October 22, 2018

"'President Show' Mockumentary Finds Comedy in Trump’s Downfall and Death/The hilarious new Comedy Central special... takes a page from true-crime docs to give viewers a cathartic peek into a Trump-free future."

Hilariousness identified at The Daily Beast.
Inspired by the recent rise of true crime documentaries like The Jinx and Making a Murderer among others, the special projects 12 years into the future to ask—and ultimately answer—the question: What happened to Donald Trump?...

Among those returning to the show are Kathy Griffin’s Kellyanne Conway, her clothes a little flashier, her hair a little messier....
Oh, Kathy's back:




I don't know, maybe it is hilarious. I just don't like building comedy on the dead body of a real, living person:
Over the course of the special, we learn how the “beginning of the end”—Democrats winning the House in 2018 and appointing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaker—led Trump down his path of destruction. Along the way, we’re treated to spot-on parodies of both the Woodstock documentary, representing Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, and Gimme Shelter, which chronicled the violent Altamont festival and represents his Steve Bannon-fueled post-presidency shot at a comeback....

On The President Show, some of [Anthony] Atamanuik’s best bits featured a sort of trick where he would lull the audience into the inherent silliness of Trump and then make a sharp turn to reveal the disturbing darkness beneath the president’s surface. It’s that extra level of satirical depth that consistently elevates his portrayal of Trump above everything Alec Baldwin has done to date on Saturday Night Live. And he does it again near the end of the new special, in the form of a eulogy Trump delivers for himself, by video, at his own funeral.

“People used to say that fascism would never come to America,” Atamanuik’s Trump says in front of an ominous black void. “But then I came along and made it look easy....”...

91 comments:

Hunter said...

So unlike Death of a President, this time there's not even the pretense of "no, we're not saying we WANT this to happen, in fact we're exploring all the ways it would be terrible."

Now it's "Hey, how wild would it be if someone killed Cheeto Hitler? LOL"

Henry said...

They should do this as live theatre and give the audience a literal tongue bath.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Ever listen to an unscripted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - she is a complete moron.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Ever notice that shows like this are never aimed at mocking democrats?

Rob said...

Though I tend to agree with you in principle, the clip looks pretty funny. And funny wins over high-minded principle every time. Imagine, however, if the premise had been the death of Obama . . . .

Dave Begley said...

This Trump bashing is just so, so tiresome.

William said...

i like the way Trump shrugs off the endless and relentless mockery. It's a big part of his appeal. He learned something while working with the WWF.

Bay Area Guy said...

That's not funny!

What would be funny is having our favorite socialist waitress of color gobble my logster on live tv, while I read key passages from Edmund Burke!

Hunter said...

It would appear a precedent has been set: for every Republican president elected, the entertainment industry will produce at least one assassination hatefic.

W didn't get one until his sixth year, so this is a good head start. Should Trump be reelected, I predict at least two more assassination hatefics by the end of his second term.

Curious George said...

Rob said...
...the clip looks pretty funny....

wow

SteveR said...

There’s no news and there’s no comedy. Just whatever this kind of crap is. I guess it’s Democrat politics so that at least enjoy it.

Linda said...

Wow - I didn't even chuckle - not once. Not funny!

Fernandinande said...

"People used to say that fascism would never come to America," Atamanuik said just before being carted off to a secret prison, never to be heard from again.

The NYT is funnier than this junk because they're dishonest rather than oblivious.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

It would be so easy to mock Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on SNL. But alas, she is a democrat and a socialist, so no mocking on SNL. Corruptocrat central. Btuthe jokes write themselves.

"Like totally"

"It doesn’t mean you get everything tomorrow," Ocasio-Cortez rambled. "As much as I would love that. I would love to get inaugurated January 3rd [and on] January 4th we're signing healthcare, we're signing this..."

Ocasio-Cortez seemed to be completely unaware of the fact that members of Congress are sworn into office, not inaugurated like the President of the United States.

Ocasio-Cortez also showed that she does not understand that Congress does not sign bills into law, which is the president's job.

The Crack Emcee said...

It's more of their fever dreams, put onscreen, allowing them to imagine it's real - and funny.

While I dread the howl that will rise up after their coming loss, eliminating stuff like this will make my ear plugs purchase worth it.

LYNNDH said...

The "funny" part is the Fascist calling us the Fascist. I am LOL over it. NOT!!!

Shouting Thomas said...

Solzhenitsyn's Harvard speech remains relevant.

Russian writers and artists are fortunate to have real suffering and oppression to nourish their writing and art.

American writers and artists are suffering from the lack of real suffering and oppression.

So they have to pretend.

richlb said...

Comedy used to succeed because it was subtle. This looks like little more than dumb, predictable humor with no heart. Hard pass.

MAJMike said...

Why are the DemCong so violent?

Attempted assassination of Republican Congressional leaders at a baseball practice, assault of a Senator while he was mowing his lawn, ricin-laced letters sent to Senators, mob action against conservative speakers on university campuses, assault upon Republicans quietly dining in public places, vandalism of Republican Party offices -- this is political violence unseen since a Dem Senator almost beat to death a Republican Senator in the Senate chamber prior to the War Between the States.

Those who resort to violence have lost the battle of ideas.



chuck said...

Why not Kennedy? I'm sure there are plenty of laughs to be found in that bit of history. I mean, shot by a communist in Texas? The premise itself is hilarious.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Its actually sad that they can't come up with anything better than that. Its the TDS. And that they are actually pretty stupid, awarded their positions because of ideological reliability and connections.

President-Mom-Jeans said...

Talentless lefty Pedowood cunts. Seeing the streets of Hollywood run red with their blood would be much more humerous than this clapter garbage. Since they are setting the precedent that people's deaths are just the highest form of comedy.

M Jordan said...

The left’s mental illness is the biggest creature Trump exposed in his mission to drain the swamp.

Temujin said...

Still waiting for someone from the side that wears black masks as they pummel people who disagree with them, or throw bricks into businesses, or chase diners from restaurants, or, as executives of the large tech companies silence our voices, and then tell us that we should all be killed- still waiting for one of them to show me how Trump is a Fascist.

One example will do. And I don't mean an example of what you might disagree with. But an actual example of how he behaves like you do.

Mike Sylwester said...

Dog whistles: Somebody assassinate President Trump.

Big Mike said...

I see that David Gelernter has a new column. I went through RealClearPolitics.com to get around the paywall, but more and more I think I should subscribe. The following excerpt states the case completely:

"Every big U.S. election is interesting, but the coming midterms are fascinating for a reason most commentators forget to mention: The Democrats have no issues. The economy is booming and America’s international position is strong. ...

The contrast with the Obama years must be painful for any honest leftist. ...

For now, though, the left’s only issue is “We hate Trump.” This is an instructive hatred, because what the left hates about Donald Trump is precisely what it hates about America. ...

The difference between citizens who hate Mr. Trump and those who can live with him—whether they love or merely tolerate him—comes down to their views of the typical American: the farmer, factory hand, auto mechanic, machinist, teamster, shop owner, clerk, software engineer, infantryman, truck driver, housewife. The leftist intellectuals I know say they dislike such people insofar as they tend to be conservative Republicans."

If you don't value the auto mechanic or the plumber then try fixing your own car all laden with modern antipollution controls and sensors, and try to fix your own plumbing without making it worse -- plus keeping it up to code. Kyrsten Sinema has already told us what the leftists think of housewives.

Amadeus 48 said...

Next up: Obama's demise in 2030, homeless on the streets of San Francisco. He stepped on a syringe barefoot and died of a strep infection. Michelle wired her condolences from the Hotel George V in Paris. BHO had started to slip when Malia and Sasha were gunned down five years earlier during a safe streets march in Lawndale.

It's hilarious! It's like Sanford and Son without the son. BHO is a feisty, cynical oldster who keeps raving about the Iran deal.

Big Mike said...

(Gelernter is a computer science professor (emeritus I presume) who writes every so often for the Wall Street Journal)

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I was watching the latest episodes of Robot Chicken the other day and, amid the funny bits, a skit would be aired that took some pop culture item and used it to recite leftist talking points. Here is one dealing with Brexit.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DFBHvxQzEg

Not sure why leaving the EU would inflame anti-immigrant hate crimes. Pretty sure the answer to that is, "Shut up haterz!"

Henry said...

The word "cathartic" reminds me of Shakespeare.

Richard III as comedy -- a sop to the Tudors.

Rick said...

I've had some pretty wild fantasies also. In my defense (a) I knew they weren't real and (b) I was 8.

But inventing fantasies is so much easier than developing policies which might work.

Carry on.

Nonapod said...

he would lull the audience into the inherent silliness of Trump and then make a sharp turn to reveal the disturbing darkness beneath the president’s surface.

I'll admit I'm kinda curious what this "disturbing darkness" is. Does it turn out that Trump is really a cannibal who cooks and eats CNN reporters in the West Wing? I don't know about you, but I love mockumentaries with lots of disturbing darkness.

Kevin said...

I don't know, maybe it is hilarious. I just don't like building comedy on the dead body of a real, living person:

Would these same people have done a similar thing to Obama?

If not, it’s not comedy. And we should stop enabling them by letting them tell us it is.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

I'd like to make a show where all of the left-wingers of Hillary-woodland show up for their annual fancy dress on the red carpet with expensive jewels dangling - Golden Statue Awards, where they back slap and self-congratulate each other for crying on Q, while paid millions upon millions for doing so, and the need to hand out golden statues fills their vacuous souls...

The entire theater goes up in flames and everyone inside dies.

hahahahahaha. Hilarious.

Dave Begley said...
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The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
wendybar said...

This is why Trump is beating the left. The left has nothing....except Trump hate. Boring.

gahrie said...

Ha Ha ha...killing the president!

Why is the death of/killing the president only funny/entertaining when it is a Republican dying?

Matt Sablan said...

Why is it always suddenly in vogue to kill presidents when they're Republicans?

Also... why the constant misuse of fascism? Can't we say Trump is bad without calling him something he obviously isn't (he's not the one calling to pack the Supreme Court or abolish the Electoral College, for example)?

MayBee said...

I run out of ways to imagine how this would have been viewed had it been about President Obama and Valerie Jarrett.

Sydney said...

So tired of their double standards.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

If anyone wants to see a mocumentary made by talented people I suggest _A Mighty Wind_https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Izr-5yitrb0 or _Best In Show_ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeifMjqpsg0

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

If your ideological cohort needs “cathartic peeks”, then you’re probably screwed regardless. So history suggests, anyway.

Amadeus 48 said...

Further to the riotous comedy special on the death of Obama:
The antics of the emergency room staff, swamped with undocumented Americans and Obamacare patients, add to the hilarity of the program. The former president has a number of mishaps and accidents on his way to receiving attention from physicians five days after he first arrived at EMR. A good-time, Welcome Back, Kotter atmosphere pervades Pelosi Memorial Hospital with resident physicians of all genders engaging in fast talk, snappy comeback banter as they go about their duties. The former president receives the best care that this crack team can deliver at this late hour, and his feverish ramblings as he sinks into death are both moving and laugh-making. Kathy Griffin plays a bawdy, bra-snapping transgender nurse with an eye for the ladies (and others).

Ken B said...

People misunderstand. This isn’t comedy, though it uses the formal structure of comedy. It is sex.

Wince said...

Rosanne Barr must be wondering what standards apply, beside double standards.

cf said...

I continue to marvel that it is the Women that are leading us to the most low, ruthless contrivance in their wielding of "power", it does not bode well for civilization as we thought we knew it.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Is it Halloween yet? These Hollywood idiots get more ghoulish every day. Why are they always fantasizing about putting our Presidents do death?

Ron Winkleheimer said...

A good mockumentary has to be subtle and you have to like the characters. It also has to be plausible at a certain level. You have to believe that the characters' actions and attitudes while being exaggerated for comedic affect, are reasonable in the circumstances, just toned down a bit in real life. There are couples who obsess over their dog and anthropomorphize it. They might even scream at each other over a lost dog toy, which would not be funny in real life, but can be made to appear so in a movie. Which brings me to the conceit that Cortez is so beautiful that Trump would not be able to cope with it. Have you seen Trump's wives? While Cortez is more attractive that Nancy Pelosi or Elizabeth Warren, that is not a high bar to pass. The left is not able to parody Trump to anyone beyond their own partisans because they do not understand him.

etbass said...

"The entire theater goes up in flames and everyone inside dies."

Quentin Tarantino could do a minor alteration of his hit and it would be perfect.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

While Cortez is more attractive that Nancy Pelosi or Elizabeth Warren, that is not a high bar to pass.

But even more a "horseface" than Stephanie is. IMHO.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

Trump, on the other hand, doesn't have to parody his opposition. They are beyond parody. A good mockumentary could be made about the making of _President Show_." It would be like _Its Springtime For Hitler_, except not funny.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPXHRX8Q2hs

Fernandinande said...

why the constant misuse of fascism?

Google "fascism" and google helpfully provides a cartoon picture of Trump in the first result (inside the wiki ref...) labeled "Fascism vs Democracy".

Sam L. said...

" “People used to say that fascism would never come to America,” Atamanuik’s Trump says in front of an ominous black void. “But then I came along and made it look easy....”..."

Dems look like fascists to me.

gahrie said...

What exactly has Trump done that can be categorized as fascist?

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I don't expect Comedy Central to survive the coming disruption of the TV industry. They simply lack the budget to compete. Netflix is producing original content with big name stars like Will Smith. Hulu and Amazon also produce first rate original content. Hell, there are people who are producing better content than Comedy Central and posting it on youtube. All of the big broadcast networks are moving into streaming in one way or another. Coupled with the fact that 5G networks with bandwidth 1000 times faster than current technologies are already being tested in a few metropolitan areas means that the cable/satellite bundling business plan is going to die out in a couple of years. So Comedy Central won't be able to collect a tax on all the people who don't watch it.

Michael K said...

kin'Bimbos@Home said...
Ever listen to an unscripted Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - she is a complete moron.


No, I understand she was a pretty good bartender. That's a step up from waitress. Better tips.

Michael K said...


Blogger gahrie said...
What exactly has Trump done that can be categorized as fascist?


We used to know that anyone not communist was "Fascist." That was how the world was divided when Harry Dexter White was still running things.

Ron Winkleheimer said...

I like this guy.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFioUBgefAY

William said...

The comedian involved was on one of the morning shows doing a plug. He claimed that he watched a lot of Trump rallies to get his impersonation down. He didn't compare the rallies to Nuremberg but rather to the Jonestown mass suicide........I get how Trump is an outsized character and an easy target for ridicule but, at some point, doesn't the ridicule become ridiculous. Did you ever see those Nazi cartoons mocking Jews. They remind me a lot of those New Yorker cartoons mocking Trump. They're unwilling to grant the man his basic humanity.

Rosalyn C. said...

The pretense that the Left represents higher spiritual principles (mindfulness, meditation, The Law of Attraction, etc.) has been completely shattered. I have no idea what happened but I suspect that the power hungry atheists have taken over completely and the spiritual/humanitarian types are simply compliant idiots. I look at elaborate efforts at humor like this with disgust, it was not funny. It was hateful, and nobody in the Democratic Party seems to be speaking out against this.

TreeJoe said...

How about we have a "mockumentary" about the woman who wants back to being 3rd in line for the presidency, Nancy Pelosi.

78 year old, uber rich white woman who has significant memory/speech issues remains the forefront leader of the democratic party and wants to be 3rd in line to the presidency (again).

Representing all that is accurate about the democratic party - white, represented by the rich, significant memory issues, and power hungry - let's take a journey into the future of what happens when Nancy Pelosi gains power....

Bay Area Guy said...

While Cortez is more attractive that Nancy Pelosi or Elizabeth Warren, that is not a high bar to pass.

30-40 years ago, Nancy Pelosi was hot!

Ron Winkleheimer said...

This bit is really good. And relevant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gjdl8ckDAA

William said...

Here's an interesting little known fact. The Nazis won a plurality but not a majority in the election. If the Communists had joined the Social and Christian Democrats in a coalition government, they could have blocked Hitler's takeover of the government. The Communists felt that there was no real difference between the Nazis and the Social Democrat fascists. They declined to join them in a coalition government. They felt that a Nazi government would be so repressive that it would spark a mass revolt where the Communists would be able to prevail......To some extent their plan worked. After that brief interregnum of the Third Reich and WWII, they were able to take over east Germany and usher in an unparalleled period of peace and prosperity for the people there. Sometimes you have to play the long game.

The Crack Emcee said...

“People used to say that fascism would never come to America,” Atamanuik’s Trump says in front of an ominous black void. “But then I came along and made it look easy....”.

[Rolls eyes]

JAORE said...

elevates his portrayal of Trump above everything Alec Baldwin has done to date on Saturday Night Live.

Talk about a low bar.

And Kathy Griffith.... whew. She was never a beauty, but I'd say any future career should focus on pod casts.

Quaestor said...

It helps to know just how anti-democratic the Democratic Party has become.

Quaestor said...

If anyone wants to see a mocumentary made by talented people I suggest...

"Best in Show" is also brilliant. A clip. Hillary voters, obviously.

Amadeus 48 said...

Finale:
At the end of the show, all the actors playing characters come on stage, while Kathy Griffin gives the apologia: "Folks, we hope you enjoyed the show. This is all in good fun, and we hope no one was offended by the portrayal of President Obama as a mentally ill street person. He is much, much worse off than that! (Winks) Drive safely and vote Democrat!" While she is speaking, the actor playing the ghost of Frank Marshall Davis ("My son, you have done well.") and the actor playing Billy Ayres ("We were Trotskyites. We didn't have anything to do with Obama. He was a Maoist.") engage in a long, lingering kiss that becomes increasingly passionate. The actor playing BHO becomes distraught, and pulls out a large Smith & Wesson handgun. He takes aim at the pair and screams: "You two-timing, double-crossing c**t!" The screen goes black.
Casting:
BHO: Chris Hemsworth
Michelle Obama: Cate Blanchett
Frank Marshall Davis: Puffy Combs
Nurse Retched: Kathy Griffin
Valerie Jarrett: Jennifer Lawrence
Hillary Clinton: Octavia Spencer
James Comey: Joe Pesci
Eric Holder: Ray Liotta

SeanF said...

Quaestor: It helps to know just how anti-democratic the Democratic Party has become.

There was a TV show a couple years ago called "BrainDead" - political, sci-fi, black comedy about alien invaders taking over politician's minds.

Tony Shalhoub played a Republican senator, and at one point he was debating a D senator, and made a reference to "the Democrat party". His opponent corrected him, "It's Democratic." Shalhoub snickered derisively and said, "Not lately."

Seeing Red said...

It was said of Clinton by some of his followers, if only he were president during 9/11, then he could be the president we knew he could be.

Substitute Obama.


Lolol. Is it me or has he shut up recently?

Kelly said...

Living under a fascist, dictator is certainly different than I expected. For instance, I didn’t know fascist dictators allowed this sort of thing from it’s entertainers. And shouldn’t Kathy Griffin still be in a re-education camp?

Howard said...

This should make you deplorables happy becausae it means the left still don't get how to successfully counter Trump. Instead they keep falling into traps he leads them into like the Pied Piper.

Michael K said...

Thank you for your in-kind contribution to Trump 2020, Howard.

stlcdr said...

Blogger Fernandistein said...
why the constant misuse of fascism?

Google "fascism" and google helpfully provides a cartoon picture of Trump in the first result (inside the wiki ref...) labeled "Fascism vs Democracy".


Wow. Just...wow. Yet the Wikipedia link does not show that image...

donald said...

I don’t watch CC anymore. The house of South Park, which I love. These people are vile. Democrats are vile. There is nothing else to say.

There will be a civil war of sorts, and the assholes leading the charge are gonna run like bitches. But that ain’t gonna work, cause they’re not up for a real war.

JaimeRoberto said...

Amadeus, you should team up with Laszlo and make that movie.

Joe Biden, America's Putin said...

Why is Kathy Griffin playing herself?

Eee gads she is one ugly hag.

Caligula said...

"Gelernter is a computer science professor (emeritus I presume) who writes every so often for the Wall Street Journal)"

And he's written a number of books which have little or nothing to do with computer science. Any most of them are very worth reading.

Of course, that's just my opinion (and yours). Here's what Gelernter looks like as viewed by the Washington Post. In what's supposed to be a straight news article:

Headline: "Speaking of Science: David Gelernter, fiercely anti-intellectual computer scientist, is being eyed for Trump’s science adviser.

The reporter does give him credit as a notible computer scientist (and notes that he was injured by a bomb sent to him by the Unabomer). And, really, she probably didn't write the headline.

Although she presumably did write, "He [Gelernter] has expressed doubt about the reality of man-made climate change -- something that 97 percent of active researchers agree is a problem. And his anti-intellectualism makes him an outlier among scientists."

The reporter also you know that Andrew Rosenberg, director of the Center for Science and Democracy at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said he hadn't heard of Gelernter until Tuesday.


And then the Press claims it doesn't understand why their reputation is in the toilet? Let alone why we might prefer to actually read Gelernter than read a "news" article that supposedly tells us about him.

The article is bylined by the WaPo's Sarah Kaplan, who "reports on the weird and wonderful world of science."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/01/18/david-gelernter-fiercely-anti-intellectual-computer-scientist-is-being-eyed-for-trumps-science-adviser/?utm_term=.11f52f97b4f0

Howard said...

Blogger donald said...
There will be a civil war of sorts, and the assholes leading the charge are gonna run like bitches. But that ain’t gonna work, cause they’re not up for a real war.


Cucks always bray the loudest about doing big violence on their enemies.

Bilwick said...

"People used to say that fascism would never come to America . . .” I was never one of those people. There are only too many people who want Big Brother to
take over the economy and confiscate all the guns. This year they're calling themselves "the Blue Wave," but it's the Same Old Statism.

Jim at said...

Once again, Howard is using words he doesn't understand.

Jim at said...

Fantasizing about killing Trump is OK because some Republicans in Florida said bad things about Nancy Pelosi. - Inga

Big Mike said...

Tony Shalhoub played a Republican senator, and at one point he was debating a D senator, and made a reference to "the Democrat party". His opponent corrected him, "It's Democratic." Shalhoub snickered derisively and said, "Not lately."

And less so daily.

Michael K said...

Cucks always bray the loudest about doing big violence on their enemies.

Howard puts on his Che Guevara tee shirt before getting aggressive on his keyboard.

RMc said...

Democrats winning the House in 2018 and appointing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaker

I can think of no more effective way to ensure Trump's re-election.

BUMBLE BEE said...

I see how it would appeal to today's democrat. Recalling the time when TV was aimed at the 12 year old mind (Howard), it represents profound deterioration of that lofty goal. Trump is fortunate in his enemies.

Howard said...

I got my official Che-Beenie through the Amazon Althole:
https://www.amazon.com/Che-Guevara-Store-Original-Silver/dp/B01CUJGW4Q

Howard said...

Bumble Bee: 8 year old mind, thank you

sdharms said...

if you don't like the premise of the show Ann, why did you give it publicity? Things like this deserve to die in darkness, yet people like you give it sunlight.