Jon Stewart didn’t hold back on Monday night’s episode of The Daily Show — unleashing a fiery rant at Democrats for giving in on the government shutdown deal just days after celebrating one of their biggest electoral victories in years.
From the opening moments, Stewart looked visibly frustrated, almost seething as he began:
“Tonight’s show is brought to you by: I can’t fcking believe it.* For when the scream emoji just doesn’t cut it.”
The comedian quickly tore into Senate Democrats, accusing them of completely surrendering to Republicans.
“Seven Democrats — and one independent — just crossed the aisle to end the shutdown without securing the very healthcare subsidy protections they said they were fighting for,” Stewart fumed. “You had momentum, you had the wind at your back, you had wins everywhere — and you still gave up. For what? A promise to maybe talk about the thing you actually wanted later?”
He emphasized that Democrats didn’t even get a tangible deal — only a vague commitment to discuss one.
Mocking the party’s weak strategy, Stewart held up The Art of War and joked:
“Sun Tzu once said: Never press your advantage. It’s unseemly. Fighting is exhausting — maybe have a juice box.”
Stewart then pointed out a pattern that didn’t sit right with him: all eight senators who voted with Republicans aren’t up for reelection until 2026.
“What an incredible coincidence,” he said sarcastically. “Either they all suddenly misplaced their spines at the exact same time, or leadership coordinated this whole thing so they could cave without getting yelled at until the next election cycle.”
To drive his point home, he compared Democrats’ negotiating tactics to a football team that keeps blowing late-game leads.
“This is a world-class collapse,” Stewart said. “It’s like being up by ten with three minutes to go and still finding a way to lose — for the fourth time this month.”
And his closing words hit even harder:
“How are we being led by the only old people who don’t stubbornly cling to things? Sticking with bad decisions is literally what old people do best! And this group said, ‘Eh, maybe we should just fold.’ What are we even doing here?”
The shutdown officially ended after a 60–40 Senate vote, but the backlash from progressives has been swift. Anger within the party is growing, and calls for Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to step down are getting louder by the day.