Jon Stewart Changes His Tune on Joe Biden

Jon Stewart appears to have changed his tune on Joe Biden after being dubbed a "bothsideist fraud."

The comedian returned to The Daily Show in February following a nine-year hiatus, but was slammed for mocking both the president and rival Donald Trump during the series' premiere, with critics claiming Stewart's commentary "misses the point and minimizes the stakes."

The Context

Stewart discussed last Thursday's State of the Union address and Biden's message to Russian President Vladimir Putin during Monday night's episode of The Daily Show.

"[Biden] had the unenviable task of having to lay out his vision for the nation, whilst also demonstrating that he is not too old, not too tired to be the president of the United States and that he wouldn't rather just tie thousands of balloons to the White House and head to Paradise Falls," the 61-year-old said, referencing the Pixar movie Up.

Stewart then cut to a clip of Biden's speech to Congress, beginning with his belief that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not "stop at Ukraine."

"I say to the American people, when America gets knocked down, we get back up," Biden said in the address. "My message to President Putin, who I've known for a long time is simple, we will not walk away."

Biden also condemned book banning, while advocating for universal background checks and his border bill, before concluding with "The state of our union is getting stronger and stronger."

Although Stewart dubbed the 81-year-old "Joe 'Raisinet' Biden," he also praised the president's remarks, joking "which one of you p*****" wants to fight?"

"Put up your dukes," he quipped, doing an impression of the president preparing to fight. "Biden's back baby."

"I know that all the haters have been out there, talking their s***," he continued, before mimicking the verbal assaults on Biden.

"'He's too old, he's too weak. He won't make it, he won't be able to stand.' I see you haters, I know who you are," Stewart said before holding a hand mirror up to his own face, causing the audience to burst into laughter.

Newsweek has reached out to Jon Stewart and Joe Biden for comment via email.

What We Know

Stewart addressed the "bothsideist" accusations in a monologue, doubling down on his criticism of Biden's age.

The president recently visited Brownsville, Texas, which shares a border with Mexico, to discuss his border policy.

"We're the United States of America," Biden said in a clip shared by Stewart on March 4, prompting Stewart to yell "Nailed it."

"He knew exactly where we were in, Yes," he joked. "He knew what country we were in. Bang boom, this is the United States of America."

Biden's age is a popular target for critics, but is also proving to be a concern for Democratic voters.

A recent poll by The New York Times found that 73 percent of registered voters believe Biden is too old to run the government, including 61 percent of those who voted for him in 2020.

However, Stewart has been no kinder to Trump. The 77-year-old will likely run against Biden as the Republican candidate once again in the 2024 general election.

In a segment called "Indecision 2024: Electile Dysfunction," Stewart mocked both contenders for age-related blunders.

"Trump regularly says things at rallies that would warrant a wellness check," Stewart declared, suggesting that both politicians are "stretching the limits of being able to handle the toughest job in the world."

Update 03/12/24, 5:13 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include further information on Jon Stewart's recent comments about Joe Biden and Donald Trump.