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Late-night television hosts this week trained their comedic fire on ex-President Donald Trump, criticizing his employment of a ableist slur and what they described as unconvincing attempts to alleviate public concerns about his cognitive health.

The Daily Show's Pointed Commentary

Kicking off the week, Jon Stewart focused on a inflammatory Truth Social message in which Trump referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz using a widely condemned slur. "On the holiday?!" Stewart exclaimed. "Did you mix it up with Festivus?"

When asked later if he regretted the remark, Trump reportedly doubled down, stating there was "something seriously wrong" with the governor.

"The issue is with him? With him?" Stewart retorted. "You sat with your family at Thanksgiving, belly full of turkey and pie, enveloped in the love of your extended crime family, but your initial instinct was to Truth a slur at Tim Walz? And there’s something wrong with him?"

The host then turned to Trump's bizarre explanation of a recently revealed MRI. In an attempt to downplay worries, Trump claimed he had "zero knowledge" what part of his body was examined, suggesting it "wasn’t the brain" because he "aced a cognitive test."

"That’s not physically possible," Stewart shot back. "To have no idea, it’s not possible. What could you possibly say to the doctor? ‘No no no, don’t tell me. I want to find out at my scan unveiling celebration.’"

He continued, "For God’s sakes, man, were you not curious at all? When they placed you in a tube for 30 to 45 minutes, you didn’t want to know what they might be doing? Or did you just think to yourself, ‘What a loud tanning bed’?"

Stewart also mocked Trump's boast of a "flawless result" on the scan. "That’s how they score the MRIs," he quipped. "It's either a big stamp, ‘Perfect,’ or you get in red ink, ‘We need to talk.’"

The Late Show's Witty Observations

On his own program, Stephen Colbert highlighted growing discontent among some former supporters. "Certain supporters are starting to notice that Trump treats them like meat animals," he said, citing anger about funding a gilded event space over addressing affordability concerns.

"Elsewhere, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his customary fashion – with racism," Colbert quipped, referring to an anti-immigrant rant from the weekend. "Amidst all of that nonsense," he recapped, the president employed the offensive term against Governor Walz.

After Walz responded to "Make the scan public," Trump promised do so, despite his stated unawareness of what was scanned.

"Well, here's an idea: maybe the part that’s broken is the part that’s supposed to know," Colbert suggested.

He then mocked the follow-up White House justification—a doctor's letter stating the MRI was for preventative screening. "OK, fair enough," Colbert conceded. "People his age also benefit from retiring, so … can we get that ordered next?"

Kimmel's Direct Criticism

Jimmy Kimmel likewise blasted Trump's use of the slur. "Look, he is capable of being presidential when he wants to be!" he joked. "I wonder why he didn’t get that Nobel peace prize. It makes no sense."

Regarding Trump's subsequent statement that he thinks "there’s something wrong" with Walz, Kimmel was blunt: "yet another profound insight from the president of the eighth grade."

Kimmel also touched on Trump's insistence of record-high approval ratings. "This indicates it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel said, pointing to survey data showing significant disapproval. "You can find gas station bathrooms on Yelp with better reviews than Donald Trump right now."

The host concluded by criticizing Trump's promise to grant clemency to a imprisoned international drug trafficker. "Now some have pointed out the staggering contradiction of Trump tough on drugs elsewhere, while simultaneously pardoning a man who sent a massive quantity of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "Such individuals are just detractors, you know? Lighten up!"

"During his campaign, Trump made it very clear: his top priorities were a) pardoning drug kingpins and b) building a place to host formal dances," he added. "Promises made, pledges fulfilled."