After reading off the mock executive orders, Stewart faced the camera (the dead rodent no longer nestled atop his head) and addressed the American public.

“It is going to take relentless stamina, vigilance, and every institutional check and balance this great country can muster to keep me, Donald J. Trump, from going full Palpatine,” he said, referencing the tyrannical villain of the Star War series.

Stewart ended the bit with a more hopeful tone, asking Americans to keep fighting.

“No one action will be adequate. All actions will be necessary,” he said. “And if we do not allow Donald Trump to exhaust our fight and somehow come through this presidency calamity-less and constitutionally partially intact, then I, Donald J. Trump, will have demonstrated the greatness of America—just not the way I thought I was gonna.”

Stewart ended his 17-year run as host of Comedy Central’s The Daily Show in 2015, and has since stayed mostly out of the public eye. He’s now working on developing an animation production studio for HBO, which will churn out bite-sized satirical videos for the pay-cable network’s online platforms. HBO brass initially hoped those would be ready before the US presidential election ended last year, but it’s now February, and we’re still waiting for Stewart’s project to materialize.

📬 Sign up for the Daily Brief

Our free, fast, and fun briefing on the global economy, delivered every weekday morning.