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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has opted to suspend his book tour to sidestep potential protests related to his controversial vote on the GOP budget, which many believe has devastated his standing with the Democratic Party. Any future engagements will likely see him steering clear of “The Daily Show,” as host Jon Stewart recently criticized him sharply for what he termed a “total capitulation” to former President Trump and the Republican agenda.
Stewart opened the segment on Monday’s “The Daily Show” with a somber observation, stating, “it is Trump’s world, and we’re just cowering in it.”
In an extended critique, Stewart highlighted several alarming actions taken by the Trump administration in recent days. One case he touched on involved Mahmoud Khalil, a permanent U.S. resident who is married to an American citizen and faces the threat of unlawful deportation due to his political beliefs—a move influenced by Republican lawmakers. Stewart also mentioned Trump’s alarming rhetoric, where he suggested imprisoning political rivals and inaccurately claimed it was illegal for news outlets to broadcast unfavorable coverage of him.
Additionally, Stewart humorously addressed Trump’s announcement of yet another golf victory at his own North Carolina golf club, juxtaposing it with his calls for military action.
Stewart then shifted focus, suggesting that the beleaguered Democratic Party has a critical opportunity to reassert itself against “this wannabe tyrant.” He emphasized that in last week’s budget discussions, the Democrats alone held the balance of power to thwart Republican efforts.
“It turns out the Byzantine Senate rules have presented a golden opportunity for the minority party,” Stewart remarked. He aired a montage of Democrats explicating the shortcomings of the budget bill and voicing their opposition to it.
Following that, Stewart played a clip of Schumer, who had previously stated that Republicans lacked adequate votes, indicating to his colleagues that the bill would likely fail. However, in a surprising turn, he later endorsed the bill, prompting eight other Democrats to side with Republicans, a move that Schumer’s allies viewed as a betrayal.
In response to Schumer’s justifications for his actions, Stewart highlighted a segment in which Schumer declared, “I believe it is my job to make the best choice for the country, to minimize the harms to the American people.”
“But you had said it was terrible,” Stewart lamented, pointing out that Schumer didn’t utilize the influence he had to advocate for Democratic priorities. “Senator Schumer, no disrespect, but you are a disgrace to Jewish stereotypes about financial negotiation,” Stewart joked, underscoring his disappointment.
Stewart continued critiquing Schumer’s sense of timing, remarking that the senator believed it was not the right moment for Democrats to assert their case, suggesting that Trump still holds considerable power. Schumer’s strategy hinges on hoping Trump’s approval ratings will drop below 40%, to which Stewart retorted, “the grand plan is, Dems keep fecklessly complaining until the 48 approval comes down to 40.”
Stewart further ridiculed the premise by noting that current Democratic popularity is well below that threshold at around 27%. He pointed out the irony that Democrats need Trump to lose points just to arrive at a position still significantly lower than his approval rating.
Stewart humorously extrapolated Schumer’s anecdote about negotiating with Republicans at the gym, questioning the effectiveness of such informal interactions. “Oh, you know, they’re gonna lose all their inhibitions on the equipment,” he mocked, querying the viability of a gym-based strategy for bipartisan cooperation.
After a further round of jabs regarding Schumer’s previous statements from 2019 echoing similar sentiments, Stewart critiqued the broader Democratic leadership for perpetuating the illusion that casual outreach to Republicans could result in meaningful bipartisanship. He cited the repeated line among Democrats that “the fever will break,” suggesting that they have deluded themselves about the Republican Party’s willingness to compromise.
Stewart articulated that Republicans have successfully navigated substantial appointments and policies driven by a long-term ideological agenda. The suggestion that this could be resolved as a “fever” allows Democrats to avoid proposing a coherent alternative to the current trajectory.
Wrapping up his commentary, Stewart lampooned some of the poorly executed messaging from Democrats, including a cringe-worthy promotional video involving a group of congresswomen portraying characters in a fighting game.
“Just understand this: Whatever this is, is no match for the game Republicans are playing,” he concluded, highlighting the disparity in strategic approaches. Along the way, Stewart lightened the tone with a humorous quip directed at Republican Congressman Dan Crenshaw, known for his eyepatch, as he commented on a video of a Democratic congresswoman discussing political issues while doing her makeup in her car.
Stewart clarified that his joke about Crenshaw was in no way meant to undermine his military service, only to punctuate the absurdity of the moment. “Comedy is legal again, right?” he quipped, providing a fitting end to his satirical reflection on current political dynamics.
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