Jon Stewart knew he was right to school John Fetterman, even if he’s starting to feel a bit “guilty” about the epic takedown.
On Wednesday, The Weekly Show host reflected on last week’s episode, during which he interviewed Democratic Philadelphia senator. Fetterman, who’s earned a reputation for being MAGA’s favorite Democrat for siding with Republicans on key issues, had to be educated about the way the government works during the interview as he continued to mimic MAGA talking points about Israel and Democratic Socialists.
“To be fair to him, he had a stroke,” Stewart said in the new episode.
“I do think that creates processing issues. I don’t think it’s a great environment for him in longform, necessarily. I don’t wanna lay all of it on that because I don’t think all of it should be laid on that. But I definitely think he may have a more thoughtful mode of communicating that we are not necessarily privy to—if that would be, is that the nicest way to say that?”
Fetterman has said that his stroke did not cause any cognitive damage.
During the interview, the senator argued that Democrats who criticize Israel or who embrace Democratic Socialism should leave the party to run under their own banner.
He gave the example of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, whom he said should run with the Democratic Socialists of America, but the DSA is “just an organization,” Stewart fact-checked. “We have a two-party system… there is no other party.” The senator was also confronted about his hardline support of Israel, categorizing any criticism of the country as antisemitic.
“You think that the left is pro-Iran? Not the country, but the regime?” Stewart asked. Fetterman replied, “If anyone in the Democratic Party is fine with Iran building a nuclear bomb, I disagree with that person,” and added he would always support “whatever’s necessary” for Israel to “protect themselves and to prosecute Hamas, Hezbollah, and Iran, too.” Pressed further, Fetterman said that “Things end really badly” when Jewish people are persecuted.
“Sure!” Stewart replied, but “The Jewish community and Israel are not the same thing, brother-man. That is not the same thing.” Fetterman previously declared that he would leave the party if it “officially becomes anti-Israel.”
Stewart said that he believes that Fetterman’s taking on MAGA stances is connected to his stroke on May 13, 2022, which took place just four days before Pennsylvania’s Democratic U.S. Senate primary election.
“I’m not suggesting that the opinions should not be criticized and looked at with astonishment, because I do think they are his real opinions. I just think I don’t know if that was necessarily his best at defending them. That’s all I’m saying.”
As his producers pointed out that Fetterman is “taking some of Trump’s playbook,” the host acquiesced, “I’m giving him too much credit.”
He explained, “In the conversation, I did get to a place where I felt bad. I know that’s not—he’s a senator; there’s no amount of having that, but having diminished ability, but having power not be diminished, that’s a scary place for people to be. But it’s hard not to, on a human level, have a conversation at that length with somebody in that situation where you don’t go, ‘Oh…’”
Still, he said, he is conflicted on whether that “empathy” was warranted. “The reason why it’s not warranted is the amount of power that the individual wields,” he added. “In the same way for Mitch McConnell—where you can go, ‘Wow, that must suck, to be infirm to the point where you literally can’t be filmed saying you’re OK.’ And then also think to yourself, f--- that guy for still having that much power.”
