It Doesn't Sound Like Jon Stewart Is On Board With 'Mint The Coin'

Comedy Central

The idea of minting a trillion-dollar platinum coin to work around the debt ceiling has gained some credible support in what has been just more than a week since its renewed take-off.

Rep. Jerry Nadler supports the idea. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman wrote his first print column today advocating the possibility if Republican members of Congress vote against raising the debt ceiling. Even the White House didn't flatly rule it out.

But don't count Daily Show host Jon Stewart among its supporters. He jabbed at the idea in a segment in his show on Thursday, comparing it to newly nominated Treasury Secretary Jack Lew's signature.

"I'm not an economist," Stewart said. "But if we're going to just make [stuff] up, I say go big or go home. How about a $20 trillion coin?" Or, he suggested, maybe a $1 "quillion" coin.

"We don’t need some trillion-dollar coin gimmick," Stewart said. "We need a way to get the world to take the U.S. dollar seriously again."

Then he presented Lew's signature. At least he thought the trillion-dollar coin wasn't as ridiculous as that.

"Hey, Lew, here’s a tip: stop signing all your checks on the tea cup ride at Disney World," Stewart said.

Here's the full clip, courtesy of Comedy Central:

Now see the 'IOU' plan to work around the debt ceiling >