‘Daily Show’s’ Trevor Noah: Trump’s ‘Second Amendment’ Comment Is a Dangerous Joke

With almost all of late-night TV off this week, The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah got the first crack at Donald Trump’s controversial comments about “Second Amendment people” doing something to stop Hillary Clinton Wednesday night.

“Holy shit!” Noah said after watching the clip. “No matter how many times I watch that I still can’t believe it.” He noted that the statement has “baffled the entire country, especially the Secret Service, who must be thinking to themselves, ‘Are you shitting me right now?’ Because think about it, this is the first presidential campaign in history where the Secret Service has had to protect candidates from each other.”

While Democrats believe Trump was sending a dog whistle to those who might want his tacit permission to assassinate Hillary Clinton, Trump supporters have insisted that he was just talking about the political power of the pro-gun movement.

“Either this was a wry comment about shooting a future president or it was a call to voter action, and no one can agree,” Noah said. “Was it a joke or was it serious?” The whole thing reminded the host of the dress that divided the nation in 2015 when half the people rightly saw it as white and gold, and the other half were apparently blind and saw it as blue and black. “Every time Donald Trump speaks, it’s The Dress,” he said. “We’re all trying to figure out what the hell it is. And no one can agree, which is entertaining for an Instagram meme but it’s not good for a commander-in-chief.”

Ultimately, Noah said he believes Trump was making an inappropriate joke, not a political call to action. “I know a joke when I see one,” he said. “More importantly, I know a stand-up comedian when I see one. Yeah, because I’m a stand-up comedian. Donald Trump is a stand-up comedian.” The montage of absurd moments from his various campaign appearances that followed was convincing proof of Noah’s point.

“We were all spending so much time focusing on his racism and sexism and xenophobia and threats to democracy that we missed all the jokes,” Noah said. The problem, he added, is that Trump’s supporters do not have a sense of humor and for some reason think they are listening to someone who actually wants to run the country.

Noah suggested we put Trump underground in a windowless room and build a wall. “An exposed brick wall with a mic and a crowd, where he can kill—just not people,” the host said. “And you know what? I think if that wall kept him focused on comedy and out of the White House, then that’s a wall that I’m sure Mexico would pay for.”