Jon Stewart returned to The Daily Show on Monday to deliver a blistering critique of President Trump’s failure to secure a deal with Iran, suggesting the self-proclaimed dealmaker-in-chief has fallen short of his own billing. “Looks like we’re going to finally put an end to the U.S.-Iran kerfuffle,” Stewart said sarcastically, before playing a montage of cable news clips featuring Trump promising a breakthrough as far back as March.
“Now you could be forgiven for being skeptical. If you remember, I believe we’ve been here before,” Stewart added, noting the repeated claims that a deal was imminent. The comedian’s remarks came after an Iranian state-affiliated outlet reported that Tehran would stop exchanging messages with the U.S. through intermediaries and threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz, escalating tensions further.
Stewart Turns Trump’s Blame Game Back on Him
Stewart zeroed in on Trump’s recent social media post blaming “negatively chirping” Democrats and “unpatriotic Republicans” for making it “MUCH tougher” to negotiate. “You’re blaming this s--- on us?” Stewart exclaimed. “You can’t make peace unless everybody’s quiet? Is making peace like putting or peeing? Is that what this is?”
The host continued his takedown, arguing that Trump’s approach to negotiation is fundamentally flawed. “Maybe the problem isn’t us, who didn’t want this f---ing war in the first place,” Stewart said. “Maybe the problem is a president who talks out of both sides of his mouth, lies like most of us breathe, and whose pronouncements cannot be trusted because they will inevitably be undercut by the very same person pronouncing them.”
Stewart’s critique echoes broader concerns about Trump’s foreign policy tactics, particularly in the Middle East. The president has faced growing criticism from both sides of the aisle for his erratic messaging on Iran, which has undermined U.S. credibility in negotiations. Meanwhile, former National Security Adviser John Bolton has warned that Iran sees Trump as vulnerable to oil price pressure, complicating any potential deal.
A Master of Division, Not Diplomacy
Stewart argued that Trump’s true talent lies not in bringing parties together but in driving them apart. “Donald Trump isn’t actually a master gap-a-close-inator,” he said. “Negotiation is about bringing parties of disparate interests into an agreement that understands each other’s positions and resolves those differences with compromises that advance shared goals. Whereas Donald Trump’s gift is in not doing that.”
“Trump’s singular gift is in manufacturing the animus and division that actually makes negotiated settlements so difficult yet so necessary in this world. That’s his happy place,” Stewart concluded, drawing laughter from the audience.
The segment highlighted the growing frustration among critics who see Trump’s Iran policy as a series of broken promises and shifting goalposts. With tensions in the Persian Gulf rising and diplomatic channels faltering, the question remains whether the president can deliver on his pledge to strike a deal—or if his own rhetoric has made that impossible.
