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Late-night television hosts this week trained their comedic fire on former President Donald Trump, criticizing his employment of a ableist slur and what they described as unconvincing attempts to address growing questions about his cognitive health.

Jon Stewart's Scathing Critique

Beginning his monologue, Jon Stewart focused on a inflammatory Truth Social message in which Trump referred to Minnesota Governor Tim Walz using a highly offensive slur. "On Thanksgiving?!" Stewart remarked. "Did you mix it up with your own personal grievance airing day?"

When asked later if he regretted the remark, Trump reportedly doubled down, stating there was "something seriously wrong" with the governor.

"The issue is with him? With him?" Stewart retorted. "You sat with your family at Thanksgiving, belly full of turkey and pie, surrounded by the love of your notorious associates, but your initial instinct was to Truth a slur at Tim Walz? And there’s something wrong with him?"

The host then addressed Trump's peculiar account of a recently revealed MRI. In an effort to dismiss concerns, Trump claimed he had "zero knowledge" what part of his body was even scanned, suggesting it "couldn't have been his brain" because he "took a cognitive test."

"That is an impossibility," Stewart shot back. "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, "For God’s sakes, man, were you not curious at all? When they placed you in a tube for 30 to 45 minutes, 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 assertion of a "flawless result" on the scan. "Apparently, that's the way they score the MRIs," he quipped. "It's either a big stamp, ‘Perfect,’ or you get in red ink, ‘See me.’"

The Late Show's Witty Observations

On his own program, Stephen Colbert highlighted increasing frustration among some former supporters. "Certain supporters are starting to notice that Trump treats them like meat animals," he remarked, citing criticism over building a luxury ballroom over tackling economic issues.

"In other news, Trump celebrated Thanksgiving in his customary fashion – with racism," Colbert noted, referring to an inflammatory post from the weekend. "Somewhere in all of that nonsense," he summarized, the president employed the ableist slur against Governor Walz.

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

"Uh, here’s a theory: maybe the part that’s broken is the part that’s supposed to know," Colbert noted.

He then poked fun at the follow-up official explanation—a medical note 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?"

Jimmy Kimmel's Blunt Assessment

Jimmy Kimmel likewise blasted Trump's use of the slur. "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’s something wrong" with Walz, Kimmel was direct: "yet another profound insight from the president of the middle school."

Kimmel also addressed Trump's claims of record-high approval ratings. "This indicates it’s not just books he can’t read," Kimmel said, noting polling showing significant disapproval. "There are gas station bathrooms on Yelp with higher approval ratings than Donald Trump right now."

The host finished by criticizing Trump's pledge to pardon a convicted international drug trafficker. "Now some have pointed out the unbelievable hypocrisy of Trump tough on drugs in one instance, while simultaneously pardoning a man who shipped a massive quantity of cocaine to this country," said Kimmel. "Such individuals are just detractors, you know? Relax!"

"During his campaign, Trump made it very clear: his key goals were a) pardoning drug kingpins and b) building a place to ballroom dance," he summarized. "Promises made, pledges fulfilled."