As we continue to contemplate the whats, whys, and howwwwwwwws of the election of Donald Trump, Trevor Noah took the opportunity to lay into Nate Silver, the statistician whose FiveThirtyEight had been forecasting a Hillary Clinton victory for months. Will the following clip from last night’s Daily Show help you understand and accept Trump as your president? No it will not. Will it provide a few minutes of much needed catharsis, as Noah at one point jokingly threatens to choke Silver? It just might!
For several minutes, Noah took not just Silver to task, but the polls his forecasting relied on (how are they “some of the best polls” if they failed to indicate Trump’s imminent win?). He questioned Silver’s credibility. At one point, remarking on the once-reliable Silver’s method, Noah asked, exasperated, “What is the point?” It’s a great question for this uncertain time.
Asked about whether Trump will live up to his draconian promises like building a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border, Silver predicted, “I think Trump’s going to be obsessed with his polling numbers, his approval rating, and if he detects public pushback against his agenda, he might abandon things pretty quickly.” Hmmm, Silver would say that.