The host of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart, didn’t hold back, taking aim at both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump following Congress’s certification of the 2024 election results earlier this week.
Stewart quipped that Harris’s obligation to certify the election results was akin to “attending your own funeral.”
Stewart kicked off his commentary by joking about the significance of January 6, which he said meant that “once again, a blanket of angry white is descending on the Capitol.”
His remark cleverly linked the pro-Trump protests at the Capitol in 2021 with the snowy weather hitting Washington, D.C., this week.
.@jonstewart on today’s election certification: “It’s amazing how smoothly our democracy works when you don’t act like a little bitch if you lose.” pic.twitter.com/ioR6BidzS6
— The Daily Show (@TheDailyShow) January 7, 2025
“This white, oddly enough, not as disruptive. It did snarl traffic, but a lot less bear spray and Confederate flags,” he continued.
The comedian also poked fun at how January 6 became a well-known date in American democracy only after the events of 2021.
“Be honest. Before that insurrection, you had no fuggin idea what that was about. You had no idea there was a January 6 ceremony or what it did, or why it did. Now you just got to act like, ‘Oh, that’s the reading of the election. So important!’”
Congress’s January 6 certification, which solidifies the Electoral College votes and confirms election results, featured Vice President Kamala Harris following the customary process of reading and certifying votes.
This year’s certification made Donald Trump the president-elect and JD Vance the vice president-elect. The role mirrored what Vice President Mike Pence had done in 2021, certifying the results of his own loss.
“That’s got to sting. She’s like, ‘Um, I can hear you,’” Stewart said after showing a clip of Harris on Monday.
He then added, “That’s like attending your own funeral, and even the mourners are like, ‘Woo-hoo!’ I can’t imagine anything that would be more uncomfortable than sitting there while the crowd applauds your opponent.”
He also commented on how Harris received applause during the announcement of her own vote totals, taking a jab at both Harris and the Democrats.
“Wait! That sounded louder,” Stewart said, dripping with sarcasm. “There is a lot of joy in that room. I think she can still win this thing! She just needs them to find 130,000 votes in Georgia! And then some in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and maybe Wisconsin.”
Stewart wrapped up this segment by acknowledging how peacefully the certification process went overall.
“Because it’s amazing how smoothly our democracy works when you don’t act like a little b*tch when you lose.” While the audience roared at the dig at Trump, Stewart raised his hands and added, “Not naming names! Just saying.”
Meanwhile, across other media platforms, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith shared his own thoughts on Trump’s latest remarks about foreign policy.
Speaking on NewsNation’s “Cuomo,” Smith referred to Trump’s suggestion of annexing Canada as the 51st state, among other bold claims.
Host Chris Cuomo asked Smith to weigh in on Trump’s idea of the U.S. gaining control of territories like Greenland and the Panama Canal.
Smith brushed off the possibility of Canada becoming part of the U.S., saying, “We know better than that, and here’s the biggest reason why we know better because Trump was the Republican nominee who’s now the president-elect certified. He’ll be the president January 21 officially.”
He added that Trump logically wouldn’t agree to such a plan because Canada’s political leanings as a Democratic-leaning nation would not align with his interests.
“That reality alone shows that it’s all pomp and circumstance and much to do about nothing,” he pointed out.
Smith acknowledged Trump’s tendency to make attention-grabbing statements but framed them in another way.
“He’s a deal maker. He’s a ribbon cutter. These are the kinds of things people say to describe Donald Trump. They also throw out the words dealmaker, a dreamer, etc.”
He continued elaborating on how Trump’s language, no matter how ambitious or unrealistic, might appeal to voters compared to Democratic rhetoric.
Smith compared Democrats’ focus on “woke culture” and social issues, like transgender rights, to Trump’s bombastic style.
“What were they talking about when they looked at the Democrats? And they saw this focus on woke culture? Saw this focus on transgender rights and things of that nature and got us veered in a different direction that made Americans look at this country and say, ‘What the hell are we doing? Where the hell are we going?’”
Chris Cuomo and Stephen A. Smith both agree that Joe Biden should pardon Donald Trump.
What do you all think? pic.twitter.com/rWbV3iA2gR
— Ultra Maga Patriot (@ultra_liberty) December 4, 2024
Smith proposed that for many Americans, Trump’s over-the-top ideas might feel strangely familiar or reassuring.
“At least it sounds like a typical politician talking a bunch of smack giving us a bunch of superlatives knowing that it’s much ado about nothing,” he noted.
“At least America can sit up there and say, ‘Now that’s normal. We can relate to that. That’s familiar to us.’ I think that’s what you’re seeing a lot of people say,” Smith concluded.