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The enormous scrutiny facing Noah is, of course, a result of Stewart's massive success of over the last 16 years. He was the most trusted newsman in America, transcending late-night comedy by being rabidly earnest in a business that, even at it's best, is by a wide margin playfully saccharine. Noah's main challenge is to continue to cultivate that relationship by providing an existing audience with more of the same Hall of Fame-level combination of personality and integrity.Noah has already proven that he is an agile performer, displaying the genial glibness that earned him the gig in the first place. He nailed a segment called "Panderdemic 2016," skewering the trend of 2016 presidential candidates trying to appear hip to appeal to younger voters. "Oh really, you don't think Biggie and Tupac should have killed each other, really?" he asked after playing a clip of Marco Rubio discussing his preference for Tupac over Biggie on Fox News. "I'm glad you clarified that for us because I was really fooled by your thug-life exterior, Rubio."Noah has already proven that he is an agile performer, displaying the genial glibness that earned him the gig in the first place.
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**On Munchies: *Donald Trump Is Now Selling Branded Red Plastic Party Cups to Frat Bros***
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On Thursday morning at 10:38 PDT, a 26-year-old student shot and killed nine people at a small community college in southern Oregon. The Daily Show tapes at 6 PM in New York City. Discussing a tragedy of any nature is a delicate and onerous task, and the rhetoric surrounding guns and gun control is often such bullshit that it makes it even harder to parse a rational response. There is grief, and anger, and bewilderment. It's been constantly said over the last few days, but it's worth repeating now: This is fucking ridiculous. Trevor Noah could have said that, but didn't, and I think it was a missed opportunity to establish a genuine rapport that this show has cultivated and thrived on."By now, as you may have heard, a few hours ago, there was a tragic event that took place in Oregon, and normally in one of these situations I would just speak from the heart, but honestly this isn't a normal situation for me," Noah said at the open. "I haven't had the time to feel, let alone think about everything that is happening. And I'm sure it's true for many people out there, so right now we can only express our grief for the people who were lost, and I guess I can do what I do best and that is try and make people laugh. So let's do our show."No one wants Trevor Noah to fail, and while the gap he's being asked to fill is enormous, there is no reason to think that he is not already capable of occupying it. It wouldn't be a surprise to see a rash of think pieces in 2031 wondering how some new guy is going to compare to the esteemed and accomplished Trevor Noah, nor would it be a complete shock if there was someone new in the chair in a few years. Who knows? It's unfair to measure him by roughly 90 minutes of content, when he's got thousands and thousands more to go, just as it's unfair to expect him to be able to craft a nuanced and outraged reaction to Oregon in the four or so hours he had to work with. But this is an unfair business, and while it is certainly feels shortsighted to weigh his response against the ghost of Jon Stewart, at some point it might not be enough to just make people laugh.Cody Wiewandt is a writer living in New York.The Daily Show with Trevor Noah airs weeknights at 11 PM on Comedy Central.