Jon Stewart says he has uncovered the real reason Vice President JD Vance was repeatedly snubbed during U.S.-Iran peace talks in Switzerland.
Vance found himself at the center of an awkward diplomatic moment during the talks, when Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani walked directly past him before greeting Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instead.
As the Qatari leader moved by, Vance appeared to interject with a brief “Hey,” seemingly attempting to engage him.
Stewart showed the footage of the awkward moment on The Daily Show on Monday.
But it wasn’t just the snub that caught Stewart’s eye.
The footage also shows Vance picking his nose and wiping his hand on a chair.
“I actually think this might not have been a diplomatic snub. This might have been the result of a health code violation,” Stewart joked after the footage showed Vance standing alone awkwardly as leaders around him exchanged hugs and greetings.
“Oh, he went for the pick! He went for the pick! Oh, no, he went for the chair!” Stewart added.
“Classic diplomatic faux pas, the pick and wipe. It’s second only to the men’s room pee and peek.
“Which, as many of you know, started the Franco-Prussian War,” Stewart joked.
An unnamed Vance official denied that the vice president had been snubbed, saying, “The U.S. delegation had just spent hours with the Qataris, and there was no need to re-greet someone having just spent hours with them. The decision to give statements together before meeting was done impromptu, which is why it wasn’t a staged greeting.”
Vance arrived in Switzerland on Sunday night for the talks following Trump’s announcement that Washington and Tehran had signed a memorandum of understanding to end the fighting after two months of stalled negotiations.
The agreement temporarily halts hostilities and offers Tehran a series of incentives, including access to previously frozen funds, relief from some sanctions, and a $300 billion package earmarked for rebuilding and economic development.
Supporters have hailed the framework as a breakthrough after months of deadlock. Critics, however, argue that Iran is receiving substantial benefits while making relatively few concrete commitments in return.
As Vance left Switzerland on Monday, he said a “very good foundation” had been laid for a “successful final deal.”
“The final deal is the house. We set the foundation. We haven’t built the house, but we’ve laid a successful foundation to get to a good place for the American people,” he said.
But Fox & Friends contributor Lawrence Jones said on Monday that he had spoken to Trump over the weekend and that the president had told him he was infuriated by negotiations with the Iranians.
“Many of the things that the Iranians are doing and suggesting are infuriating the president and he’s saying if they want to do this, then I got to strike ‘em. I got to strike ‘em. So I’m not sure this document means anything,” Jones said of his conversation with Trump.
