Jon Stewart Reflects on Trump’s MSG Rally, Mass Deportation Plans on ‘The Daily Show’
Jon Stewart addressed the impending election last night on The Daily Show, noting that each presidential candidate is now making their “closing arguments.” That means there is one more week for the host to decide who he’s going to vote for this year.
“Normally I just vote for whomever The Washington Post endorses,” he said. “But I’m not an Amazon Prime member, so…”
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He reflected on Beyoncé appearing at Kamala Harris’ rally in Houston over the weekend before moving on to Donald Trump’s MAGA rally at Madison Square Garden, which has generated significant backlash for its racist, xenophoebic speeches.
The late-night host played a clip of highlights from the rally, including references to Harris and her “pimp handlers” and Tucker Carlson hysterically laughing. “I will never not be charmed by his girlish laugh,” Stewart quipped. He added of the rally speakers, “Now, generally, that’s a lineup that you see outside Madison Square Garden, yelling at strangers as they try to get inside Madison Square Garden.”
He added, “And let me just say: How dare they desecrate the stage that the Piano Man has consecrated? How dare you! Listen to me: Do you know how many ‘Scenes From an Italian Restaurant’ he’s going to have to play to exorcise the demons that were on that stage?”
As for comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, who called Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” Stewart said the guy was “just doing what he does.” He played a clip of Hinchcliffe telling racist and anti-Semitic jokes at the Tim Brady roast. “There’s something wrong with me,” Stewart said, laughing. “I find that guy very funny… I mean, bringing him to a rally and not having him do roast jokes? That’s be like bringing Beyoncé to a rally and not having—oh.”
Stewart noted that Trump’s rally guests brought “a real dark, apocalyptic version of America to the stage” before Trump himself came out with a similar tone, claiming he would invoke “mass deportations” on day one in office. “Who the fuck told Donald Trump about the Alien Enemies Act of 1798?” Stewart said. “He’s not a history buff, as we remember from his dissertation on Robert E. Lee’s role in the critical Civil War battle of Gettysburg.”
Later, Stewart brought out former correspondent Jessica Williams, who reminded him of his privilege. “Everything’s going to be okay… for you, a white guy — a rich, old white guy,” she said. For everyone else, though, it does matter.
“It doesn’t matter because for non-old white people, for people of color, and women, and queer people, it’s gonna be a completely different story, all right?” she said. “Now, let me give you some advice: Look, Jon, I know you’re exhausted. Hell, I’m exhausted. Everybody’s exhausted. Anger and disappointment in our political discourse is exhausting, but it’s easy to throw up our hands and be like, ‘Fine! Fuck it! I’m tired. Go ahead and take people’s rights. I’m just going to plow through a case of Trulys and bench 52 episodes of Love Island.'”
Williams continued, “I just want to be clear, all right? Do not let them exhaust you. Don’t let the constant, draining bullshit wear you out. Do not turn away. Look right down that barrel and say, ‘Not today, apathy! I’m only having half a case of Trulys.’ And no matter what happens, we have to throw our arms around the people who need us the most and hang the fuck on. All right?”
Yesterday, Stewart confirmed he is extending his hosting gig on The Daily Show through 2025. He will host and exec-produce the late-night news show on Mondays through 2025.
“I’ve truly enjoyed being back working with the incredible team at The Daily Show and Comedy Central,” Stewart said in a press release, before joking: “I was really hoping they’d allow me to do every other Monday, but I’ll just have to suck it up.”
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