Former Daily Show host Jon Stewart was trending on Twitter after an interview with Arizona’s Attorney General Mark Brnovich this week energised many who called it an example of how interviewers should confront claims about Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020 election.
Stewart sat down with Mr Brnovich for an episode of his Apple TV show, The Problem with Jon Stewart. In the clip released on YouTube, Stewart repeatedly presses the Republican on his refusal to acknowledge the reality that former US Attorney General Bill Barr and others have said plainly: That Arizona, and the greater 2020 election, was not “stolen” from Donald Trump.
The former Comedy Central star laid out his question plainly, asking Mr Brnovich whether he had seen any evidence whatsoever to suggest that the results of the 2020 presidential election in Arizona were fraudulent or that the state had somehow been “stolen” from Mr Trump.
“Donald Trump lost Arizona, period,” Mr Brnovich responded, dodging the question about whether the result was fair and legitimate.
“The fact is, the election in Arizona was well-run, not fraudulent, and not stolen from Donald Trump, according to even your investigation,” the host continues. At one point, he cuts in: “Why is it so hard to just say yes to that?”
Following more dodges of the issue of the election’s legitimacy from Mr Brnovich, Stewart begins to grow exasperated.
“Why can’t you say that the election in 2020 was not stolen or fraudulent?” Stewart further presses his subject.
Laughing, he adds: “This is blowing my mind.”
The interview was well received by critics of the mainstream media who feel that reporters and cable news hosts are too receptive to allowing election deniers to spout outright lies and conspiracies about the election with minimal if any pushback.
“Yet another reminder that @jonstewart, a comedian, remains one of the best interviewers on US TV, & a reminder to all my colleagues in the US news media that it is possible to do tough, challenging interviews, even with gaslighting or evasive Republicans. It’s necessary, in fact,” wrote MSNBC’s Medhi Hasan, known for his own confrontational interviewing style which has been widely praised for an ability to nail down slippery guests.
Donald Trump has continued to insist that the 2020 election was stolen and that he should — or even will — be reinstated as president before the end of Joe Biden’s first term.
He frequently makes such claims at his various campaign-style rallies around the country as he gears up for what most analysts see as an inevitable 2024 run.
