Jon Stewart on Monday's episode of "The Daily Show" slammed Democrats who have continued to defend President Joe Biden's candidacy in the fallout of last month's debate performance, which the comedian claimed was a "shocking display of cognitive difficulty recognizable to unfortunately anybody who's dealt with aging parents."
Stewart then segued into displaying a series of Biden's ostensible senior moments, ranging from instances in which the 81-year-old president confused current European leaders with late ones to his difficulty staying on track at the debate.
Since the debate aired on CNN on June 27, many commentators have questioned why subsequent media coverage has heavily skewed toward highlighting Biden's gaffes instead of former President Donald Trump's steady stream of lies. "Fair point," Stewart said, adding that Trump's track record has always been "bad," ever "since he started with grabbing by the p**sy."
"The difference is Trump delivered at the debate to expectation. We expect him to be crazy," he continued. "But Biden's performance and inability to articulate at times was stunning — like I could not believe what I was watching."
"Rather than respecting the American people," Stewart argued, things got worse when the White House and progressive media outlets attempted to dispel concerns about Biden's ability to beat Trump and perform the necessary duties as acting president for another four years. A compilation of Democratic excuses for Biden's flailing performance — which included jet lag and the common cold — led Stewart to lash out.
“He’d been home for almost two weeks. He was jet lagged? How big is that fu**ing jet?" the host asked. "The point is, for a campaign based on honesty and decency, the spin about the debate appears to be blatant bulls**t, and the redemption tour hasn't gone that much better.”
“‘Get on board or shut the f***k up’ is not a particularly compelling pro-democracy bumper sticker, nor is ‘What are you gonna do?'” Stewart continued. “I am in no way saying Biden’s gotta drop out, but can’t we stress test this candidacy? Can’t we open up the conversation? Do you understand the opportunity here? Do you have any idea how thirsty Americans are for any hint of inspiration or leadership and a release from this choice of a megalomaniac and a suffocating gerontocracy? It is crushing our f***ing spirits!”
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Biden announced that he would not be dropping out of the presidential race, despite facing mounting pressure from many within his own party to do so. Speaking to ABC's George Stephanopoulos in an interview last week, Biden stated that he had "convinced myself of two things. I'm the most qualified person to beat him, and I know how to get things done."
On July 8, the president and his reelection campaign sent a letter to Democrats on Capitol Hill, explaining his intention to remain "firmly committed" to the race, "despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere."
“We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election,” Biden wrote. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.”
"The Daily Show" airs Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m. on Comedy Central and streams on Paramount+
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