Paramount
- Jon Stewart has returned to "The Daily Show."
- On his first day back, he dedicated much of his monologue to Joe Biden's age.
- His harsh criticism of Biden may not be what people like to hear, but it does ring true.
Jon Stewart has returned, and boy, does he have things to say.
On his first day back behind the desk at "The Daily Show," he came out swinging on the topic of the two presidential frontrunners' ages.
Sure, we know President Joe Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77, are old. But as Stewart said on Monday night, the deeply unflattering special counsel report where Biden's memory was called into question has made both mens' ages a hot topic again.
While he acknowledged that Trump's memory hasn't been the best, Stewart mostly did not hold back about his opinions on Biden's press conference gaffes, or his TikTok videos.
Stewart also aired his deep skepticism about the praise Biden's allies heaped on him in the wake of the special counsel's report. That included Vice President Kamala Harris' characterization of Biden as a man who is "in front and on top of it all," and as a man who's "coordinating and directing leaders who are in charge of America's national security, not to mention our allies around the globe."
"Did anyone film that?" Stewart asked. "Because if you're telling us behind the scenes, he's sharp and full of energy, and on top of it, and really in control, and leading, you should film that. That would be good to show to people, instead of a TikTok where he goes 'chocolate chip cookie!'"
"The stakes of this election don't make Donald Trump's opponent less subject to scrutiny. It actually makes him more subject to scrutiny. If the barbarians are at the gate, you want Conan standing at the ramparts, not chocolate chip cookie guy," he said.
Some observers accused Stewart of equating the aging president with his opponent. Stewart did, however, dedicate time in his monologue to outlining precisely the ways in which Biden is not Trump.
"Biden's lost a step, but Trump regularly says things at rallies that would warrant a wellness check," Stewart said, referring to one of Trump's many rally rants.
And he did outline Trump's many problems, chiefly the fact that he's a man who's been indicted four times and remains mired in a veritable cesspool of legal woes.
Whether people like it or not, it looks like the 2024 presidential election will be much like this year's Super Bowl — a rematch between two old rivals.