Jon Stewart used his Monday night monologue on “The Daily Show” to argue that Donald Trump is facing an unusual backlash from his core supporters over the undelivered promise to release the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files. Stewart pointed to a recent Justice Department memo and an FBI statement saying the files do not exist—contradicting earlier assurances from Attorney General Pam Bondi and other Trump allies—that have prompted boos at rallies and even episodes of MAGA hat-burning. The comedian traced the revolt to months of hype from Trump surrogates, including Bondi, Vice President JD Vance and FBI Director Kash Patel, who had suggested the documents would expose political opponents. Stewart said Trump’s attempt to deflect the anger by threatening to revoke comedian Rosie O’Donnell’s U.S. citizenship underscored a familiar “distraction” tactic that, this time, appears to be falling flat with parts of the base. Stewart’s comments came as “The Daily Show” enjoys its strongest audience in a decade. Nielsen data for the April-to-June quarter show average viewership up 15 % year-over-year to roughly 393,000, with a 44 % jump in the key 18-to-49 demographic, underscoring the impact of Stewart’s return to the program.