Late Night with Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency

Description

Political humor has been a staple of late-night television for decades. The Trump White House, however, has received significantly greater attention than that of past presidents, such as Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and even Bill Clinton. In response to Trump’s strident politics, late-night comics, including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Trevor Noah and Jimmy Fallon, have sounded key policy notes, further blurring the boundary between news and satire. Weekly humorists, including John Oliver and Samantha Bee, extend the critique with in-depth probing of key issues, while Saturday Night Live continues to tap the progression from outrage to outrageousness. Using unique content analysis techniques and qualitative discussions of political humor, Farnsworth and Lichter show how late-night political humor, and these seven programs in particular, have responded to the Trump presidency. Employing a dataset of more than 100,000 late night jokes going back decades, these noted media scholars discuss how the treatment of Trump differs from previous presidents, and how the Trump era is likely to shape the future of political humor. The authors also employ public opinion survey data to consider the growing role these late-night programs play in framing public opinion and priorities. This book will interest scholars, the curious public, and students of politics, communications and the media, and contemporary American culture. Cover Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of Illustrations Acknowledgments 1. The Importance of Political Humor Humor as a Way to Cope with Life’s Challenges (Including Politics) Three Forms of Humor Political Humor in a Contentious America The Evolving Norms and Changing Hosts of Political Humor The Daily Show Rises Amounts and Targets of Political Humor What Comes Next? 2. The Blustering Billionaire of Talk Shows and Twitter Introducing Trump: Promoting the Celebrity and the Man of Business Trump’s Expanding National Profile Pivoting Towards Politics Donald Trump, Public Policy and US Public Opinion 3. Candidate Trump and Campaign Comedy Late Night Campaign Humor The Bumpy Road to the Nomination The Road to the White House BOX 3.1 CLINTON VERSUS TRUMP JOKES, 2016 BOX 3.2 EXAMPLES OF CHARACTER JOKES DIRECTED AT DONALD TRUMP, 2016 BOX 3.3 EXAMPLES OF POLICY AND CAMPAIGN JOKES DIRECTED AT DONALD TRUMP, 2016 The Weekly Humor Programs It’s a Wrap 4. How POTUS Plays on Late Night The Nightly Humor Programs BOX 4.1 JOKES ABOUT TRUMP’S CHARACTER AND PHYSICAL APPEARANCE BOX 4.2 JOKES ABOUT TRUMP AND SEX BOX 4.3 JOKES ABOUT TRUMP AND POLICY MATTERS BOX 4.4 JOKES ABOUT THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AND FAMILY MEMBERS The Weekly Humor Programs The Evolution of Trump Humor 5. Political Consequences of Late Night Humor Late Night Humor and Political Support Late Night Humor, Information and Participation Late Night Humor and Learning about Politics in 2016 Surveying the Survey Appendix: Pew Survey Questions 6. The (Near) Future of Political Humor The Coarsening of Political Humor Comedians as Politicians? Where is the Conservative Political Comedy? A 2020 Comedy Preview Conclusion About the Contributors Bibliography Index