Right wing media and Donald Trump are struggling to figure out how to attack Vice President Kamala Harris, “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart noted on Monday night’s episode. And perhaps that’s why they keep going back to their typical racist, sexist tropes.
Stewart, in his first episode since President Joe Biden ended his re-election campaign and Harris became the presumptive Democratic candidate played a series of clips where Republican candidate Donald Trump tried out new attacks — to mixed results.
“She doesn’t like Jewish people,” he said in one clip — to which Stewart noted, “Join the club, we’re getting crushed out there. Right now I’m not even sure how much we like ourselves. It’s not like the old ‘Seinfeld’ days when we riding high. You could get a bagel in Iowa. But of course that attack may ring hollow seeing as Kamala Harris’s husband is — let me check my notes — Jewish. Have anything else that could denigrate all of Kamala Harris’s accomplishments by suggesting it’s merely the power of the Jezebel?”
To which he then ran video tape of an unbelievably sexist and offensive Megyn Kelly, accusing Harris of “sleeping her way into politics.” Added Ben Shapiro, in another clip: “She was handed her original posts in California because she was sleeping with Willie Brown.”
Of course, Stewart noted that as nasty as those two were, the right-wing pundits are just getting started. Added some weirdo on Fox Business: “Kamala Harris. She’s the original ‘Hawk Tua’ girl.”
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Stewart joked. “That’s the kind of substantive and elevated take from a guy who looks like he’s one Mike’s Hard Lemonade away from getting in a fight at his sister’s wedding.”
Meanwhile, when the right wing tries to talk about Harris’ record, Stewart notes that they can’t decide if she was soft on crime as California’s attorney general, or too tough on criminals.
Quipped Stewart: “She is too soft on crime! She’s too tough on crime? People, we open in three months! You’re flailing! Dig deep!”
Then there are the talking heads so desperate to say something negative about Harris that they accuse her of being… not liked by her staff.
“Your candidate’s Donald Trump. His catchphrase is literally ‘you’re fired!’” Stewart said. “He’s the Anna Wintour of authoritarian wannabes. Donald Trump hired 44 cabinet members. 75% of them want nothing to do with the guy. His secretary of state called him a fucking moron. His chief of staff said he’s the most flawed person I’ve ever met. You know why he needs a new vice presidential running mate? He tried to get the last one killed!”
They’re “flailing,” he noted. Even Trump is seen spelling out his attempts at new nicknames for Harris: “Laffin’ Kamala Harris. That’s L-A-F-F-I-N with an apostrophe. Laffin’.”
And that is why Stewart noted, they’re going back to the classic one-two punch of racism and sexism. “You know what, I hate to say it guys, but you tried. You gave it your best. I kind of think you’re gonna have to go back to your classics. It’s worked for you in the past. It’s your comfort zone. I think you’re gonna have to play the hits.”
From there, he ran a series of clips from the likes of Fox News and Newsmax, in which pundits called Harris a “DEI” and “token hire.” One sleaze barked that “this woman, this disaster, whose only qualification was having a vagina and the right skin color.”
In the end, several talking heads are confused over Harris’ multi-racial heritage.
“If these people ever saw a Pizza Hut-slash-Taco Bell they’d lose their fucking minds,” Stewart said. “‘What is this, a DEI restaurant?’”
Stewart then threw to “Daily Show” senior political correspondent Josh Johnson, who noted that the winning attack will likely just be screaming, “SHE’S BLACK!!”
“Sorry for yelling that’s how it was said to me,” he said. “They have all kinds of attacks ready. I’m seeing ‘Black,’ ‘Black,’ ‘Black woman.’ I got this one: ‘American African,’ which sounds scary when you flip it like that.
“They were looking at me when they said this one: ‘like you, but lady.’ Also got some more ‘Black,’ ‘Blackity Black,’ urban, doesn’t crack.’ At least they know. Oh, I can’t even say this one. ‘From Kenya.’ I think that one is leftover from the last time someone was, you know, Black.”
As for Republicans upset about the switch in candidates, Stewart has an idea: “How about we do this out of fairness? I’m a fair person. You can replace your old guy too. Even Steven.”
Watch here:
Also on the episode: Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg “talks to Jon Stewart about why he goes on Fox News, the significance of President Joe Biden stepping aside to make room for Kamala Harris as the presumptive Democratic nominee, the possibility of being vetted for vice president, and his thoughts on Trump’s own VP pick, JD Vance.”
