Jon Stewart didn’t hold back on his latest podcast episode, The Weekly Show, released Friday, criticizing Democrats’ strategy following Vice President Kamala Harris’s loss to President-elect Donald Trump.
Stewart expressed disbelief that Democrats seemed prepared for any scenario except Trump winning “fair and square.”
“This feels different because it’s a democratic victory,” Stewart remarked. “We were ready for every angle—thinking, ‘How will Trump finagle his way back into the White House? What underhanded shenanigans will he use?’ Instead, he simply used our electoral system as designed. And at that moment, I thought, well, damn. I’m not sure we have a team of lawyers for that.”
Stewart on Democrats’ “Vaunted Ground Game”
Stewart also took a swipe at Democrats who touted their “ground game” in battleground states leading up to the election, suggesting they might have done better taking cues from vacuum and Bible salesmen. “It’s a 50/50 tossup, and we say the ‘vaunted ground game will put us over the top.’ Turns out, knocking on doors doesn’t work as well as you think. Vacuum and Bible salesmen probably figured that out centuries ago. I was wrong; we were wrong.”
A Different Feeling from 2016
Comparing this election to Trump’s win in 2016, which he described as a “gut punch,” Stewart said this time feels “different.” Though disappointed, he offered some hope to disheartened voters. “I still believe in this country, in individuals, in the power of change and goodness, competence,” he said, ending on a lighter note. “For God’s sake, the Mets made the playoffs.”
