Jon Stewart unpacked Trump’s $454 million appeal bond on Monday night, calling out so-called experts framing his New York civil fraud case as a “victimless” crime.
The Daily Show host played a reel of Fox News personalities and guests, from Sean Hannity to Stuart Varney, defending the former president after the multimillion dollar judgment was levied against Trump for conspiring to inflate his net worth in order to deceive banks and insurers. Stewart then rolled a clip of CNN’s Laura Coates interviewing Shark Tank‘s Kevin O’Leary, who claimed the ruling didn’t “go over well” with the investment community that was now fretting over the possibility of being the next target.
“I am surprised to hear this from Kevin O’Leary, the guy who’s such an asshole that even the other people on Shark Tank think he’s an asshole,” said Stewart before calling out his hypocrisy in a series of flashbacks of Mr. Wonderful lambasting entrepreneurs on the reality show for overvaluing their companies.
In another clip — which Stewart preceded by quipping, “Leave it to Kevin O’Leary to be unaware enough to say the quiet part out loud” — O’Leary responds to Coates informing him that Trump was found liable of falsifying business records in the second degree, issuing false financial statements, insurance fraud, and conspiracy. “Everything that you just listed off is done by every real estate developer everywhere on Earth in every city. This has never been prosecuted,” O’Leary replies.
After a brief pause, Stewart joked, “There is a theory and law that if enough people commit a crime, it automatically becomes legal. You’re familiar with The Purge, are you not?” He added, “The fucking entitled arrogance.”
Elsewhere, the host blasted the double standard. “I don’t know if you know this, but most people just can’t commit fraud and expect to face no repercussions, even if everyone’s doing it. Try getting a car loan by saying you have 10 times as much money as you really do. Or claim 20 dependents when you have no children. Or say you make slightly less money to qualify for food assistance. I will guarantee you, there are not just financial consequences for those lies, but criminal ones,” Stewart said. “But don’t tell that to the investment community, because in their minds, in pursuit of profit, there is no rule that cannot be bent, there is no principle that cannot be undercut, as long as you and your fucking friends make money. And the only immoral practice, apparently, the only immoral practice in the capitalist system is to use that money for people who may need it.”
Stewart pointed out: “Stealing is only justified when you already have too much.”