Russian President Vladimir Putin is a "semi-delusional autocrat" who governs over a propaganda-dishing, state-censored media, said Jon Stewart on Thursday night's Daily Show. Almost everyone can see that Putin is living in an alternate reality — even Germany's Angela Merkel — so why are the hosts at Fox News and their Republican guests being "fooled by this guy's bullshit?" Stewart asked.
Republicans have been holding up the "strong" Putin as a favorable alternative to the "weak," "mom jeans"-wearing Obama. (Seriously, the "mom jeans" line is a thing.) In one of Stewart's clips, Rudy Giuliani gushes that while Obama dithers, Putin the leader acts quickly and makes the world react to him. That's not the definition of a leader, Stewart said, incredulously, "that's what you call a toddler." Also, when the Fox News crowd isn't calling Obama weak, they're calling him a "dictator king," Stewart said. And then he hit on a possible explanation for this cognitive dissonance... --Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Is Cop29 a 'waste of time'?Today's Big Question World leaders stay away as spectre of Donald Trump haunts flagship UN climate summit
-
The rise of the celebrity chef tourThe Week Recommends Chefs and food writers are hosting sell-out live events around the world
-
'Thank you for your service'Today's Newspapers A roundup of the headlines from the US front pages
-
Laurence Fox suspended by GB News after 'unacceptable' Ava Evans commentsSpeed Read Broadcaster issues apology after actor goes on a tirade during a live interview with Dan Wootton
-
Fox News apologizes to Gold Star family for false story Marine Corps called 'disgusting'Speed Read
-
Tucker Carlson Tonight is being replaced by Fox News TonightSpeed Read
-
Judge delays Fox News-Dominion defamation trial start, reportedly to allow settlement talksSpeed Read
-
Judge orders Dominion lawsuit against Fox News to go to trialSpeed Read
-
Fox News seeks gag order for producer who claims she was coerced to mislead in Dominion depositionSpeed Read
-
Lawsuit documents: After 2020 election, Tucker Carlson said he hates Trump 'passionately'Speed Read
-
Rupert Murdoch gave Jared Kushner 'confidential information' on Biden ads, debate strategy, Dominion saysSpeed Read
