Mary Trump Calls Jon Stewart a 'Danger to Democracy'

Jon Stewart returned to The Daily Show on Monday night after a 9-year hiatus—and Mary Trump has slammed the comedian's take on the upcoming presidential election.

The comedian, who began hosting the satirical news show in 1999 and left in 2015, is presenting the show again on a part-time basis through the 2024 election season. His return follows Trevor Noah's departure in December 2022 and comes amid the series' unsuccessful search for a new permanent host.

During the show, Stewart took aim at President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump, mocking both 2024 presidential contenders for gaffes seemingly related to their ages.

"These two candidates, they are both similarly challenged. And it is not crazy to think that the oldest people in the history of the country to ever run for president might have some of these challenges," he said, discussing whether either man is fit to serve.

"We're not suggesting neither man is vibrant, productive or even capable. But they're both stretching the limits of being able to handle the toughest job in the world."

While some people have applauded Stewart for his even-handed political comedy, the niece of Donald Trump has said the comedian is a "danger to democracy."

Newsweek contacted a representative for Stewart and Mary Trump for comment via email on Wednesday.

Mary Trump, a writer and prominent critic of her uncle, took to X, formerly Twitter, to share her thoughts on how Stewart discussed both presidential nominees.

"This is b*******," she said in one post alongside a snippet of Monday night's show.

"Not only is Stewart's 'both sides are the same' rhetoric not funny, it's a potential disaster for democracy," she said in another post.

She shared her thoughts on the topic further in a newsletter titled "Jon Stewart's Danger to Democracy." In the post, she criticized Stewart for joking about both sides being problematic, adding that "the stakes are existential: the result is an injustice to his audience, and to the truth."

Mary Trump was angered by Stewart's implication that Donald Trump is "vibrant, productive, or even capable."

She said in response: "In what universe is Donald vibrant, productive or capable?? And this statement wasn't even tongue-in-cheek. Stewart was making a straight-up comparison. There are no excuses here. Stewart knows who Donald is. Donald isn't vibrant. He is compulsive and unhinged. Donald isn't productive. He is inept. Donald isn't capable. He is a disaster."

Mary Trump clarified that she doesn't care that Stewart brought up Biden's age, her issue is with the fact that he compared the president to Donald Trump in the first place. She believes that the two men are incomparable.

She went on to say that Biden's accomplishments are "astounding," while Donald Trump is a "fascist," a "racist" and "cognitively impaired."

Newsweek contacted a spokesperson for Donald Trump for comment via email on Wednesday.

"Not only is Stewart's 'both sides are the same' rhetoric not funny, it's a potential disaster for democracy ... The damage done by his 'The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear,' a DC rally/joke which inspired an entire generation to shrug off politics and ignore the dangers of the right wing, cannot be overstated. It was, in no small part, responsible, for helping Donald come to power," she said.

"It made a mockery of nuance, encouraged people to believe that all politicians are the same, that there was no daylight between Democrats and Republicans or Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton."

The writer added: "Now Stewart is bringing back the same b******* that got him rich in the 2000s, and helped get Donald elected in 2016. I know Donald—and we can never let them normalize him as a normal candidate. He isn't. None of this is normal."