Trevor Noah says Trump is getting a little 'dictator-y' with law enforcement

Trevor Noah on Trump and the Justice Department
(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/The Daily Show)

"I don't know if you've noticed, but in between his tweetings and cheeseburgers, Donald Trump has been saying some pretty dictator-y things," Trevor Noah said on Tuesday's Daily Show. He pointed to President Trump's statement that he has "the absolute right to do what I want with the Justice Department," and explained why that's both not true and "a dangerous idea for the president to have."

Trump is widely reported to be furious with Attorney General Jeff Sessions for not "protecting" him from the investigation into Russian election meddling. And points to the underlying problem," Noah said. "In President Trump's mind, the attorney general is his personal attorney — that's what he thinks. Instead of recusing himself from Russia, he wanted Jeff Sessions to basically be his pint-sized Johnny Cochran, just walking around, like: 'He's a good dude, he did not collude. If the sheets have no pee, the man must go free.'"

Trump was so upset that Sessions wasn't "protecting" him, he reportedly asked his staff, "Where's my Roy Cohn?" That's "actually a very revealing question for Trump to have asked," Noah said, turning to clips to explain who Roy Cohn was. "Trump longing for a lawyer like Roy Cohn is disconcerting, because what he admires in Cohn is that he worked to destroy his political rivals by any means necessary. And that's exactly what Trump wants the Justice Department to do for him now — and it looks like he may be getting his wish." He pointed to Trump's call for the Justice Department to reopen its investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails, and the DOJ's compliance. "That should make you a little bit afraid," Noah said. "If the president can start criminal investigations into anyone that he wants, that feels less like a democracy and more like a Trumpocracy." Watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.