Jon on Trump’s Trade War, Attacks on DEI & Myth of “Meritocracy” | Mo Amer - The Daily Show: Ears Edition

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[00:01]
A
You're listening to Comedy Central from the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, John Stewart.
[00:41]
B
Hi, everybody. Welcome. My name is Jon Stewart. Let me tell you, we got a fantastic show for you tonight. We're going to do our program. Later on in the program, we're going to be talking to comedian, writer, director, auteur Mo Amer. That's coming up in a bit. Very excited about that. But first, if I could have just a moment of your time. Let's talk about America's lord and savior, Donald Jehoshapheffer Trump. They're not booing. They're saying Bruce for no apparent reason. When Trump ran for president, he had an urgent message about the state of our country. Our country is being lost. We're a failing nation. We are a nation in decline. We have to fight for our country, and we have to fight like we've never fought before. It's like we're a giant garbage can. How dare you. If anything, America is a recycling bin.
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America.
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Useless and made almost entirely of plastic. But that's it. We have to fight to save our country. And now Daddy's home and he's about to take out the trash. And two weeks into the Trump presidency, we have a better sense of the evil and powerful forces that have been dragging our once great nation into decline. The Trump administration removed transgender references from federal government websites.
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It now reads LGBT instead of lgbt.
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They have no idea the damage T was doing to our nation. Consonants. Because I think you'll agree with me, there is no T in usa if you spell it out, obviously that becomes an issue. And if you want a BLT for lunch, things can get ugly. But nothing will stop America's low tea like no tea. What other changes are making us great again? The Trump administration ordering all gender ideology references be removed, including pronouns and email signatures. Oh, yeah. Consonants and pronouns, your next prepositions. No more pronouns and email signatures. Good luck signing your emails now. President Xi. Or should I say President him? Those are just the actions that this president has taken to prove that he's still kind of a dick. But believe me, he hasn't taken his eye off of America's true nation state enemies. President Trump is reiterating his threat to, quote, take back the Panama Canal. Trump suggesting he could use military force to take Greenland. President Trump had a fiery phone call with Denmark's prime minister, putting the NATO ally in crisis mode. Denmark, Panama, Greenland, the axis of where are now? Lest you think that pronouns and Panama were the twin forces shackling America to a prison of national decay. There are also more powerful forces at play in this dangerous world, some of them closer than what you might have ever imagined. A new era of trade wars. Trump says tariffs are coming on Canada and Mexico and even the European Union. What is happening? The eu, Canada. Do we have any friends? I mean, Mexico. I get Trump's been hate Mexico pretty much since the escalator. That's the truth. But Canada cannot, huh? We're picking a fight with our most reliable and pleasant friend, the Labradoodle of allies. But I guess that's Trump tough, you know what I mean? You gotta walk into the prison yard, walk right up to the one guy who really doesn't seem to be a problem at all, and just, yeah, take that best friend who has willingly signed up to fight in every ridiculous war we've ever gotten into. Let that be a lesson to the rest of the world. We are a terrible friend. Denmark, Panama and Canada are America. We used to fight the Nazis. Now we're scouring the globe for Easy March. What do we laugh? The Jake Paul of nations. I know. Is that what we're doing? No offense. I know China's out there, but Panama's a legitimate fight. In fact, I'm gonna call everyone out in FIFA's CONCACAF division. Yeah. Oh, Trinidad and Tobago, you gotta gang up, huh? That. Honestly, like, I can't believe you laughed at a CONCACAF joke. Soccer is back, bab. Oh, look at me getting all skewed in the tie. Now, in Trump's defense, he did explain today why we're going after Canada. I mean, I look at some of the deals made, I say, who the hell made these deals are so bad. So bad. The trade deals with Canada, they're so bad. He's just looking and saying, who made these? Ladies and gentlemen, don't. Don't get ahead of me. Ladies and gentlemen, for your dining and dancing pleasure, come with me into the wayback machine to 2018. I give you the culprit of the terrible deal with Canada. This morning, President Trump signed a new trade deal to replace NAFTA with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. The best trade deal they say ever made. No. A deal done by Trump's greatest nemesis. Trump. Now, hold on. This trade war has awoken a sleeping giant. Not Canada, not Mexico. But the Democratic minority Senate leader. Release the Schumer. It's going to affect beer. Okay? Most of it. Corona here comes from Mexico. It's going to affect your guac, because what Is guacamole made of avocados? Your response to the trade war is to tell us guacamole is made of avocados. Is that what when the people found out. When the people find out. The precious super bowl dip is comprised of mainly avocado, also tomato, sometimes onion. It's a bit much for me, obviously, with the spilkes and. Excuse me one second, Democrats, can you please stop trotting Schumer out there every time Trump traverses into the unreal. He's not good at this. What is the decision making process here? Hey, who should we get out there to effectively battle one of the most savvy presidential media manipulators in history? I don't know. How about Schumer? He's uninteresting, but at least he's monotone. Oh, wait, and Chuck, before you go out there, you look too young. Put on these readers and lower them on your nose. Perfect. Honestly, listening to Chuck Schumer speak on almost any topic makes me want to bomb Canada. Kidding, of course. By the way, we have a couple of Canadians here from Montreal and I don't want to upset them because I'm going to need an apartment soon. Now, before we, now before we get rattled by Trump's two to two and a half front trade war, please understand Mexico has already today received a 30 day stay on tariffs by promising 10,000 troops to the border. And we've promised to stop the inflow of guns. So self invented, crisis averted. But what can Canada do? I'm sure there's an equally performative gesture Canada could make. What? I'd like to see Canada become our 51st state, Mexico, you just send a few troops to the border, but Canada, if you could, I don't know, cease to exist as an independent entity. Fair. What's that? Mexico? No, no, there's only 51 states. There's no 50 seconds. I'm sorry, hold on one sec. Washington D.C. go. All right. What's that? Puerto Rico? No, it's Canada. I think you know why. I think you know why. Canada. All right. Of course. By the way, since we even were writing this show at like 4pm, Trump has already said now he's going to pause the tariff war with Canada as well because of course it makes sense to wrap up the trade war right now so that we as a country can focus on the biggest thing that's weakening our great nation. Diversity, equity and inclusion. Yes, dei, diversity, equity and inclusion. MAGA worlds blamed this scourge for everything from the fires in California to the attack on Bourbon street, to inflation, to the Baltimore bridge collapse. To why your children are confused about the race of mermaids. Mermaids, boys and girls are gingers. They've always been that. The latest example being the plane crash in Washington. It was the DEI est. But don't take my word for it. Let's let MTV's Road Rules star and Fox and Friends B teamer explain dei. You can't focus on diversity, equity and inclusion when you try to hire air traffic controllers. You want the best. You want the brightest, protecting yourself and your family. We will have the best and brightest in every position possible. It is colorblind and merit based. Look, there's a lot of reasons why the FAA is in a bad place, but these guys would have you believe that the main problem is that standards were somehow lowered to make sure that a black person or a gay person gets a chance to land your plane. Even though the requirements to become an air traffic controller are the same. But by culture warring this tragedy, Americans spent that terrible night holding their breath that the pilot or the air traffic controller wouldn't be a woman or a black person or in a wheelchair. Because what they're trying to do is make the default setting on competence in America a white guy. That's what this is, a reset to the factory default. Because of course these two are there purely based on merit and smart and it's just taken for granted. It undercuts every black person, person of color, woman in this country that the job that they have, they don't deserve. It's, it's the mantra in the Republican Party that gives you brain turning moments like this in the United States of America we get ahead and succeed by merit and merit alone. Yes, merit and merit alone says RNC chairwoman Lara. Hold on, let me get my glasses. Trump. It was a blind submission. Never saw her name on the application. That's the irony of this whole thing. The people standing next to Trump on that terrible night blaming DEI and trying to reinstall white guys as the only non suspect pool of hires are themselves DEI hires for one particular identity that they possess the ass kisser. The President's leadership has been remarkable during this crisis. Mr. President, you make our jobs a lot easier. I want to echo what the Transportation Secretary said about your leadership. Thank you for your leadership and courage on. I think you make a really important point on that, Mr. President. The President is right. And again, I want to thank you for your leadership, Mr. President. Dei sucking ego inflation. Obviously, if you think of sucking as a compound work but you can gaslight us all you want, because the one thing you didn't count on is our secret weapon. The roots of democracy are deep. People are aroused. I haven't seen people so aroused in a very, very long time. In terms of going. Trying to get this aroused. For more on DEI and what it's going to do to our country, let's go live to the White House correspondent Josh Johnson. Josh, nice to see you, sir. Let me ask you. I know this is an important subject to you. Josh, what are you hearing about the DEI initiatives? John, what this administration is doing is dangerous. It is the perversion of the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. They've turned it into a nightmare where the content of a. Of a person's character is judged by the color judge by the color of their skin. From the White House, I'm Desi Lydic. Wait, what's going on? I'm sorry, Desi. This is. This is Josh's. Hmm. Oh, you guys didn't get the executive order? We can't do DEI anymore. You're replacing me. But you're a woman. Yeah, a white woman. White woman beats black guy. Look, white women don't make the rules. We just tacitly embrace them through our overwhelming support of Donald Trump as a voting bloc. We should be on the same side. Okay? White women, black men, both held down by the white man. Yes, but the white man is my husband, and sometimes he lets me have rights as a treat. And I love my little treats. I'm sorry, Desi, but what about the executive orders Changes our current situation? Well, the fact is that DEI is over, John, which means only the most competent people will. Hoisted with my own petard.
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That's right. It's totally petarded.
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Which is something we can say now, thanks to Trump. And thank you, Desi, but I'll take it from here. You can go back to the milking room or wherever women lay eggs. Oh, come on. No, no, no, no. This is bullshit. I stole this job from Josh on merit. Isn't this the problem, guys? Trump's reducing us to rungs on a racial and gender hierarchy. We shouldn't be ranking our identities. Exactly. But if we did, I should outrank Desi. I mean, back me up here, Kosta. At the end of the day, we both got hogs.
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Oh, yeah.
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No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It goes race, then gender, then height, and then the tiebreaker is a list of establishments your father owns. Listen up, ptards. All right, I don't see sex or color.
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Okay?
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I Just see SAT scores. And I don't mean to brag, but the kid, my par for me knocked it out of the park. Oh, oh, I'm sorry, are we talking SAT scores?
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No, no, no, no, no, no.
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Really? No, no, we're not talking. We're not talking your SAT scores. Oh, yeah, that's right. Because it's all about merit and high test scores until it looks like this. And then suddenly we gotta defend the white boys like it's a rape case at Kappa Sigma Phi that was settled out of court. Yeah, yeah, it's all. It's all meritocracy until we get those H1Bs and take your coding jobs and. Oh, it's not fair. Does black beat Asian? No. No. Your days are numbered. Costa Chang out. Back to you, John. Thank you very much, Michael. You know, I guess if there's one thing that we've learned here today, is it because of the Jewish thing or the H thing?
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Does it matter?
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I guess that is. When we come back, my guest will be Mo Amer. Stick around. I'm gentile stewards. Hey. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight. Oh, he's lovely. My guest tonight, a writer and stand up comedian. He stars in the Peabody Award winning Netflix series, Mo. Please welcome Mo Ammon. Haven't seen my manager. No, you.
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No, you sit. I can't sit before you sit. You sit. No, you sit.
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Hospitality.
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Hospitality, my man. How's it going?
[21:32]
B
Show's so good.
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Thank you.
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B
Season two. It just is out on Netflix right now, right now. And people should watch. I. I binged it. And it's just. Let me tell you something that bothers me a little bit. And this is not. I'm not trying to obviously, you know, get off on the wrong foot. And obviously there's a lot to talk about.
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Is it what bothers you? I want to know. So friends and mine, people leaving their windows open on aircrafts. Because that's.
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Oh, my God. Yes. So frustrated. What do you do?
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What are you looking at at 7am.
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Out there trying to keep things quiet.
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Yeah.
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When you're so funny and your comedy is so good. And then I find out watching this show that you're also a great actor. And that bothers me. You're so good.
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I've seen Big Daddy. I've seen. Thank you. Tremendous, tremendous.
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You know, my kids don't even believe that that was me. That's how, that's how bad erosion has taken its course.
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Thank you so much.
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You can get to like a very emotional place in this thing. In a way. And I've known you for a very long time, and I know that you cry all the time, just generally.
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Why are you doing this?
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How was that like, to even get to that?
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The crying? Yeah, I mean. I mean, you know, it was my first experience of that in the first season in the confessional. But really, it's just, you know, it's such a personal story.
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Right.
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And I mean, some of the things that we're doing in the show was like, recreating actual memories of mine with my grandmother. I mean, that's. I'm like Grammy. You know what I mean? It's a very painful thing to go through. But I also knew that it was the realest way to tell the story. It's the most grounded way to tell the story. And it's very hard. And you have to be as controlled and composed as possible, and sometimes you lose it, and that's okay.
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Right. And it's also, you know, for those who don't know. So it's the story. Your story is complex. And it's. You're born in Kuwait, right?
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Yep.
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Then you have to flee.
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Correct.
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And you end in Houston.
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Yes. Which is the natural place you land.
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Most people go from Kuwait, generally to Fort Worth. Fort Worth. Houston is also. And so what's so interesting about your story is what's great about the show is you don't sugarcoat the absurd measures that we in this country have around our immigration system and the various questions and steps. There's one of my favorite scenes in the show in the second season. I love the first one, too. But you're trying to get. He gets kidnapped and taken to Mexico.
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Yeah.
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And now he's gotta get back as a stateless person.
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Right.
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You're there. You need this. What's called a les passe.
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Correct.
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What is that?
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I don't know. I don't know. It's basically like a pass, a day pass to reenter the country legally since I exited illegally.
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Right.
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But there's, like this, you know, blurred line, and my character obviously runs with it. I was kidnapped. You know, the whole thing would play up in the show. Right. But it's about re. Entering back. And I want to, you know, speak about this like we, you know, I deliberately wanted him to be stuck in Mexico, and I wanted to show the journey of a refugee. Right. Because the first season is. He's already there.
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Right, right.
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And to see.
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You're in Houston.
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You're in Houston. The show takes place in Houston with some minor flashbacks here and there to show, like, the beginning of their story. But. But, you know, I wanted people to see what it takes to actually get to America. Cause most people see, oh, immigrants are coming, Asylees are coming, and they immediately think they're gonna become American citizens, like, overnight. It's a long process. And I also wanted to show how absurd the system is. And I wanted to see for people to see. Like, also, my character's also very privileged in this scenario. You know, he's crossing the border. He ends up in a. Some spoilers here.
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Speaks English perfectly.
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Speaks English perfectly.
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Quotes Hank Williams all the time.
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And that happened to me, actually, when I would travel overseas to do standup and I would come back in the. And I would be in the immigration because I didn't have a passport. I had a refugee travel document. And I'd be on the side, and they would look at me like, do you speak English? I'm like, yelling and speaking slowly doesn't fix it. If I don't speak English, I don't speak English. And I would reply and I would be like, whoa, okay. Oh, this is nice. Yeah, well, you're nice.
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B
And you start quoting Hank Williamson and.
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Started quoting Hank Williams song. No, but that was the idea was to show the absurdity of the system itself, to show how privileged the character is as well, Even though he's an asylee and a refugee. I mean, there's a scene in a detention center where there's a detainee there talking about how he has to, you know, had to go through mudslides and jungles and snakes and then the cartel and drank the juice of a Vienna sausage can. And he looks at me, he's like, how'd you get here? I'm like, I took a bus. Mexico it.
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But what it really demonstrates is the tenuousness that somebody who is stateless or on these asylum papers or in this process, like, you can't up at all. Like, you can't make one mistake. At one point, they put the. You get deported.
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Yes.
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Because as an. It's a great scene. And he meets the ambassador of Mexico because he needs the laissez passe.
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Yeah, that's the only way. So I'm stuck in Mexico. I have to get to the ambassador. Really, the only way I can re enter legally is for him to sign off on laissez passe, which is extremely hard to get.
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He finally gets in to see the ambassador to Mexico, and it's there. It's right there in front of him. And they happen to get on a conversation about Israel, Palestine. And the ambassador doesn't use the word.
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Yeah, occupation, Occupation, that's right.
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And Mo. And this is so great in the scene because he's right there, just blows up the whole process and goes, that's it. I'm out.
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Well, yeah, it's like something you just can't let go of. I mean, he says a peaceful end of the conflict. And, you know, there's so much complexity to it. I mean, so many layers, nuance to it and history to it. And it's just frustrating. I couldn't let it go. I mean, I. It's really from my own life, really. If I'm sitting there, I will not be able to let it go. And he could have solved everything. I could have said it, but I will never be able to figure myself. And I thought, how funny would that be if he's just a massive up in the show and just. But he's like, has his morals intact and his ethics intact.
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But even bringing that complexity, you know, you have this whole complexity of statelessness and asylum and all the process they have to go through through the first season. And a special needs brother who is fashioned out of your actual brother.
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Yes.
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Who's got on the spectrum but doesn't know it.
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Yes.
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And is almost 40.
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Yes. Oh, my brother's older than that now, but yes, in the show. Yes.
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Yes, in the show.
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Yes.
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And in this season, you couldn't also escape the Israel, Palestine of it all.
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Correct.
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And the complexity of that must have brought to the writers room to your heart. And you and I have talked about this a lot.
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Oh, so easy. Like, no, no, I'm sorry to cut you off, but it's like the way to just ease the tension because it was excruciating making the show right. It was absolutely one of the. And I feel shameful even saying it was excruciating or painful to know what they were going through in Gaza. Like, I really. Oof. You know, it's a hard one to swallow, but, you know, there were so many voices like, are you gonna talk about October 7th? You have to talk about it. You can't not talk about it. And everyone has their own opinions. And I discussed it with you thoroughly, and you were just like the best human on earth. Like, thank you. So. No, really, because in a moment where I felt. I felt so lonely, you were one of the people that I could call and really talk to about this. And it was very difficult. And then it was very easy once, you know, I spoke to you and I, you know, obviously the Writing room was integral to this process. And I love them so much for having such difficult conversations. Because we started on April 1, we went on strike May 1. We came back October 1 of 23, six days later, the only Palestinian show on television. You can imagine the conversations that were had. And so I decided, like, absolutely not. We're not going to talk about October 7th. There's several problems with it. Number one is that, you know, it's been a year, you know, since we started productions. You have a whole year that elapsed that, you know, so many things could change and you could write something that wouldn't be correct. Second of all is that now, you know, it needs a lot of context. Everything that you write about October 7th makes it sound like everything started on October 7th. And I felt like it was a trap. It really felt like every time we went down that rabbit hole, the show just became didactic and we lost everything. It became like a full blown drama. And this is a comedy show.
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B
Right.
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A
And it's a massive disservice to the characters. Let the characters tell the story. Let's build off of that and it'll take us exactly where we need to go. And that's what happened.
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B
I think what you did so well that I was so impressed with was navigating all those artistic difficulties. What you seem to settle on was. And it's a show about statelessness and not belonging. And in that final episode, you show that connection to the land that your family has, to the land that your father in that, you know, he has a videotape of his father. An actual, real videotape of your actual father.
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A
Yes, that's correct.
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B
Unfortunately, you lost his father.
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A
He passed away in 95. Correct.
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B
And to see that, it made it all. I thought it was such a beautiful moment that contextualized this in such a way of humanity, of like, oh, right. It's just people who live on a plot of land with some olive trees who've been there since their grandparents and their great grandparents. And boy, you did it just so beautifully. Mo, I can't give you enough flowers for. And I know there's always that you just said, like, the pressure on. You're the only Palestinian chosen. You have to do it right this way or you've got to tell the Israeli story. The thing about art that you did so well was you told your story. Yeah, it's just one story, but boy, is it resonant, and boy, is it funny and complex and beautiful like you. And I just so appreciate you.
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A
Thank you. I Appreciate that. Thank you very much.
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B
Really.
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A
Thank you.
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B
Special.
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A
Thank you.
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B
Now, I'll also say this. I've also seen you riding a moped, and that's very funny.
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A
Well, I gotta do this to me. I ride motorcycles. Okay.
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B
That's right. Except when you're in Ohio.
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A
Okay. Maybe in Ohio, during the pandemic, I was riding mopeds, but other than that. And then people were making fun of me. Cause I was bigger than the moped. Everyone was like, maybe you should get a motorcycle. I was like, fine. And I was divorced right then and there at that time. So I was like, maybe eight motorcycles. You know what I mean? It just kept buying more motorcycles. It was, like, so upset.
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B
That's what divorce guys do.
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A
But now that's it.
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B
You're married. You got a kid.
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Married to have a kid. He's backstage.
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B
He's backstage right now.
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A
He's backstage.
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B
Now this. Do you feel like this is completed? And now it's off to the races for standup and all the other things that you do.
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A
Yeah, I'm touring. I'm doing the El Oso Palestino tour, which is based off of a character in the show, which translates to the Palestinian Bear Comedy Tour. But, yeah, no, I'm doing that. I'm going into the next special. But. But there's so much more story to tell. I mean, there's so much more to do. But yeah, and you mentioned, like, the ankle monitor. I do get deported in the. Yeah, but it's also. It's gonna confuse people because. How'd you get deported? But there's a thing. It's actually very, very common.
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B
This is explained in the show, actually. It's crazy.
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A
It's very, very common. You can get deported and released on your own recognizance, which means you're deported, but you can stay.
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B
Right.
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A
But you're deported.
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Yeah. You played it like an Abbott and Casella routine on the show. He's like, it really is. So I'm deported. Yes. But I can't leave. Correct.
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A
Yes. Let's.
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B
Were the reasons that you were giving in the show for that? Are those real? Could you not be deported because they wouldn't send you to pal because you're stateless.
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Yeah, because you're stateless. No, but this is apparently a really common thing, whether you're stateless or not. I thought, you know, you don't want Palestinians returning anyway, so stop. You're not gonna deport them. We're gonna deport you back to where. Oh, you're Palestinians. Stay in Houston, relax a little bit. We'll give you a do your thing. But no, it's apparently, like, really, really common. I forgot what the percentage is, but it's in like the 30 plus percentile.
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B
Oh, wow.
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Where people get deported regularly, but they can stay.
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B
Can I ask, this was the ankle monitor thing.
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I know. Look at this guy. He's so confused, right?
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Oh, yeah. Jaw dropped.
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His brain almost short circuited.
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B
Yeah. The ankle bracelet, does it have a communication device? Is that a real thing?
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A
It is. It is a real thing. We had someone consult on the show who was actually. Was in a detention center and was random. It's all at random. You get an ankle device just like, hey, you know, you're number seven. Sorry, the first six didn't get it, but.
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But you got it.
[35:02]
A
And then that's not real to my life. But when I heard about it, I'm like, we gotta put that in the show. It's gonna be hilarious because the guy could chime in at any moment in time and be like, please tell me your location. Like, that could really happening. I mean, how embarrassing and horrible is that?
[35:19]
B
So it was one of my favorite moments of the show. You're having. You have very painful discussions with your old girlfriend and you guys, and they have a really painful discussion. They break up and you just hear from the ankle monitor. Brutal.
[35:31]
A
Brutal.
[35:36]
B
You saw it. Such a great moment. My brother. My brother, I love you so much. I'm so. Just. Just delighted for you in your life and in your art and all those different things. And I can't wait to see what the next thing is.
[35:51]
A
Thank you so much, man. I love you so much, John. Thank you so much.
[35:54]
B
Mo. Season 2 is available on Netflix. Mo Albert. Taking a quick break. Be right back after this. My man. Hey. That is our show for tonight. Jackie Lynek will be your host for the rest of the week. Here it is, your moment of death. I like nepotism. You know, if you can't take care of your kids, you know that better than I. Look at your brother. Jennifer was a big fan of I like nepotism. I think, you know, a lot of people say, oh, nepotism. Usually these are people without children, but I like nepotism.
[36:37]
A
Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus Paramount podcasts.

Summary5 min read

Podcast Summary: The Daily Show: Ears Edition Episode: Jon on Trump’s Trade War, Attacks on DEI & Myth of “Meritocracy” | Mo Amer
Release Date: February 4, 2025
Hosts: Jon Stewart and The Daily Show News Team
Guest: Mo Amer, Comedian, Writer, Director, Auteur

Introduction

In this episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition, host Jon Stewart delves into the contentious topics of former President Donald Trump's trade policies, his administration's attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), and the purported myth of meritocracy in America. The episode culminates with an in-depth conversation with Mo Amer, a renowned comedian and creator of the Peabody Award-winning Netflix series Mo.

Trump’s Trade War and Foreign Policy

Timestamp [00:40]:
Jon Stewart opens the show with a satirical take on Donald Trump's presidency, mocking his rhetoric about America being a "giant garbage can" and later, a "recycling bin." Jon critiques Trump's aggressive stance on international trade, highlighting the inconsistencies and absurdities in his policies.

Notable Quote:

“If anything, America is a recycling bin.” – Jon Stewart [00:40]

Jon discusses Trump's removal of transgender references from federal websites, sarcastically pointing out the illogical outcomes of such policies:

“They have no idea the damage T was doing to our nation... No more pronouns and email signatures. Good luck signing your emails now.” – Jon Stewart [02:33]

He further criticizes Trump's threats to international allies and his declarations about reclaiming the Panama Canal and using military force in Greenland, showcasing the unpredictable nature of Trump's foreign policy.

Timestamp [02:23 – 02:57]:
Jon elaborates on the impacts of Trump's trade wars, particularly focusing on tariffs imposed on Canada, Mexico, and the European Union. He humorously portrays Canada as a "pleasant friend" unexpectedly becoming a target, thereby highlighting the irrationality of the trade disputes.

Notable Quote:

“We are scouring the globe for Easy March. What do we laugh? The Jake Paul of nations.” – Jon Stewart [03:00]

Jon humorously predicts the economic repercussions of the trade war, referencing everyday items like guacamole to illustrate the absurdity of high-stakes political decisions.

Attacks on DEI and the Myth of “Meritocracy”

Timestamp [18:20]:
Stewart transitions to Trump’s dismantling of DEI initiatives, sarcastically portraying DEI as a scapegoat for various societal issues:

“MAGA worlds blamed this scourge for everything from the fires in California to the attack on Bourbon Street...” – Jon Stewart [18:20]

He critiques the Republican narrative that DEI undermines meritocracy, using sharp humor to expose the flaws in justifying discrimination under the guise of merit:

“We shouldn’t be ranking our identities. Exactly. But if we did, I should outrank Desi...” – Jon Stewart [18:56]

Notable Quote:

“It's all a reset to the factory default. Because of course these two are there purely based on merit and smart and it's just taken for granted.” – Jon Stewart [19:11]

Jon highlights the hypocrisy within the Republican Party's stance on meritocracy, emphasizing how DEI efforts are unjustly portrayed as lowering standards, despite maintaining that all positions should be filled by the most competent individuals.

Interview with Mo Amer: Exploring Statelessness and Immigration

Timestamp [20:19]:
Jon Stewart welcomes Mo Amer, a comedian known for his insightful portrayal of immigrant experiences in his Netflix series Mo. The conversation delves into the complexities of immigration, statelessness, and the personal narratives that shape Amer’s work.

Notable Quote:

“It’s about re-entering back. And I want to speak about this like we, you know, I deliberately wanted him to be stuck in Mexico...” – Mo Amer [25:38]

Key Discussion Points:

Immigration System Absurdities: Amer discusses the convoluted processes refugees face when attempting to enter the United States, highlighting the unrealistic expectations and systemic barriers in place.
Personal Narratives: The dialogue explores Amer’s personal journey from Kuwait to Houston, emphasizing the emotional and bureaucratic struggles immigrants endure.
Creative Storytelling: Amer explains his creative choices in Mo, such as depicting his character’s statelessness and the impact of political conflicts like the Israel-Palestine situation on personal lives.

Notable Quote:

“There’s so much more to do. But yeah, and you mentioned, like, the ankle monitor thing. I do get deported...” – Mo Amer [33:35]

Mo Amer shares anecdotes from his show, illustrating the surreal and often humorous aspects of being deported but allowed to remain in the country—a scenario he portrays to underscore the fragility of legal status for immigrants.

Timestamp [30:25 – 34:47]:
The conversation covers the emotional depth of Amer’s storytelling, his ability to balance humor with serious issues, and the personal toll of addressing complex geopolitical topics within a comedic framework.

Concluding Remarks

As the episode draws to a close, Jon Stewart acknowledges Mo Amer's contributions to both comedy and the discourse on immigration. He commends Amer’s ability to infuse humor into profound and often painful experiences, fostering a deeper understanding among audiences.

Notable Quote:

“It's just one story, but boy, is it resonant, and boy, is it funny and complex and beautiful like you.” – Jon Stewart [31:08]

Jon wraps up the episode by promoting upcoming content and special segments, ensuring listeners stay engaged with The Daily Show: Ears Edition.

Closing Promotion:

“Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11/10c on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount+.” [36:36]

Key Takeaways

Satirical Critique of Trump’s Policies: Jon Stewart effectively uses humor to dissect and criticize Trump’s trade wars and anti-DEI initiatives, highlighting their irrational nature and broader implications.
Insightful Conversation with Mo Amer: The interview provides a poignant look into the immigrant experience, showcasing how personal stories can illuminate systemic issues within immigration policies.
Balancing Comedy and Seriousness: The episode exemplifies how The Daily Show adeptly blends comedy with serious societal critiques, fostering both entertainment and meaningful discourse.

Final Notes:
Listeners are encouraged to utilize the discount code "TDS20" for 20% off The Daily Show products on ParamountShop.com and to watch The Daily Show weeknights on Comedy Central or stream it on Paramount+.

Loading summary

Transcript131 lines

[00:01]
A
You're listening to Comedy Central from the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, John Stewart.
[00:41]
B
Hi, everybody. Welcome. My name is Jon Stewart. Let me tell you, we got a fantastic show for you tonight. We're going to do our program. Later on in the program, we're going to be talking to comedian, writer, director, auteur Mo Amer. That's coming up in a bit. Very excited about that. But first, if I could have just a moment of your time. Let's talk about America's lord and savior, Donald Jehoshapheffer Trump. They're not booing. They're saying Bruce for no apparent reason. When Trump ran for president, he had an urgent message about the state of our country. Our country is being lost. We're a failing nation. We are a nation in decline. We have to fight for our country, and we have to fight like we've never fought before. It's like we're a giant garbage can. How dare you. If anything, America is a recycling bin.
[01:54]
A
America.
[01:55]
B
Useless and made almost entirely of plastic. But that's it. We have to fight to save our country. And now Daddy's home and he's about to take out the trash. And two weeks into the Trump presidency, we have a better sense of the evil and powerful forces that have been dragging our once great nation into decline. The Trump administration removed transgender references from federal government websites.
[02:24]
A
It now reads LGBT instead of lgbt.
[02:33]
B
They have no idea the damage T was doing to our nation. Consonants. Because I think you'll agree with me, there is no T in usa if you spell it out, obviously that becomes an issue. And if you want a BLT for lunch, things can get ugly. But nothing will stop America's low tea like no tea. What other changes are making us great again? The Trump administration ordering all gender ideology references be removed, including pronouns and email signatures. Oh, yeah. Consonants and pronouns, your next prepositions. No more pronouns and email signatures. Good luck signing your emails now. President Xi. Or should I say President him? Those are just the actions that this president has taken to prove that he's still kind of a dick. But believe me, he hasn't taken his eye off of America's true nation state enemies. President Trump is reiterating his threat to, quote, take back the Panama Canal. Trump suggesting he could use military force to take Greenland. President Trump had a fiery phone call with Denmark's prime minister, putting the NATO ally in crisis mode. Denmark, Panama, Greenland, the axis of where are now? Lest you think that pronouns and Panama were the twin forces shackling America to a prison of national decay. There are also more powerful forces at play in this dangerous world, some of them closer than what you might have ever imagined. A new era of trade wars. Trump says tariffs are coming on Canada and Mexico and even the European Union. What is happening? The eu, Canada. Do we have any friends? I mean, Mexico. I get Trump's been hate Mexico pretty much since the escalator. That's the truth. But Canada cannot, huh? We're picking a fight with our most reliable and pleasant friend, the Labradoodle of allies. But I guess that's Trump tough, you know what I mean? You gotta walk into the prison yard, walk right up to the one guy who really doesn't seem to be a problem at all, and just, yeah, take that best friend who has willingly signed up to fight in every ridiculous war we've ever gotten into. Let that be a lesson to the rest of the world. We are a terrible friend. Denmark, Panama and Canada are America. We used to fight the Nazis. Now we're scouring the globe for Easy March. What do we laugh? The Jake Paul of nations. I know. Is that what we're doing? No offense. I know China's out there, but Panama's a legitimate fight. In fact, I'm gonna call everyone out in FIFA's CONCACAF division. Yeah. Oh, Trinidad and Tobago, you gotta gang up, huh? That. Honestly, like, I can't believe you laughed at a CONCACAF joke. Soccer is back, bab. Oh, look at me getting all skewed in the tie. Now, in Trump's defense, he did explain today why we're going after Canada. I mean, I look at some of the deals made, I say, who the hell made these deals are so bad. So bad. The trade deals with Canada, they're so bad. He's just looking and saying, who made these? Ladies and gentlemen, don't. Don't get ahead of me. Ladies and gentlemen, for your dining and dancing pleasure, come with me into the wayback machine to 2018. I give you the culprit of the terrible deal with Canada. This morning, President Trump signed a new trade deal to replace NAFTA with the leaders of Mexico and Canada. The best trade deal they say ever made. No. A deal done by Trump's greatest nemesis. Trump. Now, hold on. This trade war has awoken a sleeping giant. Not Canada, not Mexico. But the Democratic minority Senate leader. Release the Schumer. It's going to affect beer. Okay? Most of it. Corona here comes from Mexico. It's going to affect your guac, because what Is guacamole made of avocados? Your response to the trade war is to tell us guacamole is made of avocados. Is that what when the people found out. When the people find out. The precious super bowl dip is comprised of mainly avocado, also tomato, sometimes onion. It's a bit much for me, obviously, with the spilkes and. Excuse me one second, Democrats, can you please stop trotting Schumer out there every time Trump traverses into the unreal. He's not good at this. What is the decision making process here? Hey, who should we get out there to effectively battle one of the most savvy presidential media manipulators in history? I don't know. How about Schumer? He's uninteresting, but at least he's monotone. Oh, wait, and Chuck, before you go out there, you look too young. Put on these readers and lower them on your nose. Perfect. Honestly, listening to Chuck Schumer speak on almost any topic makes me want to bomb Canada. Kidding, of course. By the way, we have a couple of Canadians here from Montreal and I don't want to upset them because I'm going to need an apartment soon. Now, before we, now before we get rattled by Trump's two to two and a half front trade war, please understand Mexico has already today received a 30 day stay on tariffs by promising 10,000 troops to the border. And we've promised to stop the inflow of guns. So self invented, crisis averted. But what can Canada do? I'm sure there's an equally performative gesture Canada could make. What? I'd like to see Canada become our 51st state, Mexico, you just send a few troops to the border, but Canada, if you could, I don't know, cease to exist as an independent entity. Fair. What's that? Mexico? No, no, there's only 51 states. There's no 50 seconds. I'm sorry, hold on one sec. Washington D.C. go. All right. What's that? Puerto Rico? No, it's Canada. I think you know why. I think you know why. Canada. All right. Of course. By the way, since we even were writing this show at like 4pm, Trump has already said now he's going to pause the tariff war with Canada as well because of course it makes sense to wrap up the trade war right now so that we as a country can focus on the biggest thing that's weakening our great nation. Diversity, equity and inclusion. Yes, dei, diversity, equity and inclusion. MAGA worlds blamed this scourge for everything from the fires in California to the attack on Bourbon street, to inflation, to the Baltimore bridge collapse. To why your children are confused about the race of mermaids. Mermaids, boys and girls are gingers. They've always been that. The latest example being the plane crash in Washington. It was the DEI est. But don't take my word for it. Let's let MTV's Road Rules star and Fox and Friends B teamer explain dei. You can't focus on diversity, equity and inclusion when you try to hire air traffic controllers. You want the best. You want the brightest, protecting yourself and your family. We will have the best and brightest in every position possible. It is colorblind and merit based. Look, there's a lot of reasons why the FAA is in a bad place, but these guys would have you believe that the main problem is that standards were somehow lowered to make sure that a black person or a gay person gets a chance to land your plane. Even though the requirements to become an air traffic controller are the same. But by culture warring this tragedy, Americans spent that terrible night holding their breath that the pilot or the air traffic controller wouldn't be a woman or a black person or in a wheelchair. Because what they're trying to do is make the default setting on competence in America a white guy. That's what this is, a reset to the factory default. Because of course these two are there purely based on merit and smart and it's just taken for granted. It undercuts every black person, person of color, woman in this country that the job that they have, they don't deserve. It's, it's the mantra in the Republican Party that gives you brain turning moments like this in the United States of America we get ahead and succeed by merit and merit alone. Yes, merit and merit alone says RNC chairwoman Lara. Hold on, let me get my glasses. Trump. It was a blind submission. Never saw her name on the application. That's the irony of this whole thing. The people standing next to Trump on that terrible night blaming DEI and trying to reinstall white guys as the only non suspect pool of hires are themselves DEI hires for one particular identity that they possess the ass kisser. The President's leadership has been remarkable during this crisis. Mr. President, you make our jobs a lot easier. I want to echo what the Transportation Secretary said about your leadership. Thank you for your leadership and courage on. I think you make a really important point on that, Mr. President. The President is right. And again, I want to thank you for your leadership, Mr. President. Dei sucking ego inflation. Obviously, if you think of sucking as a compound work but you can gaslight us all you want, because the one thing you didn't count on is our secret weapon. The roots of democracy are deep. People are aroused. I haven't seen people so aroused in a very, very long time. In terms of going. Trying to get this aroused. For more on DEI and what it's going to do to our country, let's go live to the White House correspondent Josh Johnson. Josh, nice to see you, sir. Let me ask you. I know this is an important subject to you. Josh, what are you hearing about the DEI initiatives? John, what this administration is doing is dangerous. It is the perversion of the dream of Martin Luther King Jr. They've turned it into a nightmare where the content of a. Of a person's character is judged by the color judge by the color of their skin. From the White House, I'm Desi Lydic. Wait, what's going on? I'm sorry, Desi. This is. This is Josh's. Hmm. Oh, you guys didn't get the executive order? We can't do DEI anymore. You're replacing me. But you're a woman. Yeah, a white woman. White woman beats black guy. Look, white women don't make the rules. We just tacitly embrace them through our overwhelming support of Donald Trump as a voting bloc. We should be on the same side. Okay? White women, black men, both held down by the white man. Yes, but the white man is my husband, and sometimes he lets me have rights as a treat. And I love my little treats. I'm sorry, Desi, but what about the executive orders Changes our current situation? Well, the fact is that DEI is over, John, which means only the most competent people will. Hoisted with my own petard.
[18:21]
A
That's right. It's totally petarded.
[18:23]
B
Which is something we can say now, thanks to Trump. And thank you, Desi, but I'll take it from here. You can go back to the milking room or wherever women lay eggs. Oh, come on. No, no, no, no. This is bullshit. I stole this job from Josh on merit. Isn't this the problem, guys? Trump's reducing us to rungs on a racial and gender hierarchy. We shouldn't be ranking our identities. Exactly. But if we did, I should outrank Desi. I mean, back me up here, Kosta. At the end of the day, we both got hogs.
[18:57]
A
Oh, yeah.
[18:57]
B
No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. It goes race, then gender, then height, and then the tiebreaker is a list of establishments your father owns. Listen up, ptards. All right, I don't see sex or color.
[19:11]
A
Okay?
[19:11]
B
I Just see SAT scores. And I don't mean to brag, but the kid, my par for me knocked it out of the park. Oh, oh, I'm sorry, are we talking SAT scores?
[19:25]
A
No, no, no, no, no, no.
[19:26]
B
Really? No, no, we're not talking. We're not talking your SAT scores. Oh, yeah, that's right. Because it's all about merit and high test scores until it looks like this. And then suddenly we gotta defend the white boys like it's a rape case at Kappa Sigma Phi that was settled out of court. Yeah, yeah, it's all. It's all meritocracy until we get those H1Bs and take your coding jobs and. Oh, it's not fair. Does black beat Asian? No. No. Your days are numbered. Costa Chang out. Back to you, John. Thank you very much, Michael. You know, I guess if there's one thing that we've learned here today, is it because of the Jewish thing or the H thing?
[20:19]
A
Does it matter?
[20:20]
B
I guess that is. When we come back, my guest will be Mo Amer. Stick around. I'm gentile stewards. Hey. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight. Oh, he's lovely. My guest tonight, a writer and stand up comedian. He stars in the Peabody Award winning Netflix series, Mo. Please welcome Mo Ammon. Haven't seen my manager. No, you.
[21:24]
A
No, you sit. I can't sit before you sit. You sit. No, you sit.
[21:28]
B
Hospitality.
[21:29]
A
Hospitality, my man. How's it going?
[21:32]
B
Show's so good.
[21:33]
A
Thank you.
[21:33]
B
Season two. It just is out on Netflix right now, right now. And people should watch. I. I binged it. And it's just. Let me tell you something that bothers me a little bit. And this is not. I'm not trying to obviously, you know, get off on the wrong foot. And obviously there's a lot to talk about.
[21:48]
A
Is it what bothers you? I want to know. So friends and mine, people leaving their windows open on aircrafts. Because that's.
[21:53]
B
Oh, my God. Yes. So frustrated. What do you do?
[21:55]
A
What are you looking at at 7am.
[21:57]
B
Out there trying to keep things quiet.
[21:59]
A
Yeah.
[22:00]
B
When you're so funny and your comedy is so good. And then I find out watching this show that you're also a great actor. And that bothers me. You're so good.
[22:12]
A
I've seen Big Daddy. I've seen. Thank you. Tremendous, tremendous.
[22:21]
B
You know, my kids don't even believe that that was me. That's how, that's how bad erosion has taken its course.
[22:28]
A
Thank you so much.
[22:30]
B
You can get to like a very emotional place in this thing. In a way. And I've known you for a very long time, and I know that you cry all the time, just generally.
[22:43]
A
Why are you doing this?
[22:45]
B
How was that like, to even get to that?
[22:48]
A
The crying? Yeah, I mean. I mean, you know, it was my first experience of that in the first season in the confessional. But really, it's just, you know, it's such a personal story.
[23:00]
B
Right.
[23:01]
A
And I mean, some of the things that we're doing in the show was like, recreating actual memories of mine with my grandmother. I mean, that's. I'm like Grammy. You know what I mean? It's a very painful thing to go through. But I also knew that it was the realest way to tell the story. It's the most grounded way to tell the story. And it's very hard. And you have to be as controlled and composed as possible, and sometimes you lose it, and that's okay.
[23:27]
B
Right. And it's also, you know, for those who don't know. So it's the story. Your story is complex. And it's. You're born in Kuwait, right?
[23:37]
A
Yep.
[23:38]
B
Then you have to flee.
[23:39]
A
Correct.
[23:40]
B
And you end in Houston.
[23:42]
A
Yes. Which is the natural place you land.
[23:47]
B
Most people go from Kuwait, generally to Fort Worth. Fort Worth. Houston is also. And so what's so interesting about your story is what's great about the show is you don't sugarcoat the absurd measures that we in this country have around our immigration system and the various questions and steps. There's one of my favorite scenes in the show in the second season. I love the first one, too. But you're trying to get. He gets kidnapped and taken to Mexico.
[24:20]
A
Yeah.
[24:21]
B
And now he's gotta get back as a stateless person.
[24:23]
A
Right.
[24:24]
B
You're there. You need this. What's called a les passe.
[24:28]
A
Correct.
[24:29]
B
What is that?
[24:30]
A
I don't know. I don't know. It's basically like a pass, a day pass to reenter the country legally since I exited illegally.
[24:40]
B
Right.
[24:40]
A
But there's, like this, you know, blurred line, and my character obviously runs with it. I was kidnapped. You know, the whole thing would play up in the show. Right. But it's about re. Entering back. And I want to, you know, speak about this like we, you know, I deliberately wanted him to be stuck in Mexico, and I wanted to show the journey of a refugee. Right. Because the first season is. He's already there.
[25:01]
B
Right, right.
[25:02]
A
And to see.
[25:02]
B
You're in Houston.
[25:03]
A
You're in Houston. The show takes place in Houston with some minor flashbacks here and there to show, like, the beginning of their story. But. But, you know, I wanted people to see what it takes to actually get to America. Cause most people see, oh, immigrants are coming, Asylees are coming, and they immediately think they're gonna become American citizens, like, overnight. It's a long process. And I also wanted to show how absurd the system is. And I wanted to see for people to see. Like, also, my character's also very privileged in this scenario. You know, he's crossing the border. He ends up in a. Some spoilers here.
[25:36]
B
Speaks English perfectly.
[25:37]
A
Speaks English perfectly.
[25:39]
B
Quotes Hank Williams all the time.
[25:41]
A
And that happened to me, actually, when I would travel overseas to do standup and I would come back in the. And I would be in the immigration because I didn't have a passport. I had a refugee travel document. And I'd be on the side, and they would look at me like, do you speak English? I'm like, yelling and speaking slowly doesn't fix it. If I don't speak English, I don't speak English. And I would reply and I would be like, whoa, okay. Oh, this is nice. Yeah, well, you're nice.
[26:07]
B
And you start quoting Hank Williamson and.
[26:09]
A
Started quoting Hank Williams song. No, but that was the idea was to show the absurdity of the system itself, to show how privileged the character is as well, Even though he's an asylee and a refugee. I mean, there's a scene in a detention center where there's a detainee there talking about how he has to, you know, had to go through mudslides and jungles and snakes and then the cartel and drank the juice of a Vienna sausage can. And he looks at me, he's like, how'd you get here? I'm like, I took a bus. Mexico it.
[26:39]
B
But what it really demonstrates is the tenuousness that somebody who is stateless or on these asylum papers or in this process, like, you can't up at all. Like, you can't make one mistake. At one point, they put the. You get deported.
[26:56]
A
Yes.
[26:57]
B
Because as an. It's a great scene. And he meets the ambassador of Mexico because he needs the laissez passe.
[27:04]
A
Yeah, that's the only way. So I'm stuck in Mexico. I have to get to the ambassador. Really, the only way I can re enter legally is for him to sign off on laissez passe, which is extremely hard to get.
[27:15]
B
He finally gets in to see the ambassador to Mexico, and it's there. It's right there in front of him. And they happen to get on a conversation about Israel, Palestine. And the ambassador doesn't use the word.
[27:27]
A
Yeah, occupation, Occupation, that's right.
[27:30]
B
And Mo. And this is so great in the scene because he's right there, just blows up the whole process and goes, that's it. I'm out.
[27:39]
A
Well, yeah, it's like something you just can't let go of. I mean, he says a peaceful end of the conflict. And, you know, there's so much complexity to it. I mean, so many layers, nuance to it and history to it. And it's just frustrating. I couldn't let it go. I mean, I. It's really from my own life, really. If I'm sitting there, I will not be able to let it go. And he could have solved everything. I could have said it, but I will never be able to figure myself. And I thought, how funny would that be if he's just a massive up in the show and just. But he's like, has his morals intact and his ethics intact.
[28:10]
B
But even bringing that complexity, you know, you have this whole complexity of statelessness and asylum and all the process they have to go through through the first season. And a special needs brother who is fashioned out of your actual brother.
[28:22]
A
Yes.
[28:23]
B
Who's got on the spectrum but doesn't know it.
[28:26]
A
Yes.
[28:26]
B
And is almost 40.
[28:28]
A
Yes. Oh, my brother's older than that now, but yes, in the show. Yes.
[28:31]
B
Yes, in the show.
[28:32]
A
Yes.
[28:33]
B
And in this season, you couldn't also escape the Israel, Palestine of it all.
[28:37]
A
Correct.
[28:38]
B
And the complexity of that must have brought to the writers room to your heart. And you and I have talked about this a lot.
[28:43]
A
Oh, so easy. Like, no, no, I'm sorry to cut you off, but it's like the way to just ease the tension because it was excruciating making the show right. It was absolutely one of the. And I feel shameful even saying it was excruciating or painful to know what they were going through in Gaza. Like, I really. Oof. You know, it's a hard one to swallow, but, you know, there were so many voices like, are you gonna talk about October 7th? You have to talk about it. You can't not talk about it. And everyone has their own opinions. And I discussed it with you thoroughly, and you were just like the best human on earth. Like, thank you. So. No, really, because in a moment where I felt. I felt so lonely, you were one of the people that I could call and really talk to about this. And it was very difficult. And then it was very easy once, you know, I spoke to you and I, you know, obviously the Writing room was integral to this process. And I love them so much for having such difficult conversations. Because we started on April 1, we went on strike May 1. We came back October 1 of 23, six days later, the only Palestinian show on television. You can imagine the conversations that were had. And so I decided, like, absolutely not. We're not going to talk about October 7th. There's several problems with it. Number one is that, you know, it's been a year, you know, since we started productions. You have a whole year that elapsed that, you know, so many things could change and you could write something that wouldn't be correct. Second of all is that now, you know, it needs a lot of context. Everything that you write about October 7th makes it sound like everything started on October 7th. And I felt like it was a trap. It really felt like every time we went down that rabbit hole, the show just became didactic and we lost everything. It became like a full blown drama. And this is a comedy show.
[30:25]
B
Right.
[30:25]
A
And it's a massive disservice to the characters. Let the characters tell the story. Let's build off of that and it'll take us exactly where we need to go. And that's what happened.
[30:37]
B
I think what you did so well that I was so impressed with was navigating all those artistic difficulties. What you seem to settle on was. And it's a show about statelessness and not belonging. And in that final episode, you show that connection to the land that your family has, to the land that your father in that, you know, he has a videotape of his father. An actual, real videotape of your actual father.
[31:08]
A
Yes, that's correct.
[31:09]
B
Unfortunately, you lost his father.
[31:11]
A
He passed away in 95. Correct.
[31:12]
B
And to see that, it made it all. I thought it was such a beautiful moment that contextualized this in such a way of humanity, of like, oh, right. It's just people who live on a plot of land with some olive trees who've been there since their grandparents and their great grandparents. And boy, you did it just so beautifully. Mo, I can't give you enough flowers for. And I know there's always that you just said, like, the pressure on. You're the only Palestinian chosen. You have to do it right this way or you've got to tell the Israeli story. The thing about art that you did so well was you told your story. Yeah, it's just one story, but boy, is it resonant, and boy, is it funny and complex and beautiful like you. And I just so appreciate you.
[32:07]
A
Thank you. I Appreciate that. Thank you very much.
[32:09]
B
Really.
[32:10]
A
Thank you.
[32:11]
B
Special.
[32:11]
A
Thank you.
[32:12]
B
Now, I'll also say this. I've also seen you riding a moped, and that's very funny.
[32:23]
A
Well, I gotta do this to me. I ride motorcycles. Okay.
[32:27]
B
That's right. Except when you're in Ohio.
[32:31]
A
Okay. Maybe in Ohio, during the pandemic, I was riding mopeds, but other than that. And then people were making fun of me. Cause I was bigger than the moped. Everyone was like, maybe you should get a motorcycle. I was like, fine. And I was divorced right then and there at that time. So I was like, maybe eight motorcycles. You know what I mean? It just kept buying more motorcycles. It was, like, so upset.
[32:50]
B
That's what divorce guys do.
[32:51]
A
But now that's it.
[32:52]
B
You're married. You got a kid.
[32:54]
A
Married to have a kid. He's backstage.
[32:56]
B
He's backstage right now.
[32:57]
A
He's backstage.
[33:03]
B
Now this. Do you feel like this is completed? And now it's off to the races for standup and all the other things that you do.
[33:10]
A
Yeah, I'm touring. I'm doing the El Oso Palestino tour, which is based off of a character in the show, which translates to the Palestinian Bear Comedy Tour. But, yeah, no, I'm doing that. I'm going into the next special. But. But there's so much more story to tell. I mean, there's so much more to do. But yeah, and you mentioned, like, the ankle monitor. I do get deported in the. Yeah, but it's also. It's gonna confuse people because. How'd you get deported? But there's a thing. It's actually very, very common.
[33:36]
B
This is explained in the show, actually. It's crazy.
[33:37]
A
It's very, very common. You can get deported and released on your own recognizance, which means you're deported, but you can stay.
[33:46]
B
Right.
[33:47]
A
But you're deported.
[33:49]
B
Yeah. You played it like an Abbott and Casella routine on the show. He's like, it really is. So I'm deported. Yes. But I can't leave. Correct.
[33:55]
A
Yes. Let's.
[33:57]
B
Were the reasons that you were giving in the show for that? Are those real? Could you not be deported because they wouldn't send you to pal because you're stateless.
[34:05]
A
Yeah, because you're stateless. No, but this is apparently a really common thing, whether you're stateless or not. I thought, you know, you don't want Palestinians returning anyway, so stop. You're not gonna deport them. We're gonna deport you back to where. Oh, you're Palestinians. Stay in Houston, relax a little bit. We'll give you a do your thing. But no, it's apparently, like, really, really common. I forgot what the percentage is, but it's in like the 30 plus percentile.
[34:28]
B
Oh, wow.
[34:28]
A
Where people get deported regularly, but they can stay.
[34:33]
B
Can I ask, this was the ankle monitor thing.
[34:36]
A
I know. Look at this guy. He's so confused, right?
[34:39]
B
Oh, yeah. Jaw dropped.
[34:41]
A
His brain almost short circuited.
[34:42]
B
Yeah. The ankle bracelet, does it have a communication device? Is that a real thing?
[34:47]
A
It is. It is a real thing. We had someone consult on the show who was actually. Was in a detention center and was random. It's all at random. You get an ankle device just like, hey, you know, you're number seven. Sorry, the first six didn't get it, but.
[35:01]
B
But you got it.
[35:02]
A
And then that's not real to my life. But when I heard about it, I'm like, we gotta put that in the show. It's gonna be hilarious because the guy could chime in at any moment in time and be like, please tell me your location. Like, that could really happening. I mean, how embarrassing and horrible is that?
[35:19]
B
So it was one of my favorite moments of the show. You're having. You have very painful discussions with your old girlfriend and you guys, and they have a really painful discussion. They break up and you just hear from the ankle monitor. Brutal.
[35:31]
A
Brutal.
[35:36]
B
You saw it. Such a great moment. My brother. My brother, I love you so much. I'm so. Just. Just delighted for you in your life and in your art and all those different things. And I can't wait to see what the next thing is.
[35:51]
A
Thank you so much, man. I love you so much, John. Thank you so much.
[35:54]
B
Mo. Season 2 is available on Netflix. Mo Albert. Taking a quick break. Be right back after this. My man. Hey. That is our show for tonight. Jackie Lynek will be your host for the rest of the week. Here it is, your moment of death. I like nepotism. You know, if you can't take care of your kids, you know that better than I. Look at your brother. Jennifer was a big fan of I like nepotism. I think, you know, a lot of people say, oh, nepotism. Usually these are people without children, but I like nepotism.
[36:37]
A
Explore more shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus Paramount podcasts.