Jon Stewart calls for ‘no shooting’ policy after Trump assassination attempt

During an interview backstage at the 2024 Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, Jon Stewart addressed the alleged assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on Sunday, suggesting that a “no-shoot” policy be adopted by all.

On Sunday, a gunman was spotted by Secret Service agents in Florida while Trump was golfing. After being targeted, he fled in a black Nissan SUV, but was quickly apprehended and taken into custody. The FBI said it is investigating the incident as an assassination attempt. It would be the second attempt on Trump’s life, after he was shot at a rally in Pennsylvania this summer.

“I think you have to apply the same methodology that you use for almost everything: you have to try not to get caught up in it. Look… I think the one rule that we could all benefit from in terms of engagement is ‘don’t shoot.’ No matter how angry you are, no matter who you don’t like, who you hate… I think having a ‘don’t shoot’ policy would be the way to take the pressure off,” he said, quite objectively.

Stewart added that people shouldn’t “feel like they’re in the spotlight to make a profound statement in the moment” as we process what’s happening around us. He then turned his response into a compliment about his Daily show colleagues and congratulated the media for covering the events at a frenetic pace.

“They’re incredibly talented producers, writers, comedians. As long as we try to stick to what we do well, I think, we’ll try to take any situation as it comes. As long as we don’t fall prey to what we think is this big moment. We’ll leave that to the news. Who does it best, as we’ve seen,” he added.