Jon Stewart on Who Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Really Helps — and Hurts | Journalist Steve Kroft

Summary

Summary of "Jon Stewart on Who Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Really Helps — and Hurts | Journalist Steve Kroft"

Release Date: July 8, 2025
Podcast: The Daily Show: Ears Edition
Hosts: Jon Stewart, Shaun Stewart
Guest: Steve Kroft, former 60 Minutes Correspondent

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Introduction

In this episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition, host Jon Stewart, alongside Shaun Stewart, delves into the intricacies of President Trump's latest tax and spending bill. The discussion is further enriched by the presence of Steve Kroft, an Emmy and Peabody Award-winning journalist from 60 Minutes. The episode critically examines the bill's implications, its beneficiaries, and the broader political and media landscape surrounding its passage.

Overview of Trump’s Tax and Spending Bill

Jon Stewart opens the discussion by highlighting the controversial nature of the recently passed tax and spending legislation. He emphasizes the extensive cuts embedded within the bill, particularly targeting Medicaid and food assistance programs.

"The Medicaid cuts alone could total roughly $930 billion, with at least 11.8 million people at risk of losing their health coverage." (02:34)

Shaun Stewart adds to the grim picture by detailing further reductions:

"Also cuts another $285 billion in food assistance, an end to clean energy credits from the Biden era, new caps on the amount that students can borrow in federal loans. 3 million poor people and kids will lose school." (02:34)

Impact on Vulnerable Populations

The bill's impact on marginalized communities is a central theme. Both hosts express concern over the reduction of essential services:

"It's a lot of painful cuts on a lot of vulnerable populations." (03:03)

Jon Stewart sarcastically notes the juxtaposition of cutting support for the poor while addressing the national deficit:

"This mega bill will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion. What the. Holy shit. You what? You somehow managed to severely cut the safety net and expand the deficit." (03:03)

Financial Implications and Deficit Concerns

A significant point of contention is the bill's financial footprint. Despite cutting various social programs, the bill paradoxically contributes to a substantial increase in the national deficit.

"This mega bill will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion." (03:03)

Shaun Stewart highlights the irony of addressing the deficit through cuts while simultaneously increasing it:

"What? You somehow managed to severely cut the safety net and expand the deficit." (03:03)

Benefits to Military and Immigration Enforcement

The bill allocates substantial funding to military and immigration enforcement, which Jon Stewart critiques:

"$157 billion in new spending for the military and another $150 billion for immigration and border enforcement." (04:06)

He mocks the allocation towards ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement):

"Are you telling me all this crazy shit that has been happening is ICE? Is that what you're saying?" (04:19)

Tax Code Changes Favoring Corporations and the Wealthy

The hosts discuss the bill's provisions that favor corporate America and the wealthiest individuals through significant tax cuts.

"The bill features roughly $4 trillion in tax cuts, mostly for the wealthiest Americans." (05:03)

Jon Stewart points out the disproportionate benefits:

"The winners continue to be the winners." (05:31)

Political Hypocrisy and Legislative Process

The rapid passage of the bill, bypassing thorough scrutiny, is criticized as political hypocrisy. Jon Stewart draws parallels with how Democrats have faced similar tactics.

"They jammed it through with barely any time to read it. How did Republicans feel about that when Democrats did it?" (07:21)

Shaun Stewart echoes concerns about the hurried legislative process:

"They hope that nobody's going to take the time to read the bill overnight between right now and 8 o' clock in the morning when we're supposed to vote on it." (07:29)

Democratic Response and Media Narratives

The Democratic response, particularly from leaders like Hakeem Jeffries, is scrutinized for its imagery and messaging.

"Hakeem Jeffries answered with imagery that sends a clear message to Republicans that Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats are waiting for their moms to pick them up from T ball." (09:39)

Jon Stewart criticizes the superficiality of such responses:

"Does anybody understand that intimidating, menacing photos are generally taken from below to make the subject appear larger, not from above to make the subject appear, I don't know, eight years old." (09:58)

The Epstein Lawsuit and Paramount’s Settlement

A significant portion of the episode focuses on the lawsuit filed by Donald Trump against Paramount, the parent company of 60 Minutes. Jon Stewart and Shaun Stewart dissect the details and implications of the $16 million settlement.

"They made an edit? Yes, you bastards. They paid him $16 million." (26:12)

Steve Kroft provides insight into the circumstances leading to the lawsuit, emphasizing perceived attempts by Trump to intimidate and influence media narratives.

"60 Minutes did an interview with Kamala Harris... they were different." (27:19)
"Trump thought that the second half was better than the first half. And 60 Minutes was deliberately trying to make him lose the election by manipulating the news." (29:25)

Jon Stewart labels the settlement as a "shakedown," questioning the legality and ethicality of the move.

"It's a shakedown." (35:56)

Media Trust and Press Freedom

The conversation transitions to the broader issue of trust in the media. Jon Stewart laments the erosion of public trust and the increasing pressures faced by news organizations.

"In many ways, this moment is able to happen because the news media has had its trust eroded with the American people." (37:44)

Shaun Stewart discusses the impact of Trump's actions on journalistic independence and the potential long-term consequences for the media industry.

"The executive producer of CBS News was forced to quit... they thought they had lost control of the... independence." (38:17)

Conclusion

The episode culminates with a reflection on the sustainability of the current political and media systems. Jon Stewart underscores the necessity for systemic change to prevent further erosion of social support systems and media integrity.

"A system where working people struggle so much is why Trump won his election. And a system where it doesn't change, there's going to be more drastic action." (22:57)

As the conversation wraps up, Jon Stewart and Shaun Stewart reaffirm the importance of holding powerful entities accountable and advocating for a more equitable and transparent system.

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Notable Quotes

• Jon Stewart:
  "The Medicaid cuts alone could total roughly $930 billion, with at least 11.8 million people at risk of losing their health coverage." (02:34)
  "This mega bill will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion. What the. Holy shit." (03:03)
  "It's a shakedown." (35:56)

• Shaun Stewart:
  "Also cuts another $285 billion in food assistance..." (02:34)
  "They hope that nobody's going to take the time to read the bill overnight..." (07:29)
  "It's pretty much every reporter that's looked at it, at this case and said, this is ridiculous." (36:20)

• Steve Kroft:
  "60 Minutes did an interview with Kamala Harris..." (27:19)
  "It's a shakedown." (35:56)

---

Key Takeaways

1. Disproportionate Impact: Trump's tax and spending bill significantly reduces funding for vulnerable populations while paradoxically increasing the national deficit.
2. Beneficiaries of the Bill: The military, immigration enforcement, corporations, and the wealthy stand to gain the most from the legislation.
3. Political Tactics: The rapid passage of the bill without thorough scrutiny highlights political hypocrisy and undermines legislative integrity.
4. Media Manipulation: The settlement between Paramount and Trump raises serious concerns about media independence and potential manipulation.
5. Erosion of Trust: The episode underscores the declining public trust in the media and the increasing challenges faced by journalists in maintaining objectivity and integrity.
6. Call for Systemic Change: There's a pressing need for systemic reforms to ensure equitable support for all citizens and to restore faith in the media.

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This episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition offers a critical examination of contemporary political maneuvers and their broader societal implications, emphasizing the need for informed citizenry and accountable governance.

Transcript

[Shaun Stewart]

This is an iHeart podcast. You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, Shaun Stewart.

[Jon Stewart]

Welcome, everybody. Welcome to the news. Welcome to the Daily Show. My name is Jon Stewart, and we have started to staple my scripts so that it doesn't fly away. We have an unbelievable show for you tonight. We're back. We've been off for a week now. We're ready to go. But by the way, our guest tonight, former 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft, will be joining me later. Why? Why? Why? Why you ask? To discuss our parent company, Paramount's shameful settlement. That's why. It' did they. Son of a bitch. But let's get right into the big news of the weekend. We celebrated our nation's independence with fireworks and drugs hidden in peanut butter to get our dogs through the fireworks. Trazodone. It's like a thunder shirt you wear on the inside. But most notably, this weekend marked the passage of the legislative coup that was Trump's big tax and spending bill. Now, I'm going to let you know there were some cuts. The Medicaid cuts alone could total roughly $930 billion, with at least 11.8 million people at risk of losing their health coverage.

[Shaun Stewart]

Also cuts another $285 billion in food assistance, an end to clean energy credits from the Biden era, new caps on the amount that students can borrow in federal loans. 3 million poor people and kids will lose school. L.

[Jon Stewart]

I think that last one is supposed to read, 3 million poor people and kids will lose school. Lunch.

[Shaun Stewart]

Help.

[Jon Stewart]

Just an intonation. It's a lot of painful cuts on a lot of vulnerable populations. But to be fair, at least America will finally make a dent on the deficit. This mega bill will increase the deficit by $3.4 trillion. What the. Holy shit. You what? You somehow managed to severely cut the safety net and expand the deficit.

[Shaun Stewart]

That's impressive.

[Jon Stewart]

That's one of those. Hey, man, how did you gain all that weight? Ozempic. That's something that's hard to do. I'm on Ozempic and now I'm really bad. So even though some of our nation's most vulnerable are taking a pay cut, fear not, other people are getting a raise.

[Shaun Stewart]

There's $157 billion in new spending for the military and another $150 billion for immigration and BO enforcement.

[Jon Stewart]

$150 billion for immigration and border enforcement. Are you telling me all this crazy shit that has been happening is broke ice? Is that what you're saying? What is ice going to do when they have real money? Oh, oh, that's nice. They're going to do the Kanye diamond masks. Classy. But America's military and paramilitary weren't the only winners in this bill.

[Shaun Stewart]

Changes to the tax code could benefit corporate America and manufacturers. The bill features roughly $4 trillion in tax cuts, mostly for the wealthiest Americans. The estate taxpayers becomes permanent and more generous. The holy grail of this tax plan, the best part of it for businesses is bonus depreciation. And all the private jet makers have been salivating over this possibility.

[Jon Stewart]

I'm not sure that liquid is saliva, but okay, the winners continue to be the winners. Either way, this bill was a big victory for maga and Republicans were turnt up. It's fun to stay in the ymca. It's fun to stay at the ymca. I'm sorry. That was the party they had for the Epstein list not being released. I'm kidding. I'm kidding, I'm kidding. That's not what that was. There was no list. There never was a list. The DOJ may be releasing the list.

[Shaun Stewart]

Jeffrey Epstein's clients.

[Jon Stewart]

Will that really happen?

[Shaun Stewart]

It's sitting on my desk right now to review.

[Jon Stewart]

Is it really? The list is on my desk. But then I looked at the list and said no list. Now, there's a lot of ways that we can walk through this tax and spending bill and how this bill encapsulates a ton of General Washington Bullshittery. For instance, political hypocrisy. This bill was 970 pages. They jammed it through with barely any time to read it. How did Republicans feel about that when Democrats did it? This thing is moving too fast. People aren't even going to be able.

[Shaun Stewart]

To read this bill. They hope that nobody's going to take the time to read the bill overnight between right now and 8 o' clock in the morning when we're supposed to vote on it.

[Jon Stewart]

The determination of the White House and the Democratic majority to shove this down the throat of the American people. When it happens to them, it's shoving it down their throat. It's an outrage. But when it's for Republicans, it's just, come on, America, relax the glottis. Breathe through your nose. It'll all be over soon and then we'll get brunch. Is it the glottis? I don't know. It was the funniest throat organ I could think of. Another way we can talk about this bill is Democratic fecklessness. They were utterly powerless to stop this turd of a bill which makes them look terrible. The only thing that could make Democrats look even worse was bragging about the nothing they could do. Schumer tweeted this news. I just got the name. Struck off this bill with a move on the Senate floor. Oh, shit. No, you didn't. Seriously? Tell me you didn't just brag about changing nothing about the bill but its name. This is not a big, beautiful bill at all. That is why I moved on the floor to strike the title. It is now called the Act. Are you trying to suck? Is that what this is? That's your move? We worked hard and took out the dumb name of the bill and named the bill after a prestige drama on Hulu. But at least Democrats still have Hakeem Jeffries over in the House. He's a younger leader and he decided not to answer with words, but with imagery.

[Shaun Stewart]

Hakeem Jeffries on Instagram. He's got a baseball bat and he says House Democrats will keep the pressure on Trump's one big, ugly bill.

[Jon Stewart]

Hakeem Jeffries answered with imagery. Imagery that sends a clear message to Republicans that Hakeem Jeffries and the Democrats are waiting for their moms to pick them up from T ball. The Democrats may not have made the team, but they're ready to step in if a body is needed. Does anybody understand that intimidating, menacing photos are generally taken from below to make the subject appear larger, not from above to make the subject appear, I don't know, eight years old. The photo has to be intimidating. Make sure you get the upholstery in my leather loveseat. They gotta know I have furniture. Or we could talk about the media's narrative, dramatizing the fragility of Trump's ruling coalition and what that fragility could mean.

[Shaun Stewart]

President Trump's agenda is in trouble. Big trouble for Trump's beautiful bill.

[Jon Stewart]

President Trump's signature legislation on a knife's edge hangs in the balance, hitting a major roadblock.

[Shaun Stewart]

The margins are so tight here that anything could throw it into jeopardy. It will be a nail biter, there's no question about that.

[Jon Stewart]

The dramatic moment, Vice President Vance breaking a tie vote. Oh, it surprisingly got through. Like every other thing Trump has wanted, from Qatari jet bribes to Epstein filed secrecy to extorted media conglomerate protection money. I can't believe ABC paid that. That was so up. I'll let myself out. Sure, I wouldn't want to be abc, but every time a new Trump's never getting that comes up the Media is blown away when he actually does get it without ever acknowledging that the no votes from Republicans are scripted to allow certain senators plausible deniability without putting any part of that agenda actually at risk. It reminds me of the way every professional wrestling match gets the announcer slack jawed with shock at the stunning turn of events. If Jon Stewart showed up here tonight, I would force him to retire immediately because it is quite difficult to do a phony news show with your jaw wired shut.

[Shaun Stewart]

Uh oh, no way.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes, Sean Stewart, he did show. Look at old tubs. What a surprise. I can't believe he showed up there. Like we rehearsed. It should have been clear that this bill, like everything else, was going to pass on the day they said it was going to pass. That the nos for the bill were for show like Senator Josh Hawley's deep concerns.

[Shaun Stewart]

This is real Medicaid benefit cuts. I can't support that. No Republican should support that. We're the party of the working class mono. We need to act like it's.

[Jon Stewart]

Mmm, you need to act like it. Did you act like it, Josh? Did you?

[Shaun Stewart]

Hawley ended up voting for the bill. He put in a statement, quote, I will continue to do everything in my power to reverse future cuts to Medicaid.

[Jon Stewart]

Oh yes, future cuts. Everything in my power for future cuts. Except voting no in the present. Or how about Senator Ron Johnson? You've got deficit concerns for the children.

[Shaun Stewart]

I'm concerned about my children, my grandchildren. The fact that we are stealing from them. We are stealing from our children and grandchildren. $37 trillion in debt and we're going to add to it as Republicans. That is unacceptable.

[Jon Stewart]

You'll never guess who accepted it. Senator Ron Johnson flipped from a no to a yes. Sorry. Children and grandchildren maybe next future. Any other Republican who initially said, this is terrible, I'm not voting for this. And had an even dumber reason for flipping a yes. Tim Burchett from Tennessee. I'm looking at your dumb ass.

[Shaun Stewart]

The President was wonderful as always. Informative, funny, told me he liked seeing me on tv, which is kind of cool. Yeah, he signed a bunch of stuff. It's cool.

[Jon Stewart]

Wasn't it cool he signed a bunch of stuff for you. It was cool. Was that your class's first trip to Washington? He gave his M&M's. I vote whatever he want me to vote for. He signed my tits. Whatever you want, I'll do it. By the way, nothing makes me distrust Donald Trump more than saying that guy is good on tv. It's all pro wrestling. The only difference between that vote and wrestling is that wrestling is fun and takes actual courage. And they didn't even get concessions to flip their vote. Only one senator apparently got meaningful concessions, and that's Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Sessions really wouldn't work anywhere else but Alaska.

[Shaun Stewart]

Senator Paul said that this was. That your vote was a bailout for Alaska at the expense of the rest of the country. Oh, my God. That's what Senator Paul said.

[Jon Stewart]

Senator, we've got the.

[Shaun Stewart]

I didn't say it, ma'.

[Jon Stewart]

Am.

[Shaun Stewart]

I'm just asking for your response.

[Jon Stewart]

That's my favorite clip ever. She stares him down and the reporter goes, I didn't say any. I, I, I didn't. I don't know. I'm just. Look, I don't even like this.

[Shaun Stewart]

Oh.

[Jon Stewart]

I wanted to work in the control room, but I'm handsome. So they put me out here because they didn't want this moneymaker to go to waste. But excluding all the fake narrative shenanigans and hypocrisies and fecklessness is the central truth of this bill. Once again, it's the bullshit gospel of austerity. The gospel they preach anytime the country's finances are in shambles and out of control. Our problem isn't excess at the top, it's the sloth at the bottom.

[Shaun Stewart]

We don't pay people in this country to be lazy.

[Jon Stewart]

If somebody's able bodied and they can.

[Shaun Stewart]

Go get a job and they're living in their mom's basement playing video games.

[Jon Stewart]

I'm sorry, you got to go get.

[Shaun Stewart]

A job, get off the couch, stop.

[Jon Stewart]

Eating the Cheetos, stop buying the medical marijuana and watching television. First of all, nobody talks about my audience like that. Nobody. Yeah, you hear those Cheetos, man? Second of all, it is such a lazy and wrong trope. Now, I don't know if you've noticed, but those people smoking dope, sitting around playing video games, they're all Twitch millionaires now. And it's this lazy, bullshit narrative that our finances are screwed because of how comfortable we have made it for the poor. A mindset perhaps perfectly encapsulated by this human editorial cartoon. Congressman Troy Nels.

[Shaun Stewart]

Can I ask you, though, about the CBO score and the idea that 11 million, 12 million Americans may. I don't have any faith in COP. In the CBO, they're scoring. They're wrong half the damn time.

[Jon Stewart]

I don't give any.

[Shaun Stewart]

Now.

[Jon Stewart]

A congressman who just voted to force people off of Medicaid and food assistance just smoking a fatty with both hands bandaged from what I can only assume is a friction burn from too much celebratory masturbation. There's no other way around it. Medicaid and food stamps. I got blisters on me fingers. The the problem in our country isn't the sliver of able bodied people that are somehow coasting on the unearned medical coverage they may or may not use, but the millions and millions of people in this country who work full time jobs and still need food and medical assistance. That's the system that's broken. Fix that system. What are we talking about? And yet. Oh, we're always gaslit into the framework of the deserving poor. And I gotta tell you, the deserving poor, they have very much disappointed the deserving rich.

[Shaun Stewart]

OpenAI founder Sam Altman said he was politically homeless in a July 4 message he posted to X.

[Jon Stewart]

Excuse me not to be that guy. I believe the term is politically unhoused, but go on. How have the Democrats let you down?

[Shaun Stewart]

I'd rather hear from candidates about how they are going to make everyone have the stuff billionaires have instead of how they are going to eliminate billionaires.

[Jon Stewart]

That's the pitch everyone should be Wouldn't we all just run out of foam? Wouldn't that. I wasn't invited, but that's the pitch. Somehow it is fiscally irresponsible to build a stronger floor for everyone to stand on. If it may in any way lower the already astronomical ceiling height experienced by the rare few, this bill is the most up performance review our country could ever deliver. It's the government sitting us all down and telling us where we've been irresponsible with the spending we start with the wealthy. Thank you for coming in. I know it's hard when you only work one day a week, but thank you for making the time. It's been a tough year, but as always, wealthy, you're killing it. In the words of a place you probably never eat at, we're lovin it. And so once again, for the I'm gonna say 80th year in a row, you're getting a raise. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a busy day. Another review to deliver you freeloading mother. It has come to my attention that some of you are having breakfast and lunch. Maybe you haven't heard, our deficit is out of control. We need that lunch money for more important things. Which reminds me, what if I gave you a tax deduction for taking a private jet to your private jet? If time permits, perhaps we could take it to that non Existent island I've heard so much about. Excuse me. Who ate the porridge that was here? Who ate the porridge? You, boy. What day is it, boy? Christmas day. Take this doubloon, buy the biggest Christmas goose you can find and take it to the heliport. I have a pilot.

[Shaun Stewart]

Look.

[Jon Stewart]

Blaming migrants and the able bodied poor is why Trump won this election. But a system where working people struggle so much is why Mamdani won his election. And for all the people who are worried about Bondani's socialist tendencies, guess what? He's the best case scenario. Because this system is not sustainable. And if this doesn't change, there's going to be more drastic action. Really? We're going to need a bigger pot. When we come back, Steve Croft will be joining us. Don't go away. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight, he is an Emmy and a Peabody Award winning journalist. Spent 30 years as a CBS correspondent for 60 Minutes. Please welcome to the program. Steve Croft. Sir. There you go. How are you?

[Shaun Stewart]

I'm good. I can't believe I'm here.

[Jon Stewart]

I'm delighted that you're here. 60 Minutes is in the news.

[Shaun Stewart]

It is. And what 60 Minutes is. Okay, good, good, good. Last person I asked that, I think.

[Jon Stewart]

This is an audience not from here. How long has 60 Minutes been on the air? And before you answer, let me make you more comfortable.

[Shaun Stewart]

Okay, I remember.

[Jon Stewart]

No, it's been on the air. How long is 60 Minutes?

[Shaun Stewart]

I don't know, 50 some years.

[Jon Stewart]

And it's been like a top 10 top 20 show. Not on cable, on thing, on network.

[Shaun Stewart]

No. In fact, in the 30 years I've been on the show, yes. And I had nothing specifically to do with this, but we were the number one show in all of television.

[Jon Stewart]

In all of television.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

And now. So you are not particular, you're not over there anymore. And I'm not going to ask you to speak specifically for the official line of 60 minutes, but I'm assuming you still have some kind of text chain.

[Shaun Stewart]

I do.

[Jon Stewart]

With folks over there.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

Now, you may or may not know as they may not may or may not know what 60 Minutes is. Paramount, which is the parent company for CBS at 60 minutes and also for Comedy Central, recently made the unusual arrangement of settling a lawsuit that President Trump brought for, and I don't even really know what it was for. And they paid him.

[Shaun Stewart]

Was making one edit.

[Jon Stewart]

They made an edit? Yes, you bastards. They paid him $16 million. What is, I would assume internally that is devastating to the people who work in A place that pride themselves on contextual good journalism.

[Shaun Stewart]

No, it's. Devastating is a good word.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah.

[Shaun Stewart]

I think there's a lot of fear over there.

[Jon Stewart]

Fear of.

[Shaun Stewart]

Fear of losing their job, fear of what's happening to the country. Fear of losing the First Amendment.

[Jon Stewart]

Right.

[Shaun Stewart]

All of those things.

[Jon Stewart]

Why do you think they paid the $16 million?

[Shaun Stewart]

Well, you know, a couple of congressmen think that it was bribery.

[Jon Stewart]

They think it was a bribe from Paramount.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes. I should explain a little bit about what happened. Please. I hope I wasn't contextualize it.

[Jon Stewart]

No.

[Shaun Stewart]

60 Minutes did an interview with Kamala Harris.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes.

[Shaun Stewart]

And during the interview, she was the.

[Jon Stewart]

Presidential candidate for the Democrats, the Democratic Party. That's right.

[Shaun Stewart]

And she had. And she was asked a question about Netanyahu and.

[Jon Stewart]

Great guy.

[Shaun Stewart]

Why Netanyahu? Why Netanyahu wasn't saying and doing what we wanted him to do. That's what was going on at the time.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes.

[Shaun Stewart]

And she gave fairly. She gave a minute answer.

[Jon Stewart]

Right.

[Shaun Stewart]

And CBS took the first half of that answer and gave it to the morning show on Sunday, Face the Nation, to use a sort of a tease, for sure, to get people to watch it at night. And the second half of that sound bite went into the story.

[Jon Stewart]

Now, news organizations use every part of the candidate. They take the sound bites and they spread it over the network so that none of it goes to waste. There are hungry children in countries right now with no sound bites.

[Shaun Stewart]

That's right.

[Jon Stewart]

And so they use those. So they aired the first part of her answer on the morning news.

[Shaun Stewart]

That was the teaser. Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

And then what did they do on the 60 Minutes?

[Shaun Stewart]

They put that sound bite, the second half in the 60 minutes piece, they were different. And somebody noticed that in the Republican Party and decided.

[Jon Stewart]

Somebody.

[Shaun Stewart]

Somebody. I don't know. Who?

[Jon Stewart]

Donald Trump.

[Shaun Stewart]

No, I know. Not personally.

[Jon Stewart]

All he does is watch tv. Know.

[Shaun Stewart]

But I don't know. I think he watches Fox.

[Jon Stewart]

Nothing to get mad about there.

[Shaun Stewart]

So anyway, I should point out that the sound. Sound bite in the exchange. Neither the front half or the second half answered the question. But Trump thought the second half was better than the first half. And 60 Minutes was deliberately trying to make him lose the election by manipulating the news.

[Jon Stewart]

Sure. No, I have seen elections lost by that margin. It's just it was a devastating half of a sound bite. Is that standard operating procedure?

[Shaun Stewart]

Absolutely.

[Jon Stewart]

Was anything done that you thought in retrospect that murkyed her, like decontextualized her answer, tried to make her look better. Was it all fair game? They did air the first part that he thought made her look bad in the morning, and then they aired the second part in the evening, and then they made the whole thing available.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah. Most people couldn't tell the difference.

[Jon Stewart]

I'm gonna show you something. And.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah, okay, go. Right.

[Jon Stewart]

And this is shock. You're gonna be shocked by this.

[Shaun Stewart]

Okay.

[Jon Stewart]

This is from. It's an organization called Fox News.

[Shaun Stewart]

Okay.

[Jon Stewart]

Also within.

[Shaun Stewart]

I'm familiar with it, but rarely watch it. Right.

[Jon Stewart]

I have it on in my house all the time. Because I want to get you in the local bar.

[Shaun Stewart]

Right, exactly.

[Jon Stewart]

So this is an interview that it aired on Fox and Friends, which is a show that they do in the morning on a couch, but then they have a weekend show also named Fox and Friends, where the people who don't make it on the A team, Fox and Friends, get experience so that they can become cabinet members. This is a question that one of their hosts asked a gentleman by the name of Donald Trump. I want you to watch. This is how it aired on their morning show. Please take a look. Would you declassify the 911 files?

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah.

[Jon Stewart]

Would you declassify JFK files?

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah, I did. I did a lot of it.

[Jon Stewart]

Would you declassify the Epstein files?

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah, Yeah, I would. Attorney General. What are you. I mean, we talked about.

[Jon Stewart]

So that's how it aired.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

Simple question. Would you declassify 9 11? Yes. Kennedy. Yes. Epstein. Yes. And then the Secretary of Defense jumped in.

[Shaun Stewart]

Well, he did actually jump in.

[Jon Stewart]

Sir, please get me off this couch. I want to show you the larger context of that interview that aired later. Take a look. Would you declassify the Epstein files?

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah, Yeah, I would. All right. I guess I would. I think that less so because, you know, you don't know it. You don't want to affect people's lives if it's phony stuff. And there. Because it's a lot of phony stuff.

[Jon Stewart]

With that whole world.

[Shaun Stewart]

But I think I would.

[Jon Stewart]

Or at least do you think that would restore trust? Now, that seems up.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes. That would never happen on 60 Minutes.

[Jon Stewart]

No. But I would like to know why the 60 Minutes edit was worthy of a $16 million acquiescence of what is considered the Tiffany News gold standard network for Paramount of news, where very clearly, Fox just did what seems to me to be a more egregious edit.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

So explain to me what was going through the mind of Paramount when they said, oh, yeah, we screwed up. Here's your money. Why not? Why didn't they fight it?

[Shaun Stewart]

They never said we screwed up. What did they Just paid the money.

[Jon Stewart]

So just flat out protection money.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah, it was a shakedown. That's what I call. I mean, some people call it extortion. That's a legal term. I'm not, you know, but shakedown is.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, obviously, this is opinion. Is this purely Paramount buying their way? They are. They are being sold right now.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

To a gentleman who is friends with the president.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

Larry Ellison and his son, David Ellison.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

Of Skydance. Was this settlement just a payment so that this merger can go through and not be challenged by Trump's fcc?

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes, I think that Trump, when I was trying to explain this at the beginning, I said it was like a little complicated.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah.

[Shaun Stewart]

There's Sherry Redstone, who is the head of Paramount.

[Jon Stewart]

She's the owner of Paramount.

[Shaun Stewart]

Right. She wants to control.

[Jon Stewart]

Right.

[Shaun Stewart]

She wants to sell it.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes.

[Shaun Stewart]

She has a couple of billion dollars.

[Jon Stewart]

They've got like an $8 billion deal on the table.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes. And $2 billion she's going to get. So she wanted the sale to go through. But Donald Trump thought, I'm going to settle a score here. He said that, you know, very often about, I'm going to go after my enemies. And he was upset with 60 Minutes and he decided that he was going to sue for $16 million. And then.

[Jon Stewart]

No, he decided to sue for $20 billion.

[Shaun Stewart]

Well, 60, I think it was. I think it was millions at first. Then it went to billions. Oh, I see. And then it came back down to millions. He changes his mind a lot.

[Jon Stewart]

As.

[Shaun Stewart]

You pointed out in the, in the tape intro. But anyway, he also, in which we haven't talked about, is that the Federal Communications Commission, which approves licenses and things like that, is controlled by the president. And he has obviously somebody there who really likes him and will do whatever he says and is for his agenda. And all of a sudden, he's decided that he's not going to approve this deal.

[Jon Stewart]

The FCC chairman said that, that he wasn't going to approve it.

[Shaun Stewart]

Well, he didn't say, no, I'm not going to approve it. Now I think we ought to have some public hearings on it. I think we ought to, like, take a good look at the media and how it's performing and maybe doing something wrong.

[Jon Stewart]

So the implication is you don't get your $8 billion merger, you don't get your $2 billion payout unless you give me a tremendous amount of money. Now, that strikes me as, and I'm obviously not a lawyer, but I did watch Goodfellas as that. That sounds illegal.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes, it does. It's okay. I think it is illegal.

[Jon Stewart]

Well, I think it's a shakedown here.

[Shaun Stewart]

I think it's a shakedown.

[Jon Stewart]

It's a shakedown. But now.

[Shaun Stewart]

Now, not only the one. I want to make just. Just one point.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes, please.

[Shaun Stewart]

It's not just me or 60 Minutes or you that think that this was a shakedown. It's. It's pretty much every reporter that's looked at it, at this case and said, this is ridiculous. It's going to be thrown out of any court that it goes before, except maybe one in.

[Jon Stewart]

In Texas.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah, In Amarillo.

[Jon Stewart]

And that's where they brought the suit.

[Shaun Stewart]

And that's where they brought the suit and the suit. And that's why I'm afraid they'll send this show if we get sued, because you said some really nasty things about him. Much worse than Kamala Harris.

[Jon Stewart]

Can I tell you something? And I'm gonna say this, and I mean this. I don't know. Personally, I can't read. So this is all done phonetically. You may be saying to me, I said some nasty things. Here's what it sounded like to me. What is it about this moment that makes that. That makes his attacks on the press more dangerous than what has always been standard fare? Hey, man, don't print that. Don't do that. What is it about this moment?

[Shaun Stewart]

I think he's trying. I think he likes to get even with his political enemies. He likes to do things that he feels will intimidate them to stop reporting bad things about him. I think it's as simple as that.

[Jon Stewart]

And that he'll go further than other people would.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yeah, I guess so. Further, really, that it's not clear the Constitution allows.

[Jon Stewart]

I don't even know if that's in play anymore because they'll find a judge in Texas. Texas who says it isn't. But. So what does the news media do in this moment to. Is this the last gasp of a dying industry, or is this the turning point for something that has become, let's face it, it's. It's. In many ways, this moment is. Is able to happen because the news media has had its trust eroded with the American. American people.

[Shaun Stewart]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

So how does the news media respond then?

[Shaun Stewart]

Well, I think that it's interesting, the, you know, this lawsuit, the one thing that they didn't get, Trump didn't get. He didn't get an apology. And he had been pushing really hard. That's one of the reasons why it went from like a million or, you know, 10 million to 10 billion because he was demanding an apology and wanted Citizens CBS to admit that he had made a mistake so he could use that against. And erode the credibility of the program and the network. But he did not get it. And that was. That's important. I mean, it cost. You know, we haven't touched on this, but the executive producer of CBS News was forced to quit.

[Jon Stewart]

And the head of CBS News in general quit. Yes, because they wouldn't apologize.

[Shaun Stewart]

Because they wouldn't apologize and because they thought they had lost control of the. You know, they had lost their independence. And it was a very honorable thing to do.

[Jon Stewart]

How does the media look for Trump? This is great because now he's got himself a news network. He already announced that Ellison is going to do a great job at CBS and Ellison is going to give him 16 more million dollars in public airwaves, commercials.

[Shaun Stewart]

I have no proof of that. If that actually happened, I think. Oh, I think he said it. That doesn't mean it's true.

[Jon Stewart]

But I think for news media, is this sort of the new world that. That we live in that they will listen? The news media isn't perfect. I don't think anybody disputes that. I think there's been mistakes. CNN accused that kid years ago in a MAGA hat of like, harassing a Native American. And that was wrong. And they had to pay off like they should be responsible and held. But this seems like a different thing where corporate pressure and political pressure have never been stronger to. It doesn't feel like scrutiny on news networks. It feels like fealty, that they are being held to a standard that will never be satisfactory to Donald Trump. No one can ever kiss his ass enough. I mean, he goes after Fox sometimes, which is crazy.

[Shaun Stewart]

The $16 million was tribute. That's how he looks at it.

[Jon Stewart]

And that will continue.

[Shaun Stewart]

Tribute to the case.

[Jon Stewart]

Thank God I'm on basic cable, which I don't think he has. I think he only cares about network. Well, I appreciate it. I appreciate you coming on to discuss it in this.

[Shaun Stewart]

I hope we didn't confuse the audience.

[Jon Stewart]

Can I tell you something? The audience is from Harvard. Like, I've been talking to people out there. They don't. I'm talking to these people. I'm gonna be completely honest. We didn't confuse them them, we board them. Former 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Croft. Quick break. We'll be right back. Hey, that's our joke for the night. But before we go, let's check in with your host for the rest of the week, Ronny Chang. Ronnie. Ronnie, how was your fourth well, as you can see, John, it was great. Yeah, you're making a little comment on con Congressman Troy Nels with the cigar and the bandage and. I get it. It's very funny. Very nice. No.

[Shaun Stewart]

Who. Who. Who's that?

[Jon Stewart]

No, no. It's my first 4th of July as an American citizen, so thank you. So I celebrated like a real American. So you. Would you injure yourself with. No. I'm not stupid, okay? I got in a grill touching contest, and I won. Whoa. That's right. Who's stupid now, Jeremy? Now I got 10 bucks to spend on skin grafts. Just out of curiosity, in the grill touching contest that you entered, who went first? I did. That's how you win, John. So Jeremy didn't even take a turn. I had already won by that point. Okay? Now, John, now help me put this in my pocket. Absolutely. Ronny Chang all week. It's never gonna go on there. Ronny Chang.

[Shaun Stewart]

Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount. This has been a Comedy Central podcast. This is an iHeart podcast.