Podcast Summary: “Should politicians be funny? (with Mike Birbiglia)”
NO SUCH THING – January 7, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Manny, Noah, and Devin tackle the question: Should politicians be funny? Is humor a cheat code to election success or a risky distraction? They explore the deliberate use of humor as a political strategy, focusing on recent examples (notably Governor Gavin Newsom), and invite perspective from a humor historian, Dr. Mark Rolfe, as well as celebrated comedian Mike Birbiglia. The team examines whether humor makes politicians more relatable, what separates effective political humor from cringeworthy misfires, and how authenticity plays into who gets a laugh — and why.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Humor as a Political Weapon: The Gavin Newsom Example

[02:14] - [05:30]

• Gavin Newsom, California’s governor and likely future presidential candidate, has started mocking Donald Trump in a Trump-like style on social media, using parody, bombast, and all-caps tweets.
• Newsom’s press team crafts posts that imitate Trump’s distinctive syntax (all caps, unnecessary quotation marks, etc.) to goad him and build engagement.
  • Example tweet: “DONALD IS FINISHED. He is no longer HOT. First the hands, so tiny, and now me, Gavin C. Newsom, have taken away his step. Many are saying he can’t even do the big stairs on Air Force One anymore. Uses the little baby stairs now. SAD.”
• Reactions are split: some say it’s childish, others that it’s aggressive but necessary politics.
• Newsom on Colbert explained the shift: “Everything we were doing to try to break through wasn’t working anymore… we decided to do something novel called humor.” [06:05]

2. Is Political Humor New — and Does It Work?

[06:39] - [11:49]

• The hosts reflect on other politicians who use (or attempt) humor: Trump (intentionally and unintentionally funny), Eric Adams (“I gotta test the product!”), Obama, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders.
• Noah notes, “Obama was funny… good comic timing and that is relatable. Bernie Sanders is funny when he’s dismissing something.”
• Debate over authenticity: Do we actually believe a politician is funny, or is it their social media team? “Gavin’s not in the lab on Photoshop… this is a bunch of 30 year olds making memes,” Noah says [07:45].
• Devin points out forced humor “doesn’t work” and can even backfire (e.g., Kamala Harris’s awkward viral “Subway Takes” appearance). Authenticity is valued more than humor.
  • “A politician could be not trying to be funny, but just a little bit less guarded, a little bit more relaxed.” [09:12]

3. Why Do We Laugh? (The Historian’s Take)

[14:40] - [21:20] with Dr. Mark Rolfe

• Dr. Mark Rolfe, humor historian, discusses the origins and varied functions of laughter and humor:
  • Historically, “humor” referred to bodily fluids in ancient medicine, not jokes. Only recently have humor and laughter become linked.
  • Laughter serves social bonding: “Laughter is in need of an echo. It's part of our sociality... when we laugh with others, we are establishing bonds.” [16:30]
• Political humor as persuasion and identity: From 1700s Britain, humor became a marker of wit; in the U.S., “having a good sense of humor” became a sign of being admirable (or suspect if lacking).
  • The modern “joke” (short, written by anonymous writers) is a late-19th-century American invention.
  • Today, satire/humor in news is “consumed in line with their views” as part of polarization. [19:13]
• Notable quote:
  • “Much of what we know about humour started around 300 years ago in Britain … Satire gets used, particularly in America, as a means of political identity.” [19:13]

4. The Historical Playbook: Iconic Uses of Humor in U.S. Politics

[22:34] - [25:11]

• Examples:
  • JFK: Used wit to seem superior and charming.
  • Ronald Reagan: Famously used a joke about “not exploiting Mondale’s youth and inexperience,” (written by comedy writer Doug Gamble).
    • Reagan quote: “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” [24:17]
  • Some jokes attributed to Doug Gamble have shown up in Trump’s rhetoric as well (e.g., jokes about President Xi).
• Politicians often hire comedians for punch-up and zingers—sometimes the “funny” lines aren’t their own. [25:11]

5. Inside the Comedic Mind: Mike Birbiglia on Humor in Politics

[28:20] - [47:00]

• Manny interviews Mike Birbiglia about what makes political humor work.
• Birbiglia confirms he’s been asked to write or submit jokes for politicians, but finds “political comedy... hard.”
  • “I think he's able to pull that off. And not many people are, because people have integrity. There's not that many people with that little integrity.” — on Trump’s shameless comedic style [30:33]
  • “It's interesting, seeing Newsom mimic it on Twitter... it has defanged Trump a little bit because it shows the trick. The trick is just bombast.” [31:11]
• On authenticity:
  • “Great jokes are based in an observation that is either true or feels true... we're watching the same reality here.” [33:42]
  • “When someone is funny or nails a truth in a moment... that feels like a truth — that's when it lands.”
• On why some politicians bomb:
  • JD Vance’s “Diet Mountain Dew” joke is used as a case study in “deeply unfunny” attempts. Birbiglia and the hosts agree it failed because it was forced, the analogy made no sense, and the crowd didn’t know how to respond. [39:43]
  • Birbiglia: “That joke is just not gonna work anywhere… What a deeply unfunny person, too. I mean, he is really. He doesn't have it.” [39:44]
• On Amy Klobuchar’s repetitive “hair in a blizzard” joke:
  • Repetition turned it stale. The metaphor was muddled, the target unclear, and it recycled a decades-old attack line (“Trump’s hair”).
  • “With jokes, you need a target. All jokes are aimed at someone or something... it just doesn’t land because so many jokes have been made about his hair, about his skin, … it’s all been done.” [42:05]
• What works about Trump’s own humor:
  • Birbiglia analyzes a Trump bit about burkas: “It’s minute, it’s specific, and it’s surprising... you don’t think he’s going to talk about a woman’s point of view ever.”
  • The joke lands because it “appeals to the audience's sense of wanting him to be right,” offering confirmation bias, surprise, and a sense of shared world-view with the audience. [45:38]
  • “100% the people posting that are isolationist... and the people in the audience are too.” [46:45]

6. The Big Takeaways

[47:28] - end

• The funniest political moments often confirm what the audience already believes — they work as subtle reinforcement and social glue.
  • “A lot of the things we find funny are actually just kind of confirming what we already believe in politics.” — Manny [47:28]
• Trump’s humor works for many both because of delivery (Larry David-esque, ranty, extemporaneous) and because of how it seems authentic and natural: “It does sound comfortable and like it's actually natural... as opposed to other ones where it feels like a pre-written thing.” — Noah [48:56]
• Attempts that feel tested or forced (e.g. J.D. Vance) come off as “deeply unfunny” and awkward, even to supportive audiences.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Mike Birbiglia on Trump’s comedic style:
  “He's able to pull that off. And not many people are, because people have integrity. There's not that many people with that little integrity.” [30:33]

• Dr. Mark Rolfe on why we laugh:
  “Laughter is in need of an echo. It's part of our sociality...” [16:30]

• Reagan’s zinger, penned by a comedian:
  “I will not make age an issue of this campaign. I am not going to exploit for political purposes my opponent’s youth and inexperience.” [24:17]

• Birbiglia on a clumsy joke:
  “That joke is just not gonna work anywhere... What a deeply unfunny person, too. I mean, he is really. He doesn't have it.” [39:44]

• On authenticity versus focus-group testing:
  “If you’re not naturally funny or you’re forcing humor, it also doesn’t work... it's even worse.” — Devin [08:46]

• On jokes as confirmation:
  “A lot of things we find funny are actually just confirming what we already believe in politics.” — Manny [47:28]

• On the forced feel of bad political humor:
  “It sounds like that's a joke he thought about ahead of time... it felt like that was the second or third time he told that joke.” — Devin [49:29]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:14 – Episode introduction & scope of today’s topic
• 02:14–05:30 – Gavin Newsom’s Trump-style social media parody campaign
• 06:05 – Newsom on Colbert, explaining the humor strategy
• 07:45 – Host roundtable: does “strategic” humor work?
• 14:40 – Introduction to Dr. Mark Rolfe, humor historian
• 19:13 – The political (and American) roots of modern humor
• 22:34–25:11 – Iconic historical moments: Reagan, JFK, comedy writers for presidents
• 28:20–47:00 – Manny interviews Mike Birbiglia (deep dive into what works/doesn’t in political humor)
• 39:44 – Birbiglia on why JD Vance’s joke “will not work anywhere”
• 42:05 – Birbiglia on why Amy Klobuchar’s joke flopped
• 45:38 – Detailed analysis: why Trump’s jokes land
• 47:28–49:29 – Hosts reflect on takeaways: confirmation bias, authenticity, delivery

Conclusion

This episode offers a sharp, entertaining, and carefully researched look at the mechanics of political humor—why it can be a powerful tool (or spectacular flop), how its history shapes our expectations, and what makes a joke “land” in the heated arena of public life. The consensus? Humor can help politicians appear relatable and authentic, but only if it feels real, timely, and lines up with what the audience already feels. Forced or focus-grouped humor usually misses, often painfully so.

For further listening:

• Mike Birbiglia’s Working It Out podcast
• NO SUCH THING newsletter at www.nosuchthing.show

If you have your own burning question or hot take, reach out to the hosts — they just might research it live, and maybe even add a punchline.