Jon Stewart Compares Trump Leaving the White House to Iron Man Exiting the MCU: Will MAGA ‘Buy Someone Else Running That Universe?’
If Donald Trump is the leader of the MAGA-verse, what happens after the credits roll on his presidency?
At an intimate FYC event in New York on Tuesday, the hosts of “The Daily Show” got to comparing POTUS’ universe to the MCU. That makes Jordan Klepper, who often interviews (and humiliates) Trump fans outside rallies and conventions, a recurring villain.
“I’m not the good guy in that universe, but I’m a part of it,” said Klepper, adding that “MAGA heads” often recognize him and ask for photos at Republican events. “I’m the heel, and they want to fight with me, they want to yell at me and they want to take selfies with me.”
Jon Stewart then extended the analogy. “By attaching [MAGA] to the MCU, that feels like it’s going to be non-transferable. Once they lose Iron Man” — in this case, Trump — “they can try and throw him back in there as Dr. Doom or some other fucking thing,” he said, referencing Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the franchise after Iron Man’s death in “Avengers: Endgame.” “But do you think that audience is going to buy somebody else running that universe?”
Based on Klepper’s expertise, the answer is no. “It is personality-based through and through,” he said, implying that the MAGA movement may not survive after Trump’s presidency.
“The entirety of the political punditry that talk about [how] the inheritor of the movement is going to be [Marco] Rubio or it’s going to be [JD] Vance,” Stewart said. “Actually no, it’s either going to be somebody with the Trump name and it’s a family heirloom that’s passed down, or whoever is the next leader of the Republican party will be inheriting an entirely different machine.”
Stewart and Klepper were joined by their “Daily Show” deskmates Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic, Michael Kosta and Josh Johnson for a panel at the Metrograph. The event was designed to raise awareness of the Comedy Central talk series’ campaign for Emmys. “The Daily Show” has won dozens of Emmys since Stewart took over as host in 1999; and it’s won two trophies since he returned as a part-time host in 2024.
At an intimate FYC event in New York on Tuesday, the hosts of “The Daily Show” got to comparing POTUS’ universe to the MCU. That makes Jordan Klepper, who often interviews (and humiliates) Trump fans outside rallies and conventions, a recurring villain.
“I’m not the good guy in that universe, but I’m a part of it,” said Klepper, adding that “MAGA heads” often recognize him and ask for photos at Republican events. “I’m the heel, and they want to fight with me, they want to yell at me and they want to take selfies with me.”
Jon Stewart then extended the analogy. “By attaching [MAGA] to the MCU, that feels like it’s going to be non-transferable. Once they lose Iron Man” — in this case, Trump — “they can try and throw him back in there as Dr. Doom or some other fucking thing,” he said, referencing Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the franchise after Iron Man’s death in “Avengers: Endgame.” “But do you think that audience is going to buy somebody else running that universe?”
Based on Klepper’s expertise, the answer is no. “It is personality-based through and through,” he said, implying that the MAGA movement may not survive after Trump’s presidency.
“The entirety of the political punditry that talk about [how] the inheritor of the movement is going to be [Marco] Rubio or it’s going to be [JD] Vance,” Stewart said. “Actually no, it’s either going to be somebody with the Trump name and it’s a family heirloom that’s passed down, or whoever is the next leader of the Republican party will be inheriting an entirely different machine.”
Stewart and Klepper were joined by their “Daily Show” deskmates Ronny Chieng, Desi Lydic, Michael Kosta and Josh Johnson for a panel at the Metrograph. The event was designed to raise awareness of the Comedy Central talk series’ campaign for Emmys. “The Daily Show” has won dozens of Emmys since Stewart took over as host in 1999; and it’s won two trophies since he returned as a part-time host in 2024.