Jon Stewart warns of dangers to democracy in Trump's remarks of using military to deal with 'enemy within'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jon Stewart, host of 'The Daily Show', has cautioned against taking former President Donald Trump's recent remarks about using the military to target “the enemy from within” lightly.
As Trump faces scrutiny over various recent antics, including a McDonald's publicity stunt and inappropriate comments about golf legend Arnold Palmer at a rally, Stewart emphasized the seriousness of his language.
Jon Stewart calls out Trump's comments, urges consideration of potential threat to democracy
“That’s not fun-loving and mischievous,” Stewart stated. “That sounded quite threatening. That’s actually worthy of some real examination.” He argued that such comments pose a potential threat to democracy and should not be dismissed lightly.
To underscore his concerns, Stewart played a clip of Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin attempting to downplay Trump’s statements about the enemy within, suggesting the former president was merely referring to criminal immigrants.
However, 'The Daily Show' provided a counter-argument with a clip where Trump specifically mentioned that the “enemy within” referred to Democratic leaders such as Adam Schiff and Nancy Pelosi. Stewart responded incredulously, “Are you out of your f**king mind? The former Speaker of the House is the enemy within?”
Jon Stewart questions reliability of Trump’s statements and dismissals
Jon Stewart continued by showing House Speaker Mike Johnson attempting to minimize Trump’s comments, asserting they were aimed at "marauding gangs of dangerous, violent people." He also featured Florida Rep Mike Waltz, who claimed the media was drawing false connections. In response, Stewart remarked, “It’s exactly what he said. Not dots. Words.”
Stewart expressed concern over the reliability of Trump's statements, questioning, “This brings us to the core issue: Is any of the s**t Trump says real? How are we supposed to differentiate between what’s bulls**t and what isn’t?” he questioned.
He noted that the standard for Trump appears to be emotional proximity, and implying that the truth seems irrelevant.
Referencing the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Stewart pointed out, “Remember that day he tried to overthrow the government?”
“And I know it didn’t work, but ‘attempted murder’ isn’t the same thing as ‘never tried the murder.’”
Stewart also highlighted the absurdity of the current political climate, criticizing how the media grapples with Trump’s antics. He humorously described the campaign as entering a “fever dream” phase, where reality becomes increasingly distorted.
“Right is left. Up is down,” he quipped, adding that the campaign has reached a point where it’s difficult to discern the seriousness of Trump's rhetoric.
