Jon Stewart blasted Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) for prioritizing Israel over domestic issues, telling him, “That is not our country.”
The “Daily Show” host shared the tense exchange on Tuesday ahead of his full “Weekly Show” podcast release.
Stewart dug at Fetterman for dismissing fellow Democrats, including democratic socialists, whom he may agree with on economic and social matters but clash with on Israel.
“You could agree with them 90%, but Israel is the red line?” Stewart asked.
“Absolutely,” Fetterman replied, before adding, “I can’t ever turn my back to Israel after where it’s at.”
Stewart fired back, “I mean no disrespect on this, but that is not our country. You’re saying that these candidates may have great ideas for our economy. They may want to do the exact same thing you want to do, in terms of getting money out of politics. They may want to increase the social safety net. They may want to change the balance of power from capital back to labor. But if they don’t agree with you on Israel, you don’t want them in your party.”
Fetterman asked for specific names.
Stewart listed progressive Abdul El-Sayed, who is projected to win his Democratic primary in Michigan for the U.S. Senate; Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.).
“I assume you agree with a lot of what they say economically,” Stewart said.
“What I’m saying is, like, if you are a DSA member, if you are a member of a specific political party, run under your own banner,” said Fetterman, who forwarded Bill Maher’s claim that the DSA was colonizing the Democratic Party. The election of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, followed by primary congressional victories for fellow DSA candidates he backed, has created a stir in both parties.
“It’s just an organization,” Stewart said. “We have a two-party system. It’s like the Freedom Caucus in the Republican Party.” He noted that the Freedom Caucus includes “nutbags” like Reps. Randy Fine (Fla.) and Andy Ogles (Tenn.).
“You’re literally saying, ‘We can all have discussions, except when it comes to Israel,’ which is not America. It seems like a weird line to draw,” Stewart said.
“I don’t think that’s weird,” Fetterman responded. “I think what history demonstrates is that when people … turn their back to the Jewish community, things end really badly.”
The Democratic senator then added, “I’m always gonna stand wth Israel.”
Israel’s war in Gaza, prompted by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack, has generated a humanitarian crisis and prompted a shift in the Democratic Party. The Mideast country’s participation with President Donald Trump in attacking Iran has further eroded support from Democrats.