"They just put money into the pot" – Jon Stewart tears into President Trump's policies, calls him hungry for 'protection money'

While discussing former President Donald Trump on The Bill Simmons Podcast, filmmaker and comedian Jon Stewart issued a stern warning that if Trump got re-elected, he might “burn our f------ country down for insurance money.”

Stewart lambasted Trump’s current political move to turn the United States into a regulated democracy, describing it as turning America into a mafia. Trump’s operations turned the political business sphere into a dysfunctional mafia, where it seems that big tech and media companies are paying, or, in Stewart’s words, “protection money” to keep receiving benefits and use Trump’s goodwill.

“They just put money into the pot,” said Stewart, labeling ABC, Amazon, and Meta-Trump’s circle deal showering companies as multimillion-dollar pot sprees.

Stewart mentioned on the podcast that he was particularly shocked by reports that claimed ABC purchased a $15 million deal, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos spent $40 million on Melania Trump’s doc, and Zuckerberg also funded it—evidently just so they would not be targeted—for no good reason.

“What you’re seeing now is, ‘All must pay tribute to the king,’” lamented Stewart, saying that in his eyes, under Trump, the politicized state of America becomes a king that commands severe financial loyalty to sustain subservience.

He further lambasted Trump for his overarching wielding of power, including the claim that law firms are being forced to render pro bono legal services and change their hiring practices to lower—and possibly remove—federal funding brackets.

Although some of these directives have been deemed unconstitutional, Stewart cautioned that the damage to democratic institutions and self-governance may already be in the process of happening.

Stewart warned, “This isn’t just about money,” and went on, “It’s about forcing institutions to bow down—not out of respect, but out of fear. That’s what protection money is. It’s extortion.”

His comments capture the growing angst among critics who worry that Trump is usurping control over the way businesses, the media, and legal operators function within the United States.

CBS controversy and fears of press submission

Stewart discussed the internal conflict at CBS News, where executives are allegedly mulling over the settlement of a Trump lawsuit—one that many lawyers consider rather absurd. The settlement in particular has fueled resignations from network staff, especially concerning an alleged provision where CBS must publicly apologize. Stewart provided an account of how veteran journalists became hell-bent on not losing their principles—

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“There’s no f------ way that I’m going to apologize for doing my job the way it’s supposed to be done, just because this one guy is offended by it.”

Stewart‘s warning goes beyond CBS, suggesting concern that U.S. institutions—spooked by what a Trump administration might do—would ‘shred’ rules, stifle free speech, or purchase criticism immunities. Trump’s power, in Stewart’s reasoning, is fundamentally based on trade—with the credit being drawn not merely in cash, but in democracy.

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