US comedian and writer (and Oscar nominee for the Borat sequel) Jena Friedman makes her long-awaited return to the Fringe with a blistering hour of righteous fury. After entering the stage to the turgid caterwaul of Lee Greenwood’s now-Trump anthem, ‘God Bless The USA’, while waving her Star-Spangled Banner, Friedman quickly punctures any notions of genuine American patriotism by furiously dismantling the current regime with a scalpel-sharp diatribe. Not long into her warm-up, she makes a satirical joke conflating the tragedies of 9/11 and Donald Trump that clearly establishes her impeccable writing skills before segueing to extraordinary material that Friedman gets away with thanks to her scrupulous delivery.

Motherf*cker is an unapologetically Americentric show, and Friedman wastes no time explaining her targets to the uninitiated. As a litmus test, if you know who Mitch McConnell is then you’ll probably be ok (and you’ll get one of her best jokes). Later on, the mood lowers as Friedman talks about the death of her mum and the profound impact that continues to have on her. Although this heartfelt section is sometimes sombre, she meticulously plucks humour from tragedy. Still, it’s the death of American democracy that really energises her set.

Jena Friedman: Motherf*cker, Monkey Barrel Hive, until 24 August, 4.15pm; main picture: Lindsey Byrnes.