On The Daily Show, Jon Stewart targeted Joe Biden and the White House's response to growing concerns about Joe Biden's mental fitness and ability to continue as the Democrat's best hope to defeat Donald Trump in the upcoming elections presidential elections Stewart didn't hold back, playing clips of Biden's struggle with the words and the subsequent turn from his supporters, calling it “blatant bullshit.”
Is it too late for Democrats to change course? Jon Stewart reacts to Joe Biden's challenge to calls to step aside pic.twitter.com/qRHgeeyp7B
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) July 9, 2024
“For a campaign built on honesty and decency, the spin on the debate appears to be blatant bullshit, and the redemption tour hasn't fared much better. We're told the Trump threat is so great and there the stakes are so high that even raising these absolutely legitimate concerns about the president's ability to do the world's most vigorous job for the next four years is enabling fascism. Yet even the president doesn't seem particularly alarmed.”
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Stewart also criticized the idea that supporters should support Biden simply because millions voted for him in the primaries, noting that voter perceptions changed dramatically after the debate.
Jon Stewart says this election is “Endgame Democracy” and that the Democrats didn't really have a primary. He then says that Biden's incompetence and senility are “new information” that has just been brought in. pic.twitter.com/8FLZarL4r4
— The Post Millennial (@TPostMillennial) July 9, 2024
“Authoritarianism and Donald Trump are not the only threats facing our democracy. An arthritic status quo, unable or unwilling to respond in any way to the concerns of voters who have just received new and urgent information about the his candidate also erodes trust and faith in the government border system. Honestly, 'get on board or shut up' is not a particularly convincing pro-democracy bumper sticker.”
While Stewart did not call for Biden to drop out, he suggested a path forward that would involve an open convention in Chicago where challengers could compete for delegates.
At the same time, Biden rejected calls for him to quit and wrote a letter to tell Congress to join his side and warn that any further dissent would only benefit Trump.
This morning, I sent a letter to my fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill. In it, I shared my thoughts on this moment in our campaign.
It's time to come together, move forward as a unified party and defeat Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/ABtAaJrr0n
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 8, 2024
The segment marks Stewart's first appearance on The Daily Show since his live show following Biden's debate performance last month. With the momentum, it looks like calls for greater transparency and a reevaluation of Biden's candidacy will continue to gain traction.