Jon Stewart calls for a “no shooting” policy after Trump’s assassination

During an interview backstage at the 2024 Emmys in Los Angeles, Jon Stewart commented on the alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Sunday and suggested that everyone should agree on a “no shooting” policy.

In Florida, a man with a rifle was spotted by Secret Service agents on Sunday as Trump was playing a round of golf. After they shot at him, he fled in a black Nissan SUV, but was soon arrested and detained. The FBI said it was investigating the incident as an apparent assassination attempt. This would be the second attempt on Trump's life after he was grazed by a bullet at a rally in Pennsylvania over the summer.

“I think you have to use the same method you would use with almost anything; you try not to get involved. Look… I think the one rule we could all benefit from in terms of deployment is 'no shooting.' No matter how angry you are, no matter who you don't like, who you hate… I think implementing a 'no shooting' policy would be the way to calm things down a little bit,” he said matter-of-factly.

Stewart added that people should not feel like we are “in the spotlight and have to make a profound statement about the moment” while we process what is happening around us. He concluded by complimenting his Daily Show colleagues and praised the news media for their breathtaking speed in reporting the events.

“These are incredibly talented producers, writers and comedians – as long as we try to stick to what we do well, we'll try to take each situation as it comes. As long as we don't fall victim to what we think is the biggest moment. We'll leave that to the actual news. Who will do great, as we've seen,” he added.