Jon Stewart did not hold back during his return to The Daily Show, where he criticized both President Joe Biden and Donald Trump for running for president again. No matter the outcome of this year’s election, Stewart said, “The country is in no way saved.”
“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 pointed out. “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!”
President Biden is 81 years old, while former President Trump is 77.
The Daily Show host then addressed recent concerns about Biden’s cognitive abilities, noting, “This guy couldn’t remember stuff during his deposition. Do you understand what that means? He had no ability to recall very basic things under questioning,” in reference to special counsel Robert Hur’s recent investigation into the President, which found he had “poor memory” that had gotten “worse.”
“Biden’s lost a step, but Trump regularly says things at rallies that would warrant a wellness check,” Stewart added.
The odds are not looking good this presidential election. “The question then becomes, what the fuck are we doing here, people?” he demanded.
“What’s crazy is thinking that we are the ones as voters who must silence concerns and criticisms. It is the candidates’ job to assuage concerns — not the voters’ job, not to mention them,” he later added.
Stewart added the segment on a rather sobering note, saying, “So the good news is: I’m not saying you don’t have to worry about who wins the election. I’m saying you have to worry about every day before it, and every day after, forever.”
Feb. 12 marked Stewart’s first day back hosting The Daily Show since he left in 2015. He will be hosting Monday nights leading up to the 2024 presidential election, after which he will stay on as an executive producer through 2025.
The Daily Show airs weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central and stream next day on Paramount+.
