Kaling Jokes About Trump at Dartmouth Commencement

She tells grads to have 'insane confidence' in themselves
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jun 11, 2018 1:03 AM CDT
Mindy Kaling Jokes About Trump, Plungers to Dartmouth
Dartmouth College graduates listen to commencement speaker Mindy Kaling at the Dartmouth College Commencement on Sunday, June 10, 2018, in Hanover, NH.   (Jennifer Hauck/The Valley News via AP)

Mindy Kaling took on President Trump in her Sunday commencement address to Dartmouth College graduates, suggesting he may have "tweeted us into war" with Wakanda, the fictional country from Black Panther. "I'll tell you my secret, the one thing that keeps me going, my superpower: delusion," Kaling said in her speech amid laughter. "This is something I share with the president, a fact that is both horrifying and interesting." The 38-year-old actor, writer, and comedian graduated from the Ivy League school in 2001. She received an honorary degree during the ceremony. Kaling remarked that Trump is a testament to how far someone can go if they believe they are the smartest, most successful person in the world. She encouraged the graduates to have "insane confidence" in themselves, even if it's not real.

In her speech filled with self-deprecating humor, Kaling—creator, writer, producer, and star of The Mindy Project—also offered practical advice to the approximately 2,000 graduates, like making sure to buy a toilet plunger. The speech took on a more serious tone when Kaling specifically addressed the female graduates, the AP reports. To the male graduates, Kaling quipped that they should spend the next 30 seconds thinking about the extra money they will be making for doing the same job as a woman. "Girls, we need to do a better job of supporting each other," Kaling said. "Wouldn't it be better to work together to dismantle a system that makes us feel like there's limited room for us?" The crowd cheered. Kaling's new film, the female-led Ocean's 8, opened at No. 1 this weekend.

(More Mindy Kaling stories.)

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