. H.— Mindy Kaling took on President Donald Trump in her Sunday commencement address to Dartmouth College graduates, suggesting he may have “tweeted us into war” with Wakanda, the fictional country from “Black Panther.”
“I’ll tell you my secret, the one thing that keeps me going, my superpower: delusion,” Kaling said in her speech amid laughter. “This is something I share with the president, a fact that is both horrifying and interesting.”
The 38- year- old actor, writer and comedian graduated from the Ivy League school in 2001. She received an honorary degree during the ceremony.
Kaling remarked that Trump is a testament to how far someone can go if they believe they are the smartest, most successful person in the world. She encouraged the graduates to have “insane confidence” in themselves, even if it’s not real.
A few years after her own graduation, Kaling became a writer and producer for “The Office” and played Kelly Kapoor on the show. She was the first woman of color to create, write, produce and star in a comedy show.
In her speech, Kaling also offered practical advice to the approximately 2,000 graduates, like making sure to buy a toilet plunger.
The speech took on a more serious tone when Kaling specifically addressed the female graduates. To the male graduates, Kaling quipped that they should spend the next 30 seconds thinking about the extra money they will be making for doing the same job as a woman.