Jon Stewart says Biden is 'becoming Trumpian' amid debate fallout: 'Disappointed'
Jon Stewart is seeing parallels between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.
In an episode of his "The Weekly Show" podcast on Thursday, the "Daily Show" host continued to criticize the president for his response to his widely panned June 27 debate performance against Trump, which sparked panic among Democrats and some calls for Biden to step aside from the 2024 election.
Stewart argued that Biden, who has repeatedly said he will not leave the race, has behaved like Trump in his response to the situation. The comments were first reported by Variety.
"Rather than coming out and becoming Trumpian and saying, 'You think someone else could hold NATO together? They could never. Only God can tell me to get out of the race,'" Stewart said. "If he were to come out and say, 'Here's my team. Here's how we hold the line.' But we're not seeing any of that. Nothing that's been done inspires any confidence, other than the fatalism of, 'It is what it is, and this is what we're stuck with.'"
Stewart, who paraphrased comments Biden made during an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC, also expressed anger at the way the White House has responded to voters' "visceral" reaction to Biden's "shocking" performance in the presidential debate.
Biden to speak at press conference; 10th House Dem calls for him to drop out: Live updates
"Joe Biden has run on this idea of honesty and decency, but they have not been honest about the condition and the difficulties that he has been facing," he said. "And so it undercuts one of the foundational arguments that they even have made."
The comedian added, "I have been stunned and disappointed and angered by what I saw, and how I've been talked to that I didn't see what I saw."
Stewart also argued Biden is experiencing "cognitive decline" and that there isn't a "job interview that you could have gone on and delivered the performance that was delivered by Joe Biden and gotten a job."
Democrats on Biden: From Clooney's 'Need a new nominee' to Obama's 'Bad debates happen'
The comments come after George Clooney, a prominent Democratic donor, argued in an op-ed for The New York Times that Biden should step aside as the Democratic presidential nominee. The actor also revealed that during a fundraiser with Biden in June, he saw that the president was the "same man we all witnessed at the debate."
"Was he tired? Yes. A cold? Maybe," Clooney wrote. "But our party leaders need to stop telling us that 51 million people didn't see what we just saw."
Jon Stewart said Democrats must 'stress test' Biden's 2024 candidacy
Stewart's podcast comments come after he examined Biden's 2024 candidacy Monday on "The Daily Show." In a segment that has amassed more than 5 million views on YouTube, the comedian said other potential candidates should make their case at the Democratic National Convention in August.
"I am in no way saying Biden's got to drop out, but can't we stress test this candidacy?" Stewart said. "Can't we open up the conversation?"
In an earlier "Daily Show" segment in February, Stewart argued that while Biden "isn't Donald Trump," the "stakes of this election don't make Donald Trump's opponent less subject to scrutiny. It actually makes him more subject to scrutiny."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden debate fallout: Jon Stewart says president 'becoming Trumpian'
