David Letterman says we need to "stop yakking about what a goon" Trump is and vote
Aux Features David Letterman
David Letterman may be a few years removed from the world of traditional late-night talk shows, but that doesn’t mean he can’t still throw in his two cents about the current state of our crumbling democracy. In an upcoming interview with Today, Letterman, in full guy-just-whittling-by-the-crick cosplay, discusses the high caliber of late-night hosts currently working and gives his thoughts on Donald Trump, who took office a year after the Late Show was handed off to Stephen Colbert. As you can imagine, Letterman, no fan of the president, is just as cranky as ever.
“As an American, I don’t like this man as a president of our country,” he says. “I love being an American but I don’t feel he represents me. But I’m sick and tired of everybody wringing their hands about this…Let’s just settle it in the next election. Let’s just stop yakking about what a goon he is.” The fact that David Letterman—a man who no longer has to sit behind a desk every night and riff on the day’s top stories—is tired of talking about Donald Trump really makes you feel for the men and women still working TV’s late shift.
When asked how he would handle the Trump presidency were he still on the air, the supremely self-aware Letterman admits that he would be “really inelegant” and probably say something for which he’d have to apologize. We’d just like to remind Mr. Letterman that, since he’s no longer on network TV, he won’t have to apologize to anyone.
The full interview will air on Today this Sunday.
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56 Comments
Shit! I’ve been owning Donald Trump on news.avclub.com when I could’ve been voting this whole time! Honey, hold my Drumpf mug — I’m headed to the polls!
There have likely been at least two opportunities to vote in your area since trump was elected. It’s not about trump, he is a symptom of a cancerous system. Fix it from the ground up, and from the top down.
You underestimate me. I’ve got “I Voted” stickers from all 50 states!
Do vote in 2019. Those local elections have an impact all their own. That’s why the Kansas Billionaire Emperors put money into local elections. There’s power to be had from the ground up, and the Democratic National Committee ignoring that and not supporting lower level elections is part of why we have the messes at the top now.
Why not both?
Because it annoys the rich cishet white man from the TV, of course!
And furthermore, people should stop complaining about how baggy pants are and just buy a belt!
He’s not wrong.What else can we say about that fucking asshole at this point? We know attention feeds him, and he shits out hate when he’s processed it. Plus all the hand-wringing about that sundowning spray tanned knob draws focus away from what is happening in state level politics, which is just as odious.
He’s not wrong, but it’s not as if we can just go out and vote any time we want.
Nah. He’s flat out full stop wrong.
How vocally the public disagrees affects how evil Republicans will be willing to get and how hard Democrats will push against the administration. It can affect policy, honestly.
And besides, we need to be vigilantly documenting this crisis for the sake of accountability.
And how does David think you motivate people to coming out and vote? Like emotional engagement isn’t a major metric?
Talk issues! Talk how he is impacting quality of life. Stop talking about what a horrible human being he is. That’s what Letterman is saying.
That’s not the impression I got from the interview, but it was an admittedly short clip.
And it’s not like his being horrible as a human and horrible at his job aren’t related to the actual impact he has on quality of life. The two aren’t mutually exclusive.
Letterman’s comment doesn’t read to me as a call for more nuanced political activism. It reads to me as a common liberal refrain: “Vote because it’s the only tool available to you, and shut up and mind your business in the meantime.”
Oh yeah? I see your “Nah” and raise you another “Nah Nah.” Saying with such certainty that David Letterman is “flat out full stop wrong” reeks of someone full of certitude and platitude but lacking in understanding of the concept of “gray area.” At the risk of being ageist, it sounds like something I might have said when I was in my early 20’s and didn’t know any better.It’s possible to disagree with Letterman, acknowledge this is his opinion, and maybe stop short of declaring him “flat out full stop wrong.” Cuz, that makes you look ridiculous.
Did your sense of self-superiority develop with age too? Or are you just particularly passionate about defending Dave’s honor (and I should note, I like David Letterman. I used to watch him all the time when I was a dorky kid, which was a long time ago at this point)?
I mean, I don’t think using dramatic certainty as a rhetorical device is that egregious a sin, but (at the risk of sounding ageist), maybe moral hypersensitivity is a trait I just haven’t developed yet.
Yeah it might happen. I’d argue that your comment feels more self-superior than my rebuttal, but I’m guessing it’s entirely a matter of perspective. I’m in no way passionate about defending Dave’s honor. But I do feel like, the older I’ve gotten, the more bemused I am with people speaking opinions with such absolute certainty or such strong language. Just seems like there are way more important things in the world to be so sure about. Ask me again in 25 years and I’ll probably just yell at you to get off mah durn lawn.
Sorry to disagree with David so publicly, but I think it might be a good idea to keep talking about the goon who’s nakedly maneuvering us into a war with Iran just to get himself re-elected.
Well I guess there’s someone still out their unaware that Trump is a stupid narcissistic asshole, who is wholly unqualified to be President.
At least a third of the country, at last count.
They know, they just don’t care.
Yeah that seemed to work for W. That and Rovian Swiftboating.
He talks as if there’s no other option rather than voting. Fuck the people who say “eh, impeachment will take too long, let’s just wait it out”. Every day Agent Orange is in office is another black eye for our country’s history, every day is like 5 years in repairing the country’s image after he’s gone. We need him removed, preferably kicking and screaming, yesterday.
That is literally what we should have done in 2016.
Agreed, and I’ve got a lot of fingers pointed over that. If someone isn’t voting in every election (state, local, national) from here on out, I’m showing up to their house and kicking nads. Hard. Fuck those people who couldn’t be bothered in 2016. Fuck them because she wasn’t as charismatic as Obama. Fuck the Bernie Bro, Jill Stein, Gary Weedman moral victory voters. Bathe in the shit you created. Look an immigrant family in the eyes and own your responsibility for bringing palpable fear into their lives. Atone.
Enough of having close elections. We need a landslide victory to send a message and to make sure Russia and the Electoral College can’t sway the election.
That vote isn’t for another year and a half and we’re watching the bedrock of our democracy being eroded away by venal, greedy grifters and grasping authoritarians with dreams of hegemony.If it’s all the same to Dave, I’ll keep on shouting out here in the wilderness until my turn comes to act
Agree 100. Unfortunately Trump and his treasonous supporters in Congress and industry (not mention D.O.J. and FOX) have so deeply continued the subversion and corruption of the political system and the rule of law that I fear that we are going to have a hard time getting rid of him from the office of POTUS, even when he does lose the actual election. I fear that he will just refuse to leave.I think we should yak about that.
And what bugs me the most… Pelosi and the dems have been handed what amounts to a engraved invitation to impeach and they can see the public support for it and they are not proceeding to pursue it. I am all for getting rid of Trump because I detest that guy and I think his authoritarian tendencies are repulsive. But for goodness sake : The dems have to do something to earn my vote and they are just sitting there writing stern letters. Pelosi says things about how trump shows every day impeachable activity and she doesn’t impeach. I have to ask why they think my vote is gonna be handed to then just by default. They have to earn my vote and they ain’t gonna get it if they don’t hurry up!
I hear ya, man. They’re not ENTITLED to my vote, man! Ya gotta EARRRRRN the vote, maaaaan!
You understand how impeachment works, right? Bill Clinton was impeached, but because his party controlled the Senate, nothing happened. The same would happen here. Pointless.
Plus, then we legitimize Mike Pence’s crazy which is actually a lot worse than Trump because he doesn’t come off unhinged like Trump does. I think we do need to have hearings and consider the idea around impeachment but maybe time it right around the election and impeach his ass after America has voted just so that he gets that asterisk for prosperity.
Here is the thing – impeachment is not going to magically make Trump massively popular. I have no idea how Pelosi did it but the GOP is not some sort of powerful force of nature that can withstand months of hearings where they are hammered every day.Clinton was a popular president that regularly had approval ratings of 50%+. Trump is an unpopular president that hovers near 40%. Ergo, there is no reason to fear starting an impeachment inquiry.Also, doing the right thing should never be predicated upon whether the other side wants it or not. The precedent being set right now by Pelosi is this : The next president to act like trump can do it without any fear at all of impeachment. And that next president will be 100 times worse.
Buttafuoco, Buttafuoco, Buttafuoco…You get that one, Paul? Pinheads at GE! You uh, you got any gum??
Topical!I mean, in a way.
Make MAGAS cry in 2029
I love that Trump got elected and is sticking it to all the SJW out there, but there is no doubt the Russian or someone hacked the results. Statistical science just does not get it this wrong. According to most election day polls, Hilary had a double digit lead in many states that just disappeared. Something that is literally impossible. Just wait until he does it again in 2020.
We’d just like to remind Mr. Letterman that, since he’s no longer on network TV, he won’t have to apologize to anyone. Oh, if only that were true..
I mean, he wouldn’t HAVE to apologise to anyone even if he WERE on network TV.But, well…
That made me laugh. It was just a year or so ago that Norm Macdonald had to give out apologies for some comment.
You mean where he came off defending Roseanne? Yeah, what nerve we had to ask him to apologize or clarify…
That wasn’t what I meant, actually (I was thinking of his comments about Down’s but it looks like he ended up apologizing for about 3 different things). My point was that the idea that someone won’t have to apologize just because they aren’t on TV anymore is not true.
Fair enough! And you’re definitely right.
Let’s just stop yakking about what a goon he is.Tell him to stop providing fresh material on a daily basis. Seriously, it if was only that he did goofy shit, I’d say, sure cut him some slack. But his stupid shit is killing people, so… GOOOOOOOONNNNNN!!!!
Letterman is right, plus it’s basic psychology. Nobody can endure a constant pressure, after a certain time you just want to disconnect or evade. I don’t watch Colbert or Bee or any of the political talk show hosts anymore.
And Dems never had an easier way to campaign: if Trump wins again, it’s a 7-2 in the Supreme Court, so say goodbye to civil rights for at least two generations.
I’m sorry, but “Let’s just settle it in the next election” while Orange Hitler ruins everything left and right is not a good idea in my opinion.
Fuck Letterman. He gave Trump a platform for his bullshit for decades.
I am kind of over hearing hot takes on how “we” should be approaching this presidency from people who are so stupefyingly rich as to be insulated from most of its worst effects.
I wish he was just a goon, but he’s a criminal who will probably refuse to hand over the presidency after he does get voted out, and create a second Civil War. Totally serious.
Why are we snapping at David Letterman now? “RRRAAAAAAWWWWWRRRR HE SAID DON’T TALK. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?”He was answering something on the spot, and he’s got a point that talking about the same shit over and over again is fucking tedious. I don’t think he seriously believes we should just ignore the asshole in the Oval Office. He’s frustrated. We’re all frustrated, and in that frustration and exhastion over being frustrated for the past 28 months, we’ll occasionally say something dumb. In this case he’s just saying “Let’s fucking vote.” He knows we can’t. Everybody knows we can’t. He’s just fucking tired, as we all are. Ease up. Christ, he did say he hates the fucking goon. He’s on your side.
“Why are we snapping at David Letterman now?” b/c he’s a celebrity who thinks he’s solved the problem & he’s going to let us all know. news flash: celebs aren’t smarter than the rest of us. sometimes, they should just shut up.
I’ve watched enough of Letterman to know that there is no way on earth he actually believes that he’s solved the problem that led to Trump being elected President. He was asked a question and that was his take in the moment. I’ve heard a lot dumber theories on kinja.
Voting is only one of the most basic units of political action.I will leave what may really be required up to your imaginations.
really? wow! no one ever thought of that! unfort, dump was voted in & he’s going to be again thanks to the electoral college but keep coming up with good ideas to do many months from now, old white guy.
I get the sick feeling in my gut that he might be re-elected.
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Dave, Dave, Dave. Maybe if you had remembered how self-centered & spiteful and told America about it a few years ago, instead of doing that weak Top Ten List where making fun of his hair (Three times? Really?) was your misplaced priority.