“The Daily Show” unpacked Wednesday how the recent release of emails sent by deceased sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein has brought President Trump‘s previous momentum to a grinding halt this week.
After recapping Trump’s victories at the end of the government shutdown this fall, “Daily Show” host Josh Johnson was interrupted by a news alert about Trump being mentioned in the newly released Epstein emails. “Uh, ladies and gentlemen, the Trump train is experiencing a slight delay,” Johnson announced. “There is an Epstein file on the tracks. We should be moving as soon as we get that cleared.” As he prepared himself to learn about the contents of the emails, Johnson expressed his hope for a good outcome.
“I’m an American living in America, and no matter what party you’re in or who you voted for, it would be better for all of us, as a general matter, if we do not have a sexual predator as president,” the “Daily Show” host explained. “It would make our country look so bad, you know? How embarrassing would that be if we, America, went from being the shining city on a hill to not being allowed within a thousand feet of the hill?”
Unfortunately, Johnson’s hopes were dashed when he learned Epstein not only wrote to associate Ghislaine Maxwell that Trump “knew about the girls,” but also that he spent “hours” at Epstein’s home with one of his sex trafficking victims.
“Oh, s—t. I … I think the Trump train crashed,” Johnson said in response to the emails. “This isn’t just not a good look. It’s one of the worst looks I’ve ever seen.” You can watch the full “Daily Show” segment yourself in the video below.
“Trump has to be pretty unhappy that new evidence is coming out because he’s worked so hard to prevent that,” Johnson noted. The “Daily Show” comedian went on to reference Maxwell’s transfer in August to a minimum security prison in Bryan, Texas, after she conducted a two-day interview with U.S. Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche in late July. During her conversation with Blanche, Maxwell said the president had been “a gentleman in all respects” during the times they had been together.
In response to boos from the “Daily Show” studio audience over Maxwell’s latter remark, Johnson joked, “No, no. That’s something. And she said it British, so you’ve got to believe her.” The “Daily Show” host added, “I don’t know what she’s got on him, but it must be bad because she didn’t even exonerate him! She didn’t say, ‘Trump is innocent.’ All she said was, ‘I didn’t see him do anything.’ I also didn’t see him do anything! What do I get?”
Johnson recapped some of the whistleblower reports that Maxwell has begun to receive preferential treatment after being transferred to her new facility in Texas, including private time allowed with one of the institution’s service dogs. “Do not give that dog to Ghislaine,” Johnson warned. “That’s not what they meant when they said, ‘Take the dog to the groomer.’”
“Look, I don’t know what Ghislaine knows about whatever Donald Trump did,” Johnson ultimately concluded. “All I know is that every detail that comes out makes him look more and more suspicious.”
