Four years after the Jan. 6 insurrection on the Capitol, Jon Stewart was shocked at the unusual civility on display at this year’s 2024 election certification.
This time, Vice President Kamala Harris kept score of the electoral college’s vote tally, keeping a steady composure and demeanor. It was a stark juxtaposition to the complete disarray at the Capitol in 2021. In Stewart’s first “Daily Show” episode of the year, he couldn’t help but point out how the snowy weather in Washington D.C. is reminiscent of “a blanket of angry white descending on the Capitol.”
“This white, oddly enough, not as disruptive,” he riffed. “It did snarl traffic, but a lot less bear spray and Confederate flags.”
During this Jan. 6 confirmation, there was a slight awkwardness to Harris’ vice presidential responsibility, Stewart admitted. The vice president’s job is to verify the 2024 election results which meant that as she did, she confirmed her former opponent Donald Trump’s win — and her own loss.
“Of course, the ultimate indignity of this January 6 is that Donald Trump’s opponent, Kamala Harris, because she is the vice president, serves as the master of ceremonies. Poor baby. But it does suck.” Stewart said.
The show played a clip of Harris reading Trump’s winning electoral votes before she was interrupted by Congress’ boisterous applause for Trump.
“That’s got to sting,” he responded. “It’s like attending your own funeral and even the mourners are like ‘woo-hoo!’ I can’t imagine anything that would be more uncomfortable, standing there while the crowd applauds your opponent.”
Then Stewart showed Harris reading her own electoral wins, which received equally engaged cheers from lawmakers.
“There’s a lot of joy in that room. I think she could still win this thing. She just needs to find like 130,000 votes in Georgia and then in Michigan, in Pennsylvania, maybe Wisconsin, maybe they flip North Carolina,” Stewart said in fake tears.
“But, ultimately, the certification ceremony that we all look forward to every four years since I was little, went off without a hitch. Because it’s amazing how smoothly our democracy works when you don’t act like a little b***h when you lose. Not naming names! Just saying,” Stewart concluded.
“The Daily Show” airs Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m. ET on Comedy Central and streams on Paramount+.
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