On the night after Election Day, comedian Hasan Minhaj didn’t want anyone’s “poor little brown boy†pity, because from where he was standing, it seemed like white Americans might have the harder cross to bear during Donald Trump’s presidency. “For the past 15 years of my life I’ve been blamed for 9/11,â€Â the Daily Show correspondent, who is the child of Muslim immigrants from India, told the audience at the Natural Resources Defense Council’s Night of Comedy. “People have always said, ‘Are you going to say something? Say something to condemn terrorism.’ And now white America is responsible for 11/9. Congratulations, you voted for domestic terrorism.â€
Like Minhaj, the attendees at the NRDC event, a New York City–based environmental advocacy nonprofit, were overwhelmingly dismayed by Trump’s win. Minhaj went on to talk about how Trump as president means ugly things for everyone in the United States. “It’s bad for all of us. If you’re not a straight, orange male, he is coming for you,†he said. “Freedom of speech, global warming, marriage equality, he is going to move on them like a bitch.†The comic also likened Trump’s rise to the fall of a once great American business:
“You know what I’m most afraid about? What if we’re at the Downfall section of America’s Wikipedia page, but we don’t realize it … You never see it coming. Blockbuster never saw Netflix coming. Blockbuster was just chilling … then one day someone was like, ‘Listen boss, we got to start streaming!’ But Blockbuster’s CEO was like,’What are you talking about, kid, there are no rivers or streams here. Everybody loves coming in here, every Friday night with their significant other arguing over a video that’s not even on the shelf. That’s what makes America great.’ America is Blockbuster Video. We just voted for Blockbuster Video. You know what’s even worse? Hillary Clinton was Hulu Plus, marginally better, but we could have lived without her, and that’s the problem, Hil! We needed a full Netflix performance.â€