Jon Stewart gave his first post-election interview today, sitting down with Charlie Rose on CBS This Morning to deliver his analysis of last week’s stunning results.
“I don’t believe we are a fundamentally different country today than we were two weeks ago,” Stewart tells Rose. “The same country, with all its grace and flaws and volatility and insecurity and strength and resilience, exists today as existed two weeks ago. The same country that elected Donald Trump elected Barack Obama.”
He also points out “the ultimate irony of this election”: Republicans enacting a “cynical strategy” of blocking the passage of bills to ensure government doesn’t work — then using the dysfunction they caused as proof that government doesn’t work. Stewart claims that Trump is “a repudiation” not only to Democrats but also Republicans, which he says will “reap the benefit of his victory.”
“I guarantee you,” he says, “Republicans are going to come to Jesus now about the power of government.”
Stewart also pointed out the danger in painting any large group, like Muslims or, yes, Trump supporters, with the same brush. Unfortunately, anchors Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell appeared only to hear that last point. They end the segment by summing up his remarks as, “Everybody calm down…America’s gonna be ok,” in King’s words — ignoring Stewart’s lamentation for Americans who now feel far less secure, his point that American history has always been rife with bigoted political leaders (“Have you listened to the Nixon tapes?”), and his contention that Trump “disqualified himself at numerous points” throughout the campaign. Listen for yourself below.