Jon Stewart Dissects Trump’s “Art of the Deal” Iran Strategy... That Isn't Working | Annalena Baerbock

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Daily Show: Ears Edition
Episode: Jon Stewart Dissects Trump’s “Art of the Deal” Iran Strategy... That Isn't Working | Annalena Baerbock
Date: April 21, 2026
Host: Jon Stewart
Guest: Annalena Baerbock, President of the United Nations General Assembly

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Episode Overview

In this sharply satirical and insightful episode, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show team analyze President Donald Trump’s handling of the Iran conflict, examining the so-called “Art of the Deal” in real time. Stewart exposes the erratic, contradictory approach taken by the Trump administration, mocking its self-proclaimed victories and chaotic negotiating style. The second half features an extended, thoughtful interview with Annalena Baerbock, President of the U.N. General Assembly, who discusses the U.N.’s role in peacekeeping, reform, and navigating the new world order.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump, Iran, and the Illusion of Victory

[04:45 – 24:00]

• Psychedelics for Veterans
  Stewart gives rare credit to Trump for an executive order fast-tracking psychedelic treatments for veterans with PTSD.

  • Quote (Jon Stewart, 02:57):
    “They gave you the easiest hallucinogenic to pronounce... But even when they dumbed the shit down for him, it’s a problem.”
  • Stewart adds humor with asides about depression and Trump’s signature, noting its illegibility:
    “The last name is longer than his first... It looks like it says Leonard Skynyrd.” (06:00)

• Trump’s “Total Victory” over Iran
  Trump claims total victory and a deal with Iran, triggering market surges. Stewart is skeptical, recalling his earlier criticisms.

  • Mocks the “chess vs. checkers” metaphor for Trump’s negotiating:
    “He’s playing three dimensional chess. Four dimensional chess, 5D chess... the seats move and they spray water at you.” (09:32)
  • Points out Trump’s self-contradictions and hasty victory claims.

• Reality Check from Iran
  Iran’s foreign ministry immediately contradicts Trump, stating no enriched uranium will be transferred.

  • Quote (Stewart, 10:24):
    “Guess checkers is a tougher game than I thought.”

• Escalating Threats
  As contradictions pile up, Trump lashes out on social media, promising to destroy Iranian infrastructure.

  • Notable Quote (13:00):
    “No more Mr. Nice Guy. Say hello to Senor War Crime. Pew, pew. Pew, pew.”
  • Stewart lampoons the rapid shifts between supposed peace and renewed threats.

2. “The Art of the Deal”—A Satirical Breakdown

[14:00 – 24:00]

• Stewart walks through the “step-by-step” Trump negotiation playbook:

  1. State maximalist demands: “There will be no deal...except unconditional surrender.” (14:49)
  2. Threaten dire consequences: “We’re going to bring them back to the stone ages.” (15:13)
  3. Repeat demands, but louder and angrier.
  4. Prematurely declare victory: “Just say it’s open. Who’s going to check?” (18:10)
  5. Contradict yourself: US Navy to begin a blockade after declaring passage open.
  6. Claim you have a secret plan, but don’t disclose it.
  7. Leak your plans through select journalists.
  8. Tell everyone your plan—now in “5D chess.”
  9. Confuse even your negotiating team’s assignments (VP Vance sent, then not, then sent again).
  10. Move on to another “threat” to outrun scrutiny (suggests ‘Cuba’s going to be next’).

• Notable Quotes:

  • “Art of the Deal step three is basically steps one and two, but with cursing.” (16:57)
  • “Step four: Just say it’s open. Who’s gonna check?” (18:10)
  • “It’s a cycle of demands and threats and premature declarations of victory...” (22:11)

3. Interview: Annalena Baerbock on the U.N.

[25:57 – 44:08]

The Little-Known Presidency of the UNGA

• Baerbock explains her one-year term and the challenge of uniting 193 diverse nations at the U.N.
  • Quote (Baerbock, 26:38):
    “Imagine if you bring your family to the Thanksgiving table... my biggest task is actually to defend the songbook. The charter of The United Nations.”

Secretary General Selection Process

• Upcoming live, public interviews for the next UN Secretary General.
  • Only four candidates so far, with strong calls for a woman after 80 years of male leadership.
  • Quote (Baerbock, 29:01):
    “For 80 years, there never has been a woman... After 80 years, you could not find a woman if you have 4 billion potential candidates—it’s really hard to explain.”

Security Council Gridlock & U.N. Effectiveness

• Stewart grills Baerbock about Security Council vetoes paralyzing action, using the recent Iran/Strait of Hormuz crisis as an example.
  • Baerbock recounts moving issues to the General Assembly for more democratic debate and the complex effects (oil price shocks, emergency declarations).
  • Quote (Baerbock, 30:01):
    “If you want to have an easy job, that’s not the right place... when they vetoed in the Security Council... the majority of member states said then you have to come to the General Assembly.”

The Role and Limitations of the U.N.

• Stewart and Baerbock explore whether the U.N. is better as the “international cleanup crew” than as a true peacemaker.

  • Quote (Baerbock, 32:40):
    “From the first day on, the United Nations was not meant to bring humankind to heaven, but to prevent humanity from hell.”

• Discussion of the U.N.’s critical role in global health, aviation, famine prevention, and international standards—even if those stories rarely make headlines.

  • Quote (Baerbock, 33:00):
    “Sometimes people call the U.N. naïve... But the grandfathers and a few mothers, they’ve been through the worst in life.”

Reform, Populism, and International Order

• Stewart raises concerns about a growing global backlash against internationalism and “new world order” paranoia.

  • Baerbock calls the UN Charter a “life insurance for everyone” and stresses climate and pandemic threats that ignore borders.
  • Quote (Baerbock, 36:50):
    “It’s crystal clear. The international peace order, the Charter of the United Nations, is a life insurance for everyone.”

• Stewart asks about ‘teeth’: can the U.N. punish or fine countries?

  • Baerbock explains the limits—U.N. isn’t world police, relies on international courts (with limited jurisdiction), but provides a necessary forum for accountability and prevention.

Calls for Realism and Reform

• The absolute need for reform and modernization:
  • Over 40,000 mandates—an unwieldy legacy bureaucracy.
  • Facing threats both from external populists and internal inefficiencies.
    • Quote (Baerbock, 41:44):
      “We are in the midst of a deep reform called unity...but you should not use the shortcomings in trying to destroy the whole house.”

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Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On Trump’s chaotic negotiation:
  “The point is, I’m hungry... President Trump is playing Hungry Hungry Hippos.” (10:00)
• On women as UN Secretary-General:
  “They’ll bring in a woman to run it just at the point where it’s basically unrunnable.” (29:31)
• On U.N.’s founding purpose:
  “United Nation was not meant to bring humankind to heaven, but to prevent humanity from hell.” (32:40)
• On U.N. reform:
  “You should not use the shortcomings in trying to destroy the whole house.” (41:44)
• Stewart on the U.N.’s PR problem:
  “Maybe what the UN does well is as an international cleanup crew for the mess that other nations make.” (31:40)

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Important Timestamps

• 04:45 – Stewart’s rundown of Trump’s ‘win streak’ (psychedelic drugs, Iran)
• 09:32 – Skewering the “5D chess” narrative
• 13:00 – Trump’s “No more Mr. Nice Guy” threat
• 14:45 – 22:11 – Satirical “step-by-step” of Trump’s negotiation method
• 25:57 – Baerbock interview begins: role of UNGA President
• 29:01 – On the push for a woman Secretary-General
• 32:40 – U.N. as ‘preventing hell, not bringing heaven’
• 36:50 – U.N. Charter as global “life insurance”
• 41:44 – Modernization and reform
• 44:08 – Closing banter and wrap-up

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Tone & Style

• Stewart maintains his signature mix of biting satire and earnest critique, peppering political insights with absurd, unpredictable humor.
• Baerbock is pragmatic, direct, and eloquent, providing a counterbalance of sincerity and diplomatic realism.
• The episode flows from rapid-fire comedic takedown to an in-depth, accessible discussion of global governance, making complex issues engaging and relatable.

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For listeners seeking a behind-the-headlines breakdown of U.S.-Iran policy, the realities of international diplomacy, and the overlooked work of the United Nations—with plenty of laughs along the way—this episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition delivers in spades.

Transcript

[Jon Stewart]

K Pop Demon Hunters, Saja Boy's breakfast

[Annalena Baerbock]

meal and Hunt Trick's meal have just dropped at McDonald's.

[Jon Stewart]

They're calling this a battle for the fans. What do you say to that, Rumi? It's not a battle. So glad the Saja boys could take breakfast and give our meal the rest of the day. It is an honor to share. No, it's our honor. It is our larger honor.

[Annalena Baerbock]

No, really, stop.

[Jon Stewart]

You can really feel the respect in this battle. Pick a meal to pick a side. Ba da ba ba ba. And participate in McDonald's while supplies last. With Sam's Club, you have the freedom to shop your own way. Curbside pickup delivered to your doorstep. Come in and grab it yourself.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Yes, yes, yes.

[Jon Stewart]

They've got plenty of options. Your call. Say yes to shopping the way you want. Join [e-mail] yes. And you must be 18 years or older to purchase a membership, and membership is subject to qualifications. Visit samsclub.com yes. And for details, 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, Jon Stewart. Oh, everybody, What's happening? Nice to see everybody. Oh, oh, great. Thank you so much. Welcome to the Daily Show. My name is Jon Stewart. Great show for you tonight. Later on, we're going to be joined by the president of the United Nations General Assembly. Annalena Baerbock will be joining us. She's president. We will talk about how nobody knew that the United States nation's General assembly had a president. I did not know that. Ladies and gentlemen, I want to start the program tonight in a slightly different place. I want to give credit where credit is due. We don't obviously often do this. The president did a solid over the weekend. President Trump signed an executive order in front of his fraternity brothers fast tracking the FDA process for novel psychedelic drug treatments for veterans suffering from all forms of PTSD and other psychiatric conditions, including addiction. You know, I'm sorry. I'll let the president explain off the cuff as he does. In 2024 study from Stanford University, 30 special operation veterans with traumatic brain injuries underwent. It's called ibogaine treatment. Ibogaine. Remember the name. Is that pronounced relatively properly, what you said?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

I don't want to get it wrong. Eye. Bo. Gain. Body. Body. Body. Eyebogaine. Eyebogaine. Rogaine with an eyebow. It's easy. By the way, they gave you the easiest hallucinogenic to pronounce. They could have thrown ayahuasca in there. Psilocybin. But they gave you eyeball gain. But even when they dumbed the shit down for him, it's a problem. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm falling into old habits. It's good. You did a good thing. I'm nitpicking. I apologize. A lot of the people are going to get the help they need. I bogain because it's so important. And experienced an 80 to 90% reduction in symptoms of depression and anxiety within one month. Can I have some, please? I'll take. I'll take whatever it takes. Oh, my God. He's depressed, too. Hey, don't be depressed, sir. Trump won't be president forever, but I have to say there are little moments in these Oval Office gatherings that. That are somewhat revelatory of the President's psyche and really a good starting place for any accredited mental health professional. I don't have time to be depressed. You know, if you stay busy enough, maybe that works, too. That's what I do. You can't get depressed if you stay busy. It's a little thing called outrunning the darkness. You can't be depressed if the sadness can't catch you. And to be frank, I don't think Donald Trump should treat that with hallucinogenics anyway. But if he did, would we even notice? If he took hallucinogenics, he'd be like, they're eating the cats and dogs right. Right near my beautiful ballroom. By the way, did you know I'm jes. The poor fella in the bed is still sick. Really freaks me out every time I look at that picture. All right, you know what, though? Maybe Trump's already taken them, given how intensely he focused on the signing of this bill. I mean, he signed the shit out of this bill. That's a good one. I wanted this one. Hear that, Joe? You think Biden can do that? He can. Hey, man, you ever really looked at your signature on weed? Look, I do. I think it's a good thing what he did. I swear to God, it's a good thing what he did. And this is not political. I don't mean this as political, but it was weird as shit the way he signed that. It was like. It was weird as shit. Like, I'm looking at that signature right now. Does that even say Donald Trump? The last name is longer than his first name. It doesn't look like. It looks like it says Leonard Skynyrd. It doesn't even. It doesn't make any sense. None of this makes sense. Go, go. You know, I'm sor. Sorry. I'm sorry to derail the program. Can we go back to just play him writing the last name? I swear to God, he doesn't write Trump. That's not trained. That's too many letters. I counted like 10 letters. Unless he's just adding characters. Like, this is his wifi password. It doesn't say Donald Trump. I would make sure this executive order is even legal because it appears to have been signed off by David Hasselhoff. That says David Hasselhoff. But the signing capped off a bit of a winning streak for the president. The biggest news being the Friday announcement of his total victory over Iran. President Trump marches to victory.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Trump told the media Iran has agreed to everything.

[Jon Stewart]

The announcement really sparked a huge surge on Wall Street. New record highs on the S&P 500, and the NASD crude oil prices falling off a cliff. Most of the points are already negotiated and agreed to. You'll be very happy. A great and brilliant day for the world. If I may offer you a humble apology. I was one of the naysayers who said this president got us into a war on an impulse. I said this president didn't have a plan for a coherent exit strategy. I said this president was cavalier about the damage that this war of choice would cause. I said, this president seems to slosh when he moves because of the Venus insufficiency, like a milk carton when you push across the kitchen. I said all of those things, and I would like to take back three of those statements. He does slosh, but the president's allies knew all along what time it was. The President is playing, is playing chess when the rest of the world is playing checkers. That's how he does it. I can't believe at the beginning, when the whole thing started, that the rest of the world didn't say, wait, why are you playing? Why do you have a horse in a castle? And we have the little discs. What kind of chess were they playing? He's playing three dimensional chess. Four dimensional chess, playing 5D chess. That's the chess where the seats move and they spray water at you. I'm sorry, analyst Dean Cain. Could you expand on that? President Trump is playing 5D chess. The dominoes are slowly just falling and toppling. What game is he playing? Is it chess? He's playing chess. And then the dominoes. He's at checkers, ordering dominoes. The point is, I'm hungry. And while the world played Jenga Donald Trump is playing Hungry Hungry Hippos. Whatever the analogy is, because of Trump's brilliant interdimensional Jedi mind. He basically got everything he wanted from Iran. Iran has removed or is removing all of the sea mines. No money will exchange hands in any way, shape or form. They will never have a nuclear weapon. The USA will get all nuclear dust. That nuclear dust. Does that mean we also get the nuclear dust bunnies? It's so adorable how they beg for death. But look, the enriched uranium was a huge part of this war. And the fact that Iran has agreed to transfer all of its enriched uranium to the United States, it's a win. The Iranian Foreign Ministry says Iran's enriched uranium is not going to be transferred anywhere under any circumstances. Guess checkers is a tougher game than I thought. All right, so there's still a couple of fine details to work out on the nuclear aspect, but the truth is, we only fought this war to get Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz that they closed when we started this war. But let's keep the main thing. The main thing. Iran has just announced that the Strait of Hormuz is fully open and ready for business and full passage. Yeah, that news is ibogaine to my ears. Could Biden have done that? No, because as I said earlier, the strait was already open. But you heard it straight from the President. He declared the Strait of Hormuz is open. Iran declared the Strait of Hormuz closed. Oh, boy. All right. Iran is directly contradicting President Trump, and he's not going to like that.

[Annalena Baerbock]

On Truth Social, he wrote the the

[Jon Stewart]

United States is going to knock out

[Annalena Baerbock]

every single power plant, every single bridge in iran. No more Mr. Nice Guy.

[Jon Stewart]

Civilian infrastructure gone. No more Mr. Nice guy. Say hello to Senor War Crime. Pew, pew. Pew, pew. Sorry, sorry. The audience seems to be split between old people and younger people. I think that's very clear what's happening here. Now, you might be thinking to yourself, how did this happen? How did the certainty of total resolution that Trump announced morph into the uncertainty of total annihilation that Trump announced in less time than it took Carol G. To own Coachella? Cool down. Hey, who wants an edible. Multivitamin, inedible multivitamin? See, what the naysayers don't understand about Trump is that what appears to the outside observer as chaos is actually the 5D focused stratagems of a master negotiator. This is the art of the deal. You know, we never got to see Henry Ford assemble a car or Thomas Edison put the first filament into a light bulb or Malcolm onlyfans reveal his bare foot in the town square. But thanks to God, the Iran war has given us all an opportunity. This is history. To witness in real time Donald Trump apply the sacred principles of the Art of the Deal. Let's begin just a few weeks back, when Donald Trump and his bombing buddy Bibi launched fierce military strikes on Iran in the middle of a negotiation, setting the stage for Art of the Deal. Step one, State your demands. The President declaring in a truth social post, there will be no deal with Iran except unconditional surrender. It's where they cry uncle. Or when they can't fight any longer and there's nobody around to cry uncle. Uncle, they cry uncle. I believe the President may be confusing war with tickle fighting, but the point is sacred. I remember when Lee cried uncle at Appomattox. But you always start every negotiation by demanding everything, which sets you up for step two. Art of the Deal. The consequences of not acceding to step one, we're going to hit them extremely hard over the next two to three weeks. We're going to bring them back to the Stone Ages where they belong. Yabba dabba oo. Total surrender or total destruction. Game set. And I'm sorry. Iran has shut down the Strait of Hormuz. Counter move. Shutting down the Strait of Hormuz. Well, Crimea, Hoar River. What's that gonna do? The closure of the Strait of Hormuz, causing chaos to the global economy, disrupting the global supply chain, causing gas and food prices to surge, skyrocketing jet fuel

[Annalena Baerbock]

costs, sending fertilizer prices soaring.

[Jon Stewart]

A global economic downturn that could ignite mass famine. All right, Mother. I didn't want to have to do this. All right, you want to go Eran, you want to do this? Move like that might unbalance your run of the mill dealmaker. But the master has already prepared a step three. The President wrote, open the f cking straight, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in hell. That's right. The Art of the Deal. Step three is basically steps one and two, but with cursing. Your move, Iran. Iran says the Strait of Hormuz is still closed. Hmm. I see what you did there. Your move is no move. Which brings us to step four.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Iran has agreed to open the straight of her moose.

[Jon Stewart]

Boom. Mother. Step four, Art of the Deal. Just say it's open. Who's gonna check? Honestly, who's gonna. Who's gonna check if it's actually open? Even if you have a boat, what are you gonna do you gonna drive all the way there? What are you gonna, you're go to the straight. Oh, Yacht and Regatta Club. Get the outta here. You didn't even know what the straight of Hormuz was a month ago. Now you're a expert on the straight of Hormuze. As far as you know, it's open, it's open. Now the next part's tricky because at some point, even though you stated very clearly that the Strait of Hormuz is open, people are going to realize it's not. They're still not getting food or fuel, which is fine because this is where the art of the deal, where the fourth dimensional chess comes into play. Breaking tonight, President Donald Trump saying the US Navy will start blockading, quote, any and all ships trying to enter or leave the Strait of Hormuz. Hit him with the old razzle dazzle. You can't break up with me. I'm breaking up with. Now, at this point, haters might assume you've been winging it the whole time. And they might be getting hungry or much poorer or cold. And they might have questions like, hey, Trump, do you even have a plan? Well, the art of the deal says, don't fall for that. I have the best plan of all, but I'm not going to tell you what my plan is. I've not talked to people like you about that. I mean, who would answer a question like that? Why would I tell you that like that? Step six, art of the deal. Don't tell anyone your plan. That would be the dumbest thing you could do. Which brings us to step seven. Call up a news person and tell them you're playing. I just spoke with the President this morning. The president said if they do not

[Annalena Baerbock]

sign the deal, the US Will blow up every power plan, plant and more in Iran.

[Jon Stewart]

But telling one person, your plant, that's still just 4D chess. Step 8 is 5D chess. Tell everyone you're playing.

[Annalena Baerbock]

I spoke to him on the phone

[Jon Stewart]

this morning and told me several things. President Trump today told me if Iran does not sign this deal, the whole country is going to get blown up. In our short phone call, the President told me the strikes have caused very great losses on their leadership. He also told me he doesn't think boots on the ground will be necessary. He told me that they had agreed to talk. I just got off the phone with the president and he called. You see how bummed out Bret Baer was that he called him? Yeah, I talked to the President. He called me. I had the number blocked, but he got things. So now everybody's on the same page. It seems like you're moving towards a resolution in a crisp and linear fashion. Everybody knows the plan. All that's left to do is send over a high level negotiating team to work out the fine print and arrive at an enduring peace. You've got them right where you want them, where you hit them with. Step nine. Who's talking to what now? The President saying he intends to send

[Annalena Baerbock]

Vice President JD Vance to Pakistan for

[Jon Stewart]

a second shot at peace talks today. And an important clarification. I just got off the phone with President Trump yet again. He told me that Vice President Vance will not be leading the US delegation.

[Annalena Baerbock]

But then less than two hours later,

[Jon Stewart]

I was told that Vice President Vance

[Annalena Baerbock]

would again lead this delegation.

[Jon Stewart]

Van song vanson. So that's where we've arrived at with the art of the deal. Basically, it's a cycle. It's a cycle of demands and threats and premature declarations of victory that allows the negotiator enough wiggle room to at almost any point claim that they've achieved exactly what they've set out to do, ultimately achieving a nuclear deal that'll probably be worse than the nuclear deal Trump pulled our country out of with Iran to start a devastating war that has killed thousands of innocent Iranians. Thirteen American soldiers, eroded our credibility as the leader of the free world, sabotaged the war economy and will cost the American taxpayers, who knows, maybe trillions. And as that realization sinks into a population weary of your malignant narcissism and impulsivity, Trump hits him with step 10. Cuban's gonna be next. That's right, Mother. Step 10. Keep moving to outrun the darkness when we come. Her Excellency Annalena Baerbock will be joining me on the show. Don't go away. Accessing legitimate erectile dysfunction treatment options should be straightforward and affordable. Unfortunately, many men are deterred by the high cost of brand name medications. HIMS is changing that by offering access to trusted generic options that are significantly more budget friendly. Through the HIMSS platform, users can access sildenafil, also known as generic for Viagra, for up to 95% less than the brand name version. The entire process is handled by licensed healthcare providers who review information submitted through an online intake form to determine the best course of action. If a prescription is issued, the medication is delivered in discreet packaging, maintaining privacy from start to finish. HIMSS removes the barriers to men's health by eliminating pharmacy lines and providing a transparent home based solution for erectile dysfunction care. To get simple online access for personalized affordable care for erectile dysfunction, hair loss, weight loss and more. Visit hims.com dailyshow that's hims.com dailyshow for your free online visit hims.com dailyshow Prescription required. See website for details and important safety information. Sildenafil is a generic version of Viagra. Viagra is a registered trademark of Viatris Specialty llc. HIMSS is not affiliated with or endorsed by Viatris. If you've got Spring fever, Lowes has the cure. During Springfest, make your landscape stand out with three free bags of Miracle Gro 3/4 cubic foot garden soil. When you buy three plus get up to 40% off select major appliances to keep clothes, food and dishes fresh all season long. Our best lineup is here at Lowe's. Ballot through 422 while supplies last selection varies by location. See lowe's.com for details. Soil offer excludes Alaska and Hawaii. Welcome to the Dale. She's got my guest tonight. She is the current President of the United Nations General assembly. Previously served as Germany's Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs. Please welcome the program Ambassador Annalena Baerbock. So nice to see you. Do you go by Madam President, your excellency Ambassador. What is the preferred title?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Whatever you choose. Or Anna Lena. But it's hard. It's in Lena, not Lena.

[Jon Stewart]

Anna Lena. Yes, that sounds. And I said Lena because. Did I? I pronounced it correctly.

[Annalena Baerbock]

I think you might be wrong after 46 years. Thank you for.

[Jon Stewart]

No, you're very welcome. I've been meaning to do that. You are the President of the United Nations General Assembly. I think most people did not realize that there is a President of the General Assembly. How long is your term? What are the duties?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Indeed, it's a very short term. It's only one year time. So in Germany we would say you are just being thrown into the water. The cold water we say in Germany.

[Jon Stewart]

Sure.

[Annalena Baerbock]

And then you just have to start swimming. And yeah, the job is to bring the whole international family. So 193 to the table sounds quite similar. But in a time where one of these member states might have a nuclear weapon and the other one just has a conflict. Imagine if you bring your family to the Thanksgiving table and you have the cranky uncle and you have your hippie mother and then you just say sing from the same songbook. It's also a hard job. So yes, in these times where not everybody is ready to sing from the same songbook anymore, my biggest task is actually to defend the songbook. The charter of The United Nations. Peace and security, sustainable development and human rights.

[Jon Stewart]

Right, for the United Nations. That's what they do. In that analogy, does the crazy uncle or the hippie mom have the nuclear weapon?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Well, frankly speaking in history, the woman hardly had the nuclear weapon.

[Jon Stewart]

No. This brings up a huge point. So as president. As president, you are tasked with selecting or at least doing the interviews for the next Secretary General. Is that correct?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Right.

[Jon Stewart]

How many candidates do you have? Is this like a monster.com? how do they. How do you get candidates to be the Secretary General? How are they submitted? Is it controversial?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Yes, and it will be probably the hardest job interview ever, because these 193 member states, they can all ask the question, be interviewed. So I'm presiding over it. It starts tomorrow, actually. So if you want to see it. Yeah, live on untv.

[Jon Stewart]

Wait, what? You're going to do this live?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Yes. Transparency we do have in the international community.

[Jon Stewart]

Let me ask you a question. What is the cutoff for resumes? And could I do it once a week?

[Annalena Baerbock]

The interview?

[Jon Stewart]

The job.

[Annalena Baerbock]

The job. Well, unfortunately, it's a little more strenuous. 24. 7 job. How many people are you interviewing at the moment? 4. So, yeah, the question was, so how is the process? You have to be nominated by a member state.

[Jon Stewart]

Okay.

[Annalena Baerbock]

There was a strong call for women. So 193 member states.

[Jon Stewart]

There's never been a woman.

[Annalena Baerbock]

I actually agreed on one thing, that they strongly called on the nomination of women yet, because for 80 years, there never has been a woman. And I mean, or women here, probably, and out there in the world. We have heard it all before. It was really hard to find one. But explaining that after 80 years, you could not find a woman if you have 4 billion potential candidates, because there are 4 billion women and girls around the world, it's really hard to explain.

[Jon Stewart]

Here's the other thing, too. My guess is they'll bring in a woman to run it just at the point where it's basically unrunnable. Is it runnable anymore at the un you have the Security Council, which can veto. I mean, Russia and China vetoed a resolution to keep the Strait of Hormuz open. That's where they. I mean, China gets a lot of its oil from the Strait of Hormuz, and they still vetoed it. How, how difficult is it to even wrangle these countries anymore for resolutions?

[Annalena Baerbock]

If you want to have an easy job, that's not the right.

[Jon Stewart]

It's not the right to be at

[Annalena Baerbock]

the US but on the other hand, I mean, there's always another option. So when they vetoed it in the Security Council and to those watching, so they are the five permanent members, they do have the veto because for historical reasons and there has been a new initiative because obviously the vetoes in the Security Council led to the the situation that in the past many conflicts could not be solved. And it was also to the damage for the United nations because it's about the credibility. So the majority of member states said then you have to come to the General assembly where all the 193 member states are. And this happened last week. So I called for this session saying this has to come now for the General assembly, we had a big debate with many states underlining that in an interconnected world, what happened in one part of the world affects everybody. So oil prices have exploded. One country even declared the state of energy emergency. Because obviously for poor countries, this is a total disaster. It's devastating. So after this session we saw the ceasefire negotiations coming back together again. We have now this kind of instable ceasefire. So hopefully everybody understands now that in this situation nobody can win if we are not coming back to diplomatic terms. And that the United nations is the only place where you can bring together all member states from around the world.

[Jon Stewart]

Epcot center, that's a place I think it represents most people. Let me ask you a question. Are we putting too much on the United Nations? You know, my image of the United nations is like that. It's the General assembly and we come in and we make peace deals. But maybe that's never really been its function. It seems like what it does well, because a well timed resolution. What does that really do anyway, if it's vetoed or not vetoed? But it seems what the UN does well is as kind of an international cleanup crew for the mess that the other nations make. You do foreign aid, you have refugee programs. Is that something that the UN should steer more into and should we lower our expectations about their so called peacemaking abilities?

[Annalena Baerbock]

100%. Right. Because from the first day on, the United Nation was not meant to bring humankind to heaven, but to prevent humanity from hell. So it's therefore.

[Jon Stewart]

I bet that sounds excellent German. Well, yes, I bet

[Annalena Baerbock]

so,

[Jon Stewart]

I mean,

[Annalena Baerbock]

yeah, because we would go back to German history. It was unfortunately my country exactly, you guys. And we learned our lessons. And it took, rightly so, my country back then also was a cold war being divided to come to the international family again. But this is why also me personally, as a former foreign minister of my country, we are making so clear without this United nations without the Charter, nothing in the world would be better off. Sometimes people call the UN naive, with all the morals and all the principles. But the grandfathers and a few mothers, they've been through the worst in life. Two world conflicts, a genocide with 6 million Jews being killed. Back then also many, many countries, more than 5050 were still under colonial power. So this house was built to have at least some progress. And as you were mentioning, the vast majority of the work of the United nations is to prevent conflict. Unfortunately, especially in these times, hate clicks six times better. So the good stories hardly make it to the headlines. And journalists don't write about the war, which didn't happen. We learned it also in Covid, in the pandemic. There's no glory in prevention. But this is exactly the main work the UN is doing. Preventing that different conflicts, that out of a famine another war would happen. Preventing that with regard to, for example, when we had the pandemic, where no army in the world could stop the virus because it didn't have any passport, even the strongest countries could not do it alone. It needed the United nations with the World Health Organization to do the vaccination for half of the world's population. Children going around that we don't have smallpox anymore. This is thanks to the un. Wow.

[Jon Stewart]

I mean, you haven't been downtown, believe me, since Mamdani. There's a whole. What I'm wondering about is it's the sense that, you know, the changes that might be made in the UN to deal with all these various conflicts and things that are coming up are overwhelmed by this new order of world power play that people are rebelling against this idea of globalization, whether it comes through international norms of an international court or the United Nations. You know, the United nations is the black helicopters. It's the new world order. It's all those things when in large part it seems like a place where maybe overly bureaucratic, but they're trying to get aid or take an international mechanism to help those that have been most hurt.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

By the calamities that the great powers have visited upon the earth. If you were going to. What changes would you make at the UN to maybe make it more effective? Or is there a way to sell it to the new populist regimes that want nothing to do with international order. They don't want international climate treaties, they don't want international peace treaties. It seems they don't want international rules of order. They want might makes rise. How does the UN deal with that?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Many questions in one. So maybe that's right.

[Jon Stewart]

You have 20 seconds I can cherish.

[Annalena Baerbock]

That's the best what politicians can do. We are very short in answering questions, So I know 30 seconds are over.

[Jon Stewart]

No, no, no, no. Please take your time. We got plenty of time. It's basic cable. Nobody's watching.

[Annalena Baerbock]

I'd share a picture at Cherry pick. Well, first of all, you're 100% right. The main job is to bring food literally to the people. And this is what I said also when we started this so called 80th session. Actually, it's the 80th anniversary. Not so much to celebrate at these times at the UN, but when we started the 80th session, speaking in front of all heads of state, remembering them, no single day would the world be better off without the United nations, because millions of people would literally starve. You could not enter an airplane safely. None of us, because the Civil Aviation Organization is based with the United Nations. So for all of us, it's in our interest and not only for the pure people around the world to have this United Nations. But on the other hand, obviously some think now might is right. But we have seen also lately with the Strait of Hormuz that obviously this conflict does not only affect everybody, but also you need the support of others to open the Strait of Hormuz. And this is why for me, it's crystal clear. The international peace order, the charter of the United nations is a life insurance for everyone. And nobody could sleep in silence and peace if we would accept that a bigger neighbor can just invade their neighboring country in the future. And as you mentioned, the climate crisis, I mean, you can deny it, you can just pretend it's not there, but we could see all over the world the wildfires, which also do not stop at the richest neighborhood in every country around the world, because like the pandemic and the virus, also CO2 doesn't have a passport and it will just spread all over the world. So we can only fight it together in our own interest.

[Jon Stewart]

Would you like to see the UN have more teeth in terms of enforcement? Like where they could levy, do they levy fines? I don't know what they can do. I know there's certain peacekeeping things and. But when, let's say somebody does violate international norms, international law, U.N. i mean, the U.N. has said Israel has violated, you know, treaties, and yet nothing happens to them. What could happen? Can they levy fines? Can they charge countries like in baseball, if you throw at somebody?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Well, it's not the world police. Yeah. So you cannot just say, what if

[Jon Stewart]

it were the world police.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Well, we tried it with some courts, for example the International Criminal Court. Unfortunately the biggest powers, they did not ratify. But this is again the strength of the United Nations.

[Jon Stewart]

You have to keep at it. You have to keep trying.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Others said we move forward. And this court, as you ask, can you try people? Yes, they did. They tried one of the biggest war criminals. When we had the Balkan wars, when

[Jon Stewart]

we had talk about Milosevic.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Yes, we had Screbrenica, so a genocide going on. So they tried them in front of a court. Now, for example, with regard to the Philippines, they had Ruertze, the dictator back there. So there's an international arrest warrant and he will be probably tried in front of the icc. The icc? The International Criminal Court. For others who have not ratified it, for example, with Assad, but then it's not possible. But there are also arrest warrant. You mentioned a couple of them with different wars going on right now. So these.

[Jon Stewart]

Who's the worst country right now?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Well, I'm the president.

[Jon Stewart]

Is it us?

[Annalena Baerbock]

I'm the president of the General assembly speaking on behalf of all of them.

[Jon Stewart]

Right. Who would they all say is the worst country?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Well, obviously the worst are those who deny dignity from other human beings. And this is why we have to stand up for it every day. Otherwise, coming back to my own country again more than 80 years ago, why

[Jon Stewart]

is it so hard for us to learn that lesson? It really blows my mind that this idea that violence and might makes right to take us back to a world that we were when colonial powers and imperial powers ruled and war was inevitable in almost every location. It's almost shocking to see how far we've come and yet people want to go back to that much more barbaric way of governance. Is that what's talked about in the halls? Or are the halls of the UN a more administrative place than a philosophical place?

[Annalena Baerbock]

Well, this is a philosophical question.

[Jon Stewart]

That's why I'm not in the halls of the un.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Yeah. So I would say all because it's just the diversity of the whole world. And you asked before, what do we have to do? And what would be the biggest task for me and the Secretary General, Antonio Guterres at the moment to reform the United nations to make it more efficient. Because the truth is as well, and I'm not a fan of sugarcoaching, so we have to face it that over 80 years it has built up on mandates, resolution by resolution. So we have 40,000 mandates. Obviously not very efficient. So in every company you would just modernize your system and this is what we are doing right now. We are in the midst of a deep reform called unity. But at the other hand, you should not use the shortcomings in trying to destroy the whole house. And this is where we are phased in. And you were addressing also the financial situation. If member states, and unfortunately also the host country, do not pay their bill anymore, obviously this House cannot function. And in a situation that people, especially children, are dying in this minute, you have, like, rotten eight in warehouses. This is obviously a situation which cannot go on. So therefore, as a President of the General Assembly, I can only recall that no day would be better off without the un and this is why we should all strengthen this house of peace and this House of humanity.

[Jon Stewart]

Have you thought about. Oh, please. I couldn't agree more. That it needs to be reformed. And so my last question is, have you thought about letting the Ellisons buy it? So they ran Skydance. It's a very small production house. And then they bought Paramount, which is kind of a larger place. And then for some reason, bought Warner Brothers. And now they own. We all work for them. They could add the UN easily. They have so much money.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Well, as I just said, we have, like, an open call. Yeah. For candidates.

[Jon Stewart]

Interviews start tomorrow. Madam President, such a pleasure, such an honor. General Attendant, Honorina Bareboss. Quick break. We'll be right back after this. When are you really going to do that? Tomorrow morning is knocking. Stock your fridge now. How about a creamy mocha Frappuccino drink? Or a sweet vanilla smooth caramel, maybe? Or a white chocolate mocha? Whichever you choose, delicious coffee awaits. Find Starbucks Frappuccino drinks wherever you buy your groceries. I am your host, Stassi Schroeder. Welcome to Tell Me Lies, the official podcast. What's the most unhinged thing of season three? Steven. Because he's so evil, I do think he is misunderstood.

[Annalena Baerbock]

You see, everyone face consequences.

[Jon Stewart]

It's intoxicating. The writers just know how to trick. Yeah, there's always a twist in this show, just nothing you would expect. Tell Me Lies, the official podcast now streaming and stream the new season of Tell Me Lies on Hulu and Hulu on Disney. That is our show for tonight, but before we go, we're gonna check in with your host for the rest of the week, Mr. Michael Costa. Michael. Thanks, John. Tell the people. What are you working on, John? I'll be looking in at the $250 million lawsuit that cash Patel just filed against the Atlantic magazine for an article about his drinking. Wow. You know what I had just heard about that. Is that, is there truth to that? Does he have a drinking problem? Yeah, he's got a drinking problem. He drinks like a soft ass bitch. You hang out with him socially? Yeah. And every time it's the same, you know, I'll be seven martinis deep. And he's still nursing a green apple white claw like he's planning on driving home. I bet he's never even woken up in a pile of his own chunk. What a loser. John. Michael, obviously I hate to say this, but it seems like maybe you drink a little too much. I will sue you for $250 million. You better lawyer up, asshole. I can do this all week. Well, aren't you hosting this week? What? I am, yes. Michael. Ca, everybody. You're the host.

[Annalena Baerbock]

Have you been negotiating a lot all day? I mean, is that why your voice is hoarse?

[Jon Stewart]

I've been screaming at Iranians all day. Yes. Little bit of laryngitis because of my. I've been screaming at Iranians. So the Iran leadership screaming at. You know why? Because that's the only thing they understand. And they don't understand being nice. 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, This has been a Comedy Central podcast.