Late Night with Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency
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Description
Political humor has been a staple of late-night television for decades. The Trump White House, however, has received significantly greater attention than that of past presidents, such as Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and even Bill Clinton. In response to Trump’s strident politics, late-night comics, including Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel, Trevor Noah and Jimmy Fallon, have sounded key policy notes, further blurring the boundary between news and satire. Weekly humorists, including John Oliver and Samantha Bee, extend the critique with in-depth probing of key issues, while Saturday Night Live continues to tap the progression from outrage to outrageousness.
Using unique content analysis techniques and qualitative discussions of political humor, Farnsworth and Lichter show how late-night political humor, and these seven programs in particular, have responded to the Trump presidency. Employing a dataset of more than 100,000 late night jokes going back decades, these noted media scholars discuss how the treatment of Trump differs from previous presidents, and how the Trump era is likely to shape the future of political humor. The authors also employ public opinion survey data to consider the growing role these late-night programs play in framing public opinion and priorities. This book will interest scholars, the curious public, and students of politics, communications and the media, and contemporary American culture.
ISBN
9781138370654
Publication Date
2020
Publisher
Routledge, part of Taylor & Francis
City
New York
Keywords
Political satire, Donald Trump, Media analysis, Late night television
Disciplines
American Politics | Broadcast and Video Studies | Mass Communication
Recommended Citation
Farnsworth, Stephen J. and Lichter, S Robert, "Late Night with Trump: Political Humor and the American Presidency" (2020). Political Science & International Affairs Books. 17.
https://scholar.umw.edu/ps_ia_books/17