From the beginning, Sarah Silverman’s I Love You, America has been all about connecting with people outside of her Hollywood liberal bubble. And in this week’s season finale, that generous spirit extends all the way to President Donald Trump. Well, sort of.
Instead of delivering an “epic takedown of our corrupt government” in the spirit of Thanksgiving, Silverman declared in this week’s monologue, “I am thankful for Donald Trump.” As a chill went through her body, she added, “Oh my God, I just shuddered I think. I never knew what that was before!”
As the host explained, she is “thankful” for the president “the way an addict is thankful for hitting rock bottom.” She genuinely believes Trump “has done some good,” adding, “Well, not him personally, he’s a piece of shit.”
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“Yes, he’s personally done a lot of harm,” Silverman continued. “He’s put kids in cages, he’s nominated an alleged sexual assaulter to the Supreme Court, he ordered a Muslim ban, reignited the white supremacy movement, redefined gender to exclude already marginalized people, threatened California during a catastrophic wildfire disaster.” She quickly scrolled through the rest of the list so it wouldn’t take up the whole show.
But on the other hand, she said Trump’s presence “has actually caused good,” albeit unintentionally, including inspiring a record number of women to run for and win seats in Congress this year with his misogyny and giving the issue of racial inequality national attention by attacking Colin Kaepernick on Twitter.
“Basically, more people and issues are visible just based on the motive of Trump trying to make them invisible,” Silverman said. “Congress in 2019 will be the least white and least male of all time. Our Congress will look a little less like a country club and a little more like our country.” And, at least to some degree, we have Trump to thank for that.
“He’s the worst,” she said of the president. “But his shamelessness brought to light things that were going on in the dark. He is like a black light at a Holiday Inn Express, exposing America’s fecal-covered handprints and neon cum stains.”
“So in a fucked up way, I am thankful for Donald Trump,” she continued. “Because he made us pay attention. We can’t not pay attention.”
Silverman also admitted that progressives got “a little complacent” under President Obama, a “cognizant, empathetic human being” who “didn’t stare directly into the sun during an eclipse.”
“Look, Trump may not be the president we want,” she said. “But he may be the president we deserve. The constant reminder that democracy takes effort and must be protected. He represents a cancer that’s always right below the surface: racism, xenophobia, fear of other. But at least now it’s something we can see, it’s something we can point to.”
“He’s like the black light shining on our jizzy, jizzy, jizz-stained country,” Silverman concluded. “And that’s what I’m grateful for.”
