Trump Defends Racist Obama Meme & MAGA Rages Over Bad Bunny’s Spanish Halftime Show | Gov. Andy Beshear

Summary

Podcast Summary – The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: Trump Defends Racist Obama Meme & MAGA Rages Over Bad Bunny’s Spanish Halftime Show | Gov. Andy Beshear
Host: Jon Stewart
Date: February 10, 2026

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Jon Stewart and The Daily Show News Team dissect the most polarizing headlines of the week, focusing on the cultural backlash to Bad Bunny’s all-Spanish Super Bowl halftime show and President Trump reposting a racist meme depicting the Obamas. Stewart employs his signature satire and sharp wit to illuminate the ongoing culture wars in America, examining the fragile state of national unity and the performative outrage of the MAGA movement. The episode also features an in-depth interview with Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, who discusses his improbable political success as a Democrat in a deep-red state, strategies for effective leadership, and the impact of Trump-era economic policies on local communities.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

Super Bowl: Snacks, Halftime Show, & MAGA Outrage

• Jon’s Super Bowl Recap

  • Opens with humor about the lackluster quality of the Super Bowl (“If you like high scoring contests…this was not the game for you.”)
  • Super Bowl snacks become comedic fodder, particularly with a quirky staff member’s “carnivore diet” of “meat and ferments.”
  • Parody of bringing yogurt to a Super Bowl party: “If you ever show up at my super bowl party with a tub of yogurt..." (04:16)

• Bad Bunny’s Halftime Show in Spanish

  • Praises the star-studded, energetic performance but highlights the backlash from American conservatives over the use of Spanish.

  • Lampoons MAGA commentators:

    • “To get up there and perform the whole…the whole show in Spanish is a middle finger to the rest of America. The majority of people…had no idea what was being said. Is it too much to ask to put it in English?” (05:55)
    • Stewart quips: “I love that he thinks Bad Bunny is the one guy in the world that's fluent in Spanish. Nobody understands. It's a dead language.” (14:40)

  • Mocks Turning Point USA’s “all-American, English-only” alternative show as an insecure MAGA safe space.

    • “Thank you, Merriam and Webster, couldn’t have put it better themselves regarding the up jumping of said boogie...” (09:00)

  • Points out the grievance-victim dynamic:

    • “These people who control every branch of government are so triggered by someone singing in Spanish for 20 minutes, they need to create their own safe space.” (26:41)

Trump’s Racist Meme & The “Unifier-in-Chief”

• President Trump’s Post & Fallout

  • Discussion of Trump’s Truth Social post that included a video ending with the Obamas’ faces superimposed on cartoon apes.

    • “Just know, the racist video in question was not in Spanish. Rest easy. We're starting to heal.” (15:46)

  • Stewart skewers both the content and the right-wing defenses:

    • “It wasn’t a video that was racist. It was a video that ended with a racist thing…There are certain things in this world where placement is less important than presence.” (16:19)
    • Comedic analogy: “Oh, I don’t have gonorrhea. The tip of my penis has gonorrhea. You’re going to judge my entire penis by the gonorrheic tip?” (16:36)

  • On Republican reactions:

    • “Senator Tim Scott...calling the president's post the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House.” (19:43)
    • Stewart jabs at the ‘reluctant criticism’ and GOP’s unwillingness to fully break from Trump.

  • White House reaction:

    • Press Secretary urges media to “stop the fake outrage”, which Stewart eviscerates as disingenuous from a movement built on “Olympic outrage.” (20:44)

Culture War, Flag Outrage & MAGA Victimhood

• Flag Disrespect Double Standards

  • Coverage of right-wing outrage over a U.S. Olympic skier expressing mixed feelings about representing America.
    • Quotes skier: “It brings up mixed emotions to represent the US right now. I think it's a little hard.” (22:14)
  • Stewart notes MAGA hypocrisy, highlighting Trump’s own “America is a cesspool” rhetoric while sporting the flag.
    • “If I were to show you, let's say, a video of President Donald Jesus Trump shitting on America and Americans while sporting the very insignia that you deem so sacred…” (24:10)

• Victimhood and Safe Spaces

  • Stewart illustrates how the right has adopted tactics it once ridiculed (victimhood, safe spaces, cancel culture):
    • “Remember 2017?...perpetually offended, safe spaces, censoring free speech, culture of victimhood. Remind you of anyone?” (25:00)
    • “It’s not a movement that seems confident in its position…” (26:41)

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Interview: Governor Andy Beshear

Kentucky’s Crises & Beshear’s Approach

• Governance Amid Crisis

  • Kentucky has suffered 15 federally declared weather disasters, a pandemic, and other emergencies since Beshear took office. (“We got hit hard and we've gotten hit hard over and over. This was our 15th federally declared weather disaster since I became governor.” 29:15)

• Winning in a Deep-Red State

  • Stewart jokes about Kentucky’s huge Trump margin (“That’s like Putin numbers”), and asks Beshear his “secret sauce.”

  • Beshear attributes his success to three principles:

    1. Standing up for his convictions and pushing back against discrimination.
    2. Focusing 80% of his energy on “issues that matter to 100% of the people” (jobs, health care, infrastructure, safety).
    3. Communicating in plain language and connecting policy with real lives.
    • “I spend 80% of my time on issues that matter to 100% of the people of Kentucky.” (30:48)
    • “The thing that Democrats have to do better is talk like normal human beings.” (31:38)
    • “But you don't change stigma by changing words. You change it by changing hearts…when people are hungry, they're hungry.” (32:20)

• Language versus Connection

  • Critique of political rebranding (“justice-involved population” instead of inmates, “food insecurity” instead of hungry).
  • Advocates focusing not just on “what” policies, but “why”—personal motivation driving action.

• Policy Successes & Economic Challenges

  • Beshear notes job growth and investment, but Trump’s tariffs and health care cuts hurt his community, particularly since Kentucky relies on industries (like battery plants) impacted by protectionist measures.

  • “Tariffs are a big reason why. It's the single worst economic policy of my lifetime. It makes everything cost more for our families.” (41:49)

  • On local reaction to “green jobs” rhetoric:

    • “He said, we're creating 350—and then he used the term in coal country, green jobs. And you know what? Everybody did?...They gave them a standing ovation because they pay 40 bucks an hour.” (36:15)

  • Foresees the “fever breaking” among farmers and longtime Trump supporters as policies tangibly harm them:

    • “Their market may never come back…This person that they believed in…is about to ruin them. And you're seeing people speak out.” (45:00)

Governors, Courts, and Resistance

• Legal Battles with the Federal Government

  • Beshear (and other Democratic governors/AGs) have sued the Trump administration for withholding disaster aid, canceling grants, and over nationalist National Guard deployments.

    • “He tried to cancel a grant for a warning system for eastern Kentucky when it floods. I've gone to court…” (36:55)
    • “Democrats that have the courage to stand up to them…that money is flowing to our states and not those red states.” (37:45)

• Democratic Governors’ Coordination

  • They often communicate, band together for lawsuits, and try to sway public opinion, e.g., on Trump’s deportation policies and the human costs thereof.
  • No, they're not quietly plotting presidential runs ("I haven't had that conversation...We're really focused on '26." 40:16).

• Impact of Trump’s Economics

  • Explains directly how protectionist tariffs increase costs, slow manufacturing reshorings, and undermine job creation that’s crucial for Kentucky.
    • “Doing what he wants to do costs that much more. We were reshoring as a country. The person who slowed it down is Donald J. Trump.” (42:10)
    • Loss of jobs at battery plants, and the ripple through Kentucky’s working class.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the MAGA outrage over Spanish at the halftime show:

  • “For a significant portion of Americans, everything that happens must uniformly be filtered through a particular magacentric worldview and judged on how well it conforms to that traditional vision, which doesn't include knowing where the bibliotheca is.” (05:21 – Jon Stewart)

• On rationalizing the racist meme:

  • “If you say the N word at the end of the sentence, it still ruins the whole sentence. There are certain things in this world where placement is less important than presence.” (16:19 – Jon Stewart)

• On double standards of American symbolism and criticism:

  • “If I were show you, let's say, a video of President Donald Jesus Trump shitting on America and Americans while sporting the very insignia that you deem so sacred, what if I showed you a video like that?” (24:10 – Jon Stewart)

• On MAGA’s newfound victimhood:

  • “Remember 2017?... perpetually offended, safe spaces, censoring free speech, culture of victimhood. Remind you of anyone?” (25:00 – Jon Stewart)

• On green jobs in coal country:

  • “He said, we're creating 350—and then he used the term in coal country, green jobs. And you know what? Everybody did?...They gave them a standing ovation because they pay 40 bucks an hour.” (36:15 – Andy Beshear)

• On Trump’s tariffs:

  • “Tariffs are a big reason why. It's the single worst economic policy of my lifetime. It makes everything cost more for our families.” (41:49 – Andy Beshear)

• On breaking the fever:

  • “Their market may never come back…This person that they believed in…is about to ruin them. And you're seeing people speak out.” (45:00 – Andy Beshear)

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Timestamps of Key Segments

• 00:10–04:00 – Super Bowl recap and snack banter
• 04:00–07:00 – Super Bowl halftime show critique, Spanish language outrage
• 13:17–19:00 – Culture war: “Unifying” Super Bowl debates, Trump’s racist meme, right-wing rationalizations
• 21:28–24:00 – Olympic skier’s “anti-American” comments, MAGA’s rhetorical double standard
• 25:00–27:12 – Stewart’s indictment of right-wing victimhood and culture of grievance
• 28:37–46:03 – Interview with Governor Andy Beshear covering political strategy, policy, and economic fallout
• 46:03–47:32 – Episode outro, promotions

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Tone and Language

• Tone: Irreverent, satirical, but frequently earnest in the interview segments.
• Language: Candid, colloquial, and sometimes coarse (standard for Stewart’s comedic stylings). Stewart routinely mixes jokes with critique, switching between biting satire and sincere inquiry during interviews.

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For Listeners Who Missed the Episode

This episode of The Daily Show delivers a blistering, funny critique of the past week’s culture clashes and Trump’s latest controversies, while also offering concrete examples from Kentucky’s Governor Andy Beshear on how to win and govern effectively in hostile political territory. Stewart highlights the contradiction between MAGA’s wielded power and its perpetual victimhood, skewers the manufactured outrage over a Spanish-language Super Bowl show, and exposes the lack of accountability among the movement’s leaders. Beshear’s interview is a highlight, providing real-world context on policy, economic turmoil, and the long game of coalition-building in American politics.

Transcript

[A]

This episode is brought to you by Ninjalux Cafe, the three in one machine that makes espresso, drip coffee and cold brew. No barista skills required.

[B]

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. Hey, fire. Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Daily Show. We got one for you tonight. My name is Jon Stewart. Great show. Andy Beshear will be here. We'll be talking about season two of his podcast and we'll also talk about his side hustle as the governor of Kentucky. First, I gotta tell you what a weekend. Super Bowl Sunday. And what a game, what a game it was, man. If you like high scoring contests where the outcome is in doubt till the final suspenseful, climactic seconds, this was not the game for you. Slow grinding. It nearly took all the fun out of watching the Patriots lose. I was saluting the Patriots in their one year rebuild. But you know what? At least we had our snacks. That's what's the important part. I'll be honest with you. I went with the whole shebang. Six foot hoagie, wings, nachos, queso, hot and cold running Budweiser. Am I missing any of the classics? What would you have as a Super bowl snack?

[C]

You know, I am on a carnivore.

[B]

Diet, so I just eat meat and ferments. Did this. Did this mother just say his diet is meat and ferments? He's so weird. Why does he always have to be so pluribus? Why, Carol, would you like some ferments? Just as a normal non alien species to another, it is a Super bowl party. I don't care if your diet is meat and ferments. What are you having at the super bowl party? So I'm gonna probably have yogurt. You're gonna have yogurt for the Super Bowl? For the super bowl you're having yog. You eat meat and ferments. And for the super bowl you went ferments. You know, dude, it's one thing to bring measles and polio back, but I think I speak for the entire nation when I say if you ever show up at my super bowl party with a tub of yogurt, you couldn't just muster up a little trunk bear jerky? Like what? But even though the game was a grind and your weird friend brought you a six pack yogurt, At least we all have the halftime show this year. They love it. Yeah. Yeah. Sponsored this year by Ferments Ferments. It puts the fart in rfk. This year's super bowl halftime show start. Benito Antonio Martinez. Bad Bunny Ocasio. And he was and delivered a performance that was, as they say in Puerto rico, quite good. Mr. Bunny killed it. Despite being trapped in an escapable sugar cane hedge maze. He had Lady Gaga. He had Ricky Martin, he had the Mandalorian. He threw a wedding, he held a Model un and he even had the time to make a conhead service stop mid conc. He did it all. Just reboot the box and enjoy Day Nada. It was joyful and infectious and the single worst halftime show in NFL history. Oh, oh, right, right, right. I forgot. I forgot. For a significant portion of Americans, everything that happens must uniformly be filtered through a particular magacentric worldview and judged on how well it conforms to that traditional vision, which doesn't include knowing where the bibliotheca is. To get up there and perform the whole. The whole show in Spanish is a middle finger to the rest of America. The majority of people in the audience had no idea what was being said. Is it too much to ask to put it in English?

[C]

Not one word of English.

[D]

Yeah.

[C]

Not one word of English.

[B]

One word. Here's. Here's some English for you. Who put thanos over here in the air fryer? Did they? Did they. Did Fox decide they needed an actual buffalo wing to comment on the game? Dude, seriously, we all like to get sun, but. I mean, I'm no dermatologist, but be there tomorrow morning as early as you can be there. It's like the guy's couch is one of those chicken rotisseries. He's watching the game. Like, tell me if I miss anything. I've got like 10 of these. Seriously, how many glizzies do you gobble before you become one? But the point is, this is America. This is the Super Bowl. Is it too much to ask for a halftime show that this great nation can enjoy in its mother tongue? It's why the good people at TP USA went through the trouble of putting on an alternative all American halftime show that celebrated this beautiful country in the King's English. We all share. Thank you. Was that so hard? Thank you. Thank you. Merriam and Webster couldn't have put it better themselves regarding the up jumping of said boogie. Insofar as the diggy, diggy, diggy being da bang a da bang. I got that right. But surely, surely, surely you didn't miss Bad Bunny just to watch an old man in acid washed Jorts badly lip sync his way through a pre taped bawa da ba performance. Surely the TPUSA halftime show is a broader spectacle of Americana to rival this most malevolent of bunnies. Looks like somebody dipped into the ferments.

[A]

Oh.

[B]

I've never seen a cello player who looks like the porn version of a cello player. Bomb, chicka bomb. Bomb, chicka bomb. I'm sorry, let me skip forward a little bit. There's gotta be something else worth missing out on Bad Bunny for in this country nowadays. Wait, I'm. Wait, isn't. What exactly is so hard about being country nowadays? I just want to catch my fish, drive my truck, drink my be. So far it sounds relatively easy. Am I missing a heavier lift? I just wanna cut my grass, feed my dog, wear my boots. Sir, I. Sir, again, I must insist all of these seem like achievable goals. I mean, you're wearing boots right now. What exactly is it about being country that is so difficult? If I tell my own daughter that little boys ain't little girls. Here we go. I'll give the creaking hot water this cancer ass word. You're so brave, People throw the word hero around, but this is a bold opinion to hold in your genre, sir. Really risking it all going up against country music's trans cartel. By the way, also, if you did get canceled, really more time for the fishing and the mowing and the truck beer drinking. And if I could just remind you, really just the important thing. Feeding the dog. Again, I can't. I can't stress this enough in the song. Between the beer and the boots and the fishing, really just feed your dog every day, sir. I know it's hard, but you know what? There was a bigger reason why TPUSA had to do their own halftime show. Because the NFL's halftime show failed its one true mandate.

[C]

Doing a halftime show in all Spanish is not unifying the super bowl halftime.

[B]

Show divided in a time that's supposed to be a unifying moment. They could have found somebody more uniting. Why the is it the super bowl halftime entertainer's job to unify the country? In what world is that their job? Oh, isn't there another person whose job description is much more along those lines? Let me ask you a question. Let me ask. Don't make me get my yogurts. What did that person do to unify the country?

[C]

In a social media post, President Trump mocked Bad Bunny's performance, calling it, quote, absolutely terrible, one of the worst ever, then adding, quote, nobody understands a word. This guy is Saying, nobody.

[B]

I love that he thinks Bad Bunny is the one guy in the world that's fluent in Spanish. Nobody understands. It's a dead language. You know, the right has a lot of balls complaining that Bad Bunny didn't do enough to unify this country when you only found out a few days ago that Puerto Rico's a part of it. And before you get. And before you get your panties in una torcion, another unifying pro tip might be to tell your guy to stop tweeting out racist slop during, I don't know, Black History Month.

[C]

The White House facing backlash over a racist depiction of the Obamas contained in a video post on the president's Truth Social account.

[B]

At the end, the video suddenly flashed to a clip of the Obama's faces superimposed on the heads of cartoon apes. Ladies and gentlemen, no. Before you get upset, just know the racist video in question was not in Spanish. Rest easy. We're starting to heal. I mean, if 20 minutes of bad Bunny's halftime show destroyed the country's unity, I think even MAGA would be terribly upset that the unifier in chief would be sharing a video this racist. Or would they? I mean, this is probably crazy, but would they try and justify it? It wasn't a video that was racist. It was a video that ended with a racist thing. Which doesn't make. That doesn't matter. If you say the N word at the end of the sentence, it still ruins the whole sentence. There are certain things in this. There are certain things in this world where placement is less important than presence. Oh, I don't have gonorrhea. The tip of my penis has gonorrhea. You're going to judge my entire penis by the gonorrheic tip? Who's the racist now? Can we at least all agree that the last part where he compared the Obamas to apes was definitely racist? At the end of the day, human beings often point to other human beings and notice that they kind of look like this animal or that animal. Come on. But there are, you know, certain anthropomorphic comparisons that historically have been used to justify, oh, I don't know, slavery, but go ahead. I apologize for interrupting you. I did know a girl that looked like a guy that looked like a monkey, but he was white. He was my friend Joey and he was white. So in terms of racist justifications, he's blown right past the I have a black friend and moved right into the I have a white friend who looks like a monkey. And poor Joey, poor white friend Joey. What a way to find out. You've got. What a way to find out. You've got. Resting primate face. Poor mother Joey probably sitting at home watching his friend on television picking nits out of his wife's hair. And then he's gotta look up and be like, what that guy say? Me Joey met Joey throw poop at tv. Joey throw poop and jerk off and throw a demon and poop and then demon and then poop. Not even the cameramen have heard all this shit. We're going off script tonight, Mother. I gotta tell you this. The video was so bad, there were actual Republicans who criticized it.

[C]

Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senate's only black Republican, calling the president's post the most racist thing I've seen out of this White House.

[B]

Wow. By the way, Tim Scott's face. That is the face almost all Republicans make in private when they've been told what Trump said. But seriously, though, Senator, is it the most racist thing that's come out of this White House? Well, survey says it is. Congratulations, you've won the opportunity to probably have to say this shit again next week. But Tim Scott's criticism forced the president to delete the video, which puts the president in an uncomfortable position. A Sophie's Choice. He deleted the video. Does he admit that he's racist or does he admit that he just made a simple mistake? Let's see how he threads the needle. Mr. President, a number of Republicans are calling on you to apologize for that post. Is that something you're going to do? No, I didn't make a mistake. So we're going with racist. But of course, in the example of a performer you don't particularly care for, the upset is justified. But in the example of the President of the United States sharing a racist meme. Well, get over yourselves. Press Secretary Carolyn Levitt said, and I quote, please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public. Which is crazy, because at this point in the MAGA movement, all they have is fake outrage. Olympic outrage. American freestyle skiers are facing backlash following controversial comments made about representing the U.S.

[C]

What many calls anti American rhetoric.

[B]

I'm disgusted by it. It's so upsetting.

[C]

It's so inappropriate. This guy hates his country. He's clearly ashamed to be wearing the flag.

[B]

Go back home to Oregon in this case and march with antifa. What? Sir, think this through. Do you want our nation's greatest athletes joining antifa? What? This is not the solution you think, sir. You have abs of steel and powerful glutes grab a black bandana and get in the fight. But oh my God, first time here. What did this Olympian say? It must be way more upsetting and outrageous than what the President of the United States. Racist memes are.

[E]

It brings up mixed emotions to represent.

[B]

The US Right now. I think it's a little hard.

[C]

There's obviously a lot going on that I'm not the biggest fan of.

[B]

That. That's the hate mongering. That's the most laid back mongering. That was like the hacky sack of political condemnation. It's like, bruh, I feel like right now the country shouldn't be swag, it should be diggity dank. And by the way, maga, you want to hear the good straight up anti American shit, talk to your boss. Our country is now a cesspool. We are a nation in decline. We're in a failing country. We're in a country that's being laughed at. We're a dumping ground. We're like a. Like a garbage can. Our country is going to hell. We have blood, death and suffering on a scale once unthinkable. A third world hellhole ruled by censors, perverts, criminals and thugs. I mean, after reading the Epstein files, it's hard to argue with the last part. That part I. Anyway, this mother better go back to Oregon and join antifa. So wait, so why are you bothered by the. I don't know, man. Things feel pretty bad there and kind of conflicted and not bothered by the straight up anti American vitriol from Dear Leader?

[C]

How about you wearing the flag? You were representing your country. Yes, and you can save your other comments for when you're not wearing the flag, Gary.

[B]

That's it. It's a flag. Son of. I didn't think it's a flag. Freedom of speech very clearly states you cannot shout fire in a crowded theater or smack talk America while sporting any national symbols. That's it's right. So if I were show you, let's say, a video of President Donald Jesus Trump shitting on America and Americans while sporting the very insignia that you deem so sacred. What if I showed you a video like that? I'm sure you'd just show them this country has gotten bloated and fat and disgusting. Oh, and look what he's wearing, bitches. He's wearing the flag shitting on America and Americans. But that's a pin. It's gotta be cloth and sewn on. And don't say, oh yeah, but Donald Trump wasn't overseas' cause we have video of Donald Trump insulting America while standing next to Putin in Finland. And don't say, well, the skier was dry humping our beautiful flag. No, that was your guy. So the point is this. When did the right become such pussies? When? Remember 2017? Remember what you hated about liberals? Oh, perpetually offended. Safe spaces, censoring free speech, culture of victimhood. Remind you of anyone? I can't go 15 minutes without listening to country music. I need a separate show. Oh, that skier triggered me. I can't sleep. Not the best imitation, but you know what I'm going for. This whole culture war this weekend has really demonstrated one thing. It's that for all of maga's triumphalism, it's not a movement that seems confident in its position. These people who control every branch of government are so triggered by someone singing in Spanish for 20 minutes, they need to create their own safe space. Alternative halftime show where Trad Bunny is singing songs about how he can't even enjoy sitting in a truck and drinking beer. Cause he knows that somewhere out there, there's a trans person. It's actually pathetic. The gap between the power you all wield. I'm not done. The gap between the power you all wield and the victimhood you all claim is the real offense. If you didn't actually have the power to do so much damage in our country, I think we all dismiss it as a weak and pathetic pity party. That's what you're throwing. What kind of snacks would you have at a weak and pathetic pity party?

[C]

So I'm gonna probably have yogurt.

[B]

That's right. When we come back, Governor Andy Beshear will be joining me in the studio.

[A]

Don't go.

[E]

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[B]

Hey everybody, the Daily Show. My guest tonight, the two term Democratic governor of Kentucky and the host of SiriusXM's Andy Beshear podcast. Please welcome to the program Governor Andy Beshear. How are you?

[C]

I'm good.

[B]

How are things down and now you're up in the Northeast. What are we dealing with weather wise in your beautiful home state of Kentucky? Is it similar to the tundra that we have?

[C]

We got hit hard and we've gotten hit hard over and over. This was our 15th federally declared weather disaster since I became governor. So we had about 0.8 inches of ice in part of our state. We had about a foot of snow in the rest. But we've worked really hard to get it done.

[B]

So you've had 15 weather related and.

[C]

A pandemic and an airplane crash and a couple of helicopter crashes. So we've been through the ring.

[B]

What's the common thread throughout all this? You know, who was the governor before you?

[C]

Sir, the common thread is that we band together and we push through.

[B]

Son of a gun, look at you now. That's the thing. So you know, you are an anomaly in the world of the left. You are someone who has accrued power.

[C]

What did Trump win Kentucky by 31 the second time?

[B]

31?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

That's like Putin number. Like that's in a democratic society winning by 31. Like that's insane.

[D]

Insane.

[B]

And how, and were you elected on that same cycle?

[C]

I was elected a year earlier by five points. So not bad for a Democrat in Kentucky.

[B]

A 36. And if I may, and this is just, I'm just going from some videos I saw, how did you cheat?

[C]

Apparently very effectively.

[B]

Nicely done. No, but what is. Explain that because, because that is there is certainly a percentage of prognosticators that would look at that and think what's the secret sauce?

[C]

So I think it's three things. First, I stand up for all my convictions. We push back against discrimination in any form. But I spend 80% of my time on issues that matter to 100% of the people of Kentucky. That starts with your job and whether you make enough to raise your family. It's your next doctor's appointment for yourself, your parents or your kids. It's the roads and bridges you drive, the school you drop your kids off at and whether you feel safe in your community.

[B]

Are you reading this?

[C]

I've said it once or twice, I.

[B]

Think a couple of times. So you're basically saying, like, you found a way to connect your leadership to their actual lives. Is that something that you think Democrats at the national level have not been able to do? Is that the disconnect?

[C]

Well, we either haven't done it effectively or we haven't communicated about it effectively. You know, in addition, I'd say the thing that Democrats have to do better is talk like normal human beings.

[B]

Chuck Schumer has started cursing. If you could tell him to stop. There is nothing I want to see less than that.

[C]

But you think about how this advocate has pushed into our lingo. And it had a. It had a right meaning of trying to change stigma. But you don't change stigma by changing words. You change it by changing hearts. And so a tough example in Kentucky is we lost a lot of our friends to overdoses. But I don't know, one family that says they lost a family member from substance use disorder. They all say they lost from addiction because that word is that mean tough thing that takes people from. But you see it in other areas. You see people saying food insecurity. Listen, when people are hungry, they're hungry.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Or the newest one is called Justice Involved Population.

[B]

Say that again.

[C]

Justice Involved Population.

[B]

I don't think I've heard that.

[C]

Well, listen, we believe in second chances. We've got a low recidivism rate. But those are inmates.

[A]

Right?

[B]

Right, right.

[C]

And you know what they call themselves inmates.

[B]

Right, right. But do you think. Is that, you know, certainly understand, like, there is a frustration with language and. And those other situations, but I would imagine if they felt like government was responsive in other areas, they might not. If they feel like that's all they're doing, does that speak to. And I don't say this in a bad way, but the consultant class of politicians, because don't they say, you know, like you say, talk normally. That's the thing they say about Trump that they like so much that he talks. You know, this is how regular people talk. And you're like, are regular people terrible? I don't think they are.

[C]

Well, he talks to you instead of at you. Right.

[B]

But that's different than colloquial language or calling something intellectual language. It's connecting.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

However you do it.

[C]

And so I think the last piece is Democrats are really good at the what? You know, we talk about policy. Point three, Bullet point four, sub iii underneath.

[B]

Consultant class.

[C]

Yes. Right, but we don't talk about our why underneath. Not just what you're for, but why you're for it, what drives you, what gets you up out of bed every day, willing to deal with the mess that is politics right now.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Because you believe so strongly you're willing to do it.

[B]

Is it that you've done those things or that there's been effective that the things you've done, they've seen tangible results on?

[C]

Oh, it's definitely both. I mean, we've broken every record for private sector investment, new jobs, wages, changes, exports, tourism. And so people see their lives getting better. And I think even if you go back to 2024, that last group of voters that were undecided.

[B]

Right.

[C]

Believed that the vice President was distracted and that the president was talking about making things cost less.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And so we have to make sure that the American people know that Donald Trump is making everything cost more. He's decimating rural health care. He's posting blatantly racist, racist memes that he is not.

[B]

But if that doesn't connect through, like convincing the population that he's post. I mean, the guy came down an elevator, I don't know, 15 years ago and was like, Mexicans are rapists. And once you cross that boundary.

[C]

So he wasn't hiding it.

[B]

Right. It's not like he's been playing coy and we have to convince them. What I found is it feels like Democrats have maybe lost a more accessible, coherent leadership platform, if that makes sense, a coherent governance.

[C]

Well, I think it does, but the goal there is, how are we working to better people's lives? I mean, right now, look at the polling on the American Dream. People believe that if you work hard and follow the rules, you still don't get ahead. We've got.

[B]

Are they moved by the things. When you build those jobs, do you see a difference in the opinion polls?

[C]

So there's a town called Henderson in Kentucky. It's a former coal mining town. Hard times. And it was moving to the right. I won it by about 500 votes in 2019. I thought it'd be the last time ever. Right before the 2023 election, we landed the cleanest, greenest recycled paper mill in the country. 350 new jobs paying $40 an hour solid. And I will never forget the owner of that facility zoomed in for the groundbreaking and he said, we're creating 350. And then he used the term in coal country, green jobs. And you know what? Everybody did?

[B]

Boo.

[C]

No, they gave them a standing ovation because they pay 40 bucks an hour.

[B]

Right. I thought when you said green, they'd be all like, we're leaving.

[C]

Not, not if it's. Not if it's helping them in their lives.

[B]

What has this environment that you're operating as. Cause I imagine it's a really difficult balance that you have to balance those types of jobs with an administration that is clearly penalizing blue states. Now it might be different for you, cuz you're in a red state, but you're a blue governor. Have you felt any of that personal animus directed towards Kentucky? Has he withheld things from Kentucky in the way that he's done it from other states?

[C]

Well, he's withheld things from everybody. I've taken him to court to get money for building resiliently after all of the tornadoes and the floods that we've had. He tried to cancel a grant for a warning system for eastern Kentucky when it floods. I've gone to court with other governors to prevent him from sending the National Guard from one state to another without the permission of that governor.

[B]

Right, right, exactly. That's your background. Right. Your background is in. You were the attorney general of Kentucky.

[C]

But we also took him to court over things like AmeriCorps, what a great program that's helping out.

[B]

And he just cut it.

[C]

But Democrats, Democratic AGs and governors took him to court. One we're receiving that money. Red states aren't.

[B]

Oh, because they did. Oh. So here's something I didn't even think of this. The Supreme Court.

[C]

That's right.

[B]

Had a decision where you can't grant universal injunctions.

[C]

That's right. And so they thought they'd won that case, but they haven't. So Democrats that have the courage to stand up to them to say that Congress appropriated this money and you don't have a choice. That money is flowing to our states and not those red states.

[B]

That's bold, dude. Let me ask you this. Do you think that the legal system. Because you know how many Democratic governors are there? 23.

[C]

We are. Yeah. Just under half.

[B]

Just under half. You know, what is it that they can do? You know, you see what he's doing in Oregon, you see what he's doing in Chicago, you see what he's doing in Minnesota. What can the cavalry of Democratic governors do other than lawsuits, to kind of form a coalition of people. I don't want to say confederation that has a. The connotations are not great, but how can they force amplify to fight some of these really petty things that are being done?

[C]

Well, we do. We communicate a lot and we all know each other well. And what you see is us banding together to go to court, but also to move the court of public opinion. You see right now what's going on in Minnesota, right? The videos, the fact that we have an American body count for Donald Trump's deportation plans. You see his other actions in other states. You see the picture of that five year old child. Listen, that is a child of God, just like any other one.

[B]

Right. Is there any fiduciary, is there a way that blue states can withhold something from the federal government to force his.

[C]

Hand or any tougher because they have a lot more money than we do.

[B]

Right, right.

[C]

But, but what we can do is, is push back in the ways you're seeing. And some of them have been really effective. That win in the Supreme Court on the National Guard was critically important.

[B]

Right, right.

[C]

I think that plus the tariff case are the questions of will our Supreme Court hold up? Will our judicial branch be a effective third branch of.

[B]

Is it hard? You know, the Democratic governors, you all know each other, but clearly there's a. Now we're moving more towards, you know, the presidential election is. Do you guys talk about that? Do you talk about that with like Shapiro and Newsom and all those guys like, oh, you running? I was thinking about running. Do you guys talk about that?

[C]

I haven't had that conversation. We're really focused on 26 and we're focused not just you guys have not.

[B]

Discussed with one another whether you'll run for president.

[C]

No.

[B]

You're not sitting there. You don't go out to coffee in the governor thing.

[C]

Give me the same. Are you doing it?

[B]

Hey, man, are you, you're not going to Iowa. Are you going to Iowa?

[C]

Well, John, we're here. Are you doing it?

[B]

Me?

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

Let me ask you this. No one else will. Who's. Who would be like, which one of you do you think would be the best president? And on the, on the reasonable pleasure. All right, we'll take, we'll take the other. We'll take the conference. Who's the worst one? The governor. Who's the one where like you guys are at the governor's conference and like the elevator opens and he's about to walk in and you just go. Or she. And you just go, oh.

[C]

Ron DeSantis.

[B]

So smooth. So smooth. Does the. By the way, I know how that would go. You would go, Ron DeSantis. There you go, Ron, Short joke. All right. The tariffs and all. So the best Laid plans of mice and men. You know, man builds, God laughs. What is it that you've done? You've got these plants, you've got these things. How has the tariffs and the chaos of Trump's economic policy affect the things that you put into place? Because I know you did a lot of. If I remember, we talked on the podcast with EVs batteries, you had big factories coming. What happened to that?

[C]

Well, it's hit us and it's hit us hard. Now, we are a state whose economy is still expanding, but that's through hustle. Most states have fallen into recession. And tariffs are a big reason why. It's the single worst economic policy of my lifetime. It makes everything cost more for our families.

[B]

Tell me how that affects, on a state level, what are the downstream effects of those tariffs on Kentucky?

[C]

Think about it this way. Donald Trump wants them to cause companies to build things in the US that aren't built in the US but if you're going to do that, you got to import all the materials and all the equipment from a different country. In other words, doing what he wants to do costs that much more. We were reshoring as a country. The person who slowed it down, if not halted it, is Donald J. Trump.

[B]

Wow. So what is, are those, Are those, are those plants still going forward?

[C]

So we had two of the biggest battery plants in the world. One at open, we had 1600 Kentuckians working at it. And listen, they didn't care. Democrat, Republican, or Independent, these were good jobs that they were going to be able to raise their family on that big ugly bill that's also going to devastate rural health care, cut EV credits. And what happened? Ultimately, the partnership that was running those plants broke up. Now Ford's stepping in. It's taken both of them. And I think we're still going to hit all those jobs doing storage batteries. That will help our grid, that will help us more efficient, but it's going to take maybe two more years. And that's 1600 people that are being told for 12 to 24 months that they're not going to have that job they trained for. And so it's one of my congressmen that helped push that bill through that is eliminating 1600 jobs district. He called it a liberal pipe dream. I want him to tell that to every one of the 1600 Kentuckians that has to find a new job.

[B]

The person. See, that's unusual. A lot of times, even when somebody might have a sort of dogmatic party line, when it's a colloquial issue. They'll bend on it. Do you mind? Who is the congressman?

[C]

That's Brett Guthrie, but he's not the only one.

[B]

Right, right.

[C]

This blind allegiance to Trump has people doing things that hurt their state.

[B]

Have you seen it wane?

[C]

Where do you think most windmills are.

[B]

In the United States? Most windmills?

[C]

Oh, they're in red states.

[B]

Windmills.

[C]

Oh, yes.

[B]

I was going to say Holland. You mean in the United States.

[C]

Yeah.

[B]

And what happened? Are those now shutting down or they're having.

[C]

No, they're pushing the projects to halt, making it that much harder.

[B]

Right.

[C]

And these are states that brag to come companies that they have a diverse energy portfolio.

[B]

So is this. This is a plus 31 red state. They went for Trump. Plus 31. Have you seen, anecdotally or otherwise, an erosion of support or is it still just. It's almost. It's religious in its fervor still. What are you seeing?

[C]

I think we're seeing the fever break and I look at it as a soybean fall. Soybean farmer grows.

[B]

You're also a soybean farmer. No, I'm not.

[C]

My first job was mucking horse stalls, so I am prepared for politics.

[B]

Been there, fella. That ain't no fun.

[C]

So when you look at our soybean farmers right now, probably 90 plus percent voted for Donald Trump. Yet his tariff policy, his cutting of US Aid, his cutting of the farm to table programs for our school have hit this group of people to the point of bankruptcy. Their market may never come back. This person that they believed in, that they thought was going to fight for them, is about to ruin them. And you're seeing people speak out.

[B]

That's so hard. That's the hardest part of life. It's a hard life to begin with. That's such a difficult farm. Jobs are so difficult.

[C]

So the tough part right now being governor is. Yes, you see the numbers starting to move. Yes, it's going to be a good midterm. Democrats, but at the cost of Donald Trump hurting the American people, making their lives that much harder. That's not something that I want to see happen.

[B]

Wow. I really appreciate it. I give you great respect. I hope to come visit you in the great state of Kentucky someday.

[C]

I promise you I will have a better menu than RFK Jr. When you show up.

[B]

NBC podcast available at auditors SiriusXM weather podcast. Governor Andy Beshear.

[D]

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[B]

That is our show for tonight. Before we go, we're gonna check in with your host for the rest of the week, Mr. Jordan Clapper. Jordan, what's happening man? Oh, Jon. First of all, how amazing was that halftime show, huh? What? Oh, I gotta tell you, Benito delivered my friend there como style. No, I'm sorry. It was very, very nice. But not just bad bunny, huh? Aren't you forgetting someone? I mean, Lady Gaga and Ricky Martin were there and that was me, John. I was one of the stocks of sugar cane. You know where? Yeah, where? I don't. I'm right there, John. See? See, I was. I was right there. Well, you know, you don't remember me. That's right. No, you know what? I don't remember. But just. You don't remember this. You don't remember this. Oh, this Sugar Cane guy. Sugar Cane guy, everybody. Here it is your moment. Is that. Look, I understand culturally it's considered offensive.

[C]

But culturally, our country is very kind of screwy lately.

[B]

Some folks get a little bit touchy when certain human beings are represented by certain animals. I'm pretty kind of light and breezy about those things. 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.

[C]

Plus.

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