Jon Stewart says Trump is missing one key trait

Monday night, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart ripped into Donald Trump for openly defying the Supreme Court’s order to return a legal resident of the U.S. who was wrongly deported to El Salvador. (VIDEO BELOW)

Stewart joked that while Trump’s got the gold and ego of a dictator, he lacks one key trait to truly pull it off.

THE DETAILS: In a bit called “How Authoritarian is We?”, Stewart compared Trump to global strongmen like Putin and autocrats dripping in luxury.

  • “Authoritarianism isn’t just policies – it’s an aesthetic,” Stewart said, mocking Trump’s obsession with gold decor and self-aggrandizement.

Stewart joked that Trump has “the looks, the attitude, the relentless dissent-crushing,” but still falls short because he lacks “ruthless competence.”

TARIFF FAILS: Stewart pointed to Trump’s erratic trade policy as proof: after launching a 25% tariff on imported vehicles, global markets tanked.

  • Trump’s response? A messy backtrack — pausing one set of tariffs for 90 days while doubling down on others, including a 125% hike on Chinese goods.

THE BIG PICTURE: Trump keeps posturing like a dictator, but can’t even follow through without tanking markets — or his own messaging.

  • Even his allies don’t seem sure what he stands for. Bill Maher, after a dinner with Trump, called him “gracious and measured” — a far cry from the unhinged figure he usually plays on TV.

WHAT’S NEXT: Expect more strongman cosplay from Trump—but also more flailing policy disasters that hurt working Americans while billionaires and right-wing grifters cash in.