On the last Saturday Night Live before Election Day, they weren't going to stop going hyperbolically overboard in attacking President Trump. Fake News anchor Colin Jost used a guesstimate from Stanford economists that Trump rallies have led to 700 deaths. Is this a fact? No. As Reuters explained, this isn't science:
The research, led by B. Douglas Bernheim, chair of economics at Stanford University, analyzed data following 18 Trump rallies held between June 20 and Sept. 22, three of which were indoors. Bernheim said in an email the work relies on statistical methods to infer causation after an event has occurred.
Infectious disease experts have long suspected that the president's rallies ahead of the Nov. 3 election might be so-called superspreader events. But so far, scientists have not been able to get a good read on their impact, in part because of a lack of robust contact tracing in many states.
Try not to be shocked: Bernheim of Stanford donated $4,600 to Obama for President in 2008.
But it's perfect grist for mean-spirited humor! Or, to be blunt, misinformation that goes viral:
DNC/ @nbcsnl opens Fake Newscast with anchor Colin Jost "joking" that Trump is killing his supporters like a mass murderer...worse than serial killers.
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) November 1, 2020
"Light touch" there, Colin! pic.twitter.com/cW0joTZmBS
COLIN JOST: Unfortunately, Trump’s gaslighting isn’t quite enough to keep you warm, because multiple Trump supporters stranded at a freezing-cold rally in Nebraska were hospitalized from hypothermia, I assume because Trump told them jackets don't work. [ Laughter ]
But don't worry, the president isn't trying to kill supporters, he's actually succeeding at killing his supporters. [ Laughter ] According to a new study, around 30,000 COVID cases and 700 deaths have been tied directly to Trump rallies. That means he's officially killed more people across the Midwest than Jeffrey Dahmer and John Wayne Gacy combined. Which is also kind of what Trump looks like. In the end I guess Trump is right, he’s not a typical politician, because politicians don’t typically spend the last week of the election murdering their own voters.
Co-fake anchor Michael Che picked up on that by mocking rappers Ice Cube and Lil Wayne for endorsing Trump, mocking the idea that white politicians see them as leaders of the black community. (A picture of Hillary Clinton with Jay-Z was also shown. Not shown: Obama surrounding himself with rappers, including Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Common, and Kendrick Lamar.)
On @nbcsnl Michael Che rips into rappers endorsing Trump. Rappers aren't black leaders! (Unless Jay-Z endorsed Obama, that's different.) You know who else is too lightweight to be a black leader? Michael Che. pic.twitter.com/meFDhjZtKL
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) November 2, 2020
In the opening monologue, this week's host John Mulaney joked that his 94-year-old grandma shouldn't be allowed to vote. He knows that sounds ageist: "That would be like calling yourself the Greatest Generation. 'Oh, we fought the Nazis!' Well, we're trying to fight the new Nazis if you'd get out of the way and stop voting for people you saw in between coin collector commercials!"
On @nbcsnl John Mullaney busts on old voters:
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) November 1, 2020
That would be like calling yourself the Greatest Generation. "Oh, we fought the Nazis!" Well, we're trying to fight the new Nazis if you'd get out of the way and stop voting for people you saw in between coin collector commercials!" pic.twitter.com/LxCWh7s3QC
