Comedian Dave Chappelle called for President-elect Trump to “do better” in his second term and praised former President Jimmy Carter during his “Saturday Night Live” monologue.
In his opening monologue, Chappelle braced the country for the second Trump term. He called on the president-elect to be a better politician than his first term because the world was counting on him.
“To Donald Trump, I know you watch the show,” Chappelle said. “Remember, whether people voted for you or not, they’re all counting on you. Whether they like you or not, they’re all counting on you. The whole world is counting on you.”
“I mean this when I say this, good luck,” he continued. “Please do better next time.”
Chappelle called on the country to also do better and not to forget humanity.
“And please, have empathy for displaced people, whether they’re in the Palisades or Palestine,” Chappelle said.
The comedian used some of his monologue to highlight the life of Carter, the former president who died just before the new year. Flags will be flown at half-mast to recognize the 39th president, even as the country inaugurates a new one.
Chappelle said he once was in the Middle East when Carter visited Israel and Palestine. Although the Israeli government warned Carter about the lack of safety in the Gaza Strip, he went anyway.
“I will never forget the images of a former American president walking with little to no security while thousands of Palestinians were cheering him on,” Chappelle said. “When I saw that picture, it brought tears to my eyes.”
“I said, ‘I don’t know if that’s a good president but that right there, I am sure is a great man,’” he added.
Chappelle made his hosting debut fn the late-night show in November 2016, directly after Trump won his first election. He said Saturday that show creator Lorne Michaels asked if he wanted to host again after the recent election. Chappelle said he’d take the slot near the Jan. 6 anniversary instead.
