'South Park' mocking naked Trump = NOT FUNNY. Fake Obama arrest video = FUNNY!
Thanks to 'South Park' and its hilariously graphic AI depiction of President Donald Trump walking the desert naked, complete with talking genitalia, we're learning how our thin-skinned commander in chief defines comedy.
White House officials were outraged by the show's unflattering artificial intelligence depiction of Trump, which is funny in itself, since the easily triggered president is no stranger to making fake video "jokes."
On July 20, the actual president of the United States of America posted an AI-generated video of former Democratic President Barack Obama being arrested, handcuffed and hauled away. That bit of dark, authoritarian humor is apparently a real hoot, and totally acceptable, given that Trump has not apologized or threatened to sue himself for $80 bazillion, or whatever the going rate is for things that violate the Man-Child of Mar-a-Lago's sense of decency. (As I typed 'sense of decency,' my laptop crashed because the machine's processor rolled its eyes too hard.)
Envisioning the arrest of your political rivals is fine comedy, but apparently, the 'South Park' bit went too far.
White House calls 'South Park' a 'fourth-rate show'
Trump was reportedly big mad about a cartoon version of nude Trump hopping in bed with Satan and the Comedy Central show's unflattering AI-generated desert scene.
A White House spokesperson said: 'This show hasn't been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention. President Trump has delivered on more promises in just six months than any other president in our country's history – and no fourth-rate show can derail President Trump's hot streak.'
Opinion: Insecure Trump knows he'll never measure up to Obama. And it kills him.
The 'fourth-rate show' that 'is hanging on by a thread' just got a five-year deal worth $1.5 billion from Paramount.
To put that in perspective, 'South Park' creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone got about 94 times more from Paramount than Trump did when the company paid him $16 million to settle a ludicrous lawsuit against '60 Minutes.'
'South Park' is way more popular than Donald Trump is
And the same day the White House boasted about Trump delivering on promises, Gallup released a poll showing the president's approval rating hitting 37%, the lowest of his second term, and a majority of Americans disapproving of his handling of virtually everything, from immigration to the economy to the federal budget.
Opinion: Trump is unpopular, polls show, and he's building an America most Americans hate
But who cares about numbers or facts or whether the bar for presidents should be set slightly higher than a cartoon famous for a singing piece of poop? The bottom line is that in Trump's America, we have a new way to define comedy: A show mocking naked Trump = NOT FUNNY! A fake Obama arrest video = FUNNY!
I'm going to distill that definition a bit more, since the picture seems crystal clear: Anything making fun of Trump = NOT FUNNY!
Colbert canceled, Behar threatened and 'South Park' condemned
We've recently seen late-night host and relentless-Trump-skewerer Stephen Colbert have his show suspiciously canceled by Paramount.
After comedian Joy Behar mocked Trump's transparent jealousy of former President Barack Obama on 'The View,' the White House released a statement saying Behar "should self-reflect on her own jealousy of President Trump's historic popularity before her show is the next to be pulled off air.'
Only Trump can decide which jokes are funny, America
Do you get it, comedians and satirists of America? You shall dispense only Trump-approved humor-jokes or face the wrath of the guy 'South Park' showed stumbling naked across a desert with a teeny talking penis. You may create videos fetishizing the arrest and detention of Democrats; you may, as Trump often does, disparagingly pretend you're a transgender weightlifter; you may make jokes about alligators eating migrants. That is all hilarious. Pure comedy in Trump's MAGAmerica.
But if you joke about the president or criticize him in any humorous way – NOT FUNNY!!
And you will be held accountable. Particularly if you point out that President Trump is so thin-skinned he got mad at a cartoon.
Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @rexhuppke.bsky.social and on Facebook at facebook.com/RexIsAJerk
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Where Trump sees the ‘biggest deal ever,' Europe sees capitulation
President Donald Trump may rate Sunday's trade agreement with the European Union as the 'biggest deal ever,' but for some within the 27-nation bloc, it feels a lot more like economic appeasement. French Prime Minister François Bayrou called Sunday a 'dark day' for the region in a post on X. 'An alliance of free peoples, gathered to assert their values and defend their interests, resolves to submission,' he wrote. The agreement, struck between Trump and Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, sets a 15% tariff on most imported goods from the bloc and includes EU commitments to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in the United States and buy US energy products. Trump has boasted about reaching the framework after mounting criticism directed at the handful of trade deals that have been agreed to since he announced sweeping tariffs on more than 100 trading partners. He has managed to score what he believes is an accord favorable to the United States despite severely testing America's relationship with its largest trading partner. But, like Bayrou, other European leaders have lamented the agreement — essentially a framework for a future trade deal — as an exercise in damage limitation. The EU's new across-the-board tariff halves the 30% levy Trump had threatened to impose from Friday and stands below the 20% brandished back in April. But it is still well above the average of around 1.2% from before Trump's second term. In a statement Sunday, von der Leyen said the agreement offered 'stability and predictability' to European and American companies. In recent months, the Trump tariff roller coaster — his flurry of tariff announcements, pauses and retractions — has made it difficult for businesses to plan ahead. 'Of course, no tariffs would have been better, but this agreement provides more clarity for our businesses and brings more market stability,' Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof wrote on X on Sunday. For Germany, the bloc's largest economy and a major car exporter, the deal has whittled down the 25% levy Trump slapped on its auto exports in April. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Sunday that European negotiators' hard work had paid off: 'A trade conflict has been averted that would have severely impacted the export-oriented German economy,' he wrote in a post on X. Others were less diplomatic in their assessment. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said in a podcast interview on Monday, cited by Reuters, that Trump had steamrolled the EU in negotiations, comparing the US president to a heavyweight boxer against von der Leyen's 'featherweight.' Belgium's Prime Minister Bart De Wever also said Sunday's deal was a 'moment of relief but not of celebration.' 'I sincerely hope the United States will, in due course, turn away again from the delusion of protectionism and once again embrace the value of free trade – a cornerstone of shared prosperity,' he wrote on X on Sunday. Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament's trade committee, said the deal is 'not satisfactory' in a post on X on Sunday, adding that 'concessions have clearly been made that are difficult to accept.' David Collins, professor of international economic law at City St George's University of London, echoed Lange's comments Monday on CNN. 'This is a humiliating capitulation on behalf of the EU … it really makes you wonder: What is it actually doing for its member states if the UK can on its own get a better deal than this giant economy?' he said. CNN's James Frater, Joseph Ataman and Caitlin Danahar contributed reporting. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Harper says Carney team sought his trade advice, advises looking outside U.S.
OTTAWA — Former prime minister Stephen Harper says he's urging Ottawa to find new trading partners outside the United States. Harper says he was approached by the government two weeks ago and advised Ottawa to work out a short-term deal with U.S. President Donald Trump while expanding trade in other markets. At a conference in Saskatoon today, Harper says Canada should be "independently responsible" for defending itself and should not rely on the U.S. military. The Canadian Press has asked Prime Minister Mark Carney's office whether it approached the former Conservative prime minister for advice. Harper says Canada has been too dependent on the United States and needs to boost military spending to ensure its independence. Harper calls himself "the most pro-American prime minister in Canadian history" but says Washington is using a failed economic policy of pursuing economic growth through tariffs. — With files from Jeremy Simes in Saskatoon. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2025/ Dylan Robertson, The Canadian Press Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Dow Eyes Record High After EU Deal
Dow Jones (DJIA) is flirting with a record high after President Trump and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen unveiled a framework deal slashing threatened 30% tariffs on EU goods to 15% and exempting key exports like aircraft and chip equipment. Warning! GuruFocus has detected 7 Warning Sign with NKE. List of 52-Week Lows List of 3-Year Lows List of 5-Year Lows The EU also pledged $600 B in new U.S. investments and another $750 B into energy projects over three years. The Dow opened Monday less than 0.5% below its all?time peak ahead of a packed week that features the July 2930 FOMC meeting and a wave of corporate earnings. Last year the U.S. ran a $235.6 B goods deficit with its largest trading partner, so easing trade friction and fresh capital inflows could help narrow that gap and underpin market gains. Why it matters: Clearer trade rules and massive investment commitments may boost business confidence and spending. Investors will be watching FOMC minutes on Wednesday and upcoming earnings for signs this rally can sustain. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
