Jon Stewart mocks Trump's pardon spree: ‘I used to think crime doesn’t pay’
WASHINGTON, DC: Jon Stewart sarcastically criticized President Donald Trump for his use of pardon power to forgive high-profile criminals.
The comedian contrasted how difficult it once was for people to achieve even minor reforms, such as mari***na legalization, with Trump’s sweeping pardons for major criminal offenses.
Has Trump legalized drug trafficking? Jon discusses our law and order president’s latest pardon. New pod drops tomorrow! #theweeklyshow #jonstewart #politics pic.twitter.com/wFOlKjitNB
— The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart (@weeklyshowpod) December 3, 2025
Jon Stewart mocks Trump’s sweeping pardons
During his Comedy Central podcast, 'The Weekly Show,' on Thursday, December 4, Jon Stewart expressed sarcastic approval of President Trump’s pardoning spree, stating, “I kind of dig what he’s doing,” when asked whether the power should be revoked due to apparent abuse.
Stewart further stated, "I used to think crime doesn't pay, but now I'm getting a whole other head on this."
He went on to explain the stark contrast between the long struggle for non-threatening rights and the pardons now being granted for extreme criminal activity.
Stewart highlighted the absurdity of Trump's pardons by referring to the case of Juan Orlando Hernandez, the former president of Honduras, who was involved in a massive d**g trafficking scheme.
He imagined Trump easily signing off on such acts, saying, “He’s just out there with pens like ‘legalize international d**g trafficking.’”
Stewart added, “Like, with the stroke of a pen, he’s like, this guy was convicted for, they literally said mountains of c*****e, and he’s like, ‘But a mountain, it’s not too much to have a mountain.’”
Jon Stewart calls out congressional silence
As for the lack of response from Congress over these pardons, Stewart said, “They’re scared s**tless” of Trump.
He then returned to his central point about the hypocrisy of dg enforcement, recalling how difficult it was for Americans to gain freedom for recreational or medicinal ma***na use.
He sarcastically compared the cautious path to c*****is dispensaries, often dictated by rules such as “Well, if you had two joints, you’d be cool, as long as it didn’t seem like distribution”, to Trump’s actions.
Stewart pointed out the irony: while Trump is “obviously droning boats to fight the d**g war, he decriminalized a mountain of c**e, you can’t do more than a mountain.”
He concluded by saying, “Bribery is legal, state-sponsored d**g trafficking is legal. I don’t even know what to make of this.”
In a final assessment of Trump's behavior, Stewart compared it to that of a child, asserting, "What a 6-year-old he is," and "Whenever he gets confronted, his responses are either 'I don't know' or 'You're stupid.'" He added, “I have children. I’m very familiar with these dodges.”