Jon Stewart returned to The Daily Show on July 7 with fury, sarcasm, and a laser focus on two targets: the GOP’s sweeping “Big, Beautiful Bill” and the Trump administration’s quietly buried promises about Jeffrey Epstein’s files.
Opening his monologue, Stewart aired a clip of Senate Republicans celebrating the passage of their massive spending bill — which slashes funding for programs like SNAP and Medicaid — before pivoting with a searing joke:
“Sorry, that wasn’t a budget celebration. That was their party for successfully gaslighting America into believing the Epstein list never existed.”
Mocking the Justice Department’s recent memo denying the existence of a “client list,” Stewart raised his hand like a Jedi and intoned with deadpan irony:
“There was no list. There never was a list…”
Stewart then turned the fire on Democrats, accusing them of complete failure to block what he described as a devastating and cruel piece of legislation.
“This turd of a bill sailed right through, and somehow the Democratic response was to brag about changing its name?” Stewart asked incredulously. “Is that your move, Chuck Schumer? Are you trying to suck?”
The comedian went on to eviscerate what he called “Republican sleight-of-hand” — pushing spending cuts that disproportionately affect working-class Americans, while deflecting blame for the deficit onto those who rely on basic aid.
“It’s this lazy bulls–t narrative that America’s finances are tanking because we’ve made life too cushy for the poor,” Stewart ranted. “The real problem is the millions of people working full-time jobs who still can’t afford food or healthcare. That’s the system that’s broken.”
He also skewered the broader hypocrisy in Washington:
“Somehow, it’s fiscally irresponsible to give people a stronger floor to stand on — but it’s perfectly fine to add another penthouse to the gilded tower.”
Channeling his inner Uncle Sam, Stewart mimed talking to the rich:
“What if I gave you a tax deduction for taking a private jet to your other private jet? And if there’s time, maybe we’ll fly it to that non-existent island I keep hearing about…”
As for the spending bill itself, Stewart didn’t hold back:
“This is the most f–ked up performance review our country could ever deliver.”
