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The Daily Show host Jon Stewart had two secret meetings with President Barack Obama at the White House over the last five years, according to Politico. The president summoned Stewart in the midst of two major political battles, though it's unclear exactly what they discussed over coffee.
Stewart had coffee with Obama at the White House in 2011 and 2014. On one visit to the White House, Stewart jokingly said that he felt like he was being called into the principal's office. The 2011 meeting was during budget fights in October. The 2014 meeting was right before Obama made an address about Russia and Ukraine - and Russian President Vladimir Putin in February.
The 2011 coffee chat went on while Obama was trying to pass his jobs bill in Congress. It was also as he was gearing up his campaign for reelection.
"The White House itself was quite interested in at least explaining its side of the story to Jon Stewart," said Austan Goolsbee, a top Obama aide.
These meetings were apparently held because of how much Stewart's voice matters, especially to young people. Politicians across both sides of the divide readily acknowledge the influence that he and The Daily Show have. Stewart regularly alerts his millions of viewers to certain issues and otherwise, well, boring topics that they may not have known or cared about without him.
Stewart will be leaving The Daily Show on August 6, and Trevor Noah will be replacing him. Noah has faced some criticism already, but he's standing tall and preparing for the highly anticipated job.
Obama has appeared on The Daily Show several times. He was there most recently on last Tuesday's episode, talking about the Iran nuclear deal, Donald Trump and healthcare. Obama also lamented that Stewart is leaving the show, joking that he'd placed an executive order that Stewart could never go.
