The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode Title: Trump Demands Greenland at Davos & Literally Trashes First-Year “Accomplishments” | Simu Liu
Release Date: January 22, 2026
Host: Josh Johnson
Notable Guest: Simu Liu
Correspondents: Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng

Episode Overview

This episode of The Daily Show: Ears Edition dives into the absurdity of Donald Trump's campaign "accomplishments," his fixation on acquiring Greenland at Davos, and the ongoing misadventures of ex-NYC mayor Eric Adams—now embroiled in crypto controversy. Rounding out the show is an insightful, funny interview with actor Simu Liu, touching on his new projects and the odd pitfalls of early career choices.

Main Headlines & Key Segments

Trump’s First-Year “Accomplishments” & Prop Comedy

[01:32 – 05:40]

• Josh Johnson covers Trump’s self-congratulatory appearance at a White House press briefing, where Trump presents a thick folder labeled "accomplishments" then "literally trashes" it.

  “That could have done some damage. But you know what? I wouldn’t have shown the pain. I would have acted like nothing happened as my finger fell off.” — (Unknown Correspondent, 02:09)

• Josh riffs on Trump’s tendency for exaggeration and his supposed "365 historic, record-breaking" actions.

  “Now you might think this is just a stack of blank papers or maybe, if you’re feeling generous, pictures of boobs. But this file was actually filled with Trump’s accomplishments, which is why Trump treated it with the respect, care, and pride it deserved.” — Josh Johnson (02:30)

• Trump's listed "accomplishments" include removing Hunter Biden’s Secret Service detail ("Notorious Crackhead" moment).

• “Notorious Crackhead. That may seem harsh, but name another famous crackhead from the last five years. I’ll wait.” — Josh Johnson (03:40)

Trump's Greenland Obsession & Davos Fiasco

[04:16 – 12:52]

• Trump pivots from past accomplishments to his new obsession: Acquiring Greenland.

  • He insists on ownership rather than a lease, framing it as a strategic necessity.

    “We need Greenland. All we’re asking for is to get Greenland, including right, title, and ownership. We’re talking about acquiring, not leasing … you really need title.” — (Unknown, 04:17)

  • Josh lampoons the claim:

    “We need it like, well, like Hunter Biden needs crack.” — Josh Johnson (04:34)

• At Davos, Trump lobbies Europe to sell Greenland by using broad, attention-grabbing logic.

  “No nation or group of nations is in any position to be able to secure Greenland other than the United States.” — (Unknown, 05:09)

• Josh compares America’s interest in Greenland to inheriting grandma’s Manhattan apartment.

  • He notes the U.S. already has rights to build military bases in Greenland via treaty with Denmark.

    “I don’t know why we need to own Greenland to defend it ... you can’t defend it on a lease.” — (Unknown, 05:58)

  • Trump repeatedly confuses Greenland and Iceland.

    “Until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me.” — Trump impersonation (06:52) “They’re not there for us on Iceland ... our stock market took the first dip yesterday because of Iceland.” — (07:08)

• Despite confusion, Trump claims he’s reached a “framework deal” for Greenland; upon questioning, this is quickly revealed to be merely “a concept of a deal.”

  • Josh delivers a biting analogy about “concepts of digits” at a bar (08:22).

• Johnson notes that Europe taught the U.S. an important lesson by simply saying “no” to Trump.

  “Maybe saying no is something more of us in America might want to try instead of complying in advance. ... Just tell that man no.” — Josh Johnson (09:33)

Klepper's "Field Update" on the American 'Invasion'

[10:07 – 12:52]

• Jordan Klepper humorously “reports” from the field, following Trump’s shifting targets: from Iceland to Scotland to Legoland to Neverland, illustrating the scattershot logic of the campaign.

  “Remember, boys, don’t fire until you see the Björks in their eyes.” — Jordan Klepper (10:07)

  “Trump never makes mistakes and has never been sharper. He may be 79, but I assure you he has the mental capacity of an eight-year-old. Yes, sir. That is a fact.” — Klepper (10:23)

  “Legoland is toast. We’re already pre-bombing it, but they can rebuild it ... ” — Klepper (11:22)

• Segment ends as Klepper is hilariously redirected one last time ("Greenland now"), parodying the chaos and lack of coherence in the administration’s aims.

"Everything is Stupid": Eric Adams' Crypto Coin Chaos

[13:48 – 19:38]

• Ronny Chieng skewers ex-mayor Eric Adams for his strange efforts to combat hate with cryptocurrency.

  “Can this guy do anything normal? Every headline about him is like, Eric Adams honors firefighters by getting dick pierced at 9/11 memorial.” — Ronny Chieng (14:48)

• Adams’ NYC Coin is positioned as a tool to fight anti-Semitism and anti-Americanism, baffling everyone.

  “This would be like fighting Asian hate with a demolition derby.” — Ronny Chieng (15:22)

• Correspondents mock a staged commercial:

  “Is this why cab drivers don’t pick up Black people? Because they can’t risk having Eric Adams in their car.” — Chieng (16:20)

• Adams draws a comparison between his childhood bullying and the lack of faith in Bitcoin. A new analogy attempts to link Betsy Ross’s flag to Bitcoin.

  “This makes me think Eric Adams has been trying to pay for things using American flags.” — Chieng (17:55)

• The crypto coin predictably collapses amid fraud allegations after briefly surging in value.

  “Who could have seen this coming? Besides every single person and several smart dogs.” — Chieng (18:38)

• Chieng closes with: never trust a crypto project from a corrupt ex-mayor and, sarcastically, you’d be stupid to fall for it twice.

Interview: Simu Liu

[20:57 – 30:47]

Broadway & TV Career

• Simu Liu, soon to debut on Broadway in “Oh Mary” and star of Peacock’s “The Copenhagen Test,” reflects on his unlikely career path.

  “It’s so good to be the first Asian guest ever not to be interviewed by Ronny Chieng.” — Simu Liu (21:27)

• Simu and Josh discuss the differences between acting for film and stage.

  “There’s maybe a misconception that theater is more intimate than film … but I’ve actually found the opposite to be true.” — Simu Liu (22:55)

  “You have to make sure that you’re projecting so that the back row can hear you and you’re making choices ... that are bigger and broader.” — Simu Liu

Early Career & Stock Photo Fame

• Simu reveals he earned only $100 for famous stock photography shoots, with no royalties today.

  “I would not make that deal today. And I made 100 bucks for those photos.” — Simu Liu (25:04)

Stunt Work – Learning On the Job

• Simu admits to exaggerating experience to land stunt jobs and learning (often painfully) by doing.

  “Stunt is not one of those fields where you want to lie about your work experience, for sure ... They were like, ‘Have you ever been squibbed before?’ ... And it really hurt. I wasn’t ready for it.” — Simu Liu (26:26)

• He describes a unique pressure as an Asian actor to “do your own stunts” in homage to the likes of Jackie Chan, calling out the double standard compared to white action stars.

  “When a white actor does their own stunts ... they do maybe 20% and it’s, ‘Oh my god, incredible.’ But being Asian ... if I jump through a window and a stunt person took the last bit, ‘Ah, but that wasn’t Jackie – Jackie would have done the whole thing and then broken his arm in seven places.’” — Simu Liu (28:42)

Acting Philosophy

• On translating film/TV skills to theater:

  “You hear actors talk a lot about the universal truth ... If you lose that thread of truth, then you lose the scene.” — Simu Liu (29:57) “Our goal is not to look super cool, it’s to play the truth of whatever it is that that character is going through. You can do that in a big way, and you can do that in a very intimate and small way.” — Simu Liu

Memorable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• “Now you might think this is just a stack of blank papers ... But this file was actually filled with Trump's accomplishments, which is why Trump treated it with the respect, care, and pride it deserved.” — Josh Johnson [02:30]
• “We need Greenland. ... You really need title, as they say in the Rosa business.” — Trump impersonation [04:17]
• “Until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me.” — Trump impersonation [06:52]
• “Trump never makes mistakes and he has never been sharper. He may be 79, but I assure you he has the mental capacity of an eight-year-old.” — Jordan Klepper [10:23]
• “Is this why cab drivers don’t pick up Black people? Because they can’t risk having Eric Adams in their car.” — Ronny Chieng [16:20]
• “I would not make that deal today. And I made 100 bucks for those [stock] photos.” — Simu Liu [25:04]
• “Our goal is not to look super cool, it’s to play the truth of whatever it is that that character is going through.” — Simu Liu [29:57]

Notable Moments

• Trump physically mishandles his “accomplishments” binder, making for instant prop comedy.
• Repeated mislabeling of Greenland as Iceland demonstrates Trump’s confusion.
• Jordan Klepper’s absurdist field update, culminating in invading Legoland and Neverland (“if you believe”), lampoons America’s lack of direction.
• Ronny Chieng’s brutal, rapid-fire satire of Eric Adams, including a staged NYC Coin commercial and the coin’s swift collapse.
• Simu Liu’s dry humor about stock photo regrets and “substitute stuntman” experiences offers both laughs and industry insight.

Important Timestamps

• 01:32 — Show open, Trump “accomplishments” segment
• 04:16 — Trump’s Greenland fixation
• 06:48–08:22 — Confusion between Greenland and Iceland, “concept of a deal”
• 10:07–12:52 — Jordan Klepper's field report (Iceland, Scotland, Legoland, Neverland)
• 13:48–19:38 — “Everything is Stupid” with Ronny Chieng: Eric Adams & NYC Coin
• 20:57–30:47 — Interview with Simu Liu

Conclusion

This episode delivers classic Daily Show satire, laying bare the accidental comedy of Trump’s ambitions and the self-own of Eric Adams’ crypto scheme, all while injecting genuine warmth and humor in the Simu Liu interview. It's a fast-moving blend of political farce, celebrity candor, and media-savvy wit.

For fans of political humor, media critique, and revealing celebrity interviews, this Daily Show episode is both hilarious and timely.