Jon Stewart calls Donald Trump 'nuclear-armed man baby' amid Iran war

Jon Stewart isn't letting up on his war of words with President Donald Trump.

The late-night host, who's previously been critical of the Trump administration's role in the United States' growing war with Iran, doubled down on his stance during his monologue on "The Daily Show" Monday, March 30.

"I find it so astounding that this nuclear-armed man baby doesn't seem to have any understanding of the confusion and anxiety that his ill-planned adventure in Iran is causing this country," Stewart, 63, said. "He's just trucking along, like it's any old episode of 'The Apprentice.'"

The controversial Middle Eastern conflict began last month after the U.S. and Israel initiated strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 in a campaign that killed the nation's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and dozens of top officials and hit more than 1,250 targets inside the country.

Trump said the strikes were intended to eliminate "imminent threats" from Iran and prevent the country from obtaining a nuclear weapon. 

Stewart then proceeded to play a montage of Trump's recent interviews, in which the president can be seen going off topic after being asked about the war. In one clip, taken from Trump's appearance on the Fox News talk show "The Five," Trump compliments host Dana Perino's appearance shortly after she asked about the welfare of the Iranian people.

"You have not changed," Trump told Perino. "I'm not allowed to say this, but you may be even better-looking. I will not say that because that will end my political career. You're not allowed to say a woman's beautiful anymore."

"Honestly, his leering behavior is less 'Commander-in-Chief at war,' and more 'grandpa who's lost his filter in public,'" Stewart continued. "Instead of assuaging a nervous nation, he's just embarrassing the whole family at dinner, going, 'Hey, do you see our waitress is a busty one! Just like your grandma was.'"

White House spokesperson Olivia Wales responded to Stewart's comments in a statement to USA TODAY Tuesday.

"President Trump’s courageous decision to launch Operation Epic Fury is grounded in a truth that presidents for nearly 50 years have been talking about, but no president had the courage to confront," Wales said. "Iran poses a direct threat to the United States of America and our troops in the Middle East.

"The terrorist Iranian regime continues to be crushed by the full might of the most lethal fighting force in the world, and Jon Stewart continues to accomplish nothing except screaming bad takes into the void."

On Monday, Trump threatened to bomb civilian infrastructure in Iran, including water and power plants, if peace talks fail. Iranian officials maintain that they are not involved in direct negotiations with Washington and vowed to "severely punish aggressors."

As Tehran tightened its control over the Strait of Hormuz, which carries one-fifth of the world's oil exports, average gasoline prices in the U.S. rose above $4 a gallon for the first time since 2022.

"All we keep hearing from this administration is why the American people have to sacrifice for Trump's vision of America's greatness," Stewart said. "That these temporary disruptions are just part of the process, and why can't we be patriots?

"We have to be patient, we have to suck it up, whether it's high gas prices or whimsical tariff inflation or draconian ICE raids or temporary bill of rights suspensions. It's on us to understand, but Trump gets to be just the same old, 'Ain't I a stinker,' utterly self-absorbed, 'Remember when I used to want to [have sex with] hot girls?' ... self."

This story has been updated to add new information.

Contributing: Terry Collins, Sarah D. Wire, Josh Meyer, Zachary Schermele, Ashley Pōkiʻi Lewis, Nikol Mudrová, Kim Hjelmgaard, Christopher Cann, Bart Jansen, Cybele Mayes-Osterman, Michael Loria and Rachel Barber, USA TODAY