Mitchell Leff/Getty Images, Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
- Jon Stewart said President Joe Biden's handling of calls to step aside has been almost "Trumpian."
- Stewart said Biden shouldn't be playing tough and cocky, but instead show voters how he can beat Trump.
- Biden has been facing mounting calls for him to drop out but has said that only God could compel him.
"The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart has criticized President Joe Biden's recent posture toward calls for the leader to step aside, saying the latter's defense is turning "Trumpian."
Stewart, speaking in a Thursday episode of his podcast, said Biden's camp has been avoiding productive conversation and should be more forthcoming about the leader's strategy for winning the 2024 race and addressing doubts about his health.
"Even if Joe Biden came out and said: 'Look, I understand where I'm at in my lifespan and cycle and what I do. Here's how this government works,'" Stewart said.
"Rather than coming out and becoming Trumpian and saying: 'You think someone else could hold NATO together? They could never. Only God could tell me to get out of the race,'" Stewart continued.
Stewart suggested that Biden shore up voter confidence by presenting key players in his team and a genuine plan to defeat former President Donald Trump — whom the late-night show host and his podcast guests described as the "threat" to beat.
"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 said.
In recent weeks, Biden has come under scrutiny after a dismal showing in his first presidential debate of 2024 against Trump. The president appeared feeble as he stumbled over his words and made multiple confusing gaffes, fueling the common Trumpworld criticism that he is too old to govern.
That debate performance, and a series of other flubs that followed, has shaken confidence in Biden among his supporters, including Democratic lawmakers.
Two more Democratic House members on Thursday called for Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race after he mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "President Putin" and referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as "Vice President Trump."
As of Thursday evening, 16 House Democrats were urging Biden's withdrawal.
In response to the criticism and speculation about his health, Biden has said that only God could compel him to drop out of the race.
"If the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that," he told ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos on Friday.
In the meantime, Biden's campaign sought to explain his debate failures due to a combination of a cold and jet lag from a trip two weeks prior.
But calls for Biden to step aside are mounting. Hollywood star George Clooney wrote an opinion article for The New York Times earlier this week, saying he had seen Biden perform at the same level at a fundraiser three weeks before the debate.
Meanwhile, Democratic stalwarts such as former President Barack Obama, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer have been reported to be questioning Biden's bid for reelection behind the scenes.
As for Stewart, the comedian has, since the debate, repeatedly aired his anxiety that Biden's perceived weakness may cost him the election dearly, leading to Trump's return to the White House.
Representatives for Biden's campaign and Stewart did not immediately respond to requests for comments sent outside regular business hours by Business Insider.