Jon Stewart has finally addressed the question millions have been asking: Will he run for president in 2028? The answer? He didn’t say no—but he did call himself a “f— it” candidate.
“‘I think you should be president’ is the line that comes right after ‘F— it,'” Stewart, 63, told his Daily Show audience in a Q&A posted to YouTube Sunday. “Because most people go like, ‘I’m watching this. I’m doing this. These guys aren’t doing that. You know what? F— it. That guy should, he’s on TV!'”
WHAT’S GOING ON: For years, fans have begged the longtime Daily Show host to run for office. Last year, a Change.org petition launched urging him to consider a 2028 bid, and Breakfast Club co-host Charlamagne tha God publicly co-signed the idea.
Stewart has been more dismissive than encouraging, pointing out that colleagues like Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel get similar requests.
“This is a question that comes up a lot,” Stewart said. “And I think it speaks to—if I may—it speaks to this desperation and dissatisfaction that we have with the status quo.”
Stewart acknowledged that people see him on television “saying some of the things that resonate with you,” but likened the pressure to a curse. “It’s almost like you’re cursing me with, like, a Twilight Zone—Like, ‘Make him!'”
THE DETAILS: Stewart, who has been a dogged critic of 79-year-old President Trump, didn’t hold back on the administration during the Q&A.
He noted that Trump’s policies “ain’t flying in a lot of places where you think it might be flying”—a reference to the president’s dropping approval ratings.
And then came the Hitler comparison rebuttal. “People keep saying, ‘Oh, this guy is Hitler,'” Stewart said. “No, he’s not. And I’ll tell you why he’s not. Hitler was popular. This guy’s not.”
WHY IT MATTERS: Stewart believes the calls for him to run stem from “a shared feeling of helplessness” as institutions fail. But he’s found hope elsewhere—in regular people, including Trump supporters who have started dropping their support for the president.
“The one institution that I think has been the bulwark in a way that nothing else has been the people,” Stewart said. “And that’s been really heartening to me.”
Stewart returned to The Daily Show in 2024 after nearly a decade away, hosting part-time. He was recently honored with the Walter Cronkite Awards for Excellence in Political Journalism in a new category: Comedic News and Commentary—recognition for his ability to eviscerate Trump while “protecting constitutional principles, defending the rule of law, and holding power to account.”
BOTTOM LINE: So is Stewart running? Still unclear. But if he does, at least we know the campaign slogan: “F— it.”