Jon Stewart Addresses Hopes That He’ll Run for President Amid a ‘Shared Feeling of Helplessness’

Is Jon Stewart aspiring to take over the White House?

In a Daily Show clip shared Sunday, January 18, on YouTube, the 63-year-old comedian — who openly criticizes President Donald Trump — was asked if he would ever consider running for office.

As the crowd cheered in support, Stewart began to explain, “I cannot tell you how wild it is to have people even think that having the power over their lives is something they would appreciate that you have. But I do know, all the folks in the media like this, like Stephen [Colbert], like Jimmy [Kimmel], we get this. This is a question that comes up a lot.”

Stewart then reflected on why he’s been asked this question before, saying that he believes it speaks to “this desperation and dissatisfaction that we have with the status quo.”

“You see somebody on television who’s saying some of the things that resonate with you, and you think, ‘Well, f**k it,’” he explained.

“I so understand the feeling,” he shared with his audience, adding that he thinks “what’s happening right now” is that the American people “have a shared feeling of helplessness.”

Stewart added that he’s noticing a change in people’s support towards Trump, 79, explaining, “I live in a town where a lot of people went that way — like they give me a lot of s**t in the deli. … It ain’t flying in a lot of places where you think it might be flying.”

He concluded by saying that “the one institution that I think has been the bulwark in a way that nothing else has has been the people,” adding: “And that’s been really heartening to me.”

Trump’s presidency is expected to conclude in January 2029.