Jon Stewart roasted Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, dubbing the Republican an "ex-football coach, who doesn't know the three branches of government."
The comedian took aim at several politicians during Monday night's installment of The Daily Show, starting with New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez. The Democrat's corruption trial began at Manhattan's Federal District Court on Monday, with the 70-year-old accused of plotting with his wife, Nadine Menendez, to accept bribes in exchange for legal and political favors.
Menendez also allegedly assisted the Egypt and Qatar governments on U.S. policy matters during his time as chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
"As a New Jersey resident, as a constituent of yours, Senator Menendez, I have to ask, with all due respect, how f****** dumb is you?" Stewart joked.
"Promising favors to foreign entities for little chump change on the side, it's bush league, when, as a U.S. senator, you can enrich yourself in so many different, let's call them, 'legal ways.' For instance, the stock market."
Stewart then cut to a C-SPAN segment on members of Congress' stock portfolios. In the brief clip, an expert references a study that found the average U.S. senator "beats" the stock market by 12 percent, whereas the average for hedge-fund managers is 7 percent.
"If you think it's because the average U.S. senator is just so smart, this is the average U.S. senator," Stewart said, pointing to a photo of Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville.
"Tommy Tuberville, an ex-football coach, who doesn't know the three branches of government. Oh, but when it comes to the stock market, he sees The Matrix."
Newsweek has reached out to Tommy Tuberville for comment via a contact form.
Stewart was referencing Tuberville's 2020 interview with The Alabama Daily News, in which the Republican bungled several historical facts, including mislabeling the three branches of government.
"How do they do it?" Stewart said. "Well, the secret is a shrewd understanding of the intricate connectivity of global markets. I'm kidding, they have inside information."
Stewart returned to The Daily Show in February following a nine-year hiatus. The 61-year-old is covering the run-up to the general election in November, and has been hitting out at politicians across the political spectrum.
During last week's show, Stewart ripped into Trump over his New York criminal case, comparing the nonstop media coverage to O.J. Simpson's 1995 murder trial. The former president is facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents, allegedly to conceal "hush money" payments to Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 general election. Trump is rumored to have had an affair with the adult film star in 2006. The 77-year-old has denied the claims, along with the fraud charges.
Stewart has also poked fun at President Joe Biden. The Emmy winner was dubbed a "both-sidest fraud" by some viewers in March for his jibes about the 81-year-old's age, with Stewart dubbing this year's presidential race: "Indecision 2024: Electile Dysfunction."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
fairness meter
To Rate This Article
About the writer
Sophie is a Newsweek Pop Culture and Entertainment Reporter based in Lincoln, UK. Her focus is reporting on film and ... Read more
