Late-Night in Washington Political Humor and the American Presidency

Praise for Late-Night in Washington: Political Humor and the American Presidency

Farnsworth, Lichter, and Latif provide a first-rate assessment of the influence that late-night television hosts and their political jokes have on the portrayal of American presidents, especially during the Donald Trump and Joe Biden administrations. Scholars of the American presidency and the media, along with anyone who cares about the state of American politics in contemporary times, will find this book a pleasure to read and that it will greatly enhance their knowledge about the role of the media on our chief executives.

Adam Warber, Clemson University

Farnsworth, Lichter, and Latif have given us the definitive volume on political humor and the American presidency. Arguing that humor is an important societal coping mechanism, they document historical inflection points providing rich examples along the way. The book is a lively read that offers an alternative frame for examining political discourse. The detailed analyses of the Trump and Biden presidential eras provide compelling empirical verification of the pervasiveness and significance of political humor. Scholars will appreciate the volume's academic rigor and students will be drawn in by the richness of the illustrative evidence.

Diana Owen, Georgetown University

As the 2024 presidential campaign gears up, longtime coauthors Farnsworth and Lichter (joined here by Latif) continue their groundbreaking work on presidential humor with Late-Night in Washington. Their latest book, a lively and compelling successor to 2020's Late Night with Trump, updates their findings through the post-Trump presidency. Late-Night in Washington is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection between presidential politics and popular culture.

Jeffrey Crouch, American University