On this week’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart criticized President Donald Trump for keeping the press in the dark about the goals of America’s newly launched war against Iran.
“Now, what’s interesting about this war in its infancy is that, even though it clearly took a long time to plan, the American public has heard very little consistent talk about the legitimacy of the war or its ultimate purpose,” Stewart said. “In fact, the usually talkative president had the opportunity to speak with national reporters after returning to the White House from Mar-a-Lago Sunday night. I’m sure he wants to address the public’s concerns and reassure us.”
Stewart then cut to a CNN clip in which the anchor claimed that President Trump “completely ignored” reporters on Sunday night, hours before the United States and Israel launched a joint attack on Iran.
“Hey, that’s fake news!” Stewart joked. “He is not the aloof Mr. Magoo who has serious conversations with inanimate carved bronzes.”
The show then cut to Sunday night’s clip. A reporter off camera asked President Trump, “Who do you want to lead Iran?” President Trump, standing in front of the statue in the Rose Garden, responded, “It’s an incredible statue, and you’ll see it right away.”
Later in the show, Stewart covered Pete Hegseth’s press conferences about the war, during which Hegseth repeatedly said, “We’re not going to participate in a do-or-die exercise” because it would be “stupid.” When asked if there was a “concern that it might develop into a long-term war,” he replied, “Didn’t you hear what I said?”
“I know you’re the Secretary of Defense, but you don’t have to be so protective,” Stewart joked.
Stewart then focused on another quote from Hegseth about the president. “There is no one who is a better communicator than our president. He has demonstrated an ability that few other presidents have.”
Stewart said Trump was “laser focused.” “You’re not a three-year-old who gets easily distracted by shiny things on the wall.”
The program then cut to footage of the president speaking at the Medal of Honor ceremony.
“We’re making improvements to the building. You see those lovely curtains? Those curtains were the ones I chose in my first term,” Trump said. “I’ve always liked gold. But I think we’ll save a lot of money. We’ll just save. We’ll just save on the curtains. But it will be, it’ll be spectacular. It’ll be the most beautiful. I believe that, because I’ve built a lot of ballrooms. I believe it will be the most beautiful ballroom anywhere in the world.”
“It’s hard to believe that our bomb is now smarter than the president,” Stewart said.
Watch the full monologue below.
