Jon Stewart warns more risks to the political system than Trump

“If we have identified the pressure points where the crash barriers look most vulnerable, this is where we should focus so much on our efforts in relation to strengthening. … The encouraging thing is to look at grassroots level, people who really see it as something they want to protect and that they want to strengthen, ”Stewart said.

Stewart discussed the political developments in the six years between leaving “The Daily Show” and launching a new show, “The Problem of Jon Stewart” on Apple TV + this fall, and said that social media algorithms have been a key factor in increasing political polarization.

“We are adapting to a new information and political ecosystem. “The delivery system is more sophisticated, more robust and more ubiquitous,” he said. It helps to radicalize in a faster or deeper way. We have algorithms that make sure that if you start leaning towards something bad … then the algorithm says, ‘I have a four-hour manifesto for you to see.’ We have created a machine that makes that kind of radicalization more effective. ”

Stewart briefly judged whether President Joe Biden is doing a good job of leading the nation – “I do not think anyone is” – before returning to the threat that critics perceive Trump poses to the democratic order, retaining the former Republican president is for the most part an “effective vessel.”

“Again, he does not sing new songs. … He might sing them better than [the late Sen. Barry] Goldwater, “said Stewart. But I think it is a mistake to focus it all on this one individual and not focus it any more on the idea that power is its own reward, whether it is in the financial industry or in government. Power never gives up itself. ”

“We learned a lot from this in recent decades, but especially maybe the last four or five years, because Donald Trump was so disruptive and so willing to challenge norms, we have learned that much of the American system is built on the system of honor,” “Stewart said.” Of course, this only works if you care about or even have a sense of honor. ”