Though it was a busy news day in the Trump Administration, “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah opted to devote some time to one of the lesser-known characters in this massive ensemble cast: Sec. of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson.
“You may disagree with Ben Carson’s view, but you have to admire a man who’s so consistently committed to saving money. Like, you have to admire that — unless it’s all bulls—,” Noah said.
Most of the time Carson manages to slide under the radar, but he managed to snag a small portion of the spotlight recently as some of his office’s less-than-thrifty purchasing habits came to light. Government regulations forbid office decorations and furniture over $5,000, but a former staffer at HUD Wednesday claimed she had been demoted for refusing to flout those rules, being told by her boss, allegedly, that “$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair.”
“Does Ben Carson think a good chair costs $5,000? Noah asked. “This guy would be the worst ‘Price Is Right’ contestant. Seriously? You can’t get a good chair for less than $5,000? Do you realize you can get a sex chair off of Amazon that will literally sodomize you and it’s $49.99 with free shipping? That’s real.”
Noah then went in on how Carson’s office reportedly spent $31,000 on a handcrafted dining set and $165,000 on other furniture.
“You realize for that amount of money he could have built a poor person a decent house? Or three uncomfortable houses, whichever way you wanna go. Like, Ben Carson is clearly doing some shady s— at his department, and it might also involve his wife and his son. I don’t know.”
Noah concluded the opening segment with a clip of Carson appearing to fart while speaking live on Fox News a couple weeks back.
“While supporting deep budget cuts to his department, Carson is spending lavishly on dining sets and lounge furniture and $5,000 chairs, which is not OK,” Noah said. “Unless that chair costs $5,000 because it has sophisticated fart-suppressing technology. In that case, it’s money well-spent.”