Following the death of Senator Lindsey Graham, late-night hosts Jon Stewart and Seth Meyers turned their attention to the advanced age of Congress and the unusual responses from Donald Trump. Stewart, on The Daily Show, expressed frustration over the elderly makeup of the government, while Meyers, returning from vacation on Late Night, mocked Trump's handling of international affairs and the lack of decency in political discourse.
Jon Stewart Criticizes Aging Congress and Trump's Eulogy
Jon Stewart opened his segment by discussing Graham's death and Trump's subsequent television appearances. Stewart played clips of Trump telling Fox hosts that Graham called him excessively, to which Stewart joked, "I'll never forget the way I always let him go to voicemail." He added that Trump "zoomed through the first five stages of grief and went straight to number six: fuck that guy." Stewart also remarked on Trump's criticism of Graham's talkativeness, saying, "It takes a lot of balls for Donald Trump to gently roast someone for yapping too much."
Trump also claimed he gave Graham a 99 out of 100 for his response to the January 6 riot. Stewart mocked this, stating, "My favourite part of any eulogy is when they announce the person's life score," and compared it to "Portnoy doing a pizza review." According to reports, Graham said he didn't have time to die because he needed to address the situation in Iran. Stewart commented, "Middle East peace is about as ambitious as a bucket-list item can get."
Stewart expressed surprise that Graham died before Mitch McConnell, given McConnell's more publicized health issues, exclaiming, "How the fuck is that possible?" He then showed a viral photo of McConnell looking cheerful in a hospital, calling it "totally believable evidence" that McConnell is still alive. Graham is the sixth member of Congress to die this term. Stewart argued, "If this were any other business they would shut it down to find out what the fuck is going on." He criticized Congress for "falling apart due to a lack of not just political will but bone density" and asked, "Why are we tolerating this level of national frailty in our lawmaking?"
Stewart noted that this Congress is one of the least productive in history and criticized a system that "rewards incumbency." He said, "These people aren't brilliant, they're fucking barnacles," and concluded, "This is not right, the stakes are too high." He believes "advanced age is just one more way in which our government is at a remove from the needs of the people they purport to serve."
Seth Meyers Returns to Discuss Trump's Bizarre Responses
Seth Meyers returned to Late Night after a three-week vacation, sarcastically noting that things have been "normal and chill" in his absence. He played footage of Trump being asked by Jake Tapper about the opening of the Strait of Hormuz, to which Trump replied that he didn't want to talk about it. Meyers called this "not a reassuring answer" and added, "You can't treat access to a key international waterway that controls the world's oil supply like a mystery; you're the president, not some magical bridge troll."
Meyers also addressed calls for decency after Graham's death, reminding viewers how Trump responded to the death of Robert Mueller by saying he was glad. He then showed footage of Nancy Mace, who is tipped to replace Graham, being asked about posting a Godfather clip with the line "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." Meyers suggested, "We should ban politicians from posting memes."
The host made multiple jokes about a bug causing explosive diarrhea, comparing it to Trump's poll numbers, saying they are "in the shit." He also discussed Trump's attendance at a NATO summit in Turkey, where Trump called Iranian leaders "scum" and "sick people." Meyers remarked that we are "back to square one, although maybe it's square zero," and reminded viewers that recent weeks revealed Trump made $2bn in 2025. He concluded, "This is the one through-line of the Trump presidency: three weeks of constant tumult, disruption and chaos, and the only person who benefits is Trump."
