Jon Stewart Sees an 'Ultimate Irony' in Trump Win

It's that Republicans will be rewarded for 'cynical' obstruction strategy
By Daniel Kay,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 17, 2016 9:21 AM CST

Jon Stewart, voice of reason? In his first public comments since the election, Stewart told Charlie Rose on CBS This Morning, "I don't believe we are a fundamentally different country today than we were two weeks ago. The same country with all its grace and flaws, and volatility, and insecurity, and strength, and resilience exists today as existed two weeks ago. The same country that elected Donald Trump elected Barack Obama." He sees Trump's win not solely as a repudiation of Democrats but as a repudiation of Republicans as well, and the "ultimate irony" of the vote is that the GOP will benefit nonetheless. "What they decided to do was, 'I'm going to make sure government doesn't work and then I'm going to use its lack of working as evidence of it," Stewart said.

"But they will reap the benefit of his victory, in all of their cynicism and all of their—I will guarantee you Republicans are going to come to Jesus now about the power of government." Stewart also said it was a mistake for the media to portray Trump voters as a "monolith" of racists and bigots. "There are guys in my neighborhood that I love, that I respect, that I think have incredible qualities who are not afraid of Mexicans, and not afraid of Muslims, and not afraid of blacks," he said. "They're afraid of their insurance premiums." And as for concerns about the Trump team in the White House: "You know, somebody was saying there might be an anti-Semite that's working the White House. And I was like, 'Have you listened to the Nixon tapes?'" Stewart said. "Like, forget about advising the president, the president." (The early years of the Daily Show are being revisited in a new book.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X