Thomas Jefferson Explains Electoral College To Trevor Noah

Jefferson says "we devised electors to ensure America would never elect a dangerous, charismatic lunatic.”

The United States is the only democracy that doesn’t elect a president by popular vote, a fact that confuses Trevor Noah.

Luckily, Thomas Jefferson stopped by on Wednesday’s “Daily Show” to shed light on why the founding fathers chose to use electors instead of the popular vote.

“In my day ... we believed the common people were ill-informed and couldn’t be relied on to reject a populist demagogue,” Jefferson said. “So we devised electors to ensure America would never elect a dangerous, charismatic lunatic.”

Noah then explained that the Electoral College is responsible for “a racist white guy” beating out “a more popular, more qualified woman.”

Jefferson’s reply: “Sounds like it’s working perfectly. What’s the problem?”

Before You Go

A set of two moody teenager cutouts to yell at on their lawn.

A Holiday Gift Guide For The Trump Supporter Who Hates Everything

Popular in the Community

Close

What's Hot