Jon Stewart Defends Democrats Holding The Line In Government Shutdown

Day six of the government shutdown and The Daily Show host Jon Stewart is defending Democrats‘ decision to not capitulate to Senate demands.

“Those bastards! It’s like they don’t even want people to die of generally preventable diseases,” he quipped. “I wonder what this seemingly reasonable and narrow request will sound like when put through the Fox-o-meter.”

The mandates, which include extending Obamacare subsidies and reversing Medicaid cuts, were described by Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) on Fox Business as “healthcare for illegals, transgender surgery,” with Stewart admonishing that the trans community isn’t a “garnish you add on every talking point like you’re some transgender salt bae.”

Referencing president Donald Trump’s threats to cut Democratic priority programs and make additional federal firings, Stewart said, “So the trap is, if the Democrats shut down the government, Donald Trump takes advantage of the situation and begins to — I don’t know — trim programs Democrats care about, or maybe Donald Trump might let go of some federal workers, or Donald Trump might eliminate funding, only for blue states, or Donald Trump might fucking send in the National Guard but only into blue areas. In other words, to continue doing all this shit Trump has not needed any provocation or pretense or reason to already have been doing. Lo these past, God, it feels like fucking 80 years.”

Stewart then addressed a clip of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, who told reporters the POTUS “takes no pleasure” in the government shutdown.

“The president takes no pleasure in this? The president takes only pleasure,” Stewart maintained. “Given the president’s vascular condition, this might be the only thing keeping him hard, I swear to you. His catchphrase was literally, ‘You’re fired.’ His only reason for getting up in the morning is vengeance.”

The political comic continued, lobbing a punch at ICE: “Suddenly, a small ask for people’s preservation of healthcare is a Molotov cocktail. Because, apparently, Republicans won’t be satisfied with 99.8% domination, they must have it all. ICE went from deporting the worst-of-the-worst to throwing grandmothers onto linoleum and zip-tying American children, and everyone’s just supposed to be cool with the new masked, incredibly well-funded paramilitary group.”

He added, referencing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem being blocked from entering a building in Illinois to use the bathroom: “And Democrats are just reduced to petty gestures of restroom resistance.”

Stewart concluded, “Look, I’ve given Democrats an enormous amount of shit for their poor leadership: lack of specific and actionable plans, terrible messaging, abysmal wordplay. Did I mention poor leadership? But standing up for 75 million Americans in this moment to defend the rights of people to go into a little less medical debt seems like the least they can fucking do.”

Watch the episode below: