Jon Stewart didn’t hold back in his brutal takedown of Donald Trump’s escalating trade war, calling out the president for launching tariffs against some of the US’s closest allies, including Canada, Mexico and Panama.
The tariffs, which were poised to go into effect this week after Trump signed a series of executive orders, were justified by the president as measures designed to curb the flow of drugs and immigrants from Canada and Mexico, the US’s two immediate neighbors.
In his opening monologue on The Daily Show, Stewart tore into Trump’s foreign policy, particularly his bizarre targets like Canada and Panama, suggesting the president had lost the plot.
“The EU? Canada? Do we have any friends left?” Stewart asked, his voice dripping with disbelief. “Mexico, I get. Trump’s been hate-f***ing Mexico pretty much since the escalator,” Stewart quipped, referencing Trump’s infamous 2016 campaign announcement from an escalator at Trump Tower.
“But Canada? Ca-nada?” Stewart continued, incredulous. “We’re picking a fight with our most reliable and pleasant friend? The labradoodle of allies?”
He didn’t stop there. “Denmark, Panama, and Canada. We’re America! We used to fight the Nazis. Now we’re scouring the globe for easy marks,” Stewart fired. “What are we, the Jake Paul of nations? No offense. ‘I know China’s out there, but Panama’s a legitimate fight!’”
The comedian’s sharp criticism continued as he showed footage of Trump defending the tariffs with his typical bluster, claiming that past trade deals had been disastrous. “I look at some of the deals made, I say, ‘Who the hell made these deals? They’re so bad,’” Trump says in one clip.
Stewart, in his signature satirical style, responded with a mock history lesson: “Ladies and gentlemen, for your dining and dancing pleasure, come with me into the way-back machine, to 2018. I give you the culprit of the terrible deal with Canada.”
“Oh! A deal done by Trump’s greatest nemesis: Trump,” Stewart joked, his audience erupting in laughter.
Stewart’s biting commentary cut to the heart of the issue—how Trump’s erratic approach to trade policy was alienating long-standing allies while simultaneously antagonizing global powers like China. And at the center of it all, Trump seemed more intent on fighting easy targets than engaging with the real challenges facing the US on the world stage.
Watch the video below for more of Stewart’s savage take on the trade war.
