Long before he formally announced his presidential campaign, Donald Trump was the gift that kept on giving to comedy. But after he locked up the GOP presidential nomination back in May, America’s late-night comedians leapt into high gear—along with the rest of the media—spending more time on Trump’s campaign than anything else.
With summer coming to an end and less than 2½ months until Election Day, here’s a look back at the highlights.
Samantha Bee: Why Republicans Can’t Denounce Trump’s Rampant Racism
“Trump isn’t desecrating the Republican Party. He’s just peeling back the glossy exterior to reveal the hideous symbiont that’s been lurking there for decades.”
Jimmy Fallon’s Trump Selects Teen Trump Impersonator ‘Little Donald’ as Running Mate
“The only person good enough to be my vice president is me.”
Stephen Colbert’s ‘Hunger Games’ RNC 2016 Stunt
Laura Benanti’s Melania Trump Defends Herself on Colbert
“I did not plagiarize my speech last night. I would never do such a thing. I could not, would not with a goat. I would not, could not on a boat. That is because I learned honesty during my humble upbringing in West Philadelphia, born and raised, and on the playground is where I spent most of my days.”
The Daily Show’s Hilarious Trump Parody Film, Narrated by Rosie O’Donnell
“In school, young Donald showed great promise as a negotiator, settling a dispute with his music teacher by punching him in the face.”
Jon Stewart Returns to Take Down Trump and the GOP: ‘I See Your Bullshit’
“This country isn’t yours. You don’t own it. It never was. There is no ‘real’ America. You don’t own it. You don’t own patriotism. You don’t own Christianity. You sure as hell don’t own respect for the bravery and sacrifice for military, police, and firefighters. Trust me!”
Bill Maher on Trump: He Wants to Make America White Again
“So when Republicans talk about ‘restoring America,’ ‘making it great again,’ ‘taking their country back,’ this is where they want to take it back to: 1959, when life was still in black and white, before the ’60s came along and ruined everything with color.”
“As a leader of democracy, you can’t just lose your shit at the slightest provocation. It appears, though, Cinnamon Hitler didn’t get the memo.”
Seth Meyers Recaps Trump’s Awful Week: Is This the ‘Final Straw?’
“This is the final straw? Not the racism, or the misogyny, or the wall?”
John Oliver to Trump: ‘Drop Out’ Now and ‘You Would Be a Legend’