Pastor vs. Trump, Triumph Storms a Coffee Shop | Talib Kweli

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode Title: Pastor vs. Trump, Triumph Storms a Coffee Shop | Talib Kweli
Release Date: January 23, 2025
Hosted By: Ronny Chieng
Produced By: iHeartPodcasts and Paramount Podcasts

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Introduction and Opening Monologue (00:32 - 03:11)

Ronny Chieng kicks off the episode with his signature humor, highlighting the tumultuous start of Donald Trump's presidency. He humorously remarks on Trump's discomfort attending someone else's rally, specifically a post-inauguration church service where the preacher was overly "preachy."

Notable Quote:

"No one has ever had a worse time in church than Trump did. And yes, I've seen Spotlight, and you could tell that he had a bad time because of the way he came out of the church. Super bitchy."
— Ronny Chieng [02:58]

Chieng satirizes Trump's reaction to the sermon, suggesting that Trump found solace in the shared experience of feeling judged, likening Trump’s internal monologue to looking at Jesus on the cross and thinking, "hey, you and me both, brother."

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Trump’s Pardon of January 6th Rioters (03:11 - 07:08)

The discussion pivots to Trump's controversial decision to pardon individuals involved in the January 6th Capitol riot. Chieng criticizes the hastiness of the decision, mocking Trump's approach to the pardon process.

Notable Quotes:

"Church is bad. Beating cops is good. So I guess he's a Democrat now."
— Ronny Chieng [05:55]

"It's like, hey, Mr. President, what do you think about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni? But after getting yelled at by this church, Karen Trump was also getting yelled at by everyone..."
— Ronny Chieng [03:18]

Chieng further derides the lack of transparency in Trump's pardon process, highlighting the administration's reluctance to detail which rioters were being pardoned and pointing out the absurdity of releasing violent criminals without proper vetting.

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Republican Reaction to January 6th (07:08 - 11:32)

Correspondent Troy Iwata engages in a comedic exchange with Chieng about Republican reluctance to condemn the January 6th attackers. Iwata fabricates humorous "medical conditions" to explain why Republicans supposedly cannot view the riot footage without bias.

Notable Quotes:

"Tommy Tuberville didn't watch January 6th yet. Okay, he'll get to it..."
— Troy Iwata [09:26]

"Lauren Boebert was hypnotized at a child's birthday party and just never fully recovered."
— Troy Iwata [10:17]

Chieng continues the satire by expressing feigned empathy for Republicans' supposed inability to confront the violence of the Capitol riot, ultimately criticizing their lack of accountability.

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Coverage of the People's March (12:06 - 17:09)

The episode transitions to coverage of the People's March opposing Trump, where Chieng and Iwata provide a humorous take on the diverse and somewhat disorganized nature of the protestors.

Notable Quotes:

"Tell me, what stage of depression are you currently in? Anger, bargaining, or all the way to wearing that hat in public."
— Correspondent Troy Iwata [12:38]

"Jimmy Carter was doing just fine until Trump got elected again. Coincidence. Who killed Carter?"
— Troy Iwata [16:31]

The correspondent pokes fun at the variety of protester motivations and the sometimes contradictory messaging within the movement, highlighting the challenges in uniting diverse groups under a common cause.

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Interview with Talib Kweli: Music and Activism (18:19 - 29:37)

The highlight of the episode is an insightful interview with renowned hip-hop artist Talib Kweli. Chieng and Kweli discuss the evolving music industry, particularly the impact of streaming platforms on artists' revenue and creative control.

Key Discussion Points:

1. Streaming Platforms vs. Direct Support: Kweli criticizes the disparity in revenue between big platforms like Spotify and content creators, advocating for fans to support artists through platforms like Bandcamp and direct purchases.

   Notable Quote:

   "If you really want to support music, you should go to Bandcamp. You should go to fans website."
   — Talib Kweli [21:31]

2. Activism in Hip-Hop: Kweli emphasizes the role of hip-hop as a vehicle for social justice and activism, countering the stereotype of the genre being solely commercial or superficial.

   Notable Quote:

   "The hip hop community is way bigger than what you hear on the radio... hip hop has more social justice workers, more activists, more people that speak up than any genre."
   — Talib Kweli [25:00]

3. Future of the Music Industry: The conversation explores strategies for emerging artists to maintain artistic integrity while navigating the commercial pressures of the industry.

   Notable Quote:

   "Like, make yourself a commodity. Make yourself not a commodity, but make yourself make it about yourself."
   — Talib Kweli [25:52]

4. Intersection of Race and Class: When questioned about the black community's support for Trump, Kweli delves into the intertwined issues of race and class, arguing that systemic racism cannot be disentangled from economic disparities.

   Notable Quote:

   "You can't separate race and class. ... you can't separate everything that they do."
   — Talib Kweli [26:50]

Through candid dialogue, Kweli provides a nuanced perspective on the challenges artists face in the digital age and the importance of leveraging music as a tool for meaningful change.

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Closing Remarks and Conclusion (29:36 - 30:46)

Chieng wraps up the episode by thanking Talib Kweli for his contributions and highlighting the availability of Kweli's latest album, "Confidence of Knowing."

Notable Quote:

"Your music got me through some bad days. And it also was a soundtrack for some of my better days."
— Ronny Chieng [29:26]

The episode concludes with a brief promotional segment for the California Fire Foundation, followed by a reprise of the earlier discussion on Trump's pardons, reinforcing the episode's central themes of political satire and social commentary.

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Key Takeaways

• Political Satire: The episode offers a sharp critique of Donald Trump's actions in his early presidency, particularly his controversial pardons related to the January 6th Capitol riot.
• Media Commentary: Through humor, the show highlights perceived irresponsibility and denial within the Republican Party regarding accountability for political violence.
• Social Activism: The People's March segment underscores the fragmented and sometimes ineffective nature of grassroots protests.
• Music and Technology: The interview with Talib Kweli delves into the struggles artists face with streaming platforms and emphasizes the enduring power of music as a form of activism and personal expression.
• Intersectionality: Kweli's insights shed light on the complex relationship between race and class in contemporary America, advocating for a holistic understanding of systemic issues.

Conclusion

This episode of "The Daily Show: Ears Edition" masterfully blends humor with incisive political and social commentary. Through Ronny Chieng's engaging hosting and Talib Kweli's thoughtful interview, listeners gain a multifaceted perspective on current events, the state of the music industry, and the ongoing struggle for social justice. The inclusion of notable quotes enhances the narrative, providing memorable insights and reinforcing the show's commitment to intelligent, entertaining discourse.

Transcript

[Announcer]

You're listening to Comedy Central.

[Correspondent]

From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central. It's America's only source for news. This is the Daily show with your host, Ronnie T.

[Ronny Chieng]

Hey, welcome to the Daily Show. I'm Ronny Chang. We got so much to talk about tonight. The proud boys are back in town. Donald Trump faces off against Jesus, and we send triumph to sniff the buttholes of the resistance. So let's get into another edition of the second coming of Donald J. Trump.

[Correspondent]

I'm gonna go.

[Ronny Chieng]

It's only day two of Trump's presidency and already everyone is mad at him. I mean, guys, can you give him a minute? Let him sit down. It started in the morning when Trump went to the traditional post inauguration church service, which is not exactly his preferred way to start the day. It's never fun for him to be a guest at someone else's rally. And to make matters worse, the preacher was kind of preachy.

[Correspondent]

Mr. President, I ask you to have.

[Ronny Chieng]

Mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now. Gay, lesbian, and transgender children. And the people, the people who pick.

[Troy Iwata]

Our crops and clean our office buildings.

[Ronny Chieng]

Who labor in poultry farms and meatpacking.

[Correspondent]

Plants, who wash the dishes after we.

[Troy Iwata]

Eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals.

[Correspondent]

They may not be citizens or have.

[Ronny Chieng]

The proper documentation, but the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. New executive order. We are banning church. Hey, Bishop, please, all right? We don't go to church to hear a lecture about having mercy on the less fortunate. That's not what church is for. And Trump was like, I only came here because I heard there were free crackers, and now I'm getting roasted by tickets. He was probably looking up at Jesus on the cross and thinking, hey, you and me both, brother. To be fair, I mean, can you imagine going to church and the pastor is only addressing you like, this next sermon is about the sinners, the cheaters, the degenerate gamblers. Gary, the point is, no one has ever had a worse time in church than Trump did. And yes, I've seen Spotlight, and you could tell that he had a bad time because of the way he came out of the church. Super bitchy.

[Troy Iwata]

Mr. President, what did you think of the sermon?

[Correspondent]

What did you think? Did you like it? Did you find it exciting?

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah. Does that. Does that excite you? Did you like that, watching your president get lectured to by Bishop Rachel Maddow? Get your little liberal. You sick. And is this how we do presidential press conferences now? This is like TMZ at the departures hall at LAX. It's like, hey, Mr. President, hey, Mr. President, what do you think about Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni? But after getting yelled at by this church, Karen Trump was also getting yelled at by everyone just because he released hundreds of violent insurrectionists back into the streets or something. And, yeah, okay, they beat some cops and broke some windows, but they were doing it for him. No one seems to understand that. And the media won't shut up with these unfair gotcha questions.

[Correspondent]

You would agree that it's never acceptable to assault a police officer, Right? So then if I can, among those, you pardon DJ Rodriguez. He drove a stun gun into the neck of a D.C. police officer who was abducted by the mob that day. He later confessed on video to the FBI and pleaded guilty for his crimes. Why does he deserve a pardon? Well, I don't know. Was it a pardon? Because we're looking at commutes and we're looking at pardons. Okay, well, we'll take a look at everything.

[Ronny Chieng]

We'll take a look at everything. Shouldn't you look at it before you issue the pardon? So step one, release the prisoners. Step two, look into which prisoners we should release. Nailed it. So part one of his answer about this whole January 6th thing is, well, take a look. Which is Trump speak for we will never look at this again. But if that doesn't satisfy you, he has another reason.

[Correspondent]

Okay, well, we'll take a look at everything. But I can say this. Murderers today are not even charged. You have murderers that aren't charged all over you. Take a look at what's gone on in Philadelphia. Take a look at what's gone off in la, where people murder people and they don't get charged.

[Ronny Chieng]

See, some murderers aren't in jail, therefore nobody should be in jail. Okay, Also think big picture here. If he lets these violent criminals go, there's a chance they'll kill the other violent criminals and then they'll just cancel each other out. And to be fair to Trump, he has been campaigning on releasing the Jan6 prisoners for years now. Everyone just assumed he didn't mean the violent ones, which would mean going through all the cases one by one. But that's not really Trump's style.

[Troy Iwata]

New reporting from Axios this morning details.

[Correspondent]

The private back and forth amongst President.

[Ronny Chieng]

Trump's team over how many January 6th rioters to pardon.

[Troy Iwata]

The case by case review was onerous.

[Announcer]

Trump staffers wondered whom to pardon and who might slip through the cracks. Time was running out heading into Inauguration.

[Correspondent]

Day as Trump's team wrestled with the issue. Trump just said, effort, release Them all.

[Ronny Chieng]

I have never related to Trump more. All right, this PDF is 400 pages, okay? It all crime is legal. And. And look, you can't expect someone to go through all these cases one by one. I mean, the FBI did, and the. And the prosecutors did, and the judges did, and the juries and the paralegals and the person who types in that weird little typewriter no one else knows how to use but Trump. Busy. Okay. It's much easier to just click, select all delete. So, in the very first seven hours of the Trump administration, we already have our first big controversy, which, of course, leads to the classic ritual of a Trump presidency. He does something crazy. Then Republicans get asked about it, and they're like, what? I didn't see it.

[Correspondent]

Do you agree with President Trump's decision to pardon these violent people? If they were truly violent? No, but do I know that they were? I don't know that his January 6th pardons. Well, I said what I said before, and that is, we're not looking backwards. I haven't seen the details, but I think a lot of those parents were definitely well deserved.

[Announcer]

What about those who assaulted police officers and then were pardoned by the President?

[Correspondent]

I haven't seen any. I haven't. I haven't gone to the detail. We're talking about people that were beating officers with fire hydrants, with metal batons.

[Troy Iwata]

Is that acceptable to you?

[Correspondent]

Those people accepted, but I didn't see it. So what do you mean?

[Ronny Chieng]

It's on video, yo. No, no spoilers. Tommy Tuberville didn't watch January 6th yet. Okay, he'll get to it. But there's just so much to watch these days. You know, he's still got 9, 11, and Benghazi on his DVR. I mean, you. You were a senator on January 6th. Like, what do you mean? You didn't see the insurrection? You lived it. This is like a Titanic survivor saying, I haven't seen the movie. Don't tell me what happens. So, to sum up day one of Trump's presidency, Church is bad. Beating cops is good. So I guess he's a Democrat now. For more on the Republican reaction, we turn to Troy Iwata, everybody. Troy. Troy. All these Republicans are pretending they haven't seen footage of January 6th. I mean, shouldn't they be embarrassed?

[Troy Iwata]

Ronnie, I know sad and ignorant people like yourself would think Republicans are being cowardly, but they actually have medical conditions that literally make it impossible for them to see the January 6th footage. And unlike you, I'm not an ableist.

[Ronny Chieng]

What do you Mean Ableist Ron Johnson just said he didn't see the details.

[Troy Iwata]

He can't see the details, Ronnie. Okay, Ron Johnson has a rare disease. You know, face blindness. He has that, but specifically for insurrections. You know, when he sees a cop getting beaten with a flagpole, his brain interprets that as a rainbow or a baby deer learning to walk it. It might seem cute, but it's actually incredibly painful.

[Ronny Chieng]

Okay, I've. I've never heard of that. But what about the rest of them? Does Senator Tuberville also have this face blindness?

[Troy Iwata]

Okay, watch your tone, okay? And no. Tommy Tuberville actually has that disease from Memento. Do you remember that movie? He doesn't. But he forgets about January 6th every three minutes. He's a survivor, and it's inspiring.

[Ronny Chieng]

Oh, okay, so he's not just dumb.

[Troy Iwata]

Well, if he didn't have Memento disease, then yeah, he would absolutely be the dumbest senator in history. But he does have it, so he isn't. I'm doing a Walk for the Cure next week. What are you doing to give back, Ronnie?

[Ronny Chieng]

I have a metal straw to read that I'll remember to use someday, I guess. But anyway. Troy, come on. They can't. They can't all have medical issues with seeing Jan6 footage.

[Troy Iwata]

Look, they do, okay? Lauren Boebert was hypnotized at a child's birthday party and just never fully recovered. Rick Scott, he couldn't see the footage because he's actually half horse, so he always has those blinders on. And Tim Burchett couldn't see it cause he got kicked in the head by Rick Scott because he walked behind him too quickly and it spooked him.

[Correspondent]

And.

[Troy Iwata]

Oh, oh, oh. And John Thunes eyes don't work because he once saw a pretty lady walk by and they went boing. And they just. They never went back into his head. Yeah. Do you think that's funny, Ronny?

[Ronny Chieng]

I guess I need to be more sensitive to Republicans going forward.

[Troy Iwata]

Yeah, you should. Because there's a lot of things coming down the pipeline the next four years that they're not going to be able to see or hear or remember or legislate against or understand or consider.

[Ronny Chieng]

Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Okay, okay, okay.

[Correspondent]

Okay.

[Ronny Chieng]

Okay. I guess I. I guess I should be also more respectful of people who can't watch January 6th footage the way you and I have.

[Troy Iwata]

Oh, I haven't seen the January 6th footage.

[Ronny Chieng]

Well, do. Do you also have one of those diseases?

[Troy Iwata]

No.

[Ronny Chieng]

No.

[Troy Iwata]

It just sounded so depressing. I don't need that in my life.

[Ronny Chieng]

Okay, okay, okay. Troy Watt, everybody. When we come back on Trump's opposition. So don't go away. You can't see it. Welcome back to our Daily Show. Donald Trump's inauguration wasn't the only event in D.C. this week. There was also the People's March to oppose him. We sent our most dogged reporter to.

[Correspondent]

Check it out here in Washington, D.C. at the People's March. We're here with everyone in America who thinks Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski still have good on screen chemistry. This diverse crowd covers a full spectrum of literally every stage of depression. Good morning. Look at you guys. You guys are mobilized.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah.

[Correspondent]

You're energized. Yes. You're three months too late. I can't. I can't. If you could just say your name and all your genders from the camera, please. Oh, wow.

[Ronny Chieng]

I lost count.

[Announcer]

I'm sorry.

[Correspondent]

Let's face it, no one here is going to smash any windows at the Capitol that would require upper body strength. You know, eight years ago, in fairness, there were, like, millions of people here. Do you think the numbers of women participating in this march have dropped off because they don't see themselves represented by the Democrats or because you kept talking to them about Deadpool? Seriously, looking around here, I've never seen so many people worried about losing the right to contraceptives for purely hypothetical reasons. Tell me, what. What stage of depression are you currently in? Anger, bargaining, or all the way to wearing that hat in public. So many groups, factions represented here. This person is with people for the legalization of medicinal bath salts. Correct. Deport Trump. Slash, drump, drumpf. If you don't know. No, I get it. Was the Trump. I'm the original name in Germany. Okay. Nice to know the bath salts have kicked in. Now, honestly, some people are saying that you're all ineffective, you're too weak and unequipped for a crisis. I'm talking to your deodorants right now, actually. Sure, sure. Yeah. If we want to win next time, we have to build a bigger tent. Sometimes it's just with language. Okay, so if we want to get Republicans, what about if we rebrand climate change as climate transitioning? Okay. Then Republicans will want to stop it. There you go. I can feel Ben Shapiro edging already. So you're a young person. I feel like the young people need to understand what's going on better. What's your message to young people who only get their news from social media?

[Troy Iwata]

It's important to organize, join an organization.

[Correspondent]

Already too complicated.

[Announcer]

Sorry.

[Correspondent]

People aren't going to take you seriously wearing pussy hats from 2016. We got to armor up, show them we don't want to be screwed with right now.

[Ronny Chieng]

Okay, what do you got?

[Correspondent]

Okay, it's time for the pew pad. Put that on. Oh, boy. All right, this is what democracy looks like.

[Announcer]

Are the pubes organic?

[Correspondent]

Of course they're organic. And they're farm raised. Farm raised. Organic. Farm raised. Yes. We run a no kill pube farm. Are there genetically modified organisms in the. Just put the hat on. Now, see, this is for the more discerning. That's the landing strip pube hat. Seriously, you guys, this marching stuff, it's so analog. This isn't what the Republicans do, you know? Where's your Pepe the Frog? Where's your cat turd? We need our own Pepe. So I call this one Keith Olbermonkey. This is another potential mascot, Smuggy, the NPR tote bag. Yeah, it's perfect. People don't believe facts anymore. They believe conspiracy theories. So we need to make up our own conspiracy theories. Okay. For example, Jimmy Carter was doing just fine until Trump got elected again. Coincidence. Who killed Carter? You know how Trump hides his medical records?

[Ronny Chieng]

Yes.

[Correspondent]

He also hides his DNA test. That's right. He recently took a DNA test that revealed that he's 40% sour cream. Release the DNA test.

[Announcer]

Release the DNA test.

[Correspondent]

Trump is ruining people's lives.

[Ronny Chieng]

Trump is ruining people's lives.

[Correspondent]

He goes well with onions and chives.

[Announcer]

He goes well with onions and chives.

[Correspondent]

Gop, stop the lies.

[Ronny Chieng]

Gop, stop the lies.

[Correspondent]

How did Jimmy Carter die? How did Jimmy Carter die? Young man, are you a member of Gen Z?

[Ronny Chieng]

Yes, sir.

[Correspondent]

Okay. Did you mean to come to this march, or were you staring at your phone on the way to work? And when you finally looked up, you were here? I came here on purpose. I kid. I kid. I know. You don't actually work. Are you guys ready to storm a building? I might be. Let's be honest. You guys aren't ready to storm the Capitol. No, I'm. I'm sorry. Yeah. Believe me. But we're gonna start small, okay? Trust me. We need to do something, you know, that's gonna get attention. We're gonna start small, okay? Are you with me? Okay, everybody, storm with me.

[Announcer]

Let's go. Come on.

[Correspondent]

We're gonna storm.

[Ronny Chieng]

We're about to storm.

[Correspondent]

No, let's storm. Let's go. Let's start. We're storming. Take it back. Take it back. Take it back. Take it back. Take it back. Whose house? Our House. Whose house? Our house. Whose house? Our house. Whose house? Our house. Whose house? Our house. Whose house? Our house. Whose house? Our house. Whose house?

[Announcer]

Oh, yes.

[Correspondent]

Oh, yeah. We're taking back our muffins. America. Yes. Today is equal Coffee House. Tomorrow, Cheesecake Factory.

[Ronny Chieng]

Thank you, Triumph. When we come back, Khalid Khalid will be joining me on the show, so don't go away. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is a legend, legendary hip hop artist whose latest album is a collaboration with J. Ross called the Confidence of Knowing. Please welcome the one and only Brooklyn's own Talib Kweli.

[Correspondent]

New York City. Brooklyn. Brooklyn.

[Announcer]

What's up, Ronnie? How you feeling?

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah, man of the people, man.

[Announcer]

Oh, man, I love the people. This is my.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah, yeah.

[Announcer]

My city.

[Ronny Chieng]

Thanks so much. Yeah, thanks for coming on the show, man. You just came here from Australia.

[Announcer]

I did. I was with the Roots Shout out to the legendary Roots crew.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah.

[Announcer]

Good job.

[Ronny Chieng]

No, that makes sense. I saw a video of Questlove DJing in a pub in Australia, and I was like, what's he doing there? You guys were on tour doing music.

[Announcer]

We were. Those guys are amazing, and I'm happy to share the world with them.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah, I used to live in. I lived in Australia for, like, 10 years. How was it for you?

[Announcer]

It was good. Being an American, traveling abroad is very interesting these days.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah, how so? How so?

[Announcer]

People have a lot of questions.

[Ronny Chieng]

A lot of questions.

[Announcer]

A lot of questions. A lot of questions. Thank you for coming to my show at City Winery.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah, of course.

[Announcer]

Appreciate that.

[Ronny Chieng]

No, I love. Well, I'm a huge fan.

[Announcer]

I've been to my show.

[Ronny Chieng]

No, I'm a real. I'm, like, playing it cool right now, but I'm, like, a huge fan of yours, and I've been, like, following your music.

[Announcer]

I'm a fan of yours.

[Ronny Chieng]

No, no, that's very. Yeah, I don't. That's very kind. I feel so embarrassed that you even said from people. But one thing I love, like, I, you know, I listen to albums and you, you know, I think you've been. You've been in this game for, like, 30 years now. I feel like, correct me if I'm wrong, I feel like most of it, you've been kind of like, almost pushing it indie style.

[Announcer]

Yeah, most of it.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah, for most of it. And I feel like your last few albums, not this one, the latest one, Confidence of Knowing, is available on Apple and Spotify.

[Announcer]

That's right.

[Ronny Chieng]

But your last two, including Blackstar 2 and your album before that, your solo album before that, like, you Released it on like, one was on Patreon, one was on Luminary. I was like, as a fan of yours, I knew you released it, but I would have to like go and like digitally chase it. Wasn't like I could just press a button and listen to it. And it reminded me of back in the day actually having to chase music now.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Ronny Chieng]

And it. I mean, quite frankly, it made me like, appreciate it even more when I did find it, because it made it like, kind of difficult to get in a way.

[Announcer]

Like, is that he makes it special. Well, I know everybody here is a fan of Joe Rogan, and I think Joe Rogan is paid millions of dollars by Spotify for people to listen to his podcast. But as an artist, a musician on Spotify, I get a percentage of a penny. They don't pay any artist at that far, any music artist an advance like that. So I mean, I think that's.

[Ronny Chieng]

And what's your problem?

[Announcer]

Disparity. You know what I'm saying? Disparity. So, I mean, streaming is very convenient for the fans. It's not the fans fault. But if you really want to support music, you should go to Bandcamp. You should go to fans website. You can come to my Bandcamp, you can come to Blackstar Band Camp, you can come to qualiclub.com, which is a store where I sell my merch and.

[Ronny Chieng]

Albums and anything but streaming, basically.

[Announcer]

Right, right, right, right. I mean, look, go listen on streaming, but then go actually support the artist.

[Correspondent]

Right.

[Ronny Chieng]

You know what I mean? Right?

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Ronny Chieng]

And you know, it's a mix. Right. A. M. Some of it is that people. The music on streaming is so convenient, and so they use that. And the other part is people don't know. People don't know. They think that listening on Spotify or Apple Music is like helping you, you know.

[Announcer]

Right. Well, everything is dictated by the algorithm right now, and whether it's what you listen to, what you eat, what you watch on television, even your politics. So this idea that online interaction is not real, I feel like that's kind of what's helping our current political climate. A lot of people slept on the fact that particularly the right wing was pushing online and they were saying, you know, don't engage, just ignore that it's not real. And it turns out that these billionaires are using their platforms to invest and help push policy and politics. And so it's affecting everything. We're turning into like Ready Player One right now.

[Ronny Chieng]

Right. So you're saying your antidote to that is to like, Stop. Like, get off the streaming services?

[Announcer]

Um, no, not at all. I mean. I mean, right now, as you can see, I'm on Blue sky right now. You know what I'm saying? Because as far as I can tell, Blue sky is the only one that is not bending the knee to Trump. You know what I'm saying? But I mean, you know, there have been great communities built on TikTok, on Meta, on Facebook, on Instagram, even on X. There have been great communities that have helped people, but at a certain point, you gotta really sort of vote with your dollars and vote with your time and energy and all our engagement that we voluntarily give to these people, we're just seen as numbers to them and we don't even own this content. So you have to really think about where you wanna put your time and energy.

[Ronny Chieng]

Right. As a consumer, as a fan, as a fan of the person. So, like, I mean, you've been in this game for like 30 years now.

[Announcer]

Yeah. And I think it's important to note that I'm an artist that doesn't have a platinum record, but I'm still on a Daily Show 30 years later.

[Ronny Chieng]

Right.

[Announcer]

And I feel like that, you know. Thank you. I hope that can inspire people feel overwhelmed by, like, not getting the props they deserve as artists.

[Ronny Chieng]

Okay, sure. To. Yeah. Come on the Daily Show.

[Announcer]

Yeah. You don't have to be mainstream to be successful.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah, well, yeah, no, for sure. I mean, I think the art, they're. There's art that you produce and then there's commercial stuff and they both have their benefits.

[Announcer]

Yes.

[Ronny Chieng]

You know, I think what really made me a fan of you was that you kind of. I think you and Mos Def were the first guys to kind of show me hip hop as an art form and not just a consumable thing to dance at at a nightclub.

[Announcer]

Shout out to Mos Def. He has a new album with Alchemist.

[Ronny Chieng]

No, don't shout him out. This is you. This is you right now. But I guess because you've been here for 30 years now and you've. You've seen what it was like 30 years ago. You've seen what it's like now. So where do you think the future of the music industry is going? You know, I mean. Cause it doesn't sound good from what you're saying. I mean.

[Announcer]

Yeah, I think. I think that when it comes to hip hop, too many people think of hip hop as what the corporations are pushing on them. And the hip hop community is way bigger than what you hear on the radio or what you see on videos, the hip hop community is very vast. Matter of fact, I'm gonna defend the hip hop community more than any genre. I feel like hip hop has more social justice workers, more activists, more people that speak up than any genre, hands down. So even though we're pushed this sort of corporate, greedy, capitalistic, sexist, violent image of hip hop, when you look at the hip hop community as a whole, this is where the artists are becoming activists at.

[Ronny Chieng]

Right. And. But, like, I guess I was asking, like, what is the. Where do you think? If you're a musician right now and you're just getting started. Yeah. You know, like, what is the. What is the. Your. What would you recommend to them?

[Announcer]

You know, like, I would recommend that you stay far away from the music industry, right. And build. Build industry around yourself. You know what I'm saying? Like, make yourself a commodity. Make yourself not a commodity, but make yourself make it about yourself and bringing traffic to what you're doing as opposed to sending traffic outside of yourself.

[Ronny Chieng]

Okay? Okay, okay. Right, well, next. Well, yeah, yeah. Well, you know, you've been in the game a long time. You're also such a prominent activist for your community politically. Like, is. I. I hate to ask you.

[Announcer]

Oh, let's go, Ronnie.

[Ronny Chieng]

I hate to ask you, like, I'm.

[Announcer]

Here for the questions. I know, but, like, they call me Dr. Fumar Johnson. I want other smoke.

[Ronny Chieng]

I hate to ask you as a black man, but as a black man, can you explain, like, where this appeal for Trump is coming from or where it's. Where it's going, you think?

[Announcer]

Well, speaking on behalf of the entire black community, because I'll speak for the.

[Ronny Chieng]

Asians and you speak for the.

[Announcer]

I am king of the blacks, obviously. I think that the way that. The way that people feel, this despair they feel to feel like the system is against them and they can't trust our leaders and they can't trust the politicians. Welcome to how it feels to be black. The whole time. We've been feeling like that the whole time. So this is not.

[Ronny Chieng]

Well, this kind of sucks.

[Announcer]

It does suck. And this is why people, you know, they. What they say, they say they want the rhythm but not the blues. You know what I'm saying? Sure. I will say this right now. I see a push, you know, people out there, like, free Luigi, you know what I'm saying? Like, I see this push for people to be, like, eat the rich and be anti oligarch and this push to explain class divisions and class warfare and how these billionaire class, they don't Care about race. Race is a social construct. Of course, it's not even real. But this idea that we have to focus on class above everything. And I want to make sure that we don't erase the marginalized people of color who started this fight for us and who often get erased at this time because the top 90% over the top 90% is straight white male on purpose. So in America, because America started the idea of, you know, with the Atlantic slave trade, the construct of whiteness being above all. This kind of started with the birth of America because it's baked into America. You can't separate race and class. Years ago, James Carville said it's the economy stupid. But now it's the racism, stupid. You know what I'm saying? Like, you can't separate everything that they do. When it comes to immigration, when it comes to federal workers, when it comes to the economy, it's based on white nationalist ideas. This is why Elon Musk is doing Nazi salutes. And no one, no one cares. You know what I'm saying? Or they even trying to defend him.

[Ronny Chieng]

Well, you know what I'm saying? I wouldn't say no one cares, but yeah, no, you know, okay, this is.

[Announcer]

The radical left liberal charge.

[Ronny Chieng]

Yeah, we are our own tribe here.

[Announcer]

But like, well, I wanna add to that. It's not. They're fooling us by making us think. It's about Democrat versus Republican. I'm not a Democrat. I've never been a Democrat. I voted Democrat before. I've never voted Republican, but I've never identified as a Democrat.

[Ronny Chieng]

True.

[Announcer]

This is not about Democrat versus Republican. This is about good versus bad. This is about colonizers versus the colonized. This is about the oligarchs versus the poor and working class people. It's not about Democrat and Republican in this country. They change philosophies anyway.

[Ronny Chieng]

Sure, sure. All right, sure. Well, you know, thank you. I just want to say thank you for coming on the show. Thank you for your honor. Thank you for making the world better place.

[Correspondent]

Thank you.

[Ronny Chieng]

Your music. Thank you. Your music got me through some bad days. And it also was a soundtrack for some of my better days. So thanks so much for making it. I hope you keep making music. Thanks so much, everybody. The confidence of knowing is available now to live Kweli, everybody. When we. Oh, we're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back after this.

[Correspondent]

Thank you.

[Ronny Chieng]

Hey, that's our show for tonight. Now please consider supporting the California Fire Foundation. They're on the ground working with local fire agencies and community organizations to provide support to impacted residents in Los Angeles. If you can, please donate at the link below. Now, here it is, your moment of Zen.

[Correspondent]

Congressman, I asked you a yes or no question. Do you agree with President Trump's decision to pardon these violent people and releasing them from jail if they were truly violent? No. But. But do I know that they were? I don't know that. What do you mean you don't know that? We're showing the footage on the air right now. Congressman, you were there that day.

[Ronny Chieng]

Explore more shows from the Daily Show.

[Correspondent]

Podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcast, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus Paramount Podcasts.