White House Believed Jon Stewart Had More Policy Influence Than Obama At Times


Jon Stewart has regularly downplayed his influence on the political realm, but the White House believed that the Daily Show host could, sometimes, have more influence on policy than Barack Obama himself. As a result, the President’s staff were ordered to always take phone calls from the comedian or his staff, and Obama even had two meetings with the late night TV host.

Three sources confirmed to Politico that Stewart’s first low-profile meeting with the president was on October 2011, in the middle of one of the White House’s budget showdowns with Congress. The next was in February 2014, right before Obama declared there would be “costs” for Russia if it continued its aggressive foreign policy in Ukraine.

Although Politico originally reported the meetings were secret, the New York Times claims they both appeared in the official White House visitor log and Jon Stewart shook hands with several tourists before the private discussions. There may not have been anything too mysterious about the meetings, but they still attest to the comedian’s influence on the political world.

Barack Obama’s former aide Eric Lesser said, “I’d be hard pressed to think of a person who spoke with the same amount of authority to that big of a group of people.”

When reporters reminded him that he was working for Obama at the time, he quickly corrected himself, saying, “people in media.”

Politico explained, “as the White House recognized, Stewart can, at times, be a more potent influence on policy than Obama himself.”

Dag Vega, who helped cultivate relationships between media figures and the White House, vaguely explained the purpose of the meetings.

“Jon Stewart was a key influencer for millennials. They relied on him for an honest take on the news, and the president and senior staff know that.”

Even though the comedian has always attempted to downplay his policy influence, he managed to “move mountains” on the Hill with his Daily Show bits, according to some commentators.

The clearest example is his work for veterans and 9/11 rescue workers.

Jon Stewart shamed Republicans in the Senate (and network news programs) for filibustering the Zadroga bill, which would have provided billions of dollars in aid to 9/11 first responders. His segment Worst Responders chided the Republicans and Fox News for having made a 9/11 a common catchphrase, yet moving to a “pre-9/11” mentality on this one bill. The Daily Show host followed the segment with an interview with four New York rescue workers.

The bill passed three days later.

John Feal, a clean-up worker at Ground Zero and Army veteran, explained that Stewart “moved mountains.”

“What took us eight years of walking the halls of Congress, Jon Stewart in 22 minutes literally moved mountains and gave us a heartbeat again when we were flat lined.”

When Senator Kirsten Gillibrand thanked Jon for clearing the eight-year logjam, he responded with concern for the political process.

“Well, that’s the thing that’s crazy. The idea that something has to be on television to mean anything is what’s so crazy… I do feel like we drove by a burning car on a highway and went ‘Uh, someone should call that in.'”

Politico also cites the Daily Show‘s influence in changing a plan from the White House to remove veterans with private health insurance from VA programs and getting rid of the CNN show Crossfire.

Although there are less tangible outcomes from other policy issues regularly featured on the show – climate change, campaign finance reform, bank regulations – politicians and activists claim he’s helped set the national debate well past his average 1.3 million person audience.

No wonder the White House sought Jon Stewart’s counsel; exactly what they talked about will remain a mystery as the late night host finishes his last few episodes.

[Image Credit: Getty Images]

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