Jon Stewart mocks news networks for not airing Trump video of a hog-tied Biden despite 'annual 9/11 reruns'

Jon Stewart questions the severity of the footage and mocks those who misconstrue the digitally altered image as real
PUBLISHED APR 2, 2024
Jon Stewart was commenting on an image of Biden shared by Trump (Getty Images)
Jon Stewart was commenting on an image of Biden shared by Trump (Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In a recent episode of The Daily Show, Jon Stewart delivered a scathing critique of news networks' response to a controversial video shared by Donald Trump that featured an AI-generated image of Joe Biden hog-tied at the back of a pick-up truck.

Stewart began by addressing the general bleakness of recent news cycles, humorously remarking, "the past 200-300 years." However, he pointed out that even amidst this darkness, there was a story so disturbing that news channels struggled to confront it.

Stewart's satirical take on the news cycle's bleakness

"The news has been pretty bleak recently — the past 200-300 years," Stewart jested. "But this weekend, there was one story that was so disturbing, so dark, even the news couldn’t handle it."

The video, which depicted a digitally altered image of Biden bound on the back of a pickup truck, was deemed too unsettling for television broadcast by numerous news outlets. Stewart humorously noted his own inability to view the footage.

"I didn’t get to see it at all," Stewart joked.

Expressing incredulity at the networks' decision to refrain from airing the video, Stewart juxtaposed it with their willingness to broadcast images of conflicts, disasters, and tragedies from around the world.

"That’s gotta be devastating," Stewart remarked. "News channels show images from Ukraine, from Gaza, from natural disasters. They get through them dispassionately. I can’t imagine how devastating this footage must be."

He questioned the severity of the footage, given the networks' ability to cover other distressing events dispassionately.



 

Stewart's satirical examination and mockery of misguided perceptions

The comedian then dissected the absurdity of the situation, highlighting the contrast between the refusal to show the video and the commonplace airing of 9/11 footage.

"Are you the same networks that show reruns of 9-11 every year?" Stewart questioned. "I mean, I don’t think it’s great that Trump is posting things like this."

He also mocked those who believed the image to be authentic, suggesting that their judgment might be questionable if they mistook the digitally altered depiction for reality.

"To the people who thought the image was real, I don’t know that you have the mental acuity to be operating a motor vehicle," Stewart quipped.

Employing his signature blend of humor and critique, Stewart delivered a bombshell revelation to those who might take such images at face value: the novelty truck ornaments depicting genitalia are not, in fact, anatomically accurate.

"Trucks don’t actually have testicles," Stewart revealed. "And the item some drivers hang on their vehicles is just a novelty item."

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