An Egyptian-born comedian who has been critical of both Donald Trump and Joe Biden called out President Biden for failing to demand a ceasefire in Gaza, The Hill reported.
Bassem Youssef said in a recent interview that he didn’t understand why minorities needed to be “blackmailed” into voting for Joe Biden. He said Biden shouldn’t be allowed to promise equality and human rights only to enable “genocide” in Gaza, and then “ask us for our vote.”
Youssef was in Washington last week as part of his latest comedy tour “Middle Beast Tour.”
According to Youssef, his latest show is a “personal story” of leaving behind his career as a heart surgeon to launch a “political satire show in Egypt.”
The former surgeon-turned-satirist fled Egypt in 2013 after he was arrested and interrogated by the government. In 2019, he became an American citizen. He said he arrived in the United States during “the most interesting political climate ever.”
While he admitted that his jokes were frequently misunderstood, Youssef said his humor is something many people could relate to.
The anti-Israel comedian said his show pokes fun at the media for its “gaslighting” and “lies” about how it was a good thing that Israel gave civilians in Gaza advanced warning of bombings.
Youssef, who at times has been described as the “Egyptian Jon Stewart,” also weighed in on Stewart’s return to “The Daily Show” after nine years away, saying it was good to have Stewart back at the helm.
Stewart stepped away from “The Daily Show” in 2015 after hosting the comedy news series for 16 years, and returned on February 12 to host every Monday through the end of the year.
Youssef said he was disappointed that Stewart was only returning for one night a week.
Stewart’s return on February 12 was met with outrage from Democrats after he mocked President Biden’s failing memory.
