You’ll Never Unsee What Jon Stewart Did To A Donut To Show Donald Trump’s Republicans In Action

He called the government a series of rules, loopholes and norms. Democrats try to play by the rules and hope the norms are respected, while Republicans busily find and exploit the loopholes. 

Stewart played clips of Democratic lawmakers insisting that Trump’s nomination of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for attorney general will have to go through the usual advice-and-consent process in the Senate, where he can potentially be blocked.

But there’s also a loophole where Trump can bypass that process by adjourning Congress and installing Gaetz and others via recess appointments.  

“That is our government in a nutshell: The rules say ‘We can stop it.’ The loophole says, ‘Fuck that!’” he said. “So what are you left with? The last refuge of losers: the norms.” 

He pointed to a prime example: President Barack Obama’s 2016 nomination of Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court was blocked by then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who said it was too close to the election, which was then nearly eight months off.    

“You can make a case that Obama could violate the norm, say the Senate failed their advice and consent, and appoint him anyway and see whatever the fuck happens. Fight!” Stewart said. “But they just went, ‘Oh we never heard of that rule, but, uh OK.’”

Four years later, Republicans rapidly filled a Supreme Court vacancy even though it was less than two months before the election. 

“They didn’t give a fuck!” Stewart said, then offered some blunt advice to Democrats. 

“You guys be the loophole guys that figure out how to get shit done,” he urged. “Because [Republicans] don’t give a fuck about your norms. They will exploit any loophole.” 

Stewart said he thought Democrats would’ve learned from Trump’s first term in office. Instead, they’ve gone back to rules and norms. 

He offered up a visual demonstration of where that leads, struggling with a needle and thread to show how Democrats struggle to get anything done as they follow rules and respect norms. 

“Meanwhile, the Republicans come in, and all they have to do is finger-bang a doughnut,” he said, and then did exactly that. 

Check it out in his Monday night monologue: