Jon Stewart slams Democrats for refusing to consider other candidates

“The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart called out Democrats for not pursuing other candidates after President Joe Biden’s rocky first debate performance and said four months is enough time to find a replacement for him on the party’s November ticket. 

In a monologue on the satirical news television show Monday, Stewart contrasted the United States’ drawn-out campaign cycle with the quicker, sometimes only weeks-long, elections held in other countries. He said Biden’s debate performance June 27, which prompted several Democrats to call for him to step aside, was a “shocking display of cognitive difficulty.” Stewart did not directly call on the president to drop out but said the Democratic party should stress test his candidacy.

“Can’t we open up the conversation? Do you understand the opportunity here?” Stewart said. “Do you have any idea how thirsty Americans are for any hint of inspiration or leadership, and a release from this choice between a megalomaniac and a suffocating gerontocracy?”

He continued, criticizing the White House and the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign’s messaging and “spin” since the debate. Stewart, who is no fan of former President Donald Trump, made the case that Biden’s insistence on staying in the race is irresponsible.

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“The redemption tour hasn't gone that much better," Stewart said. "We're told that the threat of Trump is so great, and the stakes are so high that even bringing up these absolutely legitimate concerns about the president's ability to do the most vigorous job in the world for the next four years is enabling fascism. Yet even the president doesn't seem particularly alarmed."

Rachel Barber is a 2024 election fellow at USA TODAY, focusing on politics and education. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @rachelbarber_