Late-Night Hosts Take Aim at Donald Trump and Michigan Senate Shakeup on Midterm Eve
Late-night television hosts spent their final monologues before Election Day examining unusual political turns across the country. Jon Stewart, Jimmy Kimmel, and Seth Meyers focused on Donald Trump's rally remarks and a surprising Michigan endorsement.
With voters heading to polling stations to determine the balance of power on Capitol Hill, late-night television satirists used their broadcasts on the eve of Election Day to dissect the final maneuvers of key political figures, according to reporting by The Hollywood Reporter.
On Comedy Central's "The Daily Show," Jon Stewart turned his comedic attention to Donald Trump's decision to dedicate time during his final pre-election speech to physical renovations at the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool in Washington, D.C. As covered by The Hollywood Reporter, Stewart expressed disbelief that a former commander in chief would focus on pool maintenance during the final stretch of high-stakes congressional campaigns, noting the speech contained no broader political metaphors and appeared to center entirely on cleaning the landmark. Stewart remarked that Democratic candidates seemed poised for strong election performances provided that the closing days remained calm and free of major unexpected developments.
That tranquility, however, was disrupted in Michigan, where former Democratic Senate candidate Haley Stevens altered the dynamics of the state's race. According to The Hollywood Reporter's coverage, Stevens unexpectedly endorsed Republican candidate Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate after previously losing a contentious primary election to Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Stewart highlighted past footage showing Stevens repeatedly opposing Rogers, likening the abrupt turn of events to an episode of a dramatic television series.
On ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!," host Jimmy Kimmel tackled Trump's public appearances and ongoing legal conflicts. Kimmel noted Trump's recent litigation against The Wall Street Journal regarding a disputed drawing for Jeffrey Epstein. He also scrutinized Trump's campaign stop at the reflecting pool, pointing to past expenditures associated with the site, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Kimmel observed that more than 57 million voters had already cast ballots prior to the final campaign speeches, questioning the strategic focus of holding repeated public rallies across the country in the closing days before the vote.
Meanwhile, NBC's "Late Night With Seth Meyers" examined election maneuvering in both Alaska and Michigan. Meyers discussed reporting from The New York Times concerning efforts connected to Democratic challenger Mary Peltola's campaign to promote independent candidate Daniel J. Sullivan. Turning back to Michigan, Meyers addressed Stevens' recent endorsement of Rogers and pointed to her subsequent appearance on CNN, where anchor Anderson Cooper questioned her regarding the decision. Meyers noted the uncomfortable exchanges during the interview, observing the visible difficulty Stevens experienced while addressing Cooper's questions on air, as detailed by The Hollywood Reporter.