“I was wrong”: Stewart was “prepared for all the scenarios” except Trump victory

Jon Stewart wasn’t prepared for Donald Trump’s decisive electoral victory on Tuesday.

During the latest episode of his “The Weekly Show” podcast, Stewart joked that the country had entered “season two of ‘America Presents: The S**tshow,’” but acknowledged Trump’s resurgence felt different.

“[2016] was a gut punch, in a way, because it felt like such a fait accompli that the Democrats were gonna win,” he said. “It felt like an anomaly. This feels different because it is a democratic victory.”

In the election post-mortem with historian Heather Cox Richardson, Stewart revealed that Trump winning the popular vote was not a possibility he had considered before Tuesday night.

“I feel like we were prepared for all the scenarios, and in each one of those scenarios, it was: ‘How is Donald Trump going to finagle his way back into [the White House]?'” Stewart said. “‘What measure of intimidation and underhanded [shenanigans] will this man use to worm his way back?’”

The part-time host of “The Daily Show”  said he never would have guessed Trump would “use our electoral system as designed.” 

“I was wrong,” Stewart said. “I’d love to sit back and think about the autopsy and where you move from there, but I think I still feel as though I’m in that moment of vertigo to some extent.”

Stewart continued to harp on a message he’d shared earlier the week, encouraging his fans not to despair. He said that he still believes in America in spite of Trump’s victory.

“I still believe in this country, and I still believe in individuals, and I still believe in the power of change and organization, goodness, competence,” he said. “I mean, for God’s sake, the Mets made the playoffs.”