off. >> politicians are very visible, and they tend to be liars, which is great, so you can really go after them. >> it's making me angry, and i feel like screaming, but i'm unsure about how far my neck veins can safely bulge out of my neck. >> political humor, now that it's become such a farce, it's hard to out do it. >> yes, this is real life. this is really happening. >> . >> i cannot believe the men and women that we have chosen to be our leaders, you watch the in-house footage of congressional hearings, and i think what sort of empty headed pez dispenser say answer am i watching here. >> politics is one of the most egregious areas of society, great fodder for society! in the white house, in the oval office on the wall, obama has the original copy of the emancipation proclamation, which i'm pretty sure is just there in case the tea party is like we don't think you're free, look at the wall. >> politicians are so loathsome, but we're stuck with them. we can't prosecute all of them, so let's at least mock them. >> i believe if you can't say something nice about somebody, you must be talking about hillary clinton. >> donald trump, oh, my god, donald trump is like the nagging could have that has turned into full blown aids, you know what i'm saying. >> i think every political comedian feels their role is different. it's clear we have political comedians acting as advocates and feel like it's important to speak truth to power. >> i ended up being political power because when i'm angry, i'm funny. that just seems to be the deal, and politicians make me really angry. >> democrats and republicans believer that what they tell you about the fact is actually the fact itself. it is a [ bleep ] fact. >> we don't have anything to lose. we don't have to worry that the white house isn't going to give us access. we already don't have access, so we can say whatever we want. >> the reason that comedians pick on politics, it's almost like a prayer. hey, could you maybe not steer us off of a cliff, but the only way that i can maybe keep you on it is to make you look ridiculous so you'll stop what you're doing? >> i feel like george bush can bring about the biblical apocalypse because here's the thing, i don't think bush wants to be president. i think he wants to be the last president. >> entering that realm puts you into a battleground situation also with those who finally just say funny and relate to it because they agree with you, and those that disagree with you don't find it funny or find it offensive. >> until jon stewart and colbert and bill mahr, the best political say tire were cartoonist. >> those things influence people because most of us are good readers. we like a little graphic. >> it's the pen in the balloon that's puncturing bomb ambassadorty, and showing the emperor has no clothes and things of that sort. >> herb did much more than puncture pomposity he ill illuminated hypocrisy. >> being from d.c. and "the washington post" that broke the story made it more important. one of the few papers in a newspaper where you can tell where it is. herb lock had a great deal to do with nixon coming down. >> he had a lot of people that would complain to him, that was jo outrageous, he had one answer every time, he'd say, but it's true. >> franklin. i can call you franklin. >> years ago, it was frowned upon then to make fun of the people running the country. >> they won't let anyone talk politics in here because this stadium was dedicated to art, sports, and any useful enterprises. >> now, mr. nixon won easily, and he wasn't campaigning, which shows you how well a politician can do if he keeps his mouth shut. >> here we are. reagan and carter. ♪ what kind of choice is this ♪ >> mark russell would get up at his piano and make gentle fun at politicians, but so gentle that he could then go hang out with them afterwards. ♪ can it be true ♪ ♪ no matter which one wins ♪ ♪ the loser's me and you ♪ >> i would get criticized more often for being too gentle than for being too harsh. i was not a bomb thrower. i was not an anarchist. i was too safe. i kept seeing pictures of kennedy and khrushchev together, which they look like they need a new caption. the pictures were fine. it looked like, dad, may i have the keys to the car? >> mort sahl was overtly political and partisan. the idea of a comedian really taking a stand, having a point of view, this was something new. >> when john kennedy became president, mort sahl was doing bits about kennedy, many of them very hard-hitting. and people were surprised. he just saw himself as the guy whose job it was to go whoever it was in power, be they republican, democrat. >> do you have an agent now? >> no, and i can't get one. >> no one will handle you? >> no. the last agent i had, he said, no agent can help you in the position you're in. >> i like a comedian who i'm truly not sure what side he's going to be on an issue. i'm not a fan of a standup comedian that just reaffirms the status quo. >> do you believe entertainers should have opinions, should express them? >> oh, definitely. they've got to have opinions. i mean like everybody else. >> you think entertainers should expert political influence? >> if they want to. ♪ the war in vietnam keeps on raging ♪ ♪ blacks and whites still haven't worked it out ♪ >> the smothers brothers, this was in the 60s. and to be on television at that time and to talk about the vietnam war, the censors were after them all the time. >> gee, sarge, i understand now. i'm not afraid anymore. i can kill. but i still can't vote. >> the smothers brothers was a great show, but it was taken off the air. >> if cbs has its way and we don't go on the air anymore and there's nothing said about it, nobody else will come forward. there's no one in the business trying to do anything that steps out or say anything. >> when the government starts censoring us, that's a real genuine problem. censoring an artist is the ultimate obscenity. there's a glitch in the matrix... and denny's is delivering for free! get special glitch-y, freebies at dennys.com but free delivery won't last long. ♪ ♪ see you at dennys.com (phone rings) we're carvana, the company who invented car vending machines and buying a car 100% online. now we've created a brand-new way for you to sell your car. whether it's a year old or a few years old. we wanna buy your car. so go to carvana and enter your license plate answer a few questions. and our techno wizardry calculates your car's value and gives you a real offer in seconds. when you're ready, we'll come to you, pay you on the spot and pick up your car, that's it. so ditch the old way of selling your car, and say hello to the new way at carvana. new vicks convenience pack. dayquil severe for you... and daily vicks super c for me. vicks super c is a daily supplement with vitamin c and b vitamins to help energize and replenish. dayquil severe is a max strength daytime, coughing, power through your day, medicine. new from vicks. the living room slash yoga shanti slash regional office slash... and this is the basement slash panic room. maybe what your family needs is a vacation home slash vacation home. find yours on the vrbo app. ♪ ♪ ♪ (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ are the stars out tonight? (sha bop sha bop) ♪ ♪ ♪ alexa, play our favorite song again. ok. ♪ i only have eyes for you ♪ with his good-natured ribbing of the first family, mr. vaughn meader. >> i think senator goldwater is a fine man. i think he'd make a fine candidate in '64. 1864. >> vaughn meader had come out with a record called "the first family" in which he parodied jfk. but it was still a new thing to make fun of the president at all. >> he's doing my gestures, and he's using my lines. do not ask what this country can do for you. that's one of my original lines. >> i listened to mr. meader's record, but i thought it sounded more like teddy than it did me. >> there's something very charmingly american about this idea that we really respect our political figures. but at the same time, we also kind of like to take them down a peg. >> gerald ford was like a football player, like he's like a really great athlete. but in the public's mind, once chevy started doing gerald ford, i mean try getting that toothpaste back in the tube. >> i do have two major announcements to make. oh, uh-oh. no problem, no problem. >> as a kid, i didn't know anything about president ford. i thought, oh, he's a clumsy idiot. >> no problem. >> chevy's ford, there was no attempt to make him look like ford. he just played sort of a fatuous stumblebum. chevy's portrayal may have made a difference. >> will president ford win again in '76. >> i don't think so. do you? >> my name is jimmy carter. and i'm running for president. >> "saturday night live" for a lot of its existence has defined the comedic take on the president. >> i will personally try to be a lusty, zesty kind of president with all of -- hi, baby. how are you? >> it was nice meeting you. >> come on, lisa, come on. >> bye-bye. >> bye. >> back to work! >> whoever's doing the impression of the president on "saturday night live," that become's everybody's impression of the president. >> lobster boy, i feel your pain. >> man, it's cool. i'm going to be president. that's wicked. >> will ferrell's depiction of george w. bush, in my opinion, made him seem cooler, made him seem a lot more relatable and maybe a little silly but, you know, warmhearted. >> we have to get ready to debate al gore. polls say you're neck and neck. >> i'm a uniter, not a divider. i'm a uniter, not a divider. >> snap out of it. >> everybody knew that bush was sort of challenged when it came to the english language. >> strategery. >> but darrell's gore said something that was not helpful to gore. >> rather than squander the surplus on a risky tax cut for the wealthy, i would put it in what i call a lockbox. >> that sort of slightly superior repetition of lockbox sort of said something to americans about gore that is responsible for the 500 votes in florida. >> i love those hockey moms, you know, they say the difference between a hockey mom and a pit bull -- lipstick. >> democrats were petrified of sarah palin. she had a rousing speech at the republican convention and it took tina fey putting on a wig, she was really the takedown of sarah palin. it was tina fey that took her down. >> are we not doing the talent portion? ♪ >> how will you solve the financial crisis being a maverick? >> you know we're going to take every aspect of the crisis and look at it and then we're going to ask ourselves what would a maverick do in this situation? >> one study just out showed sarah palin's favorability rating dropped a few points after viewers watched an "snl" spoof of the governor. >> i think that tina fey destroyed that woman's political career. destroyed it. god bless her. >> we're doomed! we need a revolution! millions of people on the streets, and we got to do something, and we got to do it now! ah. >> after the first debate, my agent called me on the phone and i started talking like bernie and he said, oh, my god, that's so funny. you should make a video, put it on the internet. hits and all this. i said, no, it's not -- i don't want to do that. it's more of an sn -- before i got the l out of my mouth, he hung up the phone and ten minutes later, lorne michaels called, and that was it. >> oh, my god. mr. bernie sanders. oh, i'm your biggest fan. i'm telling you, i'm feeling the bern. >> that's okay. >> caricatures are fun, because you don't have to give the backstory. you can get right to the punch line. you know what donald trump is. >> i'm going to start this debate in the quietest voice possible. in the past, i have been big and loud but tonight, i am a sweet little baby trump. >> i think when it's done well, it's just -- it's just funny. it's entertaining. "snl" is a top cal show where they deal with what people are looking at. and in an election cycle, that's what people are looking at. it just seems to make sense. >> our first question is for you, and it is about reproductive rights. >> they're ripping babies out of vaginas. >> trump's fun because trump's just saying rubbish, and hillary is a little shifty. it's not just the person doing a great impersonation. it's got to be a great person to impersonate. >> that's the power of "snl." it's been a de facto branding of political candidates. has "snl" ever really changed somebody's vote? that's a question that i think about all the time. >> got it. that's why doctors recommend tylenol®. it won't raise blood pressure the way that advil® aleve® or motrin® sometimes can. for trusted relief, trust tylenol®. new vicks vapostick. strong soothing vapors... help comfort your loved ones. for chest, neck, and back. it goes on clear. no mess just soothing comfort. try new vicks vapostick. ♪ when you have nausea, ♪ ♪ heartburn, ingestion, upset stomach... ♪ ♪ diarrheaaaa.♪ try pepto bismol with a powerful coating action. for fast and soothing relief. pepto bismol for fast relief when you need it most. after 40 wrinkles deepen and skin can get uneven but here's the good news. the new revitalift pressed night cream, with retinol + niacinamide after 14 nights wrinkles start to be less visible and skin tone looks more even. the new revitalift pressed cream by l'oreal paris this holiday season, give your family the gift that keeps on... going? our very own energizer bunny! energizer ultimate lithium. [snowball splat and windshield wiper] the #1 longest-lasting aa battery. the xfinity black friday sales event is happening now on xfinity mobile. now new and existing customers can get our best wireless deal of the year - up to $1,000 in savings - for a limited time only. on the most reliable network nationwide, plus nationwide 5g. act now and save up to $1,000 with xfinity mobile. so you can go all out on gifts for the family - during our best wireless deal of the year... the xfinity black friday sales event. click, call or visit a store today. good morning, and we still don't have a winner. >> cable news turned politics into sport. they became so predictable and partisan that it left this vacuum of, is no one going to talk about what's actually going on? >> the president boasted at the top of his press conference last night that we have the support now of britain and spain for our attack on iraq because, you know, when you want to make it perfectly clear to the world that you're not an imperialist, the people you want in your corner are britain and spain. >> he was before jon stewart, and he was the young, hip, hot, telling it like it is guy. >> did you see that press conference? i don't want to say it was nothing new there, but at one point the closed captioning actually said, blah, blah, blah, blah. >> that is really a political show. he doesn't even make any bones about the fact he's going right into the teeth of it. >> please, don't run for president. because you're a great american. don't run, please. >> bill maher takes the "meet the press" talking heads around a table format, and he turns it on his head. he says the bleep that no one else is going to say and does it in an entertaining way. >> over the next month, let us know which of these bloated ticks on america's hide needs to be burnt off with the mighty cigarette of democracy. >> mostly comedians try to stay in the middle so they can appeal to both sides, but bill is fearless. >> i think colin powell could be the guy, if he wanted to, to run against obama. boy, that would make russia's head explode. >> he's got a point of view. it's not a straight line. he's not just a straight-up lefty. he does criticize both sides. >> sweet grandma hillary, she would have done fine in 2008, but this year, the voters are not in the mood for steady as she goes. they're pitchfork angry, and they don't want america's nicest grandma. >> you've been tough on president obama, too. >> yeah, that's my job, to hold their feet to the fire no matter what party and who is in power. >> he is as loved as he is hated, so he's doing it right. >> jon stewart changed the face of late-night comedy in america, and he altered the trajectory of the humor. >> you wonder sometimes how our government puts on its pants in the morning. >> the value of satire and comedy when it regards to the government is important in the sense of by finding the funny of the situation that is happening, we find the truth. >> i was not elected to serve one party. >> you were not elected. >> that was a turning point. >> the elections? >> not for the country. for comedy central. for you. >> yeah. >> saddam hussein has gone to elaborate lengths to build and keep weapons of mass destruction. >> it was the first george w. bush term. the iraq war was just starting. there was this sense of everybody kind of blindly going toward this thing and nobody really being willing to criticize. and jon stewart, he was willing to call it like he saw it. >> osama bin laden declared war on america, and then came the attacks. how i wish the administration at that time, in those years, had done something. >> yes, although i think there were other warnings, too, that came later. >> i believe the title was "bin laden determined to attack inside the united states." >> i think that was the name of it. >> he was really adept at serving it up to show either hypocrisy, abuse of power, and it connected for people. >> is tonight the night that they exploit 9/11 or is tonight inspired empty promises for the future? >> i loved to have a story broken down for me in a different way. the news can get really dark the deeper you go. that's why i loved jon so much. that's why i loved "the daily show" so much. >> you're doing theater when you should be doing debate, which would be great. what you do is not honest. what you do is partisan hackery. >> you've got to be kidding me. >> you're on cnn. the show that leads into me is "puppets making crank phone calls." what is wrong with you? >> all the comedians that came out of stewart's shop, the larry wilmores, the john olivers, the samantha bees, they're saying what they feel. they're very passionate and very pointed and often very partisan, and i think they make no bones about it. >> on this show, your voice will be heard, in the form of my voice because you're looking at a straight shooter, america. i tell it like it is. i calls them like i sees them. i will speak to you in plain, simple english. and that brings us to tonight's word. truthiness. >> what colbert did was remarkable because he was playing a very arch character that was obviously based on fox news personalities. >> caution. you are about to enter the no spin zone. >> this is all an act. >> you're breaking my heart, bill. >> i'm sensitive. >> if you're an act, then what am i? >> but with this character, he was improvising everything in realtime from an inverse point of view. >> a lot of right wingers thought colbert actually is a republican, and he's just cheeky. >> they didn't know that it was a joke. i mean, come on. >> president bush. great president or the greatest president? >> he did that classic satire thing. i'm going to make my points through the other side. >> are you familiar with what we do here? >> i am. >> okay. >> i'm familiar with the total scrubbing i'm about to walk into. >> well, you know i'm in character. >> yes. >> then i'm an idiot. >> it's wonderful to see out of character. >> thank you very much. >> there are comedians who have the credibility and the ability to tap into things that are happening right this second, you know. it couldn't be more urgent. it couldn't be more on people's minds. they want somebody to say something about it. so we turn to them, and we're so desperate for it that it then spills out into the society also. >> do you think it's fair to say that the majority of lobbyists are good, average people and moms? >> yes. >> what? what are you talking about? i feel like you're living in a fantasy world. do birds dress you every morning? >> you can say the things that journalists literally can't say on camera. they do have to be professional about it. i do not have to be professional about it. i am making a comedy show. my job is much easier. >> political comedy has become a part of the mainstream discussion. ♪ your dedication to being wherever you're needed, becoming part of families, bringing more confidence to the comeback, and delivering the essentials to people's doors, you give over a hundred million people the chance to achieve a healthier life. thank you for bringing your heart to every moment of health. ♪ with clean, fresh ingredients, panera's new chicken sausage and pepperoni flatbread is a mouthwatering explosion of yes. craft? 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i know i am. >> a lot of what has happened is we're just more familiar with our public figures in all sorts of ways. >> the 44th president of the united states, please welcome president barack obama. >> president obama was the first sitting president to go on a late night talk show. now it's inconceivable that a presidential candidate wouldn't go on a late night talk show. >> when is the dog coming? i keep hearing about the dog. >> listen, this is washington. that was a campaign promise. >> oh, wow. wow! man! >> politics is and always has been a performing art. and it is ego-dominated. it is needy. it is narcissistic. all the going on shows, this is nothing new. this is just a form of baby-kissing, loosening your tie, rolling up your sleeves to show you're a regular guy. >> what's up, gangstas? it's the m-i-double tizzle. >> i host a talk show, and i love having politicians on because you can ask them personal questions. these are things that you don't typically see when they're on "60 minutes" or a show like that. i know you support state's rights and legal marijuana. you said you smoked it a couple of times, and it's not your thing. what is your thing? do you have a thing? >> yeah. my thing is my grandchildren. >> you smoke your grandchildren? >> they want to see that you have a sense of humor about yourself and that you're human. that's all they want to see. they don't want you to be a master of dialects. that's not their idea of the president. >> comedy shows, i just don't see the president going on one of those. they're beneath his dignity. >> when president obama took office, the general plan, if you had a piece of policy you wanted to pass, an agenda item, either do a straight news interview or do a big speech or some combination of those things and those are still valuable. but the difference now is they're are more tools in the toolbox. you can create your own content. you want to reach audiences where they're consuming their information and their news and entertainment. >> sorry i had to cancel a few times. >> the president is president in a completely new media landscape where you have kids that don't watch television anymore. they're watching stuff on their mobile devices. >> good to be with you. >> obamacare was already vilified by half the country. we needed a water cooler moment to say, yes, we know the website didn't work, but it works now. the president realized in order to communicate, you have to do it in the venues where people are. and with "between two ferns," you had a program that, you know, tens of million of people watched. >> what is it like to be the last black president. >> seriously? what's it like for this to be the last time you ever talk to a president? >> must kind of stink that you can't run three times, you know -- >> no, i think it's a good idea. you know, if i ran a third time it would be sort of like doing a third "hangover" movie. didn't work out very well, did it? >> the big thing with it, it was actually funny. and i couldn't believe that i was actually laughing. >> how long have you had that? >> oh, just four months. >> zach, you need to get that checked right away. get on healthcare.gov. that's one of the most disgusting things i've seen. >> is your plug finally over? >> we need to have separation from these people, and i think whenever they come on, it sort of says, like, hey, i'm in on the joke. i'm okay. and some of these people aren't okay. >> trump returns to nbc this weekend to host "saturday night live" in spite of growing protests. >> when public figures cross certain lines, they should lose their privileges to host tv shows. >> yes! >> yes, it can humanize people, that some people say shouldn't be humanized. of course, always half of the people say that person shouldn't be humanized. >> oh, trump can be a total sweetheart with someone who has no reason to be terrified of him. huh. i noticed there were no cutaway shots to the roots. i wonder why. network execs -- yeah. >> especially now, comedians have more of a responsibility, because they have more power than before. you can reach people with comedy and, you know, it all goes back to spider-man, right? you know, with great power comes great responsibility. and so i think more comedians are asking themselves, how do i want to use my comedy for something beyond just getting a laugh. >> is there anything to people giving you a hard time for being too soft on trump for your questions? >> yeah, never, i mean, have you seen my show? i'm never too hard on anyone, yeah. is paying for them both! and this is for new and existing customers. upgrade to the iphone 13 pro and airpods both on us. only at t-mobile. when love finds us, this is how we shine. 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>> i don't know. i do not know. i'm sure they're just hilarious in their own way. >> the half hour news hour may offend the following. the left, the far left. in fact, anyone standing to the left. >> whether you're a tea party guy or occupy wall street guy, i think there's opportunities to find humor. there's a lot of comedians on the right side of the aisle that do a great job of it, as well. >> you think our founding fathers would have put up with any of this [ bleep ]? they were blowing people's heads off because they put a tax on their breakfast beverage. >> you can be on the right and just be talking and not have to identify yourself as the right. what is the blue collar comedy tour other than right wing comedy tour? >> we need to do something about the way we living. we heating up the earth. oh, shut up. well, you seen what happened in washington, d.c., 27 inches of snow. explain that. all right, february. how's that? >> entertainers tend to be left-wing in their politics. and the reason for that is, it's a happier message. they are audience pleasers, even those who make a point of upsetting the audience. >> as a right-wing hatemonger, it's fantastic to be at a big hollywood shin dig with all these glittering celebrities that isn't a fund-raiser for obama. >> historically, what we would call right wing politics tends to be more about protecting the status quo, and i think good comedy is about attacking the status quo, questioning it, challenging it, satirizing it. >> in just eight years, i have given you enough material for 20 years. >> the president does this speech every year at the white house correspondents' dinner. historically speaking, this is the most, like, disgusting display of elites in a room together, right? it's journalists, members of congress, cabinet members and the president typically does this speech that makes them all laugh. it's all inside jokes and they're all kind of toasting to their power. it's kind of the worst of washington is this speech. >> how about another hand for the president? >> you have this mix of reporters who know all the ins and outs of every political story. then you have all these celebrity guests and they're coming in with a totally different sense, and so figuring out what's going to appeal to everyone is definitely tricky. >> ladies and gentlemen, here with a special edition of "the colbert report," stephen colbert. >> i think you show up at the press correspondents dinner, you better go for the throat, and you better risk being booed. and that's what i loved about what colbert did. >> i believe the government that governs best is the government that governs least and by these standards, we have set up a fabulous government in iraq. >> stephen colbert at that white house correspondents' dinner, i watched with deep jealousy. here he was doing subversive brilliant humor, not just about it, but to a sitting commander in chief. >> it's not easy to stand up in front of a roomful of people who you know you're going to say crazy things about. it's very difficult. he delivered it and it was fantastic and we all appreciated it. i certainly did. >> this administration is not sinking. this administration is soaring. if anything, they are rearranging the deck chairs on the hindenburg. >> i watch it at home and they cut away to the audience and -- huh? what? >> they didn't get the joke. so you're screwed from jump street. but it was his character, that's the character he does. what -- who did you buy? >> thank you very much. good night. >> i don't know if it's a good thing that comedians and politicians get together in that room, because i think it definitely makes you pull your punches a little bit. >> it was bush's last one that i did. i was sitting there and i was going to open with this joke and i get talked out of it by a lot of people. so great to be here with bush and cheney, because they won't be seen again until the trial. they said, don't do that joke. i wish i had done that [ bleep ] joke. i can't tell you how excited i am to be here tonight. now, i realize many of you may not share that excitement given you have no idea who i am. >> that's a very odd night, because i've done it a couple times, you know, that's kind of a tough room. >> even though his poll numbers are at an historic low, the speaker is writing another book. once again, he's taking a $1 advance. not voluntarily, that's the most he could get. they're as uptight as a group can be. you can do whatever you want to open a sphincter, all right, it's not going to happen. >> in washington, there are people who live to be offended. comedians don't live to be offended. they live to offend. >> hosting the white house correspondents dinner was the most scared i've ever been as a performer with the exception of my first appearance on the letterman show. >> mr. president, you remember when the country rallied around you in hopes of a better tomorrow? that was hilarious. that was your best one yet. >> jordan and i were just like, this is not fair. obama should be able to say what he wants. because of the climate of the world, he can't. so we'll do it for him. >> i invited luther, my anger translator, to join me here tonight. >> we knew this was something president obama was really going to enjoy. he may have felt that he could use an anger translator for year -- real a few times, and now he actually had one. >> we count on the press to shed light on the most important issues of the day. >> and we can fox news to terrify old white people with some nonsense. >> i was amazing. it was earth shattering. the best way to describe the feeling is satisfaction. >> focus on billionaire donors creates real problems for our democracy. >> and that's why we running for a third time. >> no, we're not. >> we're not? >> no. who the hell said that? >> donald trump is here tonight. >> i had just started at the white house and i got the final draft and it had all this new stuff about donald trump. judd apatow and john lovett had written together, and i just remember thinking, whoa, this is going to be a lot different than the draft i saw before that. >> just recently, you, mr. trump, fired gary busey. and these are the kind of decisions that would keep me up at night. >> do find the dinner where the president goes up to the line and doesn't cross it, and you have folks know who go to the line and absolutely do cross it. >> donald trump has been saying he will run for president as a republican which is surprising since i assumed he was running as a joke. [ laughter ] >> comedians can say things that other people can't say. they're allowed to be furious in a way that politicians are not. >> at the correspondents dinner that seth meyers hosted, i wrote with him on it. i thought that we sort of hobbled trump. but it turns out that's his origin story. it was that night he apparently decided to run for president. so i'm sorry. >> i humbly and gratefully accept your nomination for the presidency of the united states. [ cheers ] and a nanny to a couple of rambunctious kids. now, all that experience has led her to a job that feels like home. with home instead, you too can become a caregiver to older adults, with a career that makes a difference. ♪ apply today. ♪ (burke) with farmers auto multi-policy discount, the more policies you have with us, the more you could save on your auto insurance. (man) hey, hon! (wife) hi, honey! (man) like what? 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[ laughter ] right now i know you guys don't have your phones here, but the election is too close to call and too terrifying to contemplate. the huge story is that trump has outperformed expectations in early results. the th-- this is a nail biter a passport grabber. >> it's nice to be able to laugh in the face of something that you think is really serious. you can go down a crazy rabbit hole of feelings about certain issues or people. you need levity. >> six more electoral votes for donald trump this evening. 228-209. >> he is on the doorstep of 270 electoral votes. wow. wow. that's a horrifying prospect. i can't put -- i cannot put -- i can't put a happy face on that. and that's my job. >> cnn can report that hillary clinton has called donald trump to concede the race. >> i don't necessarily think that comedy can change minds, but i do believe that if you're on a tipping point, then you can give someone ammunition, and that ammunition is conversation. >> and general, i am home for president trump because hope is always the best possible path to take. and one thing that makes me hopeful is we know from interviews he's given over the years that he has at any given point held every position on every issue. [ laughter ] he's been pro-choice, pro-life, for the iraq war, against the iraq war, pretty much his only consistent position has been anti-rosie o'donnell. >> if it makes people see things through a different lens, that's great. it's beneficial -- i don't want to say it's not beneficial, but if i thought that that was our main goal, we would just stop doing jokes and collapse. >> and please don't even think of writing something stupid like what a lucky break a trump presidency is for comedians, the jokes just write themselves. no, no, no. shut up. jokes don't write themselves. jews write jokes and they are scared -- >> the only responsibility is to tell the story correctli. to get your facts straight so that you have that credibility. the show is not intended to make change and, you know, it's not, that's not my intention. that's not my job. our job is to do a comedy show that's interesting. >> i think if a man gets up and says he's going to leave the greatest country in the world, 180 million people, he is subject to analysis and sometimes criticism. i think that's fair. after all, he has the compensation of the country to play with for between four and eight years. >> the goal of comedy is to entertain and be funny, to tap into commentary about what's going on either politicians specifically or media coverage. that's where it starts to resonate with people on a deeper level. >> and we're angry, and we're crazy for exactly the same reason -- because the democrats make us angry, and the republicans make us crazy. [ laughter ] or switch it around if you wish. whatever makes you -- laugh. >> the power of comedy when it comes to politics, in my opinion, is just getting people to pay attention. young people generally don't care about politics. so when you get them laughing, hopefully you're getting them to the polls, getting them caring about issues that they can have an impact on. >> look, you know what, i do understand that any country that lets me run my mouth the way i do in public deserves to be saved. i'm trying. >> if you're good, you are a truth sayer, and even though you're doing it with yhumor you're going to the line. it's a very, very courageous thing on this do. >> comedy and politics were married. it shows the true spirit of what our democracy is, you know. we're not afraid to make fun of the people that are in power. i think that's beautiful. >> what are your impressions of the night that is the white house correspondents dinner -- >> do you think that donald trump will invite me to be his comedian? i can't wait to find out. >> you go to the democratic convention, you've got sarah silverman being real funny. and then you go to the republican one, and you get chachi. is it chas it chahachi? >> the transition from comedian app to senator made sense to me. not so much right away to voters an in minnesota. i won the first by 312 votes which that's funny. thank you so much. when they say this show features living color, you better believe it. >> spear chukker. white trash, jungle bunny, [ bleep ] -- >> i'm not allowed to say certain things. i can make fun of jewish people, but i'm not allowed to make fun of other ethnic groups. >> they don't arrest anybody that kills rabbits. if you want to get away with murder, all you've got to do is shoot somebody in the head and put a demo tape in their pocket. >> when you laugh, it's a racial joke. when you don't laugh, it's a