'The Daily Show' host Jon Stewart defends Milwaukee after Donald Trump calls it a 'horrible city' citing crime rate
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jon Stewart stepped into the ring to defend Milwaukee against Donald Trump's disparaging remarks about the city on the Monday, June 17 episode of 'The Daily Show'.
The presumptive GOP nominee apparently said, "Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city," during a recent closed-door meeting with Republican members of Congress in Washington.
Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung claimed that the former president "was talking about how terrible crime and voter fraud are," as per PBS.
The 2024 Republican National Convention is scheduled to be held in Milwaukee between July 15 and July 18.
Jon Stewart defends Milwaukee with a dig at Donald Trump's conviction
On 'The Daily Show', Stewart said, "Just weeks before he heads to the Republican National Convention, he called Milwaukee, quote, 'A horrible city', forcing liberals around the country to defend Milwaukee. A city they then had to pretend to have been to. 'Oh, Milwaukee is the finest city in, I want to say, Indiana.'"
"But don't worry Trump cleared the whole thing up," remarked the comedian before playing a clip of Trump defending himself regarding his remarks on the city. In the video, the former president further said, "I love Milwaukee. I have great friends in Milwaukee. But as you know the crime numbers are terrible and we have to be very careful."
Stewart took this opportunity to quip, "Yes... Lots of criminals in Milwaukee. Are you talking about now, sir, or when you and your felonious friends come to town?" referring to Trump and his close allies who have faced criminal convictions.
Jon Stewart challenges the right's hypocritical city crime narrative
Stewart also used his platform to criticize right-wing narratives on crime rates, particularly those perpetuated by Trump and Fox News personalities like Gregg Jarrett.
He sarcastically addressed Jarrett's characterization of New York City as a "dystopian hellhole of crime and violence," quipping, "You’re just figuring that out now, you big puss? Oh, I’m sorry, is Times Square Elmo too scary for you?"
Stewart delved deeper into the issue of gun crime, highlighting the hypocrisy of right-wing figures lamenting crime in Democratic cities while ignoring their role in facilitating the flow of illegal weaponry into urban areas.
He criticized Republicans for opposing measures to control illegal firearms, noting that a significant majority of guns used in New York crimes originate from states with lax gun laws like Georgia, Florida, and South Carolina.
"And try as we might to put up some border controls to stem this invasion, this flood of literally undocumented weapons, Republicans fight every attempt to bring some kind of order and even pass laws to increase the chaos," noted the late-night host.
