Oklahoma state Sen. Nathan Dahm (R) on Sunday responded to his viral interview with talk show host Jon Stewart, in which Stewart interrogated Dahm’s support for the Second Amendment amid increasing gun violence and gun deaths nationwide.
“What you’re telling me is you don’t mind infringing free speech to protect children from this amorphous thing that you think of, but when it comes to children that have died, you don’t give a flying f— to stop that, because that shall not be infringed. That is hypocrisy,” Stewart concluded in his interview with the Oklahoma lawmaker on “The Problem With Jon Stewart” on Apple TV+, which racked up millions of views on social media.
Dahm, whose Twitter bio asserts he’s “Oklahoma’s most conservative State Senator,” told Tulsa’s ABC NewsChannel 8 that he took the interview because he’s “not afraid of anyone or anything.”
“I expected to be shown in a less-than-positive light. But I tried to take the opportunity to provide people with the truth. How they choose to use that is up to them. People on the left will say that Jon Stewart eviscerated me — that’s what they’re saying. People on the right will say, ‘he interrupted you every time you tried to answer a question,’ or ‘he was a bully,’” Dahm said.
Stewart had pressed Dahm on his unwillingness to support background checks and registration as part of the process for acquiring firearms, despite guns being the leading cause of death for children in the U.S. — and given his opposition to drag shows in order to, he said, protect children.
Dahm told NewsChannel 8 that the interview was “more of a conversation” between the two men and lauded Stewart’s conduct.
“There was that moment when he got heated — which he actually apologized for afterwards. Before and afterwards, Jon was very polite. We had a good conversation and everything,” Dahm said.
The state lawmaker had said on Friday that he “enjoyed” the interview “so much” that he suggested it continue “in a live & unedited format,” suggesting that conservative podcast commentator Joe Rogan host.