Jon Stewart Savages Trump for ‘Happily Lighting the Fuse’ on LA ‘Tinderbox’ With ICE Raids

Comedian Jon Stewart opened The Daily Show on Monday by savaging President Donald Trump’s ICE raid blitz in Los Angeles – “our most flammable city” – which he argued predictably triggered widespread protests and riots across the city over the weekend.

“This weekend’s combustion was the very predictable result of a liberal city reliant on an immigrant population colliding with a heavy-handed MAGA migrant-trolling operation looking to hit its quota of Brown Pokémen,” Stewart said. “Gotta catch ’em all. Yes, America!”

The raids were conducted across Southern California, including an ICE sweep at a Home Depot parking lot in Paramount, and involved the arrest of migrants beyond those with criminal records. The location was not wasted on Stewart, who eagerly played back clips of Trump on the campaign trail promising to deport the “worst of the worst” in the form of criminal migrants “first.”

Stewart pounced: “A Home Depot? From the worst of the worst to a fucking Home Depot? Jeez, ICE, if you need assistance in arresting people, you know, those guys are looking for work, so…”

According to Stewart, the administration has turned the situation into a powder keg, with Trump eagerly “lighting the fuse.”

“It’s an explosive situation on the cusp of federalism versus states’ rights, border control versus due process, terrifyingly militarized sweeps versus hard-working people in local communities,” he said. “The United States Marines versus the Postmates guy who brought you an egg sandwich. It’s going to require a deft and firm, experienced and wise – I think you know where I’m going with this… A deft touch from leadership in Washington.”

The host went on to mock Trump’s approach, calling in the National Guard and deploying Marines, by branding him “Mr. Churchill.”

Stewart then ripped into White House aide Stephen Miller, who reportedly demanded 3,000 arrests per day.

“So now, predictably, these non-targeted, much broader deportation efforts in cities that feel very connected to the immigrant population is a tinderbox,” he said. “And Trump happily lights the fuse.”

As clashes between protesters and law enforcement intensified across LA – complete with tear gas, vandalized Waymo self-driving cars, and viral footage of police on horseback – Stewart painted the chaos as not just foreseeable, but politically useful to the administration.

Stewart ended by turning the lens on Trump’s motives.

“Why escalate this shit now?” he asked. “Oh, right – Elon Musk is now accusing Trump of being in the Epstein files.”

Watch above via Comedy Central.