Jon Stewart: ‘I Would Vote for Mr. T. Over Donald Trump’
Jon Stewart released some comedic vitriol on Donald Trump during an interview with former Obama senior advisor David Axelrod, cracking, “I would vote for Mr. T over Donald Trump.”
Stewart taped his episode of Axelrod’s podcast, “The Axe Files,” live at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics on May 9th. The interview is available to watch on YouTube, but an audio version has yet to be posted.
“I’m not a Constitutional scholar so I can’t necessarily say, but are you eligible to run if you are a man-baby? Or a baby-man? I’m not here to be politically incorrect, if they’re referred to as man-baby Americans … but he is a man-baby. He has the physical countenance of a man and a baby’s temperament and hands, ” Stewart said.
Elsewhere, Stewart recounted the origins of his nickname for Trump — “Fuckface von Clownstick” — and discussed the extent to which various facets of the electoral industrial complex have aided his rise to presumptive Republican nominee. While Stewart, as always, had some harsh words for the media’s incessant coverage of Trump, he also placed some blame on Democrats.
“The door is open to an asshole like Donald Trump because the Democrats haven’t done enough to show people that government can be effective for people, can be efficient for people,” he said. “And if you can’t do that, then you’ve lost the right to make that change and someone’s going to come in and demagogue you.”
Stewart also criticized Trump’s likely opponent Hillary Clinton saying, “I imagine her to be a very bright woman without the courage of her convictions — because I’m not even sure what they are.” He joked that watching the Clinton campaign reminded him of watching Magic Johnson’s stilted, awkward talk show. He noted that convincing voters of her authenticity will be crucial if she hopes to win the general election.
The former Daily Show host also spoke about his life after television and admitted that not only was he not feeling restless, but had no interest in returning to TV. “I feel like I’m engaged now,” Stewart said. “When you’re not on television, you’re still alive and you’re still engaged in the world. And I feel more engaged now in the real world than I ever did sitting on television interviewing politicians.”