Last week, President Trump teased some kind of major announcement. No, apparently it was not Stephen Miller soft-launching the suspension of habeas corpus for the first time since the Civil War, which raised a few eyebrows. Nor was it the appointment of Fox News personality Judge Jeanine Pirro to the position of Washington D.C. prosecutor, which also raised a few eyebrows (including Pirro’s own, in The Daily Show graphic). It wasn’t even Trump’s plan to accept possibly the most luxurious private jet in the world from the Qatari government and then give it to his own presidential library so he could continue to use it when he is someday, mercifully, no longer the sitting President of the United States. Don’t worry—eyebrows were also raised about that situation. Perhaps it’s time to donate that euphemism to a library as well.
Though this wasn’t the major announcement, it was a main focal point of Jon Stewart’s monologue last night. “Why does a library need a jet?” he wondered, putting on a Joe Schmo voice to continue: “Hey, I’m calling from Europe and I need a book about Trump by morning. And the book must travel in the comfort and style one can only get from Qatar.” He adds: “That is not a plane, that is a flying fuck palace.”
But no, the major announcement Trump spent the week teasing was his plan to lower the price of prescription medication anywhere from 30 to 90 percent (depending on the specific moment you ask him) because his friend apparently just now realized that Ozempic is a lot cheaper in London than New York. This prompted the realization in the Trump administration that Americans are being way overcharged for prescription drugs, and Americans being taken advantage of is kind of Trump’s whole rallying cry. Obviously, it would be great if it’s true, but Stewart’s decision to take the announcement more or less at face value… well, it raises a couple eyebrows over here. Stewart goes so far as to call it “the socializing of our pharmaceutical industry.” Sure, it would be great if that happens… but isn’t this the same administration that just threatened to suspend habeas corpus?