Columbia University’s own task force investigating anti-Semitism issued a 90-page report chronicling how threats and harassment towards Jewish students have increased since October 7 and how the school failed to respond appropriately. However, Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart alleged on Monday’s edition of The Daily Show that the Trump Administration’s demands to Columbia proved they “don’t give a [bleep] about free speech” and are just about squashing opinions they don’t like.
Stewart introduced a couple of news clips by declaring, “Here's the thing. These attacks on free speech, especially the one where they deported that activist, if there is one thing that I know about the powerful principals at our higher education institutions, that they will not be bullied by a wannabe—roll 212.”
In the second clip, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi reported that one of the demands was “placing the school's Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under academic receivership for at least five years.”
For Stewart, this wasn’t because of increased violent threats or harassment but simply because students found themselves on the wrong side of the administration, “Some students are protesting the war in Gaza and suddenly a whole academic department is on double secret probation with government oversight! And by the way, okay, the Middle East part, but African studies? What the [bleep] did they do? I'm sure the African studies professor is like, ‘I teach intermediate Swahili.’”
The students facing deportation that Stewart alluded to actually support the war in Gaza; they just support the other side.
Still, Stewart rolled on and pulled out an old prop, “See, these guys don't give a [bleep] about free speech. They care about their speech! It's so blatant hypocrisy, it is so old school Daily Show gotcha, you know, I’m just going to put on the wig I wore for those years. Because the hypocrisy is just so—”
Other demands Columbia accepted that Stewart decided not to talk about included a ban on protestors wearing masks and empowering campus police.
Here is a transcript for the March 24 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
3/24/2025
11:08 PM ET
JON STEWART: Here's the thing. These attacks on free speech, especially the one where they deported that activist, if there is one thing that I know about the powerful principals at our higher education institutions, that they will not be bullied by a wannabe — roll 212.
JESSICA DEAN: Columbia University is bowing to President Trump's demands, announcing it will change a number of policies.
ALI VELSHI: Among them, placing the school's Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department under academic receivership for at least five years.
STEWART: Some students are protesting the war in Gaza and suddenly a whole academic department is on double secret probation with government oversight! And by the way, okay, the Middle East part, but African studies? What the [bleep] did they do? I'm sure the African studies professor is like, "I teach intermediate Swahili!”
See, these guys don't give a [bleep] about free speech. They care about their speech! It's so blatant hypocrisy, it is so old school Daily Show gotcha, you know, I’m just going to put on the wig I wore for those years. Because the hypocrisy is just so—
