Oh, sure: Trump can be wanton, crude, and cruel. But that doesn’t mean he can’t earn a laugh.
The New York Post’s Miranda Devine is out today with an exclusive story that comes with one of the early contenders for headline of the year: “Trump Rules Out Deporting Prince Harry: ‘He’s Got Enough Problems with His Wife.’”
Why was the president being asked about this? Well — I had totally forgotten about it, but the prince’s immigration status in the United States has been under scrutiny since shortly after the publication of his memoir Spare. In the book, Harry admits to having used cocaine, cannabis, and psychedelic drugs. The Heritage Foundation filed suit against the Biden administration to force the disclosure of documents related to the issuance of Prince Harry’s visa. Heritage argued that Harry very well may have concealed past illegal drug use, which could have prevented him from rightfully obtaining a U.S. visa. Had he been untruthful during the application process? Or had the Biden administration extended a favor to the famous royal?
I don’t really care that much (i.e., at all) about whatever Prince Harry is up to. But when I tweeted out the comment “Love him or hate him, Trump’s funny — and it’s always been an important part of his political appeal” in response to Trump’s one-liner, I was surprised by the response. One commenter insisted that he’s “never found him at all funny”:
He’s an insult comic, but lacks the wit or self-awareness that can redeem that genre (insofar that it does).
If you find him funny, that says a lot more about you than it does about him.
Comedy, like much else, is a matter of taste. De gustibus non est disputandum, and all that.
And yet, I don’t find the idea that Trump isn’t funny plausible. Oh, sure: Trump can be wanton, crude, and cruel. My interlocutor is not wrong that he’s often an insult comic. He can go too far. He can offend and outrage.
But of course Donald Trump is funny. In fact, I think his humor has always been a major part of his appeal — especially compared to his political opponents, the aloof Barack Obama, the humorless Hillary Clinton, the senile Joe Biden, the cackles-at-everything Kamala Harris. Trump was (is?) a professional entertainer and TV star, after all.
And he’s not always an insult comic. This short bit is one of Trump’s best — and it’s properly classified as observational comedy.
And as far as “wit and self-awareness” goes, well, it’s not always there — but Trump does have the ability to be self-deprecating, to make light of himself, and that’s a key part of his humor. It takes (a bit of) the edge off his ego and crassness.
That’s what led Trump to hang out at McDonald’s, put the apron on, and so visibly enjoy himself during the campaign. That’s what led Trump to tweet (in August 2019, when news first broke on Trump’s aspirations for Greenland):
The best example of his self-deprecating humor: When Trump mused to White House reporters in 2018, “I never had alcohol, for whatever reason. Can you imagine if I had? What a mess I would be. I would be the world’s worst.”
And of course Trump is right about that! Our whole era would be even nuttier than it already is if Trump was a drinker.
But that’s why Trump’s joke is so funny.