Jimmy Dore on Corporate Sellouts and Political Comedy

For many comedians, President Trump is a gold mine of material. But for comedian Jimmy Dore, making fun of Trump is “low-hanging fruit.” Dore shocked some viewers in November when he argued that a Trump presidency would be beneficial to progressives because it would fracture the GOP.

And in the days since the inauguration, Dore has zeroed in on corporate media and the hypocrisies of Democrats, rather than taking on Trump.

On Thursday, Dore sat down with the Truthdig editorial team to discuss why political comedy is crucial in the age of Trump. Watch the full discussion below:

Trump has been repeatedly ridiculed on “Saturday Night Live” and numerous late-night talk shows; he’s regularly the subject of political cartoons; and each new Trump tweet inspires comedic reactions across the internet.

Trump doesn’t appreciate the jokes: He has repeatedly lashed out at “SNL” for Alec Baldwin’s impersonation and reportedly will not attend the White House Correspondents dinner, where presidents usually deal out lighthearted humor and get burned in return.

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“Trump isn’t a fluke,” Dore argued during his live conversation with Truthdig. “I think Donald Trump is just a corrupt plutocrat.”

Dore went on to explain how mainstream comedians like Stephen Colbert and Samantha Bee refrain from criticizing Democrats. “If you’re a comedian on TV, it’s a pretty good chance you’re a millionaire,” he said. “And you don’t want to upset the system.”

WATCH: Jimmy Dore: Television Comedians Are ‘Corporatists’ Who Are ‘Propping Up the Establishment’

He also discussed Bernie Sanders, how Democrats “gaslight” voters and how movements are more important than politics. Watch past episodes of Live at Truthdig here.

—Posted by Emma Niles