Comedian Jon Stewart returned after nine years to The Daily Show on Monday to cover the 2024 presidential election. Yet Democrats were left outraged after the left-leaning comedian made sharp criticisms of President Joe Biden.
During his opening monologue, Stewart noted the fact that both frontrunners, 81-year-old Biden and 77-year-old former President Donald Trump, were the oldest men to seek the presidency.
“We have two candidates who are chronologically outside the norm of anyone who has run for the presidency in this country, in the history of this country,” Stewart said. “They are the oldest people ever to run for president—breaking by only four years the record that they set the last time they ran!”
Stewart also pushed back on attempts among the public to downplay what many see as clear cognitive issues with Biden.
“What’s crazy is thinking that we are the ones as voters who must silence concerns and criticisms,” the comedian said. “It is the candidates’ job to assuage concerns—not the voters’ job not to mention them.”
Stewart went on to note that although Biden “isn’t Donald Trump,” who is currently facing numerous indictments and other legal woes, “the stakes of this election don’t make Donald Trump’s opponent less subject to scrutiny.”
“If the barbarians are at the gate, you want Conan standing on the ramparts, not the Chocolate Chip Cookie guy,” he said.
But Biden supporters appeared to argue that any criticism of the president was an endorsement of Trump and vowed not to watch the show further.
The anti-Trump website known as The Palmer Report responded by accusing Stewart of dishonesty, although they did not specify specifics.
“Sorry Jon Stewart but this is ‘both sides’ false equivalence horse crap,” they wrote. “The Daily Show is supposed to cut through the media’s dishonesty, not parrot it. Will not be watching.”
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann similarly lashed out at Stewart and the show’s coverage.”
If you’re wondering how Jon Stewart’s bullshit bothsidesist return went over… The antisemite racist conspiracy nuts LOVED it,” he said.
Olbermann pointed to the fact that X owner Elon Musk had applauded the show as evidence of its issues.
“Balance and humor return!” Musk said.
Stewart was also repeatedly accused of suggesting that both Trump and Biden were “equally bad.”
“Jon Stewart still has it in terms of being funny and entertaining but the political content of this monologue is basically the New York Times op-ed page in TV form,” left-wing commentator Aaron Rupar said. “Both sides are not in fact equally bad!”
While much of the responses did appear to fall along partisan lines, not all Democrats were opposed to Stewart’s take.
“If you have a problem with [the way] Stewart presented the dynamics of this race, you have your head buried in the sand and haven’t talked to a regular voter in three years,” Democratic strategist Sawyer Hackett said.
Despite the pushback, a recent poll conducted by NBC News found that 76% of voters are concerned with Biden’s age and mental state.
Trump is no stranger to such concerns as well, although the former president’s legal troubles appear to be the main concern among voters.
