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Jon Stewart defends ‘funny’ Tony Hinchcliffe after offensive Trump rally jokes, attacks media for ‘manufactured outrage’
Jon Stewart defends Tony Hinchcliffe after controversial comments at Trump's rally, noting the comedian's roast-style humor.
Just one day after podcaster and stand-up comedian Tony Hinchcliffe's inflammatory comment at former US President Donald Trump's Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday, Jon Stewart opened his ‘The Daily Show’ defending the comedian.
Stewart said, “But of course, for the media, there was one moment in particular that raised the alarms,” and played the video of Hinchcliffe calling Puerto Rico a “floating island of garbage,” along with other offensive jokes targeting specific groups, and clips of several network anchors slamming the comedian.
Stewart found Hinchcliffe ‘very funny’
“Now obviously, in retrospect, having a roast comedian come to a political rally a week before election day and roasting a key voting demographic, probably not the best decision by the campaign politically,” Stewart commented. “But to be fair, the guy’s really just doing what he does. I mean, here he is at the Tom Brady roast a few months ago.” Stewart then aired a montage of Hinchcliffe's edgy, irreverent humour from that roast.
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“Yes, of course, terrible. Boo, yes,” Stewart laughed after watching the clips, adding, “There’s something wrong with me. I find that guy very funny. I’m sorry, I don’t know what to tell you.”
He noted, “I mean, bringing him to a rally and have him not do roast jokes? That’d be like bringing Beyoncé to a rally and not have…,” recalling her recent rally appearance in Texas with VP Kamala Harris, where she didn't perform.
Stewart nukes Trump's deportation plans
Stewart then took a jab at Trump's plans, revealed at the same rally, to “launch the largest deportation program in American history” by leveraging the Alien Enemies Act of 1798. Stewart’s reaction was one of disbelief: “Who the f**k told Donald Trump about the Alien Enemies Act of 1798? Because I’m going to bet you something: He did not come to the meeting and go, ‘Hey, why don’t we use the 1798 Alien Enemies Act? Would that apply?’”
The Daily Show host then nuked Trump’s deportation rhetoric, which has been inconsistent, with projections ranging from 2 million to over 21 million people. “You put one wrong person onto a bus or onto an airplane, and your radical left lunatics will try and make it sound like the worst thing that’s ever happened.”
Stewart retorted, “Because it’s the worst thing that ever happened to them, the American citizens you mistakenly deport.”
Wrapping up, Stewart warned, “Right now you think you’re safe because the group Trump’s talking about, it’s not you. As if … Donald Trump can tell the f**king difference or even cares that the day one implementation of the 1798 law, that was last used to intern Japanese and German citizens in World War II, will be a fine-toothed comb.”
