And that’s precisely the sort of blowback that happened, with everyone from progressives to Elon Musk to the White House weighing in.
Mary Trump — a vehement critic of her uncle —
wrote on X: “Not only is Stewart’s ‘both sides are the same’ rhetoric not funny, it’s a potential disaster for democracy.” She expanded on her thoughts in a
newsletter titled “Jon Stewart’s Danger to Democracy,” writing, “The damage done by his [2010 event] ‘The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear,’ a DC rally/joke which inspired an entire generation to shrug off
politics and ignore the dangers of the right wing, cannot be overstated. It was, in no small part, responsible, for helping Donald come to power. It made a mockery of nuance, encouraged people to believe that all politicians are the same, that there was no daylight between Democrats and Republicans, or Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. Now Stewart is bringing back the same b******* that got him rich in the 2000s, and helped get Donald elected in 2016.”
Podcast host Michael J. Elston
tweeted, “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. 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.”
Chris D. Jackson, an election commissioner in Tennessee,
tweeted, “Wow. So you basically say because Biden is old, he is basically as bad as Trump. Why th[e] F do we never learn in this country? Sorry, but I won’t be watching you either.”
Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann
tweeted, “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.”
A self-described Democratic activist
tweeted, “Jon Stewart retired and came back as Bill Maher. I had a Jon Stewart for President shirt and rarely missed a show. So disappointing.” (And, yes, apparently Stewart being on Apple TV+ for his recent show
The Problem is basically like being retired.)
Another Biden supporter
wrote, “President Biden honored Jon Stewart for his work on the PACT Act at the bill signing ceremony, calling for a standing ovation.
The Daily Show this is how you pay him back? What a cheap shot. I’ll never forgive you.”
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