‘Jon Stewart Is Not Your Friend’: Prominent Liberals Fume After Comedian, in a Return to ‘Daily Show,’ Criticizes Biden

Supporters of the Democratic establishment are denouncing a comedian, Jon Stewart, after he criticized President Biden over his age during his much-hyped return to “The Daily Show.” The liberal podcast-sphere was aghast when Mr. Stewart, who was a darling of the left during his first run on “The Daily Show” due to his sharp criticism of the Bush administration and manufactured consent for the Iraq War, roasted Mr. Biden for his age and what some consider age-related infirmity.In the premiere of the show’s 29th season, Mr. Stewart opened up with a segment on the upcoming presidential election dubbed “Indecision 2024.” In the segment, Mr. Stewart commented on Mr. Biden and President Trump’s record-breaking ages for a pair of presidential nominees, comparing them and their appearances to his own 61-year-old face.“These two candidates, they are both similarly challenged and it is not crazy to think that the oldest people in the history of the country to ever run for president might have some of these challenges,” Mr. Stewart said. After playing clips of Mr. Biden’s surrogates discussing how “sharp” the president is, Mr. Stewart asked, “Did anyone film that?”Far from equating Messrs. Trump and Biden, or Democrats and Republicans, Mr. Stewart also attacked Mr. Trump and members of his family, rolling footage of depositions where Mr. Trump and his relatives said they could not remember anything investigators asked them.“Yes it turns out that the leading cause of early onset dementia is being deposed,” Mr. Stewart said.Mr. Steward also mocked a news host turned Trump devotee, Kari Lake, for refusing to acknowledge that Mr. Trump, 77, is an old man.“First of all, Donald Trump is not an old man,” Ms. Lake said in a clip. “He’s an old man — he is objectively an old man, on a human scale Trump is objectively old,” Mr. Stewart retorted. Still, some in the liberal establishment argued that Mr. Stewart’s tepid criticism of Mr. Biden was still a bridge too far. These critics included a Tennessee election commissioner who is a Democratic strategist, Chris Jackson. “Wow. So you basically say because Biden is old, he is basically as bad as Trump,” Mr. Jackson tweeted. “Why … do we never learn as a country? Sorry, but I won’t be watching you either.”Others, like a sports and political commentator, Keith Olbermann, accused Mr. Stewart of “bothsidesism,” saying: “This was what Stewart has added to the fight to save democracy.”“Well after nine years away, there’s nothing else to say to the bothsidesist fraud Jon Stewart bashing Biden, except: Please make it another nine years,” Mr. Olbermann posted.A psychologist and niece of Mr. Trump, Mary Trump, posted that Mr. Stewart “is bringing back the same bulls— that helped get Donald elected in 2016.”“Not only is Stewart’s ‘both sides are the same’ rhetoric not funny, it’s a potential disaster for democracy,” Ms. Trump said. “I know Donald, and the media has to stop with the both sides bulls—.”The host of “The Bob Cesca Show,” Michael Elston, also expressed disappointment, saying, “I was predisposed to like it. I used to love this guy. I’m just deeply disappointed.”“If you’re a Democrat with high hopes about the return of Jon Stewart, save your excitement. The first half of his return was both-sides-ing the age issue,” Mr. Elston said. “I bailed when we got to the guest who believes Biden should not have run for a 2nd term. Jon Stewart is not your friend.”

‘Jon Stewart Is Not Your Friend’: Prominent Liberals Fume After Comedian, in a Return to ‘Daily Show,’ Criticizes Biden

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