Jon Stewart Urges Democrats To Stop Getting Mad and Actually do Something
Donald Trump has only been back in office for a week and Jon Stewart is already pretty tired. On a new episode of The Daily Show he professed that the onslaught of current events has been a little bit too much.
“I found last week exhausting,” Stewart quipped. “The return to 1600 Trumplvania Avenue was as disorienting and chaotic as I imagined.”
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After noting that he had hoped the weekend would bring a sense of peace, the late-night host played a series of clips of the stock market crashing after Chinese AI DeepSeek emerged. “I was promised a new era of American prosperity and greatness,” Stewart replied. “What happened?” He added, “Who would have expected the China to do it cheaper?”
Stewart moved on to other recent news, including the “late Friday night purge” that Trump enacted when he fired numerous inspectors general. The host feigned confusion, grabbing a foam axe from under his desk. “Ah! Trump has ushered in the purge,” Stewart yelled. “Although, just in case I’m misinterpreting, what is this purge about, exactly?”
In a more serious tone, the host noted, “He got rid of 17 inspectors general? That only leaves—no one knows how many left. I have no idea… The point is: We have 17 less inspectors general. Who knows how many generals will now go uninspected? Democrats, inspire my anger, in the least charismatic way possible!”
Stewart then aired a clip of Democrat Chuck Schumer calling Trump’s removal of the inspectors general a “glaring sign” that a “golden age for abuse in government and even corruption” is here. However, Stewart pointed out that Trump’s actions were not exactly unconstitutional. The only mistake Trump made was that he didn’t give 30 days’ notice.
“I’m sorry, what?” Stewart said. “Apparently, you can fire them but you have to give them 30 days’ notice. That is what we are upset about? But this is the cycle we find ourselves in. First law of Trump-o-dynamics: Every action is met with a very not-equal overreaction. Thus throwing off our ability to know when shit is actually getting real. Like last week’s pardons.”
He continued, after playing clips of more Democrats getting irate, “For some reason, we have given presidents the power of a king, and then we say, ‘Well, you’re not going to get all kingly and shit on us, right?’ To put that in constitutional terms, if I could: Don’t hate the player, hate the founding fathers. Why do we even have it? Because I don’t know if you’ve met Donald Trump, he pushes shit.”
After discussing Trump’s executive order to end birthright citizenship and the courts knocking it down, Stewart explained that Democrats can’t just keep declaring “fascism” and hoping things change.
“Look, we are facing a deluge of these executive actions and certainly we must be prepared for those most vulnerable to the consequences of these actions,” Stewart said. “But the ‘This is all fascist!’ argument has become almost a reflex for the left.”
Stewart concluded that he does have a fear that Trump’s second term might get a little “fascist-y” and that we “must be vigilant. However, it will require actual action.
In a call to Democratic leaders, Stewart urged, “The question is probably not, ‘How dare he?’” the host acknowledged. “The question should be, ‘What are you learning from this? How would you use this power? What is your contract with America?’ Democrats, exist outside of him. Tell people what you would do with the power that Trump is wielding, and then convince us to give that power to you as soon as possible! That is the goal!”
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