Jon Stewart Tears Donald Trump Apart Over Civil War Speech

Main: Jon Stewart attends the Clooney Foundation for Justice’s 2023 Albie Awards at New York Public Library on September 28, 2023 in New York City. Inset: Donald Trump speaks at a rally outside Schnecksville Fire Hall on April 13, 2024 in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. The former president shared his thoughts on the battle of Gettysburg during his first campaign stop in Pennsylvania in 2024.

Jon Stewart roasted Donald Trump’s Gettysburg speech on Monday night’s installment of The Daily Show, comparing the former president’s recent remarks to a middle-schooler’s homework.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee for 2024 travelled to Schnecksville, Pennsylvania, on Saturday for his first rally in the state, where he shared his thoughts on the Battle of Gettysburg.

The historic battle took place in Pennsylvania in July 1863 and is considered a turning point in the Civil War. However, Trump’s comments raised eyebrows on social media.

“It was so much, and so interesting, and so vicious and horrible, and so beautiful in so many different ways—it represented such a big portion of the success of this country,” he told the crowd.

“Gettysburg, wow—I go to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to look and to watch.”

Stewart mocked Trump’s remarks during the latest episode of The Daily Show, jokingly accusing the 77-year-old of plagiarism.

“That is plagiarized almost directly from my seventh-grade book report, Gettysburg, Wow,” the comedian quipped, sharing a mock-up of a book report complete with a horse sticker and a “D-” stamped in red ink.

“I did not do well,” Stewart joked, before poking fun at Trump’s description of the battle.

“Is he talking about a Civil War battle or a horse giving birth?” the 61-year-old asked the audience. “Like, it was bloody, but it’s life.”

Stewart then cut to a second clip of Trump’s speech, where he discussed the “statement of [Confederate General] Robert E. Lee.”

“Never fight uphill of me boys,” Trump said. “Never fight uphill. They were fighting uphill, he said, ‘Wow, that was a big mistake.'”

“I’m pretty sure that Robert E. Lee was not a leprechaun,” Stewart said in response to the footage, before repeating Trump’s speech in an Irish accent.

“That’s not how to take back the North’s pot of gold,” he joked.

Stewart also took issue with Trump’s version of the Battle of Gettysburg, adding his own “minor point.”

“I’m pretty sure Robert E. Lee would not have told them [to] never fight uphill, since he’s the one who them to f****** fight uphill,” the host said.

“He wasn’t like, ‘Ah, you know, if they go up the hill, I’m going to be so mad if they do that.'”

Stewart said: “Longstreet actually told them, don’t go up the hill, but Robert E. Lee said, ‘Me boys will do what they want.'”

Newsweek has reached out to Donald Trump for comment via email.

Stewart isn’t the only one to hit out at Trump over his Gettysburg comments, with horror author Stephen King dubbing the politician a “dimbulb” on X, formerly Twitter.

Related Articles

Start your unlimited Newsweek trial