“The Daily Show” called out President Trump Wednesday night for supporting the peaceful protesters in Iran while refusing to do the same for the Minneapolis citizens combating ICE’s presence in their city.
After rolling a clip of Trump urging protesters to “keep protesting,” host Jordan Klepper briefly applauded Trump. “Wow. Standing up for the protesters in Minnesota?” the “Daily Show” comedian remarked. “You know, people call this guy a dictator, a fascist, a pedophile protector. But here he is with a full-throated defense of Americans’ right to protest their government.”
His defense of Trump ended, of course, once he realized the president’s remarks were directed at Iranians, not Minnesotans. “OK, my mistake,” Klepper admitted. “But you know what? It doesn’t matter, because President Trump is nothing if not consistent in his beliefs and ironclad in his principles, and I know that his police force will treat Americans with the same empathy and restraint when… oh, f—k. You know where this is going.”
“The Daily Show” proceeded to roll clips of ICE agents responding violently to Minnesotans’ protests, including one video of a man remaining unfazed in the face of multiple pepper spray attacks. “Holy s—t. I don’t know what’s more terrifying — them hitting that guy point blank with pepper balls, or him not even flinching at them,” Klepper said. “Although, to be fair, it’s, like, 9 degrees out there. The pepper spray is only warming him up.”
You can watch the full “Daily Show” segment yourself below.
“Let’s not beat around the bush here. What the government is doing right now in Minnesota is blatantly un-American,” Klepper eventually stated. “But the response to it is as American as can be.” To prove his point, he played clips of Minnesotans blowing whistles to alert their neighbors of ICE’s presence in their neighborhoods. Another video showed a pumped-up Minnesotan woman throwing slices of bologna at ICE agents’ vehicles.
“I mean, that is solid aim. I think the Vikings have finally found their quarterback,” Klepper joked. “That’s right. The protesters are fighting back, and their weapons are launchable … Sorry, I read that wrong — Lunchable. Their weapons are Lunchables.”
“What’s happening in Minnesota is dark, but the community response is inspiring,” Klepper concluded. “None of this had to happen if Donald Trump treated Americans with respect for their inherent rights. But if you’re going to come at Americans with this attitude, don’t be surprised when they come right back at you twice as hard.”
