Trevor Noah just rocked the boat. In less than five minutes, the Daily Show host defended both Donald Trump and Rudy Giuliani, while simultaneously excoriating the media for misrepresentation and selective editing.
“I can’t believe Donald Trump mocked veterans who suffer with PTSD. And I can’t believe that he called them weak,” Noah began his segment Wednesday. “You know why I can’t believe it? Because I actually watched what he really said.” The late-night show host proceeded to play a clip of Trump’s speech in which the candidate was “actually being compassionate to soldiers with PTSD.”
Astonished by the media’s blatant misrepresentation, Noah expressed his frustration at the “formula” he often witnessed. “The news misreports the story, the pundits then hype the story and then the campaign exploits the story,” he exclaimed. “And the entire time, there is no story!”
The host then cited another of the “most egregious” examples of misrepresentation, this time involving former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and a supposedly sexist comment taken out of context by the media. “Like, I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re not being fair to Giuliani!,” he declared amidst laughter from the audience. “You can’t cut a sentence and then make him the bad guy for this cut that you created!”
“Thank God cable news doesn’t edit real movies,” Noah continued, “because can you imagine every single great scene that would be taken out of context?” A clip of Mel Gibson’s famous Brave Heart speech followed, but protagonist William Wallace’s words about freedom were omitted and footage implied his men had returned home without a fight. Point taken, Noah!
Jon Stewart’s feisty replacement is no friend of the right, but at least he was an admirable friend of truth in this October 5 episode.
