Mock Trump’s Russia reversal? From Darth Vader to Richard Marx, there’s no reason why they wouldn’t
After Donald Trump cited a misspoken double negative for apparently siding with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, the jokes practically wrote themselves
The jokes basically wrote themselves after US President Donald Trump asserted Tuesday he had mistakenly used the word “would” instead of “wouldn’t” during widely-criticised remarks in which he apparently sided with Vladimir Putin on the matter of whether Russia sought to interfere with the US presidential election.
On Twitter, singer Richard Marx offered that he too misspoke – in his romantic 1989 ballad Right Here Waiting: “I misspoke. I meant to say I ‘wouldn’t’ be right here waiting for you.”
Others have issued corrections that drastically alter important pop culture moments. Darth Vader meant to say he is not Luke’s father. The Proclaimers wouldn’t walk 500 miles (or 500 more, for that matter). Meat Loaf wouldn’t do anything for love. And so on.
Tuesday night’s Jimmy Kimmel Live took a more instructional approach, turning to Sesame Street’s Grover to explain the difference between would and wouldn’t in a scathing segment.
“I’m Donald Trump, and when I’m in America, I say ‘I don’t see any reason why Russia wouldn’t interfere in the election,’ ” Grover said. “Then I go all the way to Russia. I say, ‘I don’t see don’t see any reason Russia would interfere in the election.”
The Muppet character became exasperated after making the figurative trip to Russia (and having to deal with the corresponding changes between would and wouldn’t). “When I’m with Putin, I say would because I am a coward,” he yelled.
At a news conference Monday in Helsinki, during his summit with Russian President Putin, Trump appeared to reject US intelligence findings that Russia interfered with the 2016 US presidential election, in favour of Putin’s denials: “My people came to me, (Director of National Intelligence) Dan Coats came to me and some others, they said they think it’s Russia,” Trump said. “I have President Putin; he just said it’s not Russia. I will say this: I don’t see any reason why it would be.”
