“I think he’s got it — he’s got a very good chance,” said the former host of “The Daily Show” in a recent interview.
Jon Stewart has recently been resurfacing after the announcement of his new Apple TV+ series, “The Problem With Jon Stewart”, where once again viewers can enjoy his witty, pointed, and relentless criticism on social topics.
For the 22nd annual New Yorker festival, Stewart spoke with David Remnick, who asked for Jon’s hot takes on all the feel good talking points. You know, cancel culture, the COVID pandemic, and of course, Trump’s chances of winning a 2024 presidential race.
Jon spared no punches. And the reasons behind his theory are compelling.
Regarding the how the Republican party would handle their 2024 strategy, Stewart remarked:
“They’re smarter about it…what I think they really learned from this exercise was there are really specific pivot points within the American electoral system, and those pivot points are generally the administration of elections run by partisans, but not ideologues…a lot of the real mechanics and logistics of elections are run by Democrats or Republicans, partisans, but they are administrative positions. If he can replace the administrative functionaries with ideologues, he’s removed almost all of the guard rails.”
Jon Stewart on Trump, Cancel Culture, and Optimism | The New Yorker Festival
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In other words, replacing appointed positions with speculators could enable an “early-stage minority rule,” and therefore a right-wing led administration, as Stewart sees it. Sort of like what we’re seeing in Texas with the abortion ban, with deputized civilians having the authority to enact legal action, only on a much larger scale.
As for Trump himself, Jon noted, “He’s brilliant at understanding what will drive the television narratives.” He went on to explain how the violent mob of Trump supporters storming the U.S Capitol on January 6 resembled a “TV event moment.”
“It’s the special that came out. And that’s what all the TV networks were focused on,” he warned, saying that the real “danger is that it exposed a fragility at a level that is not flashy, or sexy, or known.”
According to an article posted by The Hill, Stewart thinks that the very qualities that should disqualify Trump, like inciting the Capitol Riot, for instance, are the very points of attraction for his supporters. “He came at the right moment for that audience with the right message, and unapologetic,” said Stewart, adding, “and if nothing else, the dude’s resilient.”
The Hill quoted that Stewart also predicted the main theme of Trump’s 2024 election campaign would focus on his ‘Stop the Steal’ message. Though Trump has not officially declared candidacy, it feels all too inevitable.
But hey, maybe Trump’s supporters will follow his recent advice not to vote in 2022 and 2024, and this will all be a thing of the past. I somehow think that won’t be the case. After all, this won’t be the first Jon Stewart prediction to have come true.
One thing’s for sure: the possibility of Trump’s reelection marks a continued and deepening divide among the American people, as to exactly WHO should be in power. Elected officials? Civilian vigilantes? Realty TV stars? Celebrity activists? Internet speculators? It has the entire country rethinking exactly what democracy is, and whether or not we ever had it in the first place. I mean, we can’t even seem to come to agreement with anything nowadays. We can’t even reach consensus reality on the existence of a pandemic, for Pete’s sake.
Although the prediction is unsettling, it’s a small comfort to once again bask in the brilliant, sardonic candor of Jon Stewart. At the very least, he makes even the most alarming news entertaining.