by guest contributor Janet Staihar
Photo credit: Janet Staihar
Billy Eichner, one of the funniest modern-media comics who hosts “Billy On The Street” and Hulu’s “Difficult People,” skewered Donald Trump at Politico’s Playbook Lunch, and suggested perhaps he himself might have some skills to be a POTUS.
Billy Eichner
“I should be president,” Eichner, 37, joked. Well, then, who would be vice president? He dropped the name of TV show host Billy Bush. Asked what he hopes to accomplish over the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner weekend, Eichner replied he hopes to run into Carly Fiorina…he said he would like to make her his co-host for the upcoming season. “Clearly, she’ll do anything.”
Mike Allen, Politico’s chief White House correspondent, Joanna Rosholm, Billy Eichner, Mike Farah and David Litt
Asked if he thinks The Donald will make it to the Oval Office, Eichner responded “No! Not happening,” although he added he would love to see Melania in the White House. “That’s my dream” to see that happen. “I would like to see HER agenda.”
As for the Republican primary candidate’s persona, Eichner acknowledged that Trump knows how to play the media card. So much so that “Joan Rivers really loved Donald Trump,” he said. “The reason she loved Donald Trump so much is that he is a showman….He’s funny in his own warped way,” Eichner then went on to brand him as another P.T. Barnum and a “cartoon villain.”
Eichner was among three other panelists at the Playbook lunch at The Newseum. The event was a warm-up for the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner weekend. Panelists included Mike Farah, president of production for Funny or Die!; Joanna Rosholm, press secretary to First Lady Michelle Obama and David Litt, former White House speech writer and now head writer/producer for “Funny or Die DC.”
Mike Allen acted as straight-man moderator.
Ex-White House writer Litt praised President Obama’s ability to crack a joke. ”The President has such good timing…that he can pull it off. “Likewise,” Rosholm said, “the First Lady gets it right away when it comes to comedy. She’s game for just about anything. Hands down she’s the smartest person in the room…and hands down, the funniest person in the room….she has that instinct.” Echoing that, Eichner said when he has worked with Mrs. Obama, “We just give the First Lady a sense of what we do and leave it up to her to carry it out.”
To see and hear the Politico event click HERE.
