"People who maybe know less about comedy, or haven't given it a lot of thought, say, 'Oh my god, Trump is president. This must be so great for comedy.' And I think it's actually not, O'Brien said. People say, 'We've got a great Trump sketch for you. In this one, he's kind of talking crazy, and he tears down half the White House to build a giant ballroom and says it's going to be the new Mar-a-Lago.' Well, no - that happened yesterday."
"I think some comics go the route of just saying 'F Trump' all the time; that's their comedy. I think, well, now you're being co-opted because you're so angry. It's like a siren leading you into the rocks. You've been lulled into just saying 'F Trump, screw this guy.' You've now put down your best weapon, which is being funny, and you've exchanged it for anger."
Political volatility has eroded the predictable setups that comedy relies on, leaving satire scrambling to keep up with reality that often outpaces jokes. The current environment is described as bendy and whip-fast, undermining straight comedic lines and traditional punchline structures. Many comics respond by substituting anger for craft, resorting to blunt denunciations instead of deploying humor as a strategic tool. Effective resistance to power requires channeling outrage into creative work; unfiltered anger and constant shouting sacrifice the comedian's most effective instrument: being funny and inventive in critique.
Read at Consequence
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