Jon Stewart on Deep State: Leans deny

The claim: A hidden network of unelected officials secretly controls US government policy.

2025-07-10: “Trump "rode the power of, quote unquote, the secret knowledge, to light up his audiences, to drive them mad with injustice and how they were going to fight it. There was this deep state and they all knew about it.” source
2025-08-13: “But this concept of the "deep state" is very powerful and can be used by anyone who has concerns about how the government will use its authority.” source
2025-08-13: “Kash Patel and Dan Bongino are "deep state" types. They are the ones who say: "The ' deep state' is a problem."” source
2025-08-13: “It's the part of the state that's very, well , embedded there. You can't, you can't get it out, it's a splinter in the heart of the body politic that is corrupting everything.” source
2025-08-14: “I will maintain that the "deep state" ended up cutting off Devlin Barrett's transmission and that's why he was no longer there.” source