[ad_1]
On April 5, Saturday Night Live opened with James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump standing at a podium, selling the American public on his latest economic strategy: tariffs, or as he calls them, “short for terrific idea.” The sketch was inspired by Trump’s real-life April 2 press conference, where he used a baffling chart to explain how his tariff plan was going to save the US economy — and possibly defeat China using the power of geometric confusion.
Standing next to a chart that looked like it was pulled from a group project gone wrong, Johnson’s Trump attempted to decode its symbols. “That’s a triangle,” he said. “I don’t know what that is, but up here, that’s Xi from China, and that’s me stabbing him with the sword. And then down here, that’s some sideways b****— anyway, you get it, your money’s gone.”
It was a line that captured everything about the Trumpian approach to policy: confident nonsense dressed up as revelation. Economics, in this universe, isn’t about supply chains or market volatility — it’s about vibes, violence, and vaguely inappropriate doodles.
Enter Mike Myers, reprising his role as Elon Musk for the third time this season. Wearing a cheesehead hat — a nod to Musk’s real-life attempt to influence a Wisconsin Supreme Court race — Myers’ Musk immediately admitted his mistake: “I should’ve just bought Wisconsin!” It was the perfect distillation of the Musk-Trump overlap: the idea that politics isn’t about people, but about assets to be acquired.
Musk also introduced the Tesla Model-V, “the first electric car in history to be fully self-vandalising,” equipped with self-smashing headlights and AI-powered graffiti. It was a tongue-in-cheek reference to recent real-world protests at Tesla dealerships, where demonstrators have been damaging the cars to protest Musk’s politics.
Back on stage, Trump continued his attempt to sell the tariff plan, promising Americans they’d soon be “too wealthy,” right before pivoting to “MAGDA — Make America Great Depression Again.” The sketch balanced slapstick with a fairly pointed critique: that the economic rationale behind these tariffs often feels like it’s based more on revenge than reason.
The visual of Trump “stabbing Xi” on a triangle — whatever that triangle represented — was more than just a joke. It was a perfect metaphor for how political theatre often replaces actual policy in Trump’s world. Instead of a coherent argument, there’s just a diagram, a sword, and a punchline.
And maybe that’s the point. When you no longer need to explain your policies, all that’s left is performance. Preferably, one with swords and self-destructing cars.
[ad_2]
Source link
About the author
Musk-Miller patch up? Elon Musk follows Stephen Miller on X, Katie Miller stands by her husband
[ad_1] Elon Musk silently followed back Stephen Miller on X signaling rebuilding the bridges that he burned. After Elon Musk deleted the slanderous post against President Donald Trump, alleging that Trump is named in the Epstein files, Musk made some other silent peace offerings. Musk promoted Donald Trump's Truth Social post on the Los Angeles riots, and then he silently followed Stephen Miller back. Stephen Miller is the deputy chief of staff in the White House. His wife Katie Miller was the DOGE spokesperson when DOGE was working out of the White House. Now Katie Miller works full time for Elon Musk, which puts the husband-wife duo in a sticky position as they work for rivaling bosses. There were rumors that Katie Miller left her husband for Elon Musk and that before the breakup up the three were very close […]
‘Just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn’: ABC News reporter slammed for his description of LA riots
[ad_1] ABC7 journalist Marc Brown described LA rioters as just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn. Los Angeles ABC7 News anchor Marc Brown, during his live commentary on the Los Angeles riots, said police should not escalate their action as that would lead to a major confrontation and the situation could turn very volatile. "If you move law enforcement in there in the wrong way and turn what is just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn into a massive confrontation of altercation between officers and demonstrators," Brown said. MAGA commentators could not believe that a journalist could describe the riots like this. "ABC News wants you to know what is happening in California isn’t a violent riot. It’s 'just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn.' — ABC 7’s Marc Brown," one […]
‘It was wrapped in plastic’: Greta Thunberg trolled for sandwich photo amid kidnap claims. What is the truth?
[ad_1] Greta Thunberg was trolled for this photo as she was seen smiling seeing a sandwich while her pre-recorded video that she had been kidnapped was released. The photo of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, smiling at the sight of a sandwich, became the flashpoint on social media as people asked whether she was kidnapped at all, as she claimed. The Israeli foreign ministry called it a drama and posted the photo of the crew members of Madleen, the Gaza-bound aid ship -- sitting side by side while an Israeli soldier offered them bottled water and sandwiches. Greta Thunberg was also among them. But the Freedom Flotilla Coalition claimed earlier that the Israeli military attacked and unlawfully boarded the Madleen which was taking aid to Gaza. “If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters […]
Farmed production of some fish – and seaweed – is soaring
[ad_1] Asia leads global farmed fish production (Image credit: AFP) The amount of farmed seafood we consume -- as opposed to that taken wild from our waters -- is soaring every year, making aquaculture an ever-more important source for many diets, and a response to overfishing.According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 99 million tonnes of aquatic animals (fish, molluscs like oysters and mussels and crustaceans like prawns) were farmed around the world in 2023, five times more than three decades ago.Since 2022, the farming of aquatic animals has been steadily overtaking fishing around the world -- but with large disparities from species to species.Fast-growing species: The two biggest sellers on the market in 2023, carp and tilapia, mainly came from freshwater farming, while other widely-consumed fish, like herring, came just from deep sea fishing Thierry Laugier, a […]
‘Stop fanning the flames’: Gavin Newsom blames Trump admin for inciting violence in Los Angeles; says National Guard deployed without consulting governor
[ad_1] California’s Gavin Newsom tears into Trump admin for deploying National Guard to LA without his nod, says move is meant to ‘fan the flames’ of immigration unrest.Taking to X, Newsom wrote, “Donald Trump has manufactured a crisis and is inflaming conditions. If he can’t solve it, we will. To the bad actors fueling Trump’s flames, California will hold you accountable.”The clash erupted after Trump authorised the federal deployment under Title 10 of the US Code, overriding Newsom’s objections. This move means the National Guard now reports directly to the president instead of the governor. It marks the first time such federalisation has occurred since the 1992 Los Angeles riots.Newsom responded sharply to Trump ally JD Vance’s praise of the president’s “decisive leadership”, retorting, “Decisive leadership? You didn’t even know when your own National Guard was deployed on the ground. […]
Los Angeles riots: Australian reporter hit by rubber bullet while covering anti-immigration protests – Watch
[ad_1] Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi shot on camera The US correspondent of Australia's 9News was shot with a rubber bullet while reporting on the anti-immigration protests in the United States' Los Angeles. The incident was caught live on camera.Lauren Tomasi was shot in the leg while reporting in America's second-largest city, on Sunday."After hours of standing off, the situation has now rapidly deteriorated. The LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) moving in on horseback, firing rubber bullets at protesters, moving them on through the heart of LA," Tomasi said, as a loud bang was heard in the background.Also Read | ‘Calculated agenda to spread panic’: Kamala Harris slams Trump administration’s National Guard deployment in Los AngelesThe very next second, she is shot by an LAPD officer. 9News reported that the shot appeared to have been fired by the officer into the […]
Related
Musk-Miller patch up? Elon Musk follows Stephen Miller on X, Katie Miller stands by her husband
[ad_1] Elon Musk silently followed back Stephen Miller on X signaling rebuilding the bridges that he burned. After Elon Musk deleted the slanderous post against President Donald Trump, alleging that Trump is named in the Epstein files, Musk made some other silent peace offerings. Musk promoted Donald Trump's Truth Social post on the Los Angeles riots, and then he silently followed Stephen Miller back. Stephen Miller is the deputy chief of staff in the White House. His wife Katie Miller was the DOGE spokesperson when DOGE was working out of the White House. Now Katie Miller works full time for Elon Musk, which puts the husband-wife duo in a sticky position as they work for rivaling bosses. There were rumors that Katie Miller left her husband for Elon Musk and that before the breakup up the three were very close […]
‘Just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn’: ABC News reporter slammed for his description of LA riots
[ad_1] ABC7 journalist Marc Brown described LA rioters as just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn. Los Angeles ABC7 News anchor Marc Brown, during his live commentary on the Los Angeles riots, said police should not escalate their action as that would lead to a major confrontation and the situation could turn very volatile. "If you move law enforcement in there in the wrong way and turn what is just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn into a massive confrontation of altercation between officers and demonstrators," Brown said. MAGA commentators could not believe that a journalist could describe the riots like this. "ABC News wants you to know what is happening in California isn’t a violent riot. It’s 'just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn.' — ABC 7’s Marc Brown," one […]
‘It was wrapped in plastic’: Greta Thunberg trolled for sandwich photo amid kidnap claims. What is the truth?
[ad_1] Greta Thunberg was trolled for this photo as she was seen smiling seeing a sandwich while her pre-recorded video that she had been kidnapped was released. The photo of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, smiling at the sight of a sandwich, became the flashpoint on social media as people asked whether she was kidnapped at all, as she claimed. The Israeli foreign ministry called it a drama and posted the photo of the crew members of Madleen, the Gaza-bound aid ship -- sitting side by side while an Israeli soldier offered them bottled water and sandwiches. Greta Thunberg was also among them. But the Freedom Flotilla Coalition claimed earlier that the Israeli military attacked and unlawfully boarded the Madleen which was taking aid to Gaza. “If you see this video, we have been intercepted and kidnapped in international waters […]
Farmed production of some fish – and seaweed – is soaring
[ad_1] Asia leads global farmed fish production (Image credit: AFP) The amount of farmed seafood we consume -- as opposed to that taken wild from our waters -- is soaring every year, making aquaculture an ever-more important source for many diets, and a response to overfishing.According to the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization, nearly 99 million tonnes of aquatic animals (fish, molluscs like oysters and mussels and crustaceans like prawns) were farmed around the world in 2023, five times more than three decades ago.Since 2022, the farming of aquatic animals has been steadily overtaking fishing around the world -- but with large disparities from species to species.Fast-growing species: The two biggest sellers on the market in 2023, carp and tilapia, mainly came from freshwater farming, while other widely-consumed fish, like herring, came just from deep sea fishing Thierry Laugier, a […]
‘Stop fanning the flames’: Gavin Newsom blames Trump admin for inciting violence in Los Angeles; says National Guard deployed without consulting governor
[ad_1] California’s Gavin Newsom tears into Trump admin for deploying National Guard to LA without his nod, says move is meant to ‘fan the flames’ of immigration unrest.Taking to X, Newsom wrote, “Donald Trump has manufactured a crisis and is inflaming conditions. If he can’t solve it, we will. To the bad actors fueling Trump’s flames, California will hold you accountable.”The clash erupted after Trump authorised the federal deployment under Title 10 of the US Code, overriding Newsom’s objections. This move means the National Guard now reports directly to the president instead of the governor. It marks the first time such federalisation has occurred since the 1992 Los Angeles riots.Newsom responded sharply to Trump ally JD Vance’s praise of the president’s “decisive leadership”, retorting, “Decisive leadership? You didn’t even know when your own National Guard was deployed on the ground. […]
Los Angeles riots: Australian reporter hit by rubber bullet while covering anti-immigration protests – Watch
[ad_1] Australian reporter Lauren Tomasi shot on camera The US correspondent of Australia's 9News was shot with a rubber bullet while reporting on the anti-immigration protests in the United States' Los Angeles. The incident was caught live on camera.Lauren Tomasi was shot in the leg while reporting in America's second-largest city, on Sunday."After hours of standing off, the situation has now rapidly deteriorated. The LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department) moving in on horseback, firing rubber bullets at protesters, moving them on through the heart of LA," Tomasi said, as a loud bang was heard in the background.Also Read | ‘Calculated agenda to spread panic’: Kamala Harris slams Trump administration’s National Guard deployment in Los AngelesThe very next second, she is shot by an LAPD officer. 9News reported that the shot appeared to have been fired by the officer into the […]
Be the first to leave a comment