The media’s late-night circuit erupted on Monday as they took notice of the guilty verdict in former President Donald Trump’s New York trial. Various show hosts took turns to analyze, comment and take jibes at the decision on the hush money case. Opinions ranged from celebratory to confrontational.
Stephen Colbert, who hosts The Late Show on CBS, started off by comparing his mood with that of soul legend, James Brown’s song, feeling good because Trump was found guilty on all 34 counts. He mocked the wait till the sentencing on July 11 with an advent calendar gag representing the 38 days countdown.
Seth Meyers, from NBC’s Late Night, confessed to having watched coverage of the verdict multiple times, ridiculing Trump’s past life catching up with him. He taunted Trump’s decision to run for president despite a closet full of skeletons, potentially making him more vulnerable to prosecution.
Meyers pointed his finger at what he saw as a hypocritical defense from the GOP. He highlighted that other Democrats, including Hunter Biden and Sen. Robert Menendez, were also facing trial on various charges, dismantling allegations of the justice system being weaponized against Republicans.
Jon Stewart, over at The Daily Show, had his guns aimed at Fox’s Laura Ingraham’s joke about shopping at Banana Republic. Stewart then brought Sen. Tim Scott’s statement about Trump being the victim of weaponized justice into his crosshairs. He continued his no-nonsense storytelling citing the ongoing trials of fellow Democrats, Menendez and Congressman Henry Cuellar, and Hunter Biden as examples to disprove Scott’s claim.
Finally, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel raised questions on why Biden’s administration would let his son’s case slip under the radar if they were indeed manipulating the justice system. He rounded up his segment implying that Biden would be powerless and that his son Hunter and Trump could potentially be cellmates.
To sum up, the late-night TV circuit had its share of fun with Donald Trump’s conviction announcement. Jokes and mockery aside, it’s clear that the United States is experiencing deep divisions and ideological strife, and these divisive times require us to step back from the noise and objectively assess the facts and consequences of such trials.
