Obama Pledges to Use Executive Order to Keep Jon Stewart on “The Daily Show”

As Jon Stewart prepares his imminent exit from The Daily Show, President Obama stopped by the set in New York on Tuesday to bid farewell to the longstanding host and promised to use his office’s power to prevent him from leaving.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving before me,” Obama said during his seventh and final visit with Stewart as host. “I’m going to issue an executive order: Jon Stewart cannot leave the show. It’s being challenged in the courts.”

“To me this is a states’ rights issue,” Stewart replied.

Following the opening banter, the two dived into more serious topics such as the Iran nuclear deal, the president’s relationship with the media, and the Middle East.

When asked about Donald Trump’s recent surge in the polls, Obama joked, “I’m sure the Republicans are enjoying Mr. Trump’s current dominance of their primary.”

Stewart’s last day is August 6th.

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BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things they don’t like—which is most things that are true.

No one gets to tell Mother Jones what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. Please help with a donation today if you can—even a few bucks will make a real difference. A monthly gift would be incredible.

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