It looks like the joke is on Saturday Night Live this week.
The comedy show is getting mocked for its mocking of former President Donald Trump’s use of the term ‘de-bank’ during a recent speech. It appears as though the writers thought Trump made up the word when, in reality, it’s an actual term.
On Monday’s show, Megyn was joined by Omeed Malik, founder and president of 1789 Capital, to discuss SNL’s obliviousness and what it says about the state of comedy and the media.
De-Fail?
‘De-bank’ or ‘de-banking’ is a term used to describe what happens when financial institutions close the accounts of people or organizations due to perceived legal, financial or reputational risk.
The phrase has become more common in recent years. “It’s one thing to have your voice silenced on Amazon, Twitter, what have you; it’s quite another to have your bank tell you you can no longer do business there,” Megyn said. “Most conservatives have heard of this because it’s publicized in right-wing circles. Saturday Night Live, not so much.”
During Saturday’s “Weekend Update” segment, SNL cast member Colin Jost played a clip of Trump using the term ‘de-bank’ several times during a speech. “Trump did have a slight stumble this week while talking about banks, and he introduced an interesting new term called ‘de-bank,'” Jost said. “I don’t know what the hell de-bank means, but you might have to take ‘de-ambulance’ to see ‘de-doctor.’”
‘They Have No Clue’
It is clear that Jost and the SNL writers thought the former president made up the word, which Megyn said speaks to just how out of touch the media and Hollywood are. “That’s the guy who’s married to Scarlett Johansson,” she said of Jost. “They don’t have to worry about money, and they don’t have to worry about getting de-banked because they’re woke liberals and they have no clue what’s happening to real Americans.”
Malik agreed. “That’s a microcosm of the divide in this country. It shows that we effectively live in two different worlds,” he explained. “People on the island of Manhattan who watch that show or are stars on it have no understanding of what’s happened to people that want to embrace their Second Amendment rights or are standing up against certain levels of repression.”
Whether it’s the Canadian government’s actions against the truckers who refused to get vaccinated, former Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage’s in the U.K., or PayPal banning users in the United States, Malik said this is happening everywhere. “They’re not going to do it obviously through the government; they’re going to use the private sector to make you irrelevant,” he said. “That’s how they do it.”
Ultimately, Malik said that’s why it’s important for people to support organizations and businesses that are aligned with their values. “We need to finance alternatives to all of these institutions,” he concluded. “Please do your best to patronize things like Rumble, PublicSquare, and other companies that share your values. That’s the only way we’re going to win.”
You can check out Megyn’s full interview with Malik by tuning in to episode 712 on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you like to listen. And don’t forget that you can catch The Megyn Kelly Show live on SiriusXM’s Triumph (channel 111) weekdays from 12pm to 2pm ET.