Jon Stewart on What Democrats Did So Wrong

Comedian Jon Stewart opened The Daily Show on Monday with a biting 15-minute monologue that took aim at the Democratic Party for its loss to President-elect Donald Trump and the pundits who didn’t believe it would happen.
The host recalled his last address to the audience on election night, when, despite clear signs that the race was leaning toward Trump, most pundits continued to label it a “toss-up” between the Republican and Vice President Kamala Harris.
“Part of the disorientation over Democrats losing the electoral and popular vote, as well as ground in cities and surrounding areas—what you might call America—was that many of our top prognosticators had assured us it would be close,” Stewart said.
After playing clips of pundits misjudging the outcome, he added, “It’s delightful to hear so many explanations from people who were so wrong about what was going to happen.”
Stewart suggested that some Democrats may have been overconfident.
“The Democrats had a secret weapon in a close election. Perhaps the most important weapon,” he said, highlighting the $1 billion raised by Harris’ campaign, which he described as “a war chest for data analytics, polling, consultants, and, of course, endless texting.”
Stewart also noted the vast number of volunteers supporting the Harris campaign, many of whom canvassed voters’ homes multiple times.
“If there’s one thing people love more than someone appearing randomly at their door once,” Stewart joked, “it’s that same person coming back two or three times to talk politics.”
He jested that Democrats had protected democracy “just for the other side.”
“Because when all is said and done, we had a free and fair election in which the Democrats were prepared for almost every scenario but one,” Stewart said. “It turns out the election was stolen by more people voting for Donald Trump. It’s quite a caper.”
As pundits dissected the Democratic loss, some argued that “far-left” stances, like calls to defund the police and gender identity issues, alienated voters. Stewart criticized these commentators, calling the narrative out of touch with reality.
“I only have one problem with the ‘woke’ theory,” he said. “I just didn’t recall seeing any Democrats running on woke stuff.”
Instead, Stewart argued, Democrats had “acted like Republicans” and showed ads focusing on issues like the border crisis, pro-police messaging and support for gun rights.
“They acted like Republicans for the last four months,” Stewart said, adding a jab about Democrats donning “camo hats” and attending “Cheney family reunions,” referencing the campaign’s inclusion of Republicans Liz and Dick Cheney.
He joked, “Do you know how dangerous it is to wear a hunting hat around Cheney?”
Stewart also pointed out that Democrats were largely running against an identity defined for them based on post-George Floyd “defund the police” and MeToo narratives from years ago.
He then highlighted the Harris campaign’s shift in messaging in the final weeks of the election, moving from a tone of “joy” to warning about the dangers of reelecting Trump as a threat to democracy. Stewart argued that, like the pundits, the Democrats lost focus.
“What happened was, the country felt like government wasn’t working for them and that Democrats, in particular, were taking their hard-earned money and giving it to people who didn’t deserve it as much as them. And so the Democrats got shellacked,” he said.
Concluding his monologue, Stewart assured viewers that Trump’s second term “isn’t forever,” referencing former President Ronald Reagan’s landslide win in 1984. Eight years later, he noted, a Democrat—Bill Clinton—reclaimed the White House.
“Everyone thought that was the end for Democrats. But eight years later, there was a Democrat back in office. We don’t know what’s going to happen in four years at all,” Stewart said.