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Intelligence Squared: Is Trump Bad for Comedy?

From the opening skit on “Saturday Night Live” to “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” to the pages of The Onion, President Trump has become the face of comedy and a national object of derision. But has the bombardment of Trump punchlines, impersonators, and even Trump-themed television shows been bad for comedy? Some comedians and writers argue that in the Trump era, jokes have become cheap, repetitive, and superficial, with constant bits on Trump’s tan and the size of his hands. And worse yet, Trump has normalized the absurd and the nature of satire in a post-truth world. But others disagree; they argue that the president serves up comedy-gold every day, making their jobs – and the laughs they seek to elicit – easier than ever before. And, they argue, comedy is much more “woke” than it used to be, with late-night hosts and comedians playing a pivotal role in the fight for social justice. Is Trump making the funny business funnier and ever more relevant? Or is it time to table the Trump jokes?