Jon Stewart says Trump’s ‘mostly cheers’ claim reveals ‘power of reality distortion’
Jon weighs in on Trump at the Knicks game. “Mixed reaction” is NOT one way to put it. New podcast out tomorrow! #theweeklyshow #jonstewart #politics pic.twitter.com/SIHgN9t2WK
— The Weekly Show with Jon Stewart (@weeklyshowpod) June 9, 2026
WASHINGTON, DC: Comedian Jon Stewart said President Donald Trump’s insistence that NBA Finals fans cheered him instead of booing him offered a revealing glimpse into how he handles unfavorable public moments.
The 'Daily Show' host and longtime Knicks fan said Trump’s postgame comments reflected more than a disagreement over crowd noise. Stewart argued they reinforced critics’ broader claim that Trump often recasts uncomfortable realities in a more favorable light.
Jon Stewart disputes Trump's Knicks crowd claim
Speaking on the latest episode of his 'Weekly Show' podcast, Stewart recalled what he described as the striking moment when Trump was booed during Game 3 of the NBA Finals at Madison Square Garden.
“It was in the middle of a guy with a beautiful voice singing the national anthem,” Stewart said, noting that boos at sporting events are typically directed at opposing players.
“This was, ‘And the land of the,,’ and then it cuts away, and everybody’s like ‘Boo.’ … It was more, I think, the juxtaposition of it made it so much more shocking and clear,” he said.
Stewart then addressed Trump’s claim that he heard “mostly cheers” from what the president described as a “very enthusiastic” crowd. “It’s also an insight into the window of his power of reality distortion,” Stewart said.
“I don’t know what he filters through whatever earholes he’s filtering through. But I do think he genuinely heard that as cheers.”
Jon Stewart rejects 'mixed reaction' narrative
Trump’s description of the crowd response was echoed by several postgame defenses highlighted by Stewart.
Among them were a White House social media post sharing a photograph of Trump saluting during the national anthem with the caption “King of New York,” and Fox News host Jesse Watters characterizing the reaction as “mixed.”
Stewart quickly dismissed that argument. “I mean, mixed in the sense that it was 90% booing and 10% confusion,” he joked.
Drawing on his experience attending games at Madison Square Garden, Stewart argued the reaction was overwhelmingly negative.
“I’ve been in Madison Square Garden. It was no more mixed than what the [San Antonio] Spurs received,” he said. “I’m sure there were like 15 people in Madison Square Garden who were like, ‘Wemby!’ But overwhelmingly people were like, ‘F*ck them!’”
Jon Stewart blames Trump for Finals setback
Stewart later shifted from political criticism to sports superstition, joking that Trump brought bad luck to the Knicks during their playoff run.
Like fellow Knicks fan Stephen A. Smith, Stewart said he did not want Trump attending another NBA Finals game.
“We were on the craziest, high-vibed, we were on a run like no basketball team has ever been on. We hadn’t lost in over a month, and he shows up. … He put the maloik on us. That’s the hex,” Stewart said.
He compared Trump’s presence at the arena to a scene from the 1984 film 'Ghostbusters.'
“You know what it felt like with him in the building? Like in ‘Ghostbusters’ when the city opens up and the ghouls are coming out of the thing,” Stewart said, continuing his criticism of Trump’s account of a crowd reaction that remains at the center of the dispute.
