Jon Stewart Slams Trump for Fixating on Oil During Venezuela Conflict

On this week’s episode of “The Daily Show,” Jon Stewart went after Donald Trump for fixating on oil after launching airstrikes on the Venezuelan capital and capturing the nation’s president, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores.

“Now look, generally, in American history, when we intervene in another country, whether true or not, we come up with a high-minded pretense,” Stewart said partway through Monday night’s broadcast. “Liberating a people, spreading democracy, introducing baseball to the Japanese. They complained at first, but totally worth it. On what moral foundation will this conflict be framed?”

The show then cut to footage of a press conference on the morning after the strikes, where Trump told reporters, “We’re going to have a presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil. We’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be.”

“Seems a little on the nose,” Stewart joked. “Oil, precious commodity, certainly. But not the reason a country formed 250 years ago on the ideas of liberty and self-determination would go into a country and snatch a man at night. There must be a slightly more noble pretense?”

Stewart then cut to Trump on Air Force One, where he told a gaggle of press, “We need total access. We need access to the oil.”

“Sir, again, I see where we are going here,” added a frustrated Stewart. “Do you mind reframing that? I’m not quite clear on the high-minded principle behind this.”

Stewart then played another clip from the Saturday press conference, where Trump plainly stated, “In other words, we’ll be selling oil.”

The late-night pundit then exclaimed, “Is this your first war? What the fuck?”

Watch the entire monologue below.