Former President Donald Trump's supporters are ignoring his lack of patriotism and his disregard for the country's founding principles, according to comedian and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart.
In the latest episode of his weekly podcast, titled "The Patriotism Paradox," Stewart remarked on Trump's Sunday rally at Madison Square Garden, and what he viewed as the hypocrisy of the "MAGA" movement.
"It's just a strange thing to watch," Stewart said. "The flags flying, and the 'don't tread on me' and the patriotism. And then Trump gets up there and he just clearly shreds the idea that he has any love or understanding of the constitution of the United States of America."
Newsweek has reached out to the Trump campaign for a response to Stewart's comments.
Following guest appearances from Hulk Hogan, Elon Musk and comedian Tony Hinchcliffe, Trump took the stage and spoke to rallygoers about his plans for "the largest deportation program in American history."
"I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail," the former president said. "We're going to kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible."
To expedite the removal of "savage gangs," who Trump said had "invaded and conquered" American cities, he promised to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act, a rarely enforced authority that allows for the arrest and deportation of any male over the age of 14 hailing from a foreign country with which the U.S. is in a "declared war."
As well as this act, which Stewart said would require "intern[ing] a giant group of people, many of them Americans," the comedian criticized Trump's desire for "absolute immunity" as profoundly unconstitutional.
In March, the former president filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to grant him absolute immunity for any official acts he undertook as president, amid the ongoing Department of Justice case concerning his alleged efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.
"A denial of criminal immunity would incapacitate every future President with de facto blackmail and extortion while in office, and condemn him to years of post-office trauma at the hands of political opponents," the brief read.
The Supreme Court later ruled that former presidents have full immunity for official acts undertaken in their capacity as president. The dissenting judges in the 6-3 decision expressed "fear for our democracy," and said, "the President is now a king above the law," in a statement following the ruling.
Stewart said that this "flies in the face of" what his supporters feel is the foundation of their movement, which is "steeped in the iconography of patriotism."
"[MAGA] is all about fealty to the constitution and reverence for the founding fathers," Stewart said. "I would say that there is a sincere belief among many of the people that follow [Trump], that they are following in the footsteps of George Washington.
"They don't see either the hypocrisy, [or] they don't see it as foundational," he added.
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