American comedian Jon Stewart jokes about annexing Belgium on Instagram

American comedian Jon Stewart has jokingly “claimed” Belgium in a post on Instagram. The presenter of the satirical programme “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central is thus poking fun at the territorial ambitions of US president Donald Trump, who has set his sights on Greenland. Stewart is giving Belgium “48 hours” to respond to his supposed claim.

“We want Belgium!!!”, Stewart writes on Instagram. “Why should Belgium have all the Belgium?? We want it!!” According to the comedian, the United States cannot take the risk of China and Russia getting their hands on “their delicious pralines”. “If you do not give us Belgium we will no longer let the Jacksonville Jaguars play football in Germany,” he threatens jokingly. “You have 48 hours...”

The post was quickly followed by responses from Belgian politicians, who clearly appreciated the joke. Sammy Mahdi, leader of the Flemish Christian democrats of CD&V, wrote: “I pray that Trump realises this is a joke.” Brussels MP Celia Groothedde of Groen, the Flemish Greens, responded that “Trump still thinks Brussels is a ‘shithole’, and that's totally fine. Don’t give him ideas ok?”

Other Belgians gave Stewart a few warnings. “I must warn you that we have absolutely nothing in our soil other than potatoes that we like to turn into fries and one of the highest tax rates on the planet,” someone wrote. Someone else argued that the invasion would fail because “the road signs are in two languages and you will have to stop in every bar to have a drink”.

Stewart had already taken aim at Trump and his territorial plans last week on “The Daily Show”. There, he criticised the absurd logic behind a possible annexation of Greenland.

“If only we could deter China or Russia from annexing Greenland in some other way,” Stewart joked. “We could form an alliance with Denmark and Greenland. Maybe even with all the North Atlantic countries. What would we call it? A North Atlantic Treaty Organisation or something... Oh well, we'll never know.”

^{Political commentator-comedian Jon Stewart of 'The Daily Show' © PHOTO Amy Katz/ZUMA Press Wire}