When The Daily Show announced that Jon Stewart would be returning to his magnum opus to cover the 2024 American Presidential Election, viewers celebrated. The world should have known better, though, than to assume that the political pundit’s return to late-night would be marked by palatable partisan commentary to comfort Americans about the election. Indeed, Stewart’s first show back proved contentious, as much of his monologue was dedicated to undermining President Biden’s aptness for another term in office.
He received backlash from supporters of the incumbent president, and from those terrified of another Trump victory. Some argued that it is the American voter’s duty to assuage concerns about Biden to prevent another Trump presidency. Others, such as Stewart himself, contended that it should be the responsibility of the candidates to assuage voters’ concerns – not the other way around. This discussion highlights a broader debate about the media’s responsibility preceding and following America’s November election.
Interestingly, there appears to be a disparity between the severity with which viewers pushed back at Stewart’s monologue, and the aggressiveness of the actual monologue. Relatively tame, Stewart’s criticisms of Biden were not particularly novel; the pundit chastised both Biden’s and Trump’s old ages, acknowledging their status as the oldest candidates to run for US president as they break their own 2020 record. Stewart remained restrained in his critique, clarifying that he was “not suggesting that neither man is vibrant, productive, or even capable,” but that “they’re both stretching the limits of being able to handle the toughest job in the world.” Notably, he emphasized the disparity between Biden and Trump’s personal and professional merit; Stewart stressed that “Joe Biden isn’t Donald Trump,” a conclusion gleaned from Biden’s lack of fraudulent businesses, sexual assault convictions, required defamation payments, and misogynistic rhetoric, among other things.
Notwithstanding the fairness of Stewart’s criticisms, the episode was met with intense condemnation from Biden supporters who fear another Trump win, with concern that he will undermine the nation’s commitment to democracy. This debate poses the following question: If you are aiming to prevent another Trump presidency in the name of preserving democracy, but you are advocating for censorship of the press’ criticism of Biden to achieve this win, are you not, in a sense, advocating for the very phenomenon which you ostensibly want to avoid? If voters are more frustrated with the media for publishing basic, valid criticism of Biden and his policies than they are with Biden himself for demonstrating these weaknesses, perhaps they should reassess the direction in which they aim their political concerns. After all, how can the media champion the preservation of American democracy while simultaneously shielding one candidate from fair criticism? This oxymoron should be concerning to staunch defenders of the Democratic establishment. Clearly, an assessment of Trump’s actions and rhetoric suggests that, at best, he is grossly unfit for office, and at worst, he is eager to dismantle American democracy. If this deduction and the evidence which supports it does not turn off Trump’s voters, basic criticism about Biden’s old age was never going to, either.
Weaponizing the fragility of America’s democracy is not a moral or sustainable means of achieving another Biden victory. It is possible, and indeed, necessary, to emphasize the stakes of this election because of Trump’s insufficiencies while also criticizing Biden’s policies and the issues which emanate from his age. Condemning Stewart for poking fun at Biden on his Comedy Central show won’t save America’s democracy; perhaps, it will facilitate its downfall. As Stewart ironically quipped, “democracy dies in discussion.”
“The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” by tamaradulva is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.