Politics served up a bunch of memorable stories this week, despite the normally dead holiday news cycle.
Adam Kinzinger casually dropped the fact that no one ever talks about the way Trump smells, apparently due to (checks notes) his inability to control his bowels. And before you protest, this apparently isn’t an age thing. It’s supposedly been going on for decades.
My friends over at MeidasTouch ran with the story. The result? #TrumpSmells trended number one for days, with an assist from celebrities.
And this is from someone who spent time inside a tauntaun.
This awesome parody account called for odor in the court…
The Trump Campaign even issued a stinker of a denial, which only made things worse.
And this probably was the only time this lady ever wore a mask.
The MeidasTouch compilation video was something else. Watch it here.
Pledge break! I’m running a 20% off special on paid subscriptions through New Year’s!
Perhaps stewing in his own crap is what made Trump a grump on Christmas Day, when he issued quite the message to his enemies at the end of his holiday “greetings”:
A former labor secretary took note of the disconnect.
The NYT pitchbot was pitch perfect.
The Colorado Supreme Court and the Maine Secretary of State have now both disqualified Trump from their state’s primary ballot, sending MAGA into apoplexy. Liberals had some thoughts.
Senator Susan Collins was very concerned.
Speaking of a possible Trump re-election…
(That’s electoral votes, for those in the back.)
The losers running against Trump and Biden got themselves in the news, but not in a good way. Here was some guy named Dean running against Joe Biden, trying to sound younger and hipper but really failing badly.
Former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley really stepped in it when, in answering an audience question, she danced around slavery as the cause of the Civil War. People won’t let this one go, and I’m fine with that.
Ron DeSantis had his Dukakis-in-a-tank moment in a chair that was hilariously big for him, and his advance team should be fired.
I can’t unsee this next side-by-side.
Right-wing podcaster and village idiot Joe Rogan put himself back in the spotlight in a truly embarrassing way. The clip is worth watching in full if you haven’t seen it yet.
This spawned an array of misascribed Trump errors. Kinzinger up to bat:
I’m giggling about the error despite the school’s title in this one:
This takedown of Rogan was *chef’s kiss.*
I’m actually not sure when former MAGA elite legal strikeforce team member Jenna Ellis posted this, but it resurfaced on my feed, and it is still very funny.
The worst of Trump’s followers are echoing his dehumanizing rhetoric around migrants. This one was especially nasty, but also really damningly funny once dissected.
Three’s Company much?
Let’s look more carefully. Did AI make this? Or does dad love a good French manicure?
For some reason, the far-right keeps coming for Taylor Swift, as if that is not going to backfire badly.
They are trying to blame Swift (and not the players or the coach) for the losing streak of her boyfriend’s NFL team. Because, you know, she’s in the stands cheering. So distracting!
This was my favorite response.
Animal fun time! Here’s a clip of me scrolling through the #TrumpSmells memes.
Cats gonna cat. Watch this one here.
Your awwwww moment of the week. Watch here.
This doggo loves her look so much.
Here’s some rare footage of the GOP leadership in the House.
You may know from my social media that I am a corgi person. This is what we watch in our spare time.
First prize for best use of an old movie clip goes to:
The holidays are a time when we get to diss on family.
And on co-workers. This clip is just…
This is just wonderful to watch come to life.
To those stuck at home with colds or worse, this one’s for you.
I never did get these lyrics either.
This one sounds like something many parents might mix up.
Who wants to explain?
Best remix of the year goes to @iMarkkeyz. Listen and watch here.
Ready for some really wrong humor? Maybe it’s because I’m in England with family, but this is right up their alley.
Funniest TV sketch of the week goes to SNL’s Weekend Update, where the hosts write each other’s lines in an effort to cause maximum cringe. Watch the segment here.
This next story involves something called the Pop-Tart Bowl, which is a football match sponsored by Pop-Tarts. How on earth, you say? This is well worth the deeper dive. Here’s the main clip of this memorable moment when the mascot was… toast.
The commentary online was top notch.
Given the consumption of the sacrificed pop-tart by the winning team, it was not hard to draw biblical comparisons.
The moral question was raised…
And we can pretty much all agree with this.
But then some deeper, uncomfortable truths began to emerge.
Like all heroes for a moment, the tart was not who he appeared to be.
Make America Granola Again?
Speaking of Pop culture (yes, that’s a double pun), I give you this Pop joke to send you into your weekend.
Have a great one!
Jay
Reminder! I’m running a 20% sale on all paid subscriptions, now through the new year. This is a great time to support my work here and save a bit at the same time! Start the New Year off by supporting independent news and analysis. You know you’ve been meaning to!
Let's all vote Democratic and "get the smell outta here."
Happiest of New Years, Jay! Thx for the laughs-and the insight, inspiration, and intelligent facts you share. You truly are one of the good ones-and I’m grateful for you. 💙💙💙💙💙