On the four-year anniversary of the Capitol insurrection, The Daily Show host Jon Stewart poked fun at Vice President Kamala Harris’s role in certifying President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory on Monday, January 6. The day traditionally marks the vice president’s role in confirming the incoming president’s electoral win.
Stewart opened his monologue with a sharp observation about the day’s significance. “What a historic day in Washington, DC it is. As many of you know, it’s Jan. 6. And as you can see, once again, a blanket of angry white is descending on the Capitol,” he said, showing a photo of the snow-covered Capitol after a winter storm.
“This white, oddly enough, not as disruptive. It did snarl traffic, but a lot less bear spray and Confederate flags,” Stewart quipped, referencing the chaos of January 6, 2021. The comedian then highlighted the uncomfortable position Harris found herself in as the “master of ceremonies” for the certification, despite having lost the 2024 presidential election to Trump, according to Variety.
“The ultimate indignity of this Jan. 6 is that Donald Trump’s opponent Kamala Harris because she is the vice president, serves as the master of ceremonies,” Stewart said. He played a clip of Harris reading the vote totals for Trump in Florida, accompanied by applause from some members of Congress.
“That’s got to sting. She’s like, ‘Um, I can hear you.’ That’s like attending your own funeral, and even the mourners are like, ‘Woo-hoo!’ I can’t imagine anything more uncomfortable than sitting there while the crowd applauds your opponent,” Stewart joked.
When Harris announced her own votes from California to cheers, Stewart quipped, “Wait! That sounded louder. There’s a lot of joy in that room. I think she can still win this thing! She just needs them to find 130,000 votes in Georgia! And then some in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and maybe Wisconsin.”
Stewart concluded with a pointed reference to Trump’s refusal to accept defeat in 2020. “It’s amazing how smoothly our democracy works when you don’t act like a little b***h when you lose. Not naming names! Just saying.”
Following the certification, Harris exchanged pleasantries with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson and later emphasized the importance of democracy in a press conference. “America’s democracy is only as strong as our willingness to fight for it,” Harris stated. Despite losing all swing states and the popular vote by less than 1.5%, Harris’s narrow defeat marked one of the closest elections in U.S. history.