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

Jon Stewart's Scathing Critique

Beginning his monologue, Jon Stewart took aim at a inflammatory Truth Social message in which Trump referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz with a widely condemned ableist term. "On Thanksgiving?!" Stewart remarked. "Are you confusing that with Festivus?"

When asked later if he felt any remorse, Trump reportedly intensified his attack, insisting there was "something seriously wrong" with the governor.

"The issue is with him? With him?" Stewart retorted. "You were sitting with your family at Thanksgiving, belly full of turkey and pie, surrounded by the love of your extended crime family, but your initial instinct was to post an insult at Tim Walz? And there’s something wrong with him?"

The host then turned to Trump's bizarre explanation of a recently disclosed medical scan. In an effort to dismiss concerns, Trump stated he had "zero knowledge" what part of his body was even scanned, suggesting it "couldn't have been his brain" because he "aced a cognitive test."

"That’s not physically possible," Stewart shot back. "Being completely unaware, 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 MRI reveal party.’"

He continued, "For God’s sakes, man, were you not the least bit interested? When they laid you down 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, ‘This is a noisy tanning bed’?"

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

The Late Show's Satirical Take

On his own program, Stephen Colbert pointed out growing discontent among some former supporters. "Maga folks are starting to notice that Trump treats them like livestock," he remarked, referencing criticism over building a luxury ballroom over tackling affordability concerns.

"Elsewhere, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his customary fashion – with racism," Colbert quipped, alluding to an inflammatory post from the weekend. "Somewhere in all of that nonsense," he recapped, the president also used the ableist slur against Governor Walz.

After Walz responded to "Make the scan public," Trump said he would release them, despite his claimed ignorance of what was scanned.

"Well, here's an idea: maybe the part that’s broken is the part that’s meant to retain that information," Colbert noted.

He then mocked the follow-up White House justification—a doctor's letter stating the MRI was for preventative screening. "Alright, that's reasonable," Colbert conceded. "Men in his age group also benefit from retiring, so … can we write that prescription next?"

Jimmy Kimmel's Direct Criticism

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

Regarding Trump's follow-up comment that he thinks "there is a problem" with Walz, Kimmel was blunt: "another bold statement from the president of the eighth grade."

Kimmel also addressed Trump's claims of unprecedented approval ratings. "Which means it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel remarked, pointing to survey data showing high negative ratings. "There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp with better reviews than Donald Trump right now."

The host finished by criticizing Trump's promise to grant clemency to a convicted international drug trafficker. "Critics have noted the staggering contradiction of Trump taking a hard line elsewhere, while at the same time freeing a man who shipped a massive quantity of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "But those people are just detractors, you know? Lighten up!"

"When he was running, Trump made it perfectly obvious: his key goals were a) granting clemency to cartel leaders and b) constructing a venue to host formal dances," he added. "Promises made, pledges fulfilled."