Jon Stewart pushed back on the Biden campaign’s lack of candor, calling their defensive posture almost “Trumpian.”
In a new episode of his “Weekly Show” podcast Thursday, Stewart was joined by “Pod Save America” hosts Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor and CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers to unpack the aftershocks from the first presidential debate. The four got real about the stakes of democracy in the November election and if Joe Biden is the man to lead the charge for the Democratic party.
“Joe Biden has run on this idea of honesty and decency, but they have not been honest about the condition and the difficulties that he is facing,” the “Daily Show” host said, frustrated over the campaign’s ambiguity around the president.
In his first episode since the debate, Stewart said he was “stunned and disappointed and angered” that the Biden campaign has attempted to convince the public to ignore what America witnessed on TV opposite Donald Trump.
“I think the idea of not acknowledging the progressive and degenerative nature of what he’s dealing with is gaslighting anybody who supports him,” Stewart said.
Vietor echoed his sentiments, saying that Biden’s hope for redemption with the ABC News interview only made him “more concerned.”
Stewart further expressed his frustration with the campaign’s use of what he referred to as “omertà” (a mafia slang term for a code of silence) rather than engaging in potentially productive conversations.
“If Joe Biden came out and said, ‘Look, I understand where I’m at in my lifespan and cycle and what I do. Here’s how this government works,’ rather than coming out and becoming Trumpian and saying, ‘You think someone else could hold NATO together? They could never. Only God can tell me to get out of the race,’” Stewart said. “But we’re not seeing any of this stuff and that’s the part that I think has degraded people’s trust in institutions and the government from the get-go. That’s a problem.”
Sellers pushed back against Stewart’s assertions that Biden isn’t the guy. While not completely in the laissez faire lane, he believes that Democrats need to take a page out of the right’s book.
“Republicans do this so well. They fall in line — they don’t fall in love,” Sellers argued, suggesting Biden is the party’s only chance.
George Clooney’s bombshell New York Times op-ed was then brought up as the “Pod Save America” cohosts discussed their time at the L.A. Biden fundraiser just weeks before debate night.
“The in-person fundraiser, I saw in Los Angeles, a couple weeks before the debate, was as bad as the debate,” Vietor said, and Favreau agreed.
The panel also discussed next steps and the possibility of a new candidate swooping in, stirring debate within the group.
“I don’t agree that a mini-primary is fan-fiction,” Vietor said. “You can find a way to compete for those delegates.”
“I’m gonna push back on the fact that it’s an open primary. It’s Kamala Harris,” Sellers retorted.
Stewart ultimately chimed in with what’s become repetitive for him at this point: “Four months is for-f–king-ever.”
“The Weekly Show With Jon Stewart” is a Comedy Central podcast hailing from MTV Entertainment and Paramount Audio. The episode referenced above is out on all streaming platforms.
