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Comedy show hosts this week directed their focus on former President Donald Trump, lambasting his use of an ableist slur and what they described as feeble efforts to address public concerns about his mental fitness.

Jon Stewart's Pointed Commentary

Beginning his monologue, Jon Stewart focused on a controversial post in which Trump described Minnesota Governor Tim Walz using a widely condemned ableist term. "On Thanksgiving?!" Stewart remarked. "Are you confusing that with Festivus?"

When asked later if he regretted the remark, Trump is said to have intensified his attack, insisting there was "a genuine problem" 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, enveloped in the love of your extended crime family, but your first thought was to post an insult at Tim Walz? And there’s something wrong with him?"

The comedian then addressed Trump's peculiar account of a recently revealed MRI. In an attempt to downplay worries, Trump stated he had "zero knowledge" what part of his body was examined, remarking it "couldn't have been his brain" because he "aced a cognitive test."

"That’s not physically possible," Stewart countered. "To have no idea, 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 scan unveiling celebration.’"

He added, "Good grief, man, were you not curious at all? When they placed you in a tube for a half an hour, 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 boast of a "perfect score" on the scan. "That’s how they score the MRIs," he quipped. "It's either 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 increasing frustration among some one-time allies. "Certain supporters are starting to notice that Trump treats them like meat animals," he remarked, referencing anger about funding a gilded event space over tackling economic issues.

"Elsewhere, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his customary fashion – with racism," Colbert quipped, referring to an anti-immigrant rant from the weekend. "Amidst all of that nonsense," he summarized, the president also used the ableist slur against Governor Walz.

After Walz responded to "Release the MRI results," Trump said he would release them, despite his stated unawareness of what was scanned.

"Well, here's an idea: maybe the part that’s malfunctioning is the part that’s supposed to know," Colbert suggested.

He then poked fun at the subsequent official explanation—a doctor's letter stating the MRI was for preventative screening. "Alright, that's reasonable," Colbert said. "People his age also benefit from retiring, so … can we write that prescription next?"

Kimmel's Blunt Assessment

Jimmy Kimmel likewise condemned Trump's choice of words. "See, he can be presidential when he wants to be!" he joked. "It's puzzling why he didn’t get that Nobel peace prize. It defies all logic."

Regarding Trump's subsequent statement that he thinks "there is a problem" with Walz, Kimmel was direct: "another bold statement from the president of the middle school."

Kimmel also addressed Trump's insistence of unprecedented approval ratings. "Which means it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel said, noting survey data showing high negative ratings. "You can find gas station bathrooms on Yelp with higher approval ratings than Donald Trump right now."

The host concluded by criticizing Trump's promise to grant clemency to a imprisoned former Honduran president. "Critics have noted the staggering contradiction of Trump taking a hard line elsewhere, while simultaneously pardoning a man who sent a million pounds of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "Such individuals are just haters and losers, you know? Relax!"

"During his campaign, Trump made it perfectly obvious: his key goals were a) pardoning drug kingpins and b) building a place to host formal dances," he added. "Promises made, pledges fulfilled."