Liberals who were confused by Trump's triumph instantly viewed comedy as both a solace and a weapon.

Even before Donald Trump was elected in 2016, he had been providing America’s late-night TV show hosts with ample fodder for comedy.

The Daily Show, which debuted in 1996, is a major influence on many of these late-night TV programs, which represent the forefront of political comedy in liberal America. With John Stewart as host after 1999, it developed a mixture of political and news satire that became a popular genre.

Liberals who were confused by Trump's election triumph instantly saw comedy as a weapon and a comfort. Comedy, according to seasoned TV personality David Letterman, "is one of the ways that we can protect ourselves from Trump." The trend's leading indicator was late-night comedy, where the increased emphasis on political satire helped several of the shows score big with viewers.