Trevor Noah began the last Daily Show before Donald Trump becomes president of the United States by examining a photo the president-elect posted on Instagram this week in which he claimed to be writing the first draft of his inaugural address by hand, with a Sharpie.
“Is Donald Trump really sitting down writing his speech at that desk?” Noah asked. “No, but that’s not the point. It’s not a lie. It’s an ad.”
“America, you have to get used to the fact that you’ve elected a reality-star president,” the host continued. “And you should know a publicity opportunity when you see one. Donald Trump was just promoting tomorrow’s premiere of the 45th season of the TV show ‘President.’” As he added, it also happens to be the “final season.”
For comparison, Noah aired a clip from just a few years ago in which Trump mouthed his famous “You’re fired” catchphrase from The Apprentice for a group of photographers on a red carpet. He wouldn’t say the words out loud, because, as Noah put it, he thought they might “go into the photo.”
“How is that a president?” Noah asked in disbelief. “Oh, guys, we’re so fucked.”
Noah predicted similar presidential photo-ops over the next four years. “Here I am, balancing the federal budget all on my own,” he imagined President Trump tweeting, green visor and all.
“Get used to it,” he said, “because Trump is all about promotion. It’s an essential ingredient to any authoritarian. You know who else does that? Vladimir Putin.”