10/12/2018

CELEBS/HURRICANE/MEDIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Kanye West’s visit to the White House on Thursday [10-11-18] became punchlines galore for the late-night TV hosts. As Jimmy Kimmel put it, ‘The jokes do not write themselves — or should I say, they did not write themselves until today, when Kanye West visited the White House.’ In the televised Oval Office meeting, West spent 10 minutes discussing hydrogen-powered planes, his admiration for President Trump, and what West said was the news media’s duty to cover the president positively…But at what cost is the humor coming? Jimmy Fallon implied that the president seemed more interested in the photo opportunity than in addressing the effects of Hurricane Michael, which pummeled the Florida Panhandle this week…Meanwhile, others expressed concerns about West’s mental health. He claimed during the Oval Office meeting that he had been ‘misdiagnosed’ with bipolar disorder, but people close to him told People magazine that he is not taking medications prescribed by a psychiatrist.”

Giovanni Russonello, “Jimmy Kimmel Says Kanye West Is a Mirror for Trump,” The New York Times online, October 12, 2018