Jon Stewart takes aim at the media, Donald Trump, President Joe Biden's 'Cheshire Cat press conference encore'
"The Daily Show" host said President Biden "personified the delicate highwire between glee and gravitas."
Jon Stewart had a lot to say on Monday's episode of The Daily Show — unsurprising, since it was his first time at the desk since former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records last week.
But much of his monologue focused on the media covering the high-profile trial, who Stewart poked fun at for saying repeatedly how sad the news was for the country.
"Perhaps nothing personified the delicate highwire between glee and gravitas more than President Biden's Cheshire Cat press conference encore," Stewart said, as the camera cut to a clip of Biden leaving the podium at the White House. He started to leave the room. When he heard someone ask, "Mr. President, can you tell us, sir, Donald Trump refers to himself as a political prisoner and blames you directly. What's your response?" And he slowly turned, smiled broadly, turned again, and walked out slowly.
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"Why," Stewart asked, "does everything have to be so f---ing weird? Why? If you have something to say about it, say it. If you don't have something to say about it, don't say it. But you're just gonna stop and hit 'em with some kind of '70s sitcom freeze-frame."
He played clips of Republicans saying the trial was, as Sen. Ted Cruz called it, "a political smear job."
"The trial was a sham!" Stewart said sarcastically. "Yes, we impaneled grand juries and submitted evidence and cross-examined witnesses — 'But how was Donald Trump or his family not allowed on the jury? Outrageous!'"
Matt Wilson/Comedy Central's The Daily Show
Jon Stewart delivers his monologue on "The Daily Show" on June 3Stewart, the original host of the long-running news satire series, has returned to host on Monday nights leading up to the presidential election in November and will also serve as executive producer on every episode through the election cycle and beyond.
He's previously found much to be desired about the media's coverage of Trump, which he repeats here, calling out the show Fox and Friends for an interview segment, in which the former president claimed, "I didn't say, 'Lock her up.'" The interview hosts did not challenge him. Stewart then played clips of Trump saying, "Lock her up."
"And that, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, is why we need courts," Stewart said. "Whatever flaws the American justice system has — and they are legion, especially for non-billionaire former presidents — it does appear to be the last place in America where you can't just say whatever the f--- you want regardless of reality."
Stewart added, "Court should be the option of last resort for our defined reality, not the only option for our defined reality."
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