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President Donald Trump is a lot like a stand-up comedian, Trevor Noah said Wednesday – he “connects with audiences in the same way.”
Speaking at “The Messy Truth,” a town hall series hosted by CNN commentator Van Jones, “The Daily Show” host analyzed how Trump interacts with a crowd.
Noah cited the tribute Trump made to Carryn Owens, widow of slain Navy SEAL “Ryan” Owens, during a joint address to Congress. Jones earlier drew criticism for calling it “one of the most extraordinary moments you have ever seen in American politics.”
“During that moment with Ryan’s wife, Trump even told a joke and people laughed, people connected,” Noah said. “When you watched Trump, and what you said, my first instinct was, come again, man? But then, when I watched it, I realized what you were saying. The honest truth is that he became presidential in that moment. What’s not scary is that he became presidential in that moment. I think what’s scary is that it is that easy to become presidential.”
Jones, a staunch critic of Trump, said he did not regret his remarks.
“It was an emotional moment,” he said. “I am proud of myself that I can still get teary-eyed even during a Trump speech.”
But Jones wanted to make it clear that he still opposes the President.
“I’m still afraid of Trump,” Jones said. “When I said he was becoming presidential, that wasn’t just a compliment, that was a warning.”
Jones said he does understand why people were upset and disappointed with his comments, but warned of the dangers of demonizing your political opponents.
“There’s a danger that we all become fear-based and fear-driven and we give in 100% to this whole us-against-them hysteria, that we close up our hearts, we just refuse to ever again take the risk that maybe, maybe there’s still some good in some of the people we disagree with. If that happens, a form of Trumpism has been normalized in our hearts, in our hearts. And as a father and a human being, that worries me, too.”
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