Trump Kidnaps President Maduro, Targets Venezuelan Oil & Ditches "America First" | Sen. Mark Kelly

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: Trump Kidnaps President Maduro, Targets Venezuelan Oil & Ditches "America First" | Sen. Mark Kelly
Date: January 6, 2026
Host: Jon Stewart
Guest: Senator Mark Kelly (Arizona)

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Episode Overview

This episode sees Jon Stewart and The Daily Show team dissecting the bombshell news of President Trump authorizing the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Maduro and the strong-armed American pursuit of Venezuelan oil, all while spinning a new "Donroe Doctrine." In a blend of sharp satire and pointed interviews, Stewart examines the hypocrisy, motivations, and constitutional crises at play. The featured guest, Senator Mark Kelly, candidly discusses his public censure and pension stripping for speaking out against illegal military orders under the Trump administration, as well as the broader erosion of norms and checks in American democracy.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The U.S. Raid on Venezuela: Maduro Kidnapped

• Stewart kicks off with mocking disbelief at the news: U.S. Special Forces have kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brought him to Brooklyn, a move described with trademark Stewart sarcasm and banter.
  • "He was reverse-iced and imported... Don't feel bad, he was a feared and cruel dictator." (Jon Stewart, 02:10)
• The raid is lampooned, especially the “secure location” at Mar-a-Lago and Trump running the operation from a makeshift tent next to the catering kitchen.
  • "Is this the most secure location in Mar-a-Lago? Behind the curtain you throw up in front of the catering kitchen?" (Jon Stewart, 03:57)
• Stewart and the team juxtapose the cartoonishly described capture with the dark reality of Maduro’s dictatorship and the implications of the U.S. violating Venezuelan sovereignty.

2. Trump’s Rhetoric and the “Donroe Doctrine”

• Stewart skewers President Trump’s incoherent, self-aggrandizing statements as he tries to justify both intervention and resource extraction.
  • "It was dark and deadly... whether you're in Washington, D.C., restaurants are opening, everyone's happy. They're walking their daughters, they're walking their children, their wives. Restaurants are opening all over Washington D.C." (Donald Trump, 06:06)
• Trump claims a new doctrine: “Donroe Doctrine,” said to supersede the Monroe Doctrine.
  • "The Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot... They now call it the Donroe Doctrine." (Donald Trump, 08:51)
• The panel lampoons this egotistic rebranding and calls out the abandonment of any real “America First” restraint.
  • "Generally, that's how this shit works." (Jon Stewart, on American interventions, 07:43)

3. True Motives: Oil Over Ideals

• Stewart strips away any pretense, highlighting how Trump and his supporters don’t bother dressing up the intervention with liberty talk—it's all about oil and riches.
  • "We're going to have presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil. We're going to get the oil flowing the way it should be." (Donald Trump, 10:58)
  • "We need total access. We need access to the oil... In other words, we'll be selling oil." (Donald Trump, 11:26/11:47)
• Lindsey Graham tries to spin an anti-narco-terror narrative, but Trump keeps returning to oil interests.
  • "He shut down a narco terrorist state called Venezuela. This is a good thing, not a bad thing." (Lindsey Graham, 12:16)
  • Stewart: "God damn it. We can't even be conspiracy theorists now? I think they did it for the oil. Yeah, no, I did it for the oil." (Jon Stewart, 12:30)

4. No Pretense of Democratic Ideals

• Trump and allies openly discuss resource extraction. Even when prompted about human rights, Trump brushes it off in favor of “fixing the oil.”
  • "Right now what we want to do is fix up the oil. Fix up the country." (Donald Trump, 13:09)
  • Stewart satirizes: "We'll get the people out of jail, but first we have to liberate the oil from its ground prison." (Jon Stewart, 13:19)
• Stewart observes the overt empire-building, listing oil, steel, minerals, and spices as modern spoils.
  • "So steel, aluminum, minerals... They got oil, steel, minerals... Spices. We'll load our ships with cinnamon and cardamom and oil and everything. Bagels. You'll see." (Jon Stewart, 13:45-14:09)

5. Democratic Response and Congressional Abdication

• Stewart critiques Congress for being sidelined—a recurring theme of Democrats being left in the dark while Trump tells the oil executives first.
  • "But he did not brief [the Democrats] before or after this attack." (Jon Stewart, 15:25)
  • Trump: "I have speak [with Venezuela] before the operation... Before and after." (Donald Trump, 15:39-15:45)
• Senator Schumer's tepid public statements are lampooned.
  • "Everybody is very, very, just totally, totally, totally troubled, Worried history has its eyes on." (Donald Trump as Schumer, 14:41-14:58; Stewart's satire)

6. Stewart on MAGA Base Hypocrisy

• Stewart notes the MAGA movement’s acrobatic support for intervention when done by Trump, despite their supposed anti-interventionist stance.
  • "Their fervor against intervention will be only matched by their delight in this intervention. There is no material on Earth more malleable than the hive mind connection between Donald Trump and his acolytes." (Jon Stewart, 19:28)

7. Senator Mark Kelly Interview Main Points

• On Being Sanctioned:
  • Kelly recounts losing his military rank and retirement pay after releasing a video reminding military members not to follow illegal orders.
  • "We put out a little video and we just said to members of the military, don't follow illegal orders. We stated the law... Donald Trump said I should be hanged, executed, prosecuted." (Senator Kelly, 21:56/22:17)
  • He stresses it’s about intimidation and stifling dissent.
  • "They're trying to intimidate all of us... Don't say something they don't like." (Kelly, 22:46/22:51)
• Due Process and Censorship:
  • Kelly points out the pretext for his censure is baseless—he only told troops to refuse unlawful orders, as is legally required.
  • "You clearly didn't say that... you said, don't follow unlawful orders." (Jon Stewart, 24:23)
  • The current Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, is described as grossly unqualified and part of a larger problem: the administration’s disregard for truth.
  • "This Guy is by far the most unqualified Secretary of defense this country has ever had. It's not even close." (Kelly, 24:41)
• On Leadership Fragility:
  • Stewart and Kelly agree that the Trump administration’s punitive measures reflect weakness, not strength.
  • "This smacks of weakness and fear. When people have the power and the respect, they don't need to be petty. This is petty." (John, 27:37)
  • Kelly: "It's a reflection of the person at the top. It always is in any organization... I expected [my team] and demanded they often disagree with me. That's not this president." (Kelly, 28:07)
• Message to Troops and Onus of Legal Knowledge:
  • On why the video’s message was necessary, Kelly says:
  • "This president when he was running in 2016 talked about killing the family members of terrorists... He also talked about shooting US citizens in the legs... What does that mean?" (Kelly, 29:36)
  • He believes rank-and-file should remember: refusing illegal orders is not optional—it's an obligation.
  • "If a reasonable person would think that this thing... is illegal, you have an obligation not. It's not an option." (Kelly, 31:24)
• Congressional Power and Abdication:
  • Both Stewart and Kelly criticize years of Congressional deference to executive military adventurism.
  • "Weak members of Congress that have allowed that to happen over the years." (Kelly, 35:30)
• Public Sentiment:
  • Kelly acknowledges public frustration with both parties and assures listeners they must push for elections to restore accountability.
  • "We need to win elections in 2026... we've got tremendous power to put this president in check." (Kelly, 35:47)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On The Donroe Doctrine:

  • "They now call it the Donroe Doctrine." – Donald Trump, 08:51

• On Trump’s Priorities:

  • "We're going to be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground. We need total access... In other words, we'll be selling oil." – Donald Trump, 11:26-11:47

• On Hypocrisy in the MAGA Base:

  • "Their fervor against intervention will be only matched by their delight in this intervention. There is no material on Earth more malleable..." – Jon Stewart, 19:28

• On the Erosion of Checks and Balances:

  • "Congress has abdicated its authority." – Senator Mark Kelly, 35:08

• On Retaliation for Dissent:

  • "They're trying to intimidate all of us... Don't say something they don't like... Keep your mouth shut or they're coming after you." – Senator Mark Kelly, 22:51-22:56

• On Trump’s Ego:

  • "He just writes his name on everything... The only other people that put their name on things are 8 year olds going to camp." – Jon Stewart, 28:43-28:47

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Important Segment Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment/Quote/Context | |-------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:39 | Jon Stewart’s opening, intro to night’s big story: the raid on Venezuela | | 02:10 | Stewart summarizes Maduro’s fate and the U.S. operation | | 03:57 | Satire on Trump’s “secure” Mar-a-Lago command center | | 06:06 | Trump’s address on the raid – meandering, self-promoting rhetoric | | 08:51 | First mention of the “Donroe Doctrine” | | 10:58 | Trump’s first explicit justification tying intervention to oil interests | | 13:09 | Trump brushes off human rights in favor of “fixing the oil” | | 15:25 | Democrats not briefed before or after the attack | | 19:28 | Stewart’s take on the MAGA base's adaptability and contradictions | | 21:56-22:17 | Senator Kelly recalls releasing his video on unlawful orders, receiving Trump’s retaliatory threats | | 24:41 | Kelly on Pete Hegseth as Secretary of Defense | | 27:37 | Stewart calls out the administration for weakness shown via retaliation | | 29:36 | Kelly details why he felt compelled to make his public statement | | 31:24 | Kelly on when refusing orders is a legal requirement, not just an option | | 35:08 | Kelly and Stewart discuss congressional abdication of its war powers | | 35:47 | The importance of the 2026 elections for restoring checks on the presidency |

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Tone & Style

• Satirical, irreverent, biting: Stewart leverages comedic exaggeration to spotlight dangerous precedents.
• Candid, urgent: In the interview, Sen. Mark Kelly is open and direct, underscoring threats to free speech and democracy.
• Frustrated but determined: Both Stewart and Kelly express exasperation but encourage civic engagement and resistance.

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Conclusion

This episode deftly mixes satire and substantive commentary to expose the new era of open American interventionism under Trump’s “Donroe Doctrine.” Stewart dismantles the bluster around regime change in Venezuela, highlights the naked pursuit of oil, and zeroes in on the hollowing out of both presidential and Congressional accountability. The interview with Senator Mark Kelly is a clarion call about the dangers of leadership that punishes dissent and the urgent need for effective checks on executive power—offering both a sobering diagnosis and a plea for democratic resilience.

Transcript

[Announcer]

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.

[Donald Trump]

Hey, everybody.

[Jon Stewart]

Welcome to the Daily Show. We are back, baby. My name is Jon Stewart. Welcome back. Merry Christmas. Happy New Year. Happy Hanukkah. Good yawn, whatever it is. We got a show for you tonight. Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona will be joining us. Man, just, just today, just today, the senator had his rank stripped and his.

[John]

Retirement pay docked by the Secretary of.

[Jon Stewart]

Defense, War Pete Hegseth Homelander. The senator will be joining us and.

[John]

I will ask him if he knows we do not pay our guests.

[Jon Stewart]

But let's get right to the big story, ladies and gentlemen.

[John]

This weekend, President Trump and an elite.

[Jon Stewart]

Team of Delta IV special operators removed.

[John]

A dangerous foreign dictator from power. Not that one. They're actually friends and quite frankly, I think business partners. No, no, not that.

[Jon Stewart]

That easy.

[John]

They're also quite close. That's not okay.

[Jon Stewart]

I believe these two have more of a huge, heated rivalry vibe.

[John]

You know what I mean? So it's not that one? No, that one. No, that wasn't us.

[Jon Stewart]

No, I'm talking about the now former president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, who was reverse iced and imported. He was actually imported to a jail in Brooklyn. But don't feel bad. He was a feared and cruel dictator.

[Announcer]

Don't worry, be happy.

[Jon Stewart]

La la la la la la la. Bobby McFerrin. Karaoke.

[John]

You monster.

[Jon Stewart]

Look, I know that clip makes him.

[John]

Seem benign, almost kind of comical, but.

[Jon Stewart]

The truth is Maduro oversaw a repressive regime that impoverished his nation, silenced dissent, and killed thousands. La la la la. But his iron rule and a cappella.

[John]

Terror came to an end on Friday.

[Jon Stewart]

Night when US Special forces raided Caracas, Venezuela's only city as far as we know, and snatched Nicolas Maduro out of his bedroom, apparently before he could even take off his sleep. His aura ring must have been like.

[John]

You had a bad night.

[Jon Stewart]

You did not get good deep sleep. And as it unfolded, Donald Trump was overseeing it all from a secure location. The situation tent at Mar a Lago.

[John]

I don't want to be a dick.

[Jon Stewart]

Or a nitpicker, but is this the most secure location in Mar a Lago? Behind the curtain. You throw up in front of the catering kitchen. This is a matter of utmost national security. Dessert's going to have to come out through the service entrance. I was never here.

[John]

That was me acting as though I was coming out of that. But obviously, despite the makeshift command center, this was a Highly technical and complex operation that required months of training and preparation.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

After months of work by our intelligence teammates to find Maduro and understand how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore, what were his pets.

[John]

Well, that does explain this photo from the raid.

[Jon Stewart]

I hope you like eating kibble and Gitmo. Daphne, we debated before the show, is.

[John]

It mildly racist that we gave him a Chihuahua?

[Jon Stewart]

Is that because, basically we were saying, is that because Chihuahuas from Mexico, this is Venezuela. And I thought, well, so there is.

[John]

Some nuance to it, but still mildly racist. You're welcome.

[Jon Stewart]

Now, obviously, this is actually a very fraught moment.

[John]

It is highly unusual for any government, any sovereign nation to violate the airspace and territory of another sovereign nation and hit the grab and go on their president. Explaining it will require the deft hand of an accomplished statesman.

[Jon Stewart]

Let me get there. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the President of the United States addressing the.

[John]

Nation in this solemn, solemn moment.

[Donald Trump]

The United States Armed forces conducted an extraordinary military operation in the capital of Venezuela. It was dark and it was deadly. Or if you look back to the Jimmy Carter days, there were different days. Whether it's in Washington, D.C. where we have a totally safe city, restaurants are opening, everyone's happy. They're going, they're walking their daughters, they're walking their children, their wives. Restaurants. Restaurants are opening all over Washington, D.C.

[Jon Stewart]

So in closing, if we hadn't grabbed Maduro, you'd still be taking Ubers to Ruth's.

[John]

Chris, unless you think I'm making our president look cavalier in this moment. Here's Trump describing how he experienced this consequential operation.

[Donald Trump]

If you would have seen what happened. I mean, I watched it literally like I was watching a television show, and.

[Jon Stewart]

Then I flipped over to see who was on Kimmel.

[John]

I mean.

[Jon Stewart]

Can you believe he still gets to interview Millie Bobby Brown? I mean, he's got no talent. Anyway, back to abducting the president of Venezuela.

[John]

Look, no one knows how this operation is going to work out, but based on the United States track record, my guess is we're going to be really happy about this for a couple of weeks. And then 30 years from now, there will be a Venezuelan leftist revolution, and the new government will point to this moment as the reason our embassy there is on fire, and it will absolutely ruin a Democrat's presidency.

[Jon Stewart]

Generally, that's how this shit works.

[John]

And remember, the reason MAGA was so.

[Jon Stewart]

High on Donald Trump was that he was the guy who wasn't going to.

[John]

Get involved with this kind of shit anymore.

[Donald Trump]

We do not seek war, we do not seek nation building. We do not seek regime change. And we don't want to be the world's policeman.

[Jon Stewart]

We don't want to be. Those days are over now. No more American boots on the ground.

[Donald Trump]

We're not afraid of boots on the ground.

[Jon Stewart]

No more rebuilding other countries infrastructure.

[Donald Trump]

We have to rebuild their whole infrastructure.

[John]

Well, it's not like we're gonna be running someone else's country.

[Donald Trump]

We are going to run the country.

[Jon Stewart]

So let me get this.

[John]

This is a big change in America.

[Jon Stewart]

First policy, is it not? And a change in policy this big is gonna need some of that Trump.

[John]

Marketing and branding magic.

[Donald Trump]

And the Monroe Doctrine is a big deal, but we've superseded it by a lot, by a real lot. They now call it the Don Roe Doctrine.

[Jon Stewart]

Don Row Doctrine.

[John]

That's the one. When someone calls it out, you go, look, no bad ideas, but honestly not your best work.

[Jon Stewart]

The Donroe Doctrine.

[John]

It's obviously a portmanteau of Monroe and Donald.

[Jon Stewart]

I guess it's a spin off of.

[John]

The Monroe Doctrine famously adopted by President James Monroe in 1823 when he warned colonial powers not to interfere in our hemisphere. Let me let a historian explain, but.

[Donald Trump]

You look over here, that's Monroe. The Monroe Doctrine.

[John]

Why is he up there?

[Donald Trump]

I think the Monroe Doctrine was pretty important. You know, that was his claim to fame.

[Jon Stewart]

Claim to fame, like he ate 18 hot dogs in one sitting. I mean, I guess it's correct.

[John]

You can't really name another thing Monroe was famous for.

[Jon Stewart]

But it's not like everywhere Monroe went they'd be like, hey, aren't you that guy from the Doctrine? Babe, get over here. It's the Doctrine guy. Hey, what are you doing in our hemisphere? I told you that would work. A little Monroe Doctrine humor. Slid it in. Now look, generally in American history when.

[John]

We intervene in another country, whether true or not, we come up with a high minded pretense. Liberating a people, spreading democracy, introducing baseball to the Japanese. They complained at first, but it was totally worth it. On what moral foundation will this conflict be framed?

[Donald Trump]

We're going to have presence in Venezuela as it pertains to oil. We're going to get the oil flowing the way it should be.

[John]

Seems a little on the nose. Oil, precious commodity certainly, but not the.

[Jon Stewart]

Reason a country formed 250 years ago on the ideas of liberty and self determination would go into a country and snatch a man at night. There must be a slightly more noble pretense.

[Donald Trump]

We're going to be taking out A tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground. We need total access. We need access to the oil.

[Jon Stewart]

Sir, again, I see where we're going here. Do you mind just reframing that? I'm not quite clear on the high minded principle behind this.

[Donald Trump]

In other words, we'll be selling oil.

[Jon Stewart]

Is this your first war? I mean, what the. All right, let's table this for now. Senator Lindsey Graham, you're an old hand at warmongering. You've done this. A bunch of. You're on the plane. Can you help this dude out with the casas belli and keep Trump from bringing it back to oil?

[Lindsey Graham]

There are going to be Americans alive today because he shut down a narco terrorist state called Venezuela. This is a good thing, not a bad thing.

[Donald Trump]

And the oil companies are going to go in and rebuild their system.

[Jon Stewart]

God damn it. What, We can't even be conspiracy theorists now? I think they did it for the oil. Yeah, no, I did it for the oil. Is there any other reason? Can you give us anything? There's a lot of issues. Human rights violations, political prisoners down in Venezuela. We could certainly free them and improve the lives of dissidents.

[John]

Are you going to demand that Delsey Rodriguez let opposition figures return or free any political prisoners?

[Donald Trump]

We haven't gotten to that yet. Right now what we want to do is fix up the oil. Fix up the country.

[John]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

We'll get the people out of jail, but first we have to liberate the oil from its ground prison. That oil has been locked up for millions of years, yearning to burn free. Obviously I'm being cynical. It's not purely for oil. Even Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick on the plane could tell you that on.

[John]

His way out of the bathroom.

[Jon Stewart]

They have steel, you have minerals.

[Donald Trump]

Right?

[Jon Stewart]

All the critical minerals. They have a great mining history that's gone rusty. So steel, aluminum, minerals. These mother are going full conquistador in front of our eyes. I mean, they got oil, steel, minerals.

[John]

Oh, and don't forget about the spices.

[Jon Stewart]

Spices. We'll load our ships with cinnamon and cardamom and oil and everything. Bagels. You'll see. And they might have gotten away with.

[John]

It too, but our country is a democracy.

[Jon Stewart]

So bad news.

[John]

Your little oil heist is going to have to get past the Democrats and Inspector Schumer.

[Donald Trump]

So I've been talking to so many members of my caucus today. Everybody is very, very. Just totally, totally, totally troubled, Worried history.

[Jon Stewart]

Has its eyes on. Well, if it were two totalees and one very.

[John]

I'd say Trump is getting off Scot.

[Jon Stewart]

Free but three totalees and two verys and trouble worried.

[John]

I don't want to say the President doesn't respect the Democrats.

[Jon Stewart]

But he did not brief them before or after this attack.

[John]

Now you could say that was in the interest of national security and operational confidentiality if not for this one group. He did speak to.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Venezuela.

[John]

I have speak with them.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Before the operation took place?

[Donald Trump]

Yes.

[Announcer]

Did you leave each of them?

[Donald Trump]

Before and after.

[Jon Stewart]

And then I told Pepsi and Nabisco color guard. I don't know why. What's the suitcase company on Instagram? I told them, I told hims, I told hers. I let the president of Zins shoot some missiles.

[John]

But I didn't tell any of the Democrats.

[Jon Stewart]

I don't feel bad for the Democrats.

[John]

They will be totally, totally, totally, very, very fine. Probably even gain a seat in the midterms. The people I feel sorry for are the Trump defendants, the defenders, the sycophants who haven't received the memo that we no longer have to frame our adventurism in the ideals of our great country.

[Ronny Chang]

And this is a very strong way to support democracy.

[John]

Nothing greater than an American president who.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Liberates people, liberated them from a strong.

[John]

Man who's been holding by force and.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Intimidation this country hostage.

[John]

We're not about nation building.

[Jon Stewart]

The President doesn't want his natural resources. We don't want their oil. Oh, poor sweet Brian. Kill me. Sweet, sweet Brian. Trump already explicitly said he wants their oil and democracy. Trump has already said he wants Venezuelans to freely choose their leaders as long.

[John]

As those leaders are acceptable to us. He's already said he's going to select who will be their next leader. And guess what? This ain't a one off.

[Donald Trump]

Colombia is very sick too. Run by a sick man who likes making cocaine and selling it to the United States. And he's not going to be doing it, by the way. You have to do something with Mexico. We need Greenland. Cuba is ready to fall, you know. Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

Let the word go forth to a new generation of Americans that if we need shit and it's not too far.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Away.

[Jon Stewart]

We are going to take it. Anything else you want to take over? I think there's still some time to go after Warner Bros.

[John]

Discovery.

[Jon Stewart]

I mean, America doesn't have Netflix money, but we will after we get that sweet oil.

[John]

And by the way, Lindsey Graham.

[Jon Stewart]

Honestly.

[John]

I have never seen him happier.

[Jon Stewart]

Like a leprechaun in a bowl of Lucky Charms. I think we're gonna go after Cuba. Yeah, boss, that sounds real good, boss. Real good.

[John]

Look, this is all exhausting and exposes the Gulf of America, not the body of water. The real Gulf of America is the gap between the high aspirations that embody the founding of this country and the thuggish gangsterism that this crew thinks makes us great again. And if I may offer the news media a New Year's resolution, it's that.

[Jon Stewart]

I don't ever, ever want to hear again about the ramifications of how Trump's.

[John]

Actions, however counter to what he promised in his campaign or the files that he might release, might alienate his base. Do you expect to see some splits in the MAGA movement?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Will the MAGA base start to break.

[John]

Away, Widen a rift with his MAGA base? How's it gonna play for maga?

[Jon Stewart]

It'll play fine for maga. They'll love it. Their fervor against intervention will be only matched by their delight in this intervention. There is no material on Earth more malleable than the hive mind connection between Donald Trump and his acolytes. And no matter how many times he betrays the principles they claim to love him for, they will react over and over with the exact same refrain. Don't worry, be happy. When we come back, Senator Mark Kelly will join us.

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[Jon Stewart]

Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is. Well, you're going to want to hear the resume. You're going to want to calm down and hear the rescue. My guest tonight, a retired Navy captain, combat pilot, former astronaut, now senior senator from Arizona. Please welcome to the program Senator Mark Kelly. Sir. Hello.

[John]

Hello.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Great to be here.

[John]

So, how was your day?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Uneventful. Good surprise.

[John]

This morning, big surprise. I was going to be talking to you all about subsidies for health care. And then this morning, if you could just explain very quickly, Secretary of whatever he wants to call it. Pete Hegseth censored you, stripped you of some. What exactly did he do?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Well, first, let me. Let me back up to November. Myself and some of my colleagues, we put out a little video and we just said to members of the military, don't follow illegal orders. We stated the law.

[Donald Trump]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Donald Trump didn't like about five of you guys.

[John]

Six of you guys?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Yeah.

[Jon Stewart]

Six of us, yeah.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Pretty basic.

[Jon Stewart]

It was a little.

[John]

It was like, you know, the imagined video for senators.

[Jon Stewart]

But, okay, I was with you.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

We thought it was. Would get, like, no reaction. Donald Trump said I should be hanged, executed, prosecuted.

[John]

Wow.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

And then when the hanging thing, I guess they couldn't figure out how to do that. Setting up the gallows in front of the Capitol didn't work out so well five years ago. So then they got the minion, Pete Hegstaff.

[John]

Yes.

[Jon Stewart]

By the way.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

To, like, try to prosecute.

[Jon Stewart]

I don't know that this is helping.

[John]

You right now.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

But here's the thing, all right? They're trying to intimidate all of us.

[John]

Of course.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Don't say something they don't like. And especially for members of the military, retired members.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Like me. Keep your mouth shut or they're coming after you. They're going to take away your pension. So this is much bigger than.

[Jon Stewart]

They only came after you. Why did they not come after. There's five or six other people in the video.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Kind of technical. I'm retired Navy. I was in the Navy for 25 years, so I have a whole career, so. So it's easy.

[John]

They can come after you because you happen to serve longer.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Longer. Exact. Yep. Because I went over 20 years. I'm a retired member of the military, so they were like, I was the target. But this is not just about me. Right. And that's why I'm not. I'm not backing down from these. From these guys.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Because, John, this is serious. I mean, look serious.

[John]

Everybody's constantly coming after the senators, and I said nothing.

[Jon Stewart]

And then they'll come after the talk show host. I promise you that. I wouldn't be surprised to see them threaten, you know, network television audience members. Exactly.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Don't clap too hard.

[Jon Stewart]

The thing that was weird.

[John]

Don't worry, they don't.

[Jon Stewart]

The thing that struck me is weird.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

There we go.

[John]

So in the message that I saw today, PDX has said that you were being censored because you told service members not to follow lawful orders. I watched the video. It could have used music.

[Jon Stewart]

But I watched the video.

[John]

You clearly didn't say that. That's right. You said, don't follow unlawful orders. So what is the due process? What gives him the ability to strip you of something when you didn't appear to do what he is saying that you did?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Well, he has been appointed as the Secretary of Defense. Now, let me be clear about this. This Guy is by far the most unqualified Secretary of defense this country has ever had. It's not even close. So I would pretend, first of all, he doesn't know what he's doing.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

But there is tremendous power in that position and in this administration. I mean, the truth doesn't really matter at this point.

[John]

I'm aware. You're.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

They're going to say what they're going to say. They're going to do to me whatever they can figure it out.

[Jon Stewart]

I'll.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

I'll fight it like I've got.

[John]

So this is an executive order. Is this a legal process? Are they laying out evidence again? Because I read, if I may, this is a memo that you received. This is not the official memo. This is. Well, actually, from my printer.

[Jon Stewart]

No, but this is.

[John]

But I want to say this is why they're saying that you were being censored. You identified yourself as a captain of the United States Navy and stated, we want to speak directly to members of the military. This administration is pitting our uniform military against American citizens. You can refuse illegal orders. You must refuse illegal orders. That sounds like it's what we said, what you.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

And that's the law.

[John]

And you said you were telling them to refuse lawful orders, which is not true.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

But there's also stuff in there that's ridiculous.

[John]

Well, he goes on to say, and this is the part that I thought was sort of bonkers. On November 20, 2025, you issued a joint statement defending the video and reinforcing your call for refusal of what you characterize as unlawful orders. Well, you didn't characterize it that way. That's what you said. You criticized military leadership for firing admirals and generals in quotations and surrounding themselves with yes men, also in quotations, asserting you would. And they bolded this. Always defend the Constitution.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

And in that Constitution, in Article 1, I'm in the United States Senate. I'm on the Armed Services Committee. My job is oversight. I voted for those admirals and generals. They fired them. This guy's surrounded by a bunch of yes men. They didn't like that. I said that.

[Jon Stewart]

But you're a United States senator. And if you go on the floor.

[John]

Of the Senate and say the Secretary of Defense is surrounded by yes men, they can go.

[Jon Stewart]

That's it.

[John]

Your pension is gone and your rank is gone.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

That is what they're trying to do. I am going to do everything in my power not to allow them to do that.

[John]

What's so interesting to me is this entire episode speaks of something inherent in the character of this administration and that is fragility. I don't think I've ever seen strength portrayed in this manner. This smacks of weakness and fear. When people have the power and the respect, they don't need to be petty. This is petty.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

It's a reflection of the person at the top. It always is in any organization. I've run things before in my career. I was a commander of the space shuttle. I had, you know, adhered to a set of values with my people and I wanted certain stuff out of them. I expected things. I also, in my case I expected them and demanded that they. They often disagree with me. That's not this president. And I think he's got a major ego problem. I mean here's a guy who avoided the draft five times.

[Jon Stewart]

Yeah, he puts his name on. The only other people that put their.

[John]

Name on things are 8 year olds.

[Jon Stewart]

Going to camp like this is he just writes his name on everything.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Kim Jong Un.

[Jon Stewart]

Yes.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

And Stalin.

[Jon Stewart]

But let me ask you.

[John]

So is there anything in retrospect when you think about the video. Cuz it is the idea that no one was going to react to it probably doesn't seem realistic. When members of the United States Senate and make a direct appeal to camera to service members like that's gonna get attention. Especially in this environment. Is there anything that you would do differently about that video? Forgetting about now not, you know, not cowing before somebody threatening your speech, but in retrospect, was it the right way to send the message you wanted to send?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

It was the right way and the only thing I would change is what you said earlier. Better music. That is it.

[Jon Stewart]

Can I tell you my.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Because the mess message, you know, was important right now. It was especially important. Let me tell you why. This president when he was running in 2016 talked about killing the family members of terrorists.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

That means women and children. Murdering children.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

He also talked about shooting US citizens in the legs. He has recently talked about sending US troops into cities for the military to train. He's done it well. And then train on US citizens. What does that mean?

[John]

Right, right, right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

So as a member of the.

[John]

You thought there was an urgency?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

I felt an obligation. An obligation if I may send a message and also to stand up to.

[John]

This president, if I may. The thing about it that maybe struck me, if I may be slightly critical is it felt like people in power in our government putting the onus of the knowledge of the nuance of that type of law in the hands of rank and file that I worry that Putting that burden on, like, I don't know, the ins and outs of whether the strikes on those boats are illegal or illegal. And I would assume that there are probably a lot of soldiers who might not. Isn't there something to senators taking on that task themselves and not necessarily maybe outsourcing it to rank and file that might not be as versed in what is legal and what isn't? Isn't that a hard decision for the.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Well, let me explain this as plainly.

[John]

Yeah.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Plainly as I can. This is a question about what would a reasonable person think under these circumstances?

[John]

Is that not.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

That's the standard. It's not nuanced. It's not complicated. If a reasonable person would think that this thing that they are asking me to do is illegal, you have an obligation not. It's not an option. You have an obligation not to follow those orders.

[John]

So are the boat strikes illegal?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Well, so I've been asking this question for a long time. I'm on the Armed Services and the Intelligence Committee.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

They have some complicated legal rationale. 40 pages of why these are legal. It's questionable at best. And by the way, that's my. At first it was fentanyl, then it was cocaine, then it was about regime change, then it was about oil.

[John]

I understand.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

So.

[John]

But what I'm. Do you see my point? You yourself, I don't, but I don't know.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Our point is to members of the military who don't get reminded of this, often when something is clearly unlawful, you have an obligation not to follow those orders. It's a pretty simple thing. And we've seen in our history multiple times when even under those circumstances, members of the military have done stuff that was clearly over the line. We did not want that to happen.

[John]

Under the Obama administration, they did extrajudicial killings of an American citizen through drone strikes. Like we criticized that. That's my point, is there's enough gray area in some of these actions. I mean, is any of this legal under the aum? You know, under.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

There's no AUMF for Venezuela right now, no authorization.

[Jon Stewart]

Right.

[John]

But everybody is grabbing these authorizations that were given during the war on terror and justifying bombings in Libya and justifying. My question to you is, and this has been something that's been somewhat difficult for Democrats to feel, there's a helplessness.

[Jon Stewart]

Right?

[John]

And what we're hearing is, you guys gotta fight back. You gotta resist this. You're in the army, you've gotta resist the illegal orders. You're in the streets, you've gotta Take to the streets. And we're looking at Washington and going, you got Chuck Schumer going. We're very, very. It gets me. I get a little gassy. Like it's.

[Jon Stewart]

Can you understand why, as an outside observer? Totally understand. Really frustrating.

[John]

Frustrating. And an abdication of leadership, it seems.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

It is incredibly frustrating. I understand why the American people are freaked out. Frustrated, unhappy. Unhappy with the Republicans, unhappy with us.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

We have to do better. We have. We have to address the issues that matter to the American people. Right now, Venezuela is not solving their problem in trying to pay their rent.

[Donald Trump]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Or buy groceries or put their kids through school. That's not the focus that this president should have right now. And it certainly will not be the focus. You know, hopefully after 2026 or after 2028, when we have different people in charge, we can solve a lot of these problems. These are. Some of them are challenging. But. But I feel that when Democrats are in charge, we often try to address issues that matter to the American people. What this president is doing is he's enriching himself, his family members, his friends, his cabinet members, oil company executives, who.

[John]

That was my favorite part.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Multiple times.

[John]

He didn't brief Congress, but he briefed the oil executives. But in that sense, do you think Congress still has. Have they abdicated their role as a co. Equal branch of government to the point that you're not going to be able to get that back? Even if Democrats don't get a super majority in the Senate and regain the House, what role do they have in possibly stopping all of this?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

There's a huge difference between where we are now. And yes, Congress has abdicated its authority.

[Jon Stewart]

Even the idea that they're having a.

[John]

Vote on whether or not to continue the authorization for force in Venezuela. Like, why have we over these past decades just allowed executives to take these militaristic actions with no repercussions?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Weak members of Congress that have allowed that to happen over the years.

[John]

What are their names?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

It should not have happened.

[Jon Stewart]

Which ones? Name them.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

I think one of them was on that plane standing.

[Jon Stewart]

He's very happy to do it.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

But let me just say, you talked about super majority. Yeah, we don't need that. We need to win. We need to win elections in 2026. We need people to show up and vote. And if we can take control of the House and the Senate, we've got tremendous power to put this president in check to call people down and have investigations and consequences for the actions that he is taking.

[Jon Stewart]

Do you.

[John]

I think. Do you believe that If Congress were to take back whatever those rescissions were on appropriations that had already been made or they did those votes, do you think he would abide by them? Because it's very clear. Like, for instance, in the TikTok situation, Congress voted so that TikTok had to be shut down. Result or sold. And he just gave it to one of his friends.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Yes.

[John]

So. And he didn't sell it when he was supposed to sell it. So I guess my question is what mechanisms? I'm trying to figure out what the mechanisms are anymore, because in the old days, it was impeachment. That's clearly now a flawed political process as well.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

What are the rationalists? Well, it's certainly better if we have levers of power. Right now, we don't.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

And then the. The other thing I think that's unprecedented about the situation we find ourselves in is the President of the United States States is a convicted felon. 34 felonies.

[John]

Right. But they view that as an illegitimate process. That's part of the issue.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

It was tried by a jury. It's not illegitimate.

[Jon Stewart]

Do you deal with him at all?

[John]

Do you have any personal interaction with the president or with the people on his staff or with even Thune, like, to any of them? Is there any communication?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Well, he called for me to be hanged. He did not invite me to play golf.

[John]

The next yes.

[Jon Stewart]

So, no.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

So the answer to be serious is no.

[John]

I can't imagine. Yeah, but that's what I mean is there. Does Senator Thune come up to you and say, he knows you. He knows your heart, he knows the service you've given to this country?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

No, not. I mean, usually I don't get into details about what. John Thune did not say that to me.

[John]

Did anyone? I mean, when the President of the United States threatens you specifically for doing something you didn't do, Right. Do any of them say, hey, man, I know you were in the Navy for 25 years. I know how much you've given to this country?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Yes.

[John]

I'm so sorry. Let me see what I can do to broker this.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Well, some of them, like Lisa Murkowski as an example, came out publicly very strongly just today. Thom Tillis, right. You know, basically said that letter. He said, that's a bunch of bullshit.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

I'm paraphrasing, Right. For Senator Tillis, he said, that's a bunch of bullshit. And then I have other folks that come up to me and say, hey, yeah, this is really. This is ridiculous. And I would say to them, hey, are you gonna Say something publicly. And they'll say, well, this is a food fight. When it turns into a knife fight, I'll say something publicly. So I don't know if today's the knife.

[John]

If it's a knife fight, then I want him hanged.

[Jon Stewart]

Like, how much more knifey does it get?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Well, maybe this. Maybe this is it. I don't know. We'll find out.

[John]

So what is the process now? What do you. What has to happen? You go through an appeals process.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

There's a second part to this. When they decide, you know, details about what they're going to do, how they're going to demote me, and then there's an appeals process. I guess I can, you know, file a federal lawsuit. But I. I will do everything that's appropriate in this circumstance to make sure that they know that this is unacceptable, that they cannot do this to people, but also to make sure that the American people know that you can't be stifling people's freedom of speech. We have a right in our country to speak out about the government, to say things about the president. They can't take that away from us.

[John]

You know what I just realized? Maybe the better strategy would be? Don't be a senator to speak out. If you really want freedom in this country, be a CEO of an oil company or run an AI company, because they apparently have carte blanche to do whatever they want to do.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

That's who he surrounds himself with.

[John]

Right.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

You know, my understanding, he's got his cabinet members and he's got CEOs around him, and that is it.

[John]

Well, we're living in the Upside Down. When a person that has given his entire life to public service in America at great cost, not just to yourself, but to your wife, who is Representative Gabby Giffords, who's also here tonight and.

[Donald Trump]

Has.

[Jon Stewart]

Given so much.

[Donald Trump]

There.

[Jon Stewart]

It's a remarkable thing that's happened.

[John]

Happened in this country where. Where your service is turned against you and the sacrifice that your family has gone through and the activism, it's. It's really. It's dispiriting, but it is.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

We're gonna get through it, though.

[John]

Well, I know you will, because we're gonna continue. You're incredibly resilient, and. And the people support you, and we really appreciate you being on the program.

[Senator Mark Kelly]

Thank you very much.

[Jon Stewart]

Send me a remark, Kelly. We'll take a break, and we'll be right back. Hey, that's our show for tonight, but before we go, we check in with your host for the rest of the week, Ronny Chang. Ronnie, what do you got for us? Come on, baby, talk to me. John, what do you got?

[Ronny Chang]

Very big week for me. Not only am I hosting this show, I will be headlining a very special venue in Washington D.C. they had a bunch of unexpected cancellations, so I am in there, baby.

[John]

Are. Are you doing standup at the Trump Kennedy Center?

[Senator Mark Kelly]

What?

[Ronny Chang]

Of course not. It's called the Trump center now. The Kennedy part was too confusing and it's not stand up. I'm doing a one man Asian remake of Halfway Hamilton. That's what was on the schedule, so that's what I'll be doing. And yes, I will be rapping. Give me a beat. Writing a declaration for this nation. Yes, I'm Asian. What a sensation.

[Jon Stewart]

Here it is. Your moment is in. That doesn't work.

[Lindsey Graham]

Unlike Obama, President Trump has not turned his back on the people of Iran. So I pray and hope that 2026 will be the year that we make a run great again.

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