'Dodged A Catastrophe': Jon Stewart Returns To The Daily Show; Addresses Donald Trump Assassination Attempt

Jon Stewart returned to host The Daily Show on Tuesday, his first appearance since the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Here's everything he addressed.

By Sakina Kaukawala

Published on Jul 17, 2024 | 07:41 PM IST | 35.2K

Image Courtesy: YouTube/ The Daily Show

Trigger Warning: This article contains references to the recent assassination attempt.

Jon Stewart made a memorable return to The Daily Show on Tuesday, his first appearance since the shocking assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump. The attempt occurred at a campaign rally on Saturday, disrupting the show's plans.

Stewart began with his trademark humor, saying, "Hey Jon, come back to The Daily Show just for the election. It’ll be fun. You can do one day a week. It'll be a laugh. What could go wrong?"

Canceled plans at the Republican National Convention

Originally, The Daily Show intended to film at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee this week. However, due to recent events, those plans have been canceled. Monday's show was canceled, and Tuesday's episode was filmed in New York instead. "What a terrible f---ing week," Stewart stated.

He explained that the convention venue's increased security made filming impractical. "They built cages around the theater, and because of that, we felt that we could not logistically put on the theater shows effectively without... people," Stewart said.

The show's crew had planned a number of events in Milwaukee, including Indogcision, which aimed to help people adopt dogs and register to vote. Despite the disruption, Stewart expressed the crew's desire to return to Milwaukee and make up for canceled events.

The increased security at the venue, known as the "hard perimeter," was a major concern. "You really don't want to be in the hard perimeter. It was locked down," Stewart explained.

Stewart managed to blend humor and seriousness

Throughout the episode, Stewart manages to balance humor with the gravity of the situation. He made a joke about Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, whom former President Trump has chosen as his running mate. "It's like for vice president, Donald selected the actor who would be hired to play Don Jr. in the Lifetime movie," Stewart said with humor. He also mocked Sean O'Brien, the Teamsters president, calling him a "Rob Cordry doppelganger."

Stewart took a more serious tone, acknowledging the gravity of the assassination attempt. He described the incident as terrifying and disorienting and stated that the country "dodged a catastrophe."

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