No one really knows who's calling the shots in Washington, D.C., Trevor Noah argued during last night's episode of The Daily Show. That's why he decided to take matters into his own hands and play a little game called, "Who is the real president?"
Some of Noah's options (other than, you know, President Donald J. Trump) are pretty straightforward, and play into a running joke since Trump took office: We have Steve Bannon, the White House chief strategist; Russian President Vladimir Putin; and House Speaker Paul Ryan. There are some unexpected choices too, like the "Cash Me Outside" girl, the dinner guests at Mar-a-Lago, and the pet rabbit of Vice President Mike Pence.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
But in recent days, Noah said, the real president of the United States has come to the surface: Fox News.
"Yes, since Fox got rid of the woman who was coming between them and Trump," Noah said, referring to Megyn Kelly, "they’ve since been on a long honeymoon with the president."
Case in point: Trump frequently says he watches shows like Fox & Friends, he has given five out of his seven TV interviews to the network since assuming office two months ago, and even tweets about Fox stories just minutes after they air.
"The reason Fox News is currently the president is because since Trump took office, Fox has been the source of much of the crazy shit he’s said," Noah argues. "If Trump’s lies are the virus, Fox News is the sex monkey that started it all."
He has a legitimate point. Most recently, the White House ran with a unproven claim that British intelligence officials had wiretapped Trump Towers on behalf of President Obama. The baseless theory was first presented by Judge Andrew Napolitano, Fox News' senior judicial analyst.
Press Secretary Sean Spicer cited the theory during a press briefing and almost caused an international incident with the United Kingdom, one of the closest allies to the U.S. And instead of walking back the comments, Trump doubled down during a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel last Friday.
When asked about the claims, Trump pointed his finger at the network.
"All we did was quote a certain, very talented legal mind who was the one responsible for saying that on television," he said. "I didn’t make an opinion on it. That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer on Fox. And so you shouldn’t be talking to me, you should be talking to Fox."
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
Noah was baffled by the president's comments.
"If you were really the president and your administration pisses off your closest ally, you would try to restore their trust. Or if you were Donald Trump, you would do this,” he added, cutting to a clip where Trump shifts the blame to Fox News.
"There you have it, folks," Noah said, before imitating the president. “'Don’t talk to me, I just work here. Fox is in charge.'”