“The Daily Show” may technically be a comedy program first and foremost, but since so many so-called news channels are actively avoiding coverage of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, it’s up to the Comedy Central series to inform viewers about the state of the economy.
In fact, host Desi Lydic specifically called out Fox News, Fox Business and Newsmax on Tuesday night for turning a blind eye before diving into the drama between Elon Musk and Peter Navarro.
“It’s been one week since Donald Trump announced his bold vision for destroying the economy. And guess what? His plan is working,” she began her segment. “I’m not an economist, but it’s probably a bad sign when the chart itself looks like it jumped off the roof.”
“Look at that drop. Six Flags is going to make a roller coaster of that,” Lydic continued. “The only upside is that this crash is much easier to understand than the 2008 one. Remember ‘The Big Short,’ where they had to have Margot Robbie explain it in a bathtub? Here’s how that would go today: ‘Trump did it.’”
“The president may have single-handedly tipped us into a global recession. And with so much uncertainty, the world is glued to the financial news networks, who are surely focusing on this story 24/7. Right, Fox Business?” the comedian prompted, only to be followed by a fluff piece from the network.
Getting back on track, Lydic said, “So, yes, economists are afraid that we’re headed into a recession. But don’t worry, things could still improve quickly, as long as Trump deescalates soon.” At that, a montage played of Trump’s threats of rising tariffs, especially towards China. “104% tariffs? OK, this is getting really serious. We’ll know exactly how serious once we ask China to do the math for us. But the point is, Trump is out of control right now. I’d say he’s like a bull in a china shop. But at 104%, I can’t afford to say that.”
“It’s really starting to feel like the entire world is teetering on the brink of chaos. It’s honestly impossible to report on literally anything else right now,” she noted. “Right, Fox News?” Again, fluff.
Lydic then decided to break down the very public feud between two of Trump’s top advisors: “I have to pick between Elon Musk and Peter Navarro? This is like the trolley problem if the problem was that you only have one trolley.”
“This is actually a substantive debate,” she explained. “Elon likes free trade. Peter Navarro likes the tariffs. Let’s start with Navarro’s argument … Peter Navarro thinks Musk is taking advantage of unfair trade policies at the risk of American prosperity. Elon, what’s your response?” Naturally, Musk’s argument resorted to name-calling.
“Getting this glimpse into Trump’s team of dumb-dumb rivals is even more disturbing. The president is sending the economy off a cliff. Business leaders are furious with him. His team is tearing each other apart and the two biggest economies on the planet are entering a trade war,” Lydic concluded. “It might be time for the news organizations that supported him to come to terms with why they supported him in the first place. What do you say, Newsmax?” You know the drill.
“The Daily Show” airs Monday-Thursday at 11 p.m. EST on Comedy Central before streaming next day on Paramount+.
