Late-night hosts took aim at Donald Trump's birthday party and praised New Yorkers' celebrations after the Knicks victory over the weekend.
Jimmy Kimmel on Trump's UFC Birthday Party
On Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the host described the weekend in New York as relatively calm with one shooting, four stabbings, and 63 arrests following the historic Knicks win. He contrasted this with what he called a sporting event that did not bring people together: Donald Trump's birthday party.
Kimmel referred to the president's celebration as a big violent birthday party that turned the White House into a Waffle House, noting that Trump turned 80. The host said the event featured a UFC match on the front lawn with all the refinement and prestige of a Hooters at the Vatican.
Showing footage of the event, Kimmel compared it to a mini January 6th, with fighters getting ready. He commented that no one should wear shorts at the White House and joked that the venue would now smell of jockstraps and Axe body spray.
Kimmel quipped that Melania seemed to enjoy watching someone else trapped in a cage at the White House while her husband's ankles swelled with pride. The host claimed he almost stayed awake for the whole thing before taking a UFC fiesta, adding that only Donald Trump could fall asleep at a birthday party sponsored by Monster energy drink.
Kimmel also noted that Trump's name was removed from the Kennedy Center but not from the Trump-Epstein files, as he likes to call them. He mentioned a reported agreement with Iran referred to as a memorandum of understanding, leading him to jokingly call Trump's book The Art of the Memorandum of Understanding. Trump is now in France for the G7 summit, which Kimmel joked usually prompts a bingo call from someone his age.
Jon Stewart on the Daily Show
Jon Stewart questioned what kind of idiot would dangle billions of dollars for a deal with Iran before showing Trump doing exactly that. He also discussed the Knicks victory, joking that New Yorkers handled it with an appropriate level of chill before showing chaotic street footage.
Stewart said the moment showed the joy and beauty of life in the big city, contrasting with right-wing news claims of a violent and unsafe weekend. He responded directly, saying he was there and they were lying, and that it couldn't live up to their definition of a peaceful gathering before showing footage of January 6. He noted that to be fair to that mob, they lost.
Turning to Trump's UFC party, Stewart compared it to Las Vegas and referred to Trump as a gladiator's god. He questioned whether it was a parody or if they were filming Idiocracy. He mentioned fighter Josh Hokit's vile comment about Michelle Obama, calling him a fucking asshole. Stewart compared the event to a slightly more violent Hooters and said that despite right-wing coverage, no Americans are more real than New Yorkers.
Seth Meyers on Late Night
Seth Meyers said Trump's Iran deal accomplished nothing but getting back to where they were before the war began. He described the vibe in New York over the weekend as a cross between Mardi Gras, Coachella, and the rave from The Matrix.
Meyers said it all feels bigger than just sports before noting that Trump's name being taken off the Kennedy Center has people excited in DC. Trump was trying to hide an embarrassing thing but failing, with pictures showing the removal despite attempts to bury it.
Moving to the UFC party, Meyers said he was sure the founding fathers would have loved it and reminded viewers that it had only a 16% approval rating from Americans. The weather forecast was bad for the day, leading the official White House account to call out the Weather Channel page, referring to the person who wrote the post as a friendless loser. Meyers responded sarcastically, questioning the person who just picked a fight with the Weather Channel.
Trump's Iran deal included a boast about removing tolls from the Strait of Hormuz. Meyers pointed out that there weren't tolls before Trump started this dumbass war.
