Jon Stewart Makes the Case for Dems Holding the Line in Trump's Shutdown Warfare | The Daily Show

Welcome to The Dad Show. My name is Jon Stewart.

Man, man, and I say this a lot, and this time, though, seriously, I mean it. I haven't meant it in the past. We've got a great show for you tonight.

We truly do.

We have in a little while.

Tonight we do. Later on, we'll be joined by technology ethicist Tristan Harris. He co-founded the Center for Humane Technology, which involves the free-range raising and also, unfortunately, slaughtering of iPhones.

And...

And... And...

But first, let's get into our ongoing coverage of Shut Down, Showdown 2025.

♪♪

Locked up, locked down and closed for business.

Yes, today is day six of the government shutdown. As you know, it lasts for eight days. I may be confusing that with Hanukkah. But so far, the effects of the shutdown keep getting worse.

Millions of Americans this morning feeling the pain, experiencing delays at airports. Food benefits to moms and young children could dry up in days.

And national parks and monuments are partially closed. I don't want to hardship shame anyone, but there is a significant gap between partially closed monuments and your children will starve. Old people will be forced to eat their pets. And the Department of Treasury thermostats will have to be kept at 66.

Wear a sweater.

I mean, really, who's taking a hit on the monument thing?

This tourist David, all the way from Italy, saying Alcatraz was supposed to be the highlight

of his visit to the bay.

I feel no good. Bad because I come from Italy for say, Alcatraz, all the attraction, and now we can't.

Then it's not good feeling, not good. Growing up in my country, I was a little boy. Gambian. And I always, I share to my friends. Tomorrow, someday, someday, I'm going to travel. Not at the 3,000 miles, not at the 5,000 miles, over the 6,000 miles to see one day a notorious prison

turned into a museum. And when I get there, and oh, I will get there. When I get to the senatorious prison, a museum, on my father's life, I am going to buy a shot of glass. A shot of glass with... Mother, if this could happen,

I shot a glass with the name of the prison. Frosted on the glass. And my friends, as a kid, they say to me, Ansel, this is a big plan. When this happens, maybe you should check out a website. And maybe you should make sure it's still open, huh?

You happy government? Look what you did. Look what you did to the poor fella!

Yes!

Aw!

If liberals had their way, he'd be hosting the halftime show at the Super Bowl!

Yeah!

Liberals?

Poor guy from Italy. He just wants to, oh my, I just want to visit our museum! Liberals, poor guy from Italy. He just wants to, oh, I just want to visit our museum. But if the fat cats in DC would just get out of their Beltway bubble, they'd hear from real common sense

Americans about how to end this troubling shutdown.

Lock them up in a room until they come to an agreement.

Don't let them out. I did not see that coming.

Obviously the shutdown is personal to Mr. Fester. On disability and his hand companion, data analyst with the Department of Labor Management. Obviously, if the shutdown continues, he will be forced to return to giving hand jobs in truck stop bathrooms. Oh! Do not shame sex work! Do not shame sex work! He's gonna have a tough enough time at the truck stop. Oh, red handy!

I guess that degree didn't work out so well, did it, college boy? Now stop snapping and start tugging. You know, the bathroom, a hand job, I was really looking forward to it. Since the shutdown. Now, as you'll recall, the shutdown began because in order to pass a budget bill in the Senate, you need 60 votes, as the founders...

never mentioned. And... so Democrats have come forth with a laundry list of demands to force the Republica... I'm just kidding. They want, like, two things.

Democrats demanding that Republicans reverse cuts to Medicaid and extend expiring Obamacare subsidies to prevent insurance premiums from rising for some 20 million Americans.

Those bastards. It's like they don't even want people to die of generally preventable diseases. I wonder what this seemingly reasonable and narrow request will sound like when put through the Fox-o-meter.

American taxpayers' hard-earned dollars would be paying for benefits for illegal aliens. Extend policy that gives millions of illegal aliens free health care.

Health care for illegals. Transgender surgery.

What? Did you? Wait. Did you just transgender surgery illegal immigrant healthcare? Just through transgender, you know, it's not just a garnish you add to every talking point like you're some transgender salt bae. Oh, are you talking about healthcare for illegals? That needs a little trans surgery. Transmittal. Transsurgery. And while people in the country legally are not eligible for Medicaid or for Obamacare

subsidies, point taken. But the Democrats aren't lily-livered about this one. They've got their own rhetorical arguments about the popularity of extending these subsidies

that I think you'll find compelling. Democrats are adamant that we must protect the health care of the American people.

Uh, good points. Um, not crazy about this. Good points. Not crazy about this. Solid framing, delivered with clarity. Really could have done without the whole Americans demand. It's just not.

But if you would stop there, that would be great. But you're going to keep talking, aren't you? Aren't you?

New data came out today from KFF. And that is not Kentucky Fried French Fries. KFF could be

Kentucky French Fries. I know. Who is that joke even for? Six-year-olds that watch C-SPAN? What the f*** are you doing? Chuck Schumer is a human flat tire. Kentucky Fried French Fries. I mean, look at, look at Klobuchar.

Poor Klobuchar.

That is the face of someone who talked to their dad, who said, just please don't do your Indian accent in the restaurant. That's all it asked for. But then dad was like, the chicken tikka masala. And he looks at her and he's like, I'm killing.

But miracle of miracles. Despite talking points being delivered by Hackie Mason here, Republicans are feeling pressured to defend their health care intentions. And House Speaker Mike Johnson is more than up to the task of reassuring America that to serve man is not a cookbook, but in fact a totally innocent double meaning.

Let me look right into the camera and tell you very clearly, Republicans are the ones concerned about healthcare. Republicans are the party working around the clock every day to fix healthcare.

No, no, it's okay. Um, that's not technically looking right into the camera. Technically, I'm doing that right now. I'm looking right into the camera right now. You saying, I'm going to look right at you and then never looking at us,

suggests a little struggling with the conscience

and the truth.

Your Honor, let me be clear. It was a consensual use of baby oil.

It was a...

No, I had to buy cases of it because it's foils. But you know, Republicans have always been very sincere about being the party of great

health care. We are going to be submitting in a couple of weeks a great health care plan that's going to take the place of the disaster known as Obamacare.

Boom! And while that was only nine years ago, to be fair, when they promised to release their health care plan, they didn't realize how controversial it would be. All right, back then he drew titties on everything. It seems like after eight long months, the Democrats finally have themselves a specific ask.

Finally have themselves a small amount of leverage to accomplish this specific ask, and an ask that is somewhat popular with the American people, which means clearly this is a mistake. I called upon my colleagues in the Republican Party to explain why.

I think Mr. Schumer made a mistake.

I think he marched his troops up into a box canyon.

I don't know what that means. Yes, is Charles Schumer shrewdly protecting health care premiums, or is he Custer at his last stand? Any whimsical folksy, but not massacre-y folksy?

Once you shut down government, you've got to figure out how to get it back open. A wise person once said, if you pray for rain, you've got to be prepared to deal with the

mud.

Touché! Touche. Who was that wise sage who said that?

Confucius?

A bard of the south perhaps?

Lear?

When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. -♪♪ -♪♪ Well done, sir.

-♪♪

Throughout all these obscure colloquialisms, can the news media cut through, what is exactly the concern if Democrats stand on principle?

Do you worry your fellow Democrats

are walking into a trap?

Democrats just marched into a shutdown trap.

I think they walked into a trap.

Stepping into a trap. Straight into a trap. Democrats just marched into a shutdown trap. I think they walked into a trap. Stepping into a trap. Straight into a trap. It's a trap.

I have to come clean about something. I added that last clip in there. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding.

I'm just kidding.

I'm just kidding.

I'm just kidding.

I'm just kidding. clip isn't fair to Admiral Ackbar. Admiral Ackbar served this galaxy with distinction. He does not deserve to have such a distinguished career reduced to one catchphrase or a flippant punchline. Giyal Ackbar rose from the hardscrabble backwaters of Coral Depths City to lead the Mon Calamarians in rebellion against the empire.

A perilous and fraught journey where Akbar once had to escape capture during the Kwaran insurgency to lead his forces to the decisive victory at the storied Battle of Jakku. A hero like that deserves to be remembered for his accomplishments, for his bravery, for his service, and for his sacrifice. And by the way, all of that information was brought to you by,

you're never getting laid.

Yes, you're never getting laid. If you recognize any of that shit that I just talked about, you're never getting laid! And...

if you think learning any of that information about Admiral Ackbar will get you laid,

it's a trap.

Exactly. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Thank you.

Thank you. Thank you. themselves into. President Trump warning mass layoffs of federal workers are coming. We'd be laying off a lot of people that are going to be very affected and the Democrats, they're going to be Democrats. But if good can come down from shutdowns, we can get rid of a lot of things that we didn't want and they'd be Democrat things.

Trump writing, I can't believe the radical left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, so the trap is, if the Democrats shut down the government, Donald Trump takes advantage of the situation and begins to, I don't know,

trim programs Democrats care about. Or maybe Donald Trump might let go of some federal workers. Or Donald Trump might eliminate funding, but only for blue states. Or Donald Trump might f-cking send in the National Guard but only into blue areas. In other words, to continue doing all this shit, Trump has not needed any provocation or pretense or reason to already have been doing.

Lo, these past, god, it feels have the balls to continue to insist that the second-hand urine on our legs is rain.

It is a regrettable situation that the president does not want. Democrats are the ones who have decided to inflict the pain, not the president. The president, the president takes no pleasure in this?

Bullshit! The president takes no pleasure in this. Bullshit!

The president takes no pleasure in this? The president takes only pleasure. Given the president's vascular condition, this might be the only thing keeping him hard.

I swear to you.

His catchphrase was literally, you're fired. His only reason for getting up in the morning is vengeance. Trump has been steamrolling over the Democrats and the law so consistently since day one of the presidency, the nation's pundits and legal experts are running out of ways to describe

it.

The legality of this is very much unclear.

Some sort of legal gray area.

Extraordinarily shaky legal ground.

Not technically currently illegal.

There's a lot of questionable legality.

Considered by legal experts to be legally dubious.

While Trump is not technically violating the law, he is violating the spirits of our laws.

Word to the wise. Especially those programming sometimes rather technical and dense discussions of legal issues. You're going to want to leave the donut B-roll on the floor. We're trying to listen to a lawyer the whole time, like, is he going to hit that mother- Look, man, 75 million Americans voted for a Democrat in this last round of presidential

elections, and at this moment, they have zero power at the federal level. Not in the House, not in the Senate, not in the executive, and not in the courts. There has not been a moment of conciliation or concern about the issues and policies that drove those 75 million votes. Not a moment. At present, the Democrats' largest victory

over these past eight months is getting a guy who may or may not be a criminal back from El Salvador so Trump could send him to Uganda. That was the big win. And then suddenly, a small ask for people's preservation of health care is a Molotov cocktail. Because apparently Republicans won't be satisfied with 99.8% domination.

They must have it all. ICE went from deporting the worst of the worst to throwing grandmothers onto linoleum and zip-tying American children. And everyone's just supposed to be cool with the new masked, incredibly well-funded paramilitary group and Democrats are just reduced to petty gestures of restroom resistance.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem posted that she was blocked from entering a city building in Illinois.

Can we use your restroom?

No, you cannot.

We can?

Please don't throw me out the door.

Please don't throw me out the door.

Okay. We can. Please don't throw me out the door. Please don't do it. OK. All right. Thank you.

Interesting.

That's why Governor Pritzker says it's cooperation

in keeping people safe.

Victory is ours!

Look, I've given Democrats an enormous amount of shit for their poor leadership. Lack of specific and actionable plans, terrible messaging, abysmal wordplay. Did I mention poor leadership? But standing up for 75 million Americans in this moment

to defend the rights of people to go into a little less medical debt seems like the least they can f**king do.

And perhaps...

And perhaps... And perhaps...

Maybe that will remind the Republicans that their mandate wasn't 100%. They've just caught a constitutional administrative and logistics break. Because if this continues as a wise man once said...

So, they crash, and now we can't... Then, uh, it's not good feeling, not good.

-♪♪ It's a feeling... It's a feeling...

and not a good.