Trevor Noah Can’t Keep Up with Trump’s Mixed Messages

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Welcome to Best of Late Night, a rundown that lets you sleep — and lets us get paid to watch comedy. What do you think of it? What else are you interested in? Let us know: thearts@nytimes.com.

The Many Sides of Trump

After President Trump gave three speeches this week with markedly different tones — and, in some cases, conflicting positions — Trevor Noah declared himself confused.

“Every day this week, we have seen a wildly different Donald address the nation,” he said Thursday on the “The Daily Show.”

“Trump is like one of those Japanese toilets: He’s got too many settings to figure out. So many settings, you just wind up crying and pooping in the corner.” — TREVOR NOAH

“Don’t get me wrong. All politicians adjust their performance for different crowds, right? Obama speaks differently in a black or a white crowd. Bush spoke differently to farmers and bankers. Ted Cruz speaks differently to people than the pile of human heads in his basement that he says are his friends. It always happens. But Trump is different. When he talks to different audiences, even in just a few days, he doesn’t just tweak his style — he changes his message.” — TREVOR NOAH

On ‘The President Show,’ Trump Goes Colorblind

Anthony Atamanuik’s President Trump began “The President Show” by honoring “the tragic victim of the events in Charlottesville: me.”

“I don’t side with white supremacists, honey. I don’t see color. I can’t — because on Monday I stared directly into the sun.” — ANTHONY ATAMANUIK AS PRESIDENT TRUMP

The Punchiest Punchlines (‘What Happened’ Edition)

“Oh, snap! Hillary going hard on Donald Trump. And she’s smart, too. She’s doing it in the one place he’ll never find her: a book.” — TREVOR NOAH, on the campaign-trail revelations in Hillary Clinton’s new book, “What Happened”

“I’m excited to read this book. Because all through the campaign, half of the time, I was like, ‘I wonder what’s going through Hillary’s mind right now.’ That doesn’t happen with Trump. It’s more like, ‘Can you stop telling us what’s going through your mind right now?’” — TREVOR NOAH

The Bits Worth Watching

When this man couldn’t say the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s name without using a racial slur, it became a lot harder to take him seriously on the significance of the Confederate flag.

The actor Timothy Simons on being insulted on “Veep”: “We got into comedy because we have removed all feeling and emotion from ourselves. Those do not exist anymore.”

Enjoy the Weekend

Conan O’Brien will be taking a break next week. But we’ll be back — that is, assuming some of the other hosts return from their own vacations.

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