“The Daily Show” stunned its studio audience Thursday after telling a biting joke at the expense of the Titan submersible and its victims.
The OceanGate vessel — which infamously imploded in 2023, killing the five people onboard while journeying down to the wreck of the Titanic — was mentioned during host Jordan Klepper’s monologue while discussing Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s comment that “CO2 was never a pollutant” and is a necessary part of our ecosystem.
“Look, nobody is saying CO2 shouldn’t exist,” Klepper said of Burgum’s defense amid the Trump administration championing the revival of coal. “The amount is the issue. We need water to live too, but the crew of the Titan submersible is not living extra hard right now.”
At this moment, the studio audience for “The Daily Show” erupted into noticeable groans, briefly derailing Klepper from his monologue.
“I know, facts hurt,” he cheekily replied. “Look, I feel that way too. But when I take a step back and I look at the consequences on human health and the world at large, and I contemplate the ramifications of all of these actions, there can be no doubt Donald Trump truly is the undisputed champion of coal.”
Earlier in the monologue, Klepper also roasted Trump for his slurred speech while receiving the inaugural “Undisputed Champion of Beautiful Clean Coal” award.
“Congratulations to Donald Trump on winning the inaugural award for undisputed champion of beautiful, clean coal and so soon after winning the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize,” Klepper noted. “And if you’re thinking, this guy sure wins a lot of awards that were created just this year for him in particular, you’re right.”
Klepper then revealed that they created for Trump the inaugural award for winning the most inaugural awards — though, they had to bring out a new version after the president stumbled over saying the word “undisputed.”
“Seems like your brain is disputing it as you speak,” he joked. “Now, if this was a toddler saying their first words, I’d be actually very impressed. But for a president of the United States who’s actively having an aneurysm, I’m also pretty impressed, which is why I’m presenting you with our inaugural, best ‘undisputable’ award.”
Watch Klepper’s full monologue above.
“The Daily Show” airs weeknights at 11 p.m ET on Comedy Central.
