Trump Launches War on Drug Traffickers… Unless They’re Also Honduran Ex-Presidents | Asi Wind

Summary

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The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: Trump Launches War on Drug Traffickers… Unless They’re Also Honduran Ex-Presidents | Asi Wind
Date: December 4, 2025
Host: Josh Johnson (for Jon Stewart)
Guest: Asi Wind, magician and mentalist

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Overview

This episode brings The Daily Show’s signature satirical coverage to two big stories: President Trump’s contradictory war on drug traffickers following his pardon of a Honduran ex-president convicted of drug crimes, and America’s AI obsession, from investment bubbles to the existential risks of automation. The episode closes with a lively interview and in-studio magic by award-winning magician and mentalist Asi Wind.

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Key Segments and Discussion Points

1. Trump’s War on Drug Traffickers and the Honduran Pardon

[01:33 – 11:13]

Highlights:

• President Trump’s second-term promises to “keep America out of foreign wars” collide with reality as he escalates military strikes on drug traffickers in Venezuela—while simultaneously issuing a full pardon for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, convicted of trafficking 400 tons of cocaine to the U.S.
• Satirical news team breaks down the policy contradiction and digs into the absurdity of U.S. drug war priorities.

Key Insights & Notable Quotes:

• Josh Johnson (on Trump’s Venezuela strikes):

  “We know where they live. We know if they've been good or bad. What is he, drone strike Santa?” ([02:28])

• On Trump’s pardon hypocrisy:

  “…in the middle of an active war against drug traffickers, Donald Trump has pardoned a man who smuggled in enough cocaine to give every American resting Kash Patel face.” ([06:07])

• Johnson lampoons the satirical reasoning for Trump’s inconsistent stance, referencing a letter Hernández wrote praising Trump as a fellow victim of “political persecution”:

  “It was that easy. All you have to do is write Trump a letter saying that Biden framed you for something you definitely did, had a trial for, and… you are the most did it.” ([08:08])

• Field correspondent Troy Iwata jokes from the "jungle" that cartels are "ecstatic" and parody-pivots as Trump's policy flip-flops:

  “The war on drugs is over and the drugs won. All right, let's fill these baggies.” ([09:17])
  “Do you want drugs or not?” ([10:45])

Tone:

Sharp, bemused, irreverent — classic Daily Show irony, poking at the incoherence of U.S. policy and Trump’s ego-driven decision-making.

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2. AI Investment Bubble and Existential Risks

[12:39 – 17:38]

Highlights:

• Ronny Chieng investigates America’s massive AI spending, comparing it to the Manhattan Project and skewering the tech industry’s hype cycle.
• Interviews Peter Wildford (Institute for AI Policy and Strategy) on AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) and risks of mass unemployment, economic crash, or even “wiping out all of humanity.”

Key Insights & Notable Quotes:

• Ronny Chieng (on AGI):

  “AGI stands for Artificial General Intelligence. It's a hypothetical future form of AI that can do anything a human can do… Current AI systems have narrow intelligence, which means they're great at simple tasks. But when it comes to complex actions in the real world, they—holy shit, its f-ing head fell off.” ([14:22])

• On AI bubble economics:

  “All that's happening is the three biggest players in the AI world have created a circular flow of deals worth billions… These contracts jack up their stock prices and—oh, wait, now I see it. So this is the most expensive circle jerk of all time.” ([15:16])

• On existential risk:

  “The CEOs of the companies themselves are saying there's a 1 in 5 chance their own technology might wipe out all of humanity. Would you fly in a plane that had a 1 in 5 chance of crash?” ([16:09])

Tone:

Sardonic, anxious, hyperbolic — Chieng uses sarcasm and incredulity to capture public confusion and regulatory anxiety about rapid AI advances.

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3. Interview: Mentalist and Magician Asi Wind

[18:56 – 37:27]

Guest Introduction:

Asi Wind joins to discuss his upcoming “More Than Magic” tour and philosophy of magic, and delights the audience with live tricks involving cards and maps.

Key Insights & Memorable Moments:

• On Magic Persona:

  “Out of all the magicians that I've watched… you're like the only magician that really looks like a normal person.” — Josh Johnson ([19:29])
  “It's because I'm just not naturally cool… Let's face it, we are nerds. We do card tricks. So I'm honest about my… you know what I mean?” — Asi Wind ([20:14])

• On Performance Philosophy:

  “I’m sharing my passion… I hope you do too… Let me show what I… that's my approach in life for a lot of things.” — Asi Wind ([22:18])

• On the Irreplaceability of Live Magic:

  “Technology cannot compete with one thing. People come to the theater, come to my show… not because I do magic, because they want to see it. People have a desire to see magic. I'm only there to help them.” ([26:28])

Memorable Magic Moments:

• Card trick involving prediction and stick-figure animation:
  Asi performs a trick with the host’s chosen cards, using a hand-drawn flipbook-style stick figure to “predict” the picks ([24:23–25:32]).

• Map/psychological mind-reading trick:
  Asi asks Josh to think of any U.S. city/state, then has him close his eyes and randomly burn a map. The burn mark lands on Springfield, Missouri—Josh’s chosen city ([29:29–33:10]).

• Improv card trick:
  Asi demonstrates another astonishing card revelation at Josh’s request ([35:17–37:05]).

• On Audience Skepticism:

  “Some people take it as a challenge to… an intellectual challenge. And I'm not there to do that. I'm there… to have fun.” — Asi Wind ([34:00])

Tone:

Warm, playful, disarming. Asi Wind’s humility and openness showcase both technical skill and engaging showmanship, creating a collaborative sense of wonder.

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Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "We know where they live. We know if they've been good or bad. What is he, drone strike Santa?" — Josh Johnson ([02:28])
• “I'm sorry, 400 tons of cocaine? First of all, how do you even shove all that up your ass?” — Josh Johnson ([04:42])
• “The war on drugs is over and the drugs won.” — Troy Iwata ([09:26])
• “All that's happening is the three biggest players in the AI world have created a circular flow of deals worth billions… So this is the most expensive circle jerk of all time?” — Ronny Chieng ([15:16])
• “The CEOs of the companies themselves are saying there's a 1 in 5 chance their own technology might wipe out all of humanity.” — Peter Wildford ([16:09])
• “Let's face it, we are nerds. We do card tricks. So I'm honest about my… you know what I mean?” — Asi Wind ([20:14])
• “Technology cannot compete with one thing. People come… because they want to see magic. I'm only there to help them.” — Asi Wind ([26:28])

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Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:33] Trump’s war on Venezuela drug traffickers, satirical analysis
• [03:20] Trump’s full pardon of Honduran ex-president Hernández for drug crimes
• [07:13] Trump equivocates on why he pardoned a narco-president
• [08:08] Letter from Hernández sucking up to Trump gets him a pardon
• [09:17] Troy Iwata’s “war on drugs is over and the drugs won” field piece
• [12:39] Ronny Chieng’s AI bubble/AGI risks segment
• [18:56] Asi Wind interview and discussion of magic philosophy
• [24:23] Flipbook card trick (stick figure)
• [29:29–33:10] Map-burning mind-reading trick
• [35:17–37:05] Improv card trick and closing banter

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Conclusion

This episode offers a playful yet pointed look at the Trump administration’s self-contradictory drug war policy, skewers the AI investment frenzy, and delivers a feel-good demonstration of magic’s enduring appeal. Highlights include sharp satire, witty correspondents, and several jaw-dropping tricks from the disarming Asi Wind, leaving both host and audience charmed and amazed.

Recommended for anyone seeking sharp political humor and a dose of live magical wonder.

Transcript

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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, Josh Johnson.

[B]

Welcome to the Daily Show. I'm Josh Johnson. We've got so much to talk about tonight. The war on drugs continues. And this time, we're on the side of drugs. We break down the latest tips to kiss Trump's ass. And bad news, AI might kill us soon. But good news, AI might kill us soon. So let's get into the headlines.

Let's begin with President Trump. He started his second term in January, promising to keep America out of foreign wars. Now it's December and he almost made it a year. President Trump hinting at land strikes in Venezuela as backlash on the controversial boat strikes deepens. We're going to start doing those strikes on land, too. You know, the land is much easier. It's much easier. And we know the routes they take. We know everything about them. We know where they live. We know where the bad ones live.

We know where they live. We know if they've been good or bad. What is he, drone strike Santa? So, yeah, Trump is launching a war on narco terrorists, which, by the way, I get why he calls them narco terrorists, because Americans know how to feel about terrorists. We hate those guys. But if you just say it's a war on drug dealers, that's a person we invited.

To bring us drugs that we wanted.

That's like if they told you to start hating your Amazon delivery guy, like, that's your guy. He's bringing your blender. But hey, this war in Venezuela just shows how serious Donald Trump is about going after these drug traffickers. If there's even one guy on a little fishing boat, Trump's taking him out. So drug dealers, watch your back.

[A]

President Trump has issued a full and unconditional pardon for the former president of Honduras.

[B]

Juan Orlando Hernandez was serving a 45.

[A]

Year sentence after he was convicted on major drug trafficking charges in the US Last year.

[B]

Like I just said.

Drug dealers watch your back because Trump is about to give you a nice massage.

I don't even know what's crazier, that President Trump is pardoning the president of Honduras for selling drugs or that the president of Honduras was selling.

People work their whole lives just to become president. So for you to get there and say to yourself, now I get to do my dream is crazy. At least Walter White had a teacher's salary. You're the president, and not only are you selling drugs, you're so bad at it, you get arrested in a whole different country.

But maybe I'm missing something about this pardon. Maybe he's not some kingpin. I mean, this is America, the country that locks people up for years just because they happen to have a little baggie of drugs. How do we know this marginalized president deserved 45 years? I'm sure whatever this guy did, it wasn't that bad. Juan Orlando Hernandez helped smuggle 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S.

I'm sorry, 400 tons of cocaine? First of all, how do you even shove all that up your ass?

I didn't even know you could measure cocaine in tons. It's like if someone told you they weighed 48 degrees Fahrenheit. Like the. You talking about 400 tons of cocaine? That sounds like all the cocaine in the world. Give me another unit based on not all the cocaine in the world. More than 400 tons, which is about.

[A]

4.5 billion individual doses of cocaine.

[B]

Doses?

Is that the term? Hey, man, I'mma head to the bathroom and do a couple of recommended serving sizes.

You could tell this is someone who doesn't know about cocaine because you don't measure it in doses. You measure it in half written screenplays, all right? That's like saying, hey, do you mind if I get another dollop of meth?

But the point is.

But the point is, in the middle of an active war against drug traffickers, Donald Trump has pardoned a man who smuggled in enough cocaine to give every American resting cash Patel face.

It's confusing to say the Least. But if I know Donald Trump, he'll have a very coherent and well thought out explanation for this pardon.

[A]

You've made so clear how you want.

[B]

To keep drugs out of the US Right? Can you explain more about why you would pardon a notorious drug trafficker? Well, I don't know who you're talking about.

You know, you've been pardoning too many people when you're like, I'm sorry, which notorious drug lord are we talking about? At least give me the first letter or we'll be here all night. It's wild how Trump always talks to the media like he's in court. He's like, I don't know who you're talking about. I wasn't there. I'm not even here.

But after they reminded Trump who this guy was, he did have some semblance of an explanation.

[A]

When you take a look, I mean.

[B]

They could say that you take any country you want. If somebody sells drugs in that country, that doesn't mean you arrest the president and put him in jail for the rest of his life, and that includes this country. Okay? To be honest, I mean, if somebody does something wrong, do you put the president of the country in jail?

Clearly, Trump is worried about. About a slippery slope here. It's like, it's like that classic poem, first they came for the wildly corrupt presidents, and I said nothing because that would be admissible in court. But I'll be honest, I don't think Trump pardoned another president so that he could get pardoned later. That's just too smart for Trump. It's like seeing a monkey draw a cube. There's no way he knew that's what he was drawing.

There had to be another dumber reason why Trump pardoned Hernandez. The ex president of Honduras wrote a letter to President Trump back in October, calling Trump your Excellency and praising Trump's resilience in what he called the face of political persecution. Writing in part, just as you, President Trump, I have suffered political persecution targeted by the Biden Harris administration. It was that easy. All you have to do is write Trump a letter saying that Biden framed you for something you definitely did, had a trial for and were you are the most did it.

Cause if it really is that easy, you know what this means.

I don't think Diddy can read or write.

For more on the pardoning of the former Honduran president, we turn to our very own Troy Iwata.

Troy, what's the latest? Josh? Josh, I am.

[A]

I'm here in the jungles talking to the drug cartels. And they are ecstatic about the pardon. Mr. Trump, they read you loud and clear.

[B]

The war on drugs is over and the drugs won. All right, let's fill these baggies. Okay, Josh, Josh, does this look like a gram to you?

[A]

No. No?

[B]

Okay, well, it's close enough, so standby. Mr. President, the drugs are on their way. Hold on, man. Trump only pardoned one person. He is still blowing up all those boats in Venezuela. Is that right? Is that right? Is that right? That's right. All right, all right. War on drugs is back on.

[A]

All right, compadres, we gotta. We gotta get rid of this stuff. We gotta get rid of it now. Okay? Cancelen la cacaina, Los gringos, los vanadron attack.

[B]

Okay?

[A]

Oh, God.

[B]

Whoa, whoa, whoa. Dude, don't do cocaine on tv.

[A]

Oh, calm down, you noob.

[B]

It's just like one dose.

[A]

Okay, look, we just. We gotta get underground before Trump locks.

[B]

Us up for life. Right? Well, he'll probably let you go free if you just blame it on Joe Biden.

[A]

Oh, okay, chicas, we are back in business. All right, so as long.

[B]

As long as we suck up to Trump, we're golden. All right. This is amazing, Josh. I feel like I have an eye for this. Do you feel like I have an eye for this, Josh?

[A]

What do you think? Josh? Josh, are you there?

[B]

Josh? Wait, I think I have an eye for Josh. Troy. Troy. Sucking up doesn't always work. Venezuela is doing it now, but Trump's still about to bomb them. Okay, well, goddammit. I mean, make up your mind, America.

[A]

Do you want drugs or not?

[B]

God. God, I feel like I'm back in high school again when I couldn't tell who was wearing the dare shirts ironically or not. Just, like, tell me what the policy is. I. I mean, I think the policy is whatever the president wants to do at the time. Okay, well, that's up.

Why do you keep doing that? I don't know.

[A]

I'm starting to think this stuff is addictive.

[B]

Troy Iwata, everyone.

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Welcome back to the Daily Show. Artificial intelligence might enslave the entire human race. But what if it did something even worse? Ronny Chang has more.

America is spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure. Wait, why are we spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure? Ah, damn it. I'm gonna have to talk to some nerd about this, aren't I? Like Peter Wilderford of the Institute for AI Policy and Strategy. I've used AI. Did I ejaculate? Yes. Was it the best sex thing ever? Not really. So what's the big deal about it? The big deal is what AI might be able to do in the future. The level of investment is actually now even exceeding the Manhattan Project. That's right, the Manh Project, the four year program where the US spent the equivalent of 37 billion in today's dollars to build a working nuclear bomb. All in an attempt to finally defeat Barbie once and for all. So why is the AI infrastructure buildout costing 10 times that? It is essentially a big bet that AI will generate a lot of profit in the future and that we will get AGI before the money runs out. Obviously, I know what AGI is. But for dumbasses like Michael Kosta who might be watching this, could you please explain it to them? AGI stands for Artificial General Intelligence. It's a hypothetical future form of AI that can do anything a human can do. Current AI systems have narrow intelligence, which means they're great at simple tasks. But when it comes to complex actions in the real world, they. Holy shit. Its f ing head fell off.

But these AI companies are betting billions that their systems will improve to be as cap a human at most tasks. Also known as AGI. My character Megan, was that killed by AI or was that AGI? Megan was, I think, probably a form of AGI. I thought it was a great movie kind of showing what could happen with an AGI system that they didn't know how to Control. Yeah. I'm glad you like my movie.

Oh, wow. Wait, you. You said you watched it. You didn't see me in it? No. How did you miss one third of the movie? I was the main villain. Kind of thought Megan was the villain. Yeah, but I was the secondary antagonist. Were you looking at your phone? I was on the airplane. Well, that's not the optimal experience. But as villains pour into AI, some pundits are starting to use the B word.

[A]

We are in a bubble.

[B]

We're in a bubble of some sort that will pop at some time.

[A]

Or are we in an AI bubble? Of course.

[B]

That prepubescent old man is wrong. It's not a bubble. All that's happening is the three biggest players in the AI world have created a circular flow of deals worth billions. Nvidia invests in OpenAI, who turns around and invests in cloud computing from Oracle, who then reaches around to Nvidia to buy chips. These contracts jack up their stock prices and. Oh, wait, now I see it. So this is the most expensive circle drug of all time? Yes. 25% of the stock market is a bet on AI. The if these deals don't work out, there could be a stock market crash and the public would be the ones left holding the bag. All right, well, I mean, I guess that sucks for the public. Well, you're part. Am I part of the public? I think we're all part of the public.

It would affect basically the entire stock market and the entire economy. You could potentially even get a recession. I guess I can't be poor, but Peter says if AI actually delivers on its promises, things could get even worse. If the bet pays off, AGI could potentially take all our jobs and we would have mass unemployment. Okay, okay, stop. I don't care about any of this. Capitalism is killing us. I mean, I don't think that it's necessarily capitalism killing us. The CEOs of the companies themselves are saying there's a 1 in 5 chance their own technology might wipe out all of humanity. Would you fly in a plane that had a 1 in 5 chance of crash? Well, are you on the plane watching my movie and not remembering I was in it? Because then, yes, I would like that plane to crash. There could be immense concentration of power, or we could even fight World War Three over this technology. So we'll all die, but at least we'll be rich. Yes. Until the death part. Right? That's fine. I can live with that. Man, you scared me for a second. Whether it crashes the markets, takes our jobs, or starts World War 3. AI is changing the world just like the Manhattan Project. As a visionary genius once said, there shouldn't be any ambiguity over what a historic occasion. This is just one of many great lines from my unforgettable character in Megan. Hint, hint, Peter.

Thank you, Ronnie. When we come back, Ossie William will be joining me on the show. So don't go.

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Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is an award winning magician and mentalist whose more than magic tour returns in January. Please welcome Ossie Wind.

Well, thank you so much for being here.

[A]

Thanks for having me.

[B]

Yeah, I. Okay, so I love magic a lot.

[A]

Like I. I'm happy you do.

[B]

I am a huge fan and I think that out of all the magicians that I've watched, especially because I. I really fell in love with it young. So I would watch it on like VHS tapes and just be like so engaged with everyone. And you're like the only magician that really looks like a normal person.

Jeff.

[A]

I'm not sure it's a compliment.

[B]

No, no, it's just. I'm just saying there's like, I feel like so many people are trying to be like extra, extra, like out there mysterious and everything. And you have a presence and just a general demeanor that's very inviting. And I'm wondering if that's on purpose, like if you are. If that's your approach to magic.

[A]

It's because I'm just not naturally cool.

So I go with the flow you know? Yeah. Here's a real answer. I really think that people take themselves a little too seriously. And magicians especially, they try to look really cool. Let's face it, we are nerds. We do card tricks. So I'm honest about my.

Take it from here.

You know what I mean?

[B]

No, I'm with you. Do you remember the first trick that you ever saw?

[A]

I do. I don't know if it's the first one, but it's the one that got me. Someone had a lit cigarette. He would make a fist, and he would push a lit cigarette into his fist like that, open his hand, and it's gone. And I learned it. And that's the only trick I wanted to do. I became a human ashtray. My parents were heavy smokers. Still are. And I would mom, give me. And I admitted I also wanted to help their health. But it really. That's the first trick that kind of comes to mind.

[B]

Then would you do it as soon as they lit up, you're like, I gotta show you something.

[A]

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. It's a double purpose. It's amazing. And it saves life.

[B]

Yeah. Yeah.

[A]

You know?

[B]

Absolutely. And so your approach to magic, I feel like, is a bit different because, like I said, you're very inviting and everything, but you also have.

You have an openness about what is going on that I think is unique, because, like you said with other magicians trying to be super mysterious and everything, I think a lot of other magicians want you to think that they have powers, like, actual superpowers. And I feel like you're very much like. Like, we're gonna make something together.

[A]

Absolutely. First of all, I feel like I'm in therapy. But.

No, and I like it. I really do like it. It's like I'm reflecting. But here's the deal. Yeah. It probably manifests my opinions in life in general that, you know.

People ask me, like, what art do you like? You go to a museum, you see a piece of art or whatever, which art am I attracted to? It's the one that feels sincere. Meaning if I see a painting with splashes of paint and this every take, every gimmick there is on a canvas, I go, ah, this guy's trying to impress me. And when I see, like, Lucian Freud, who I really love, the painting looks sincere. It looks like he meant every brush stroke. That's the one I like. So it's. I'm sharing my passion. I. Something. I was lucky. I was young, 13. I was young and stupid. I said, yeah, I can do this, you know, And I followed the dream because. And I'm sharing with the audience. Hey, look, I love this. I hope you do too. You know, and I. Let me show what I. Yeah, that's my approach in life for a lot of things. So. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah. And not to put you on the spot also. Yeah, yeah.

[A]

Thank you.

[B]

Wow.

[A]

I don't need to do magic. I just gotta say these things. Okay. Okay.

[B]

I don't want to put you on the spot, but do you.

[A]

But you're going to put me on the spot.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

But you don't want to do it.

[B]

I don't want to, but you will. But I have to. Is it cool if I.

[A]

Yes. Let's put you on.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Gotcha. So let me show you something. This is again, thing I wanted to do something that I have not done in a long time. And I'm going to show you what I mean. If you were just randomly to place your finger. Quickly, quickly on. On a piece, on any card. Go, go, go, go, go. Cool. You're going for 5 of diamonds. Can we see this 5 of diamonds now? I did it with the cards face up. It's a deliberate choice you made. Is there. Do you have a reason why you touch this and not this or this or that? Why five of diamonds?

[B]

I don't have the best aim. I didn't want to poke your thumb.

[A]

Okay, so this was a convenient choice. No. So forget that 5 of diamonds is nice, but what if you were to name a card? Any card you want would name. What?

[B]

King of spades.

[A]

King of spades. Okay. King of spades. Right there. You don't want the five of clubs. You want king of spades.

[B]

Sure.

[A]

Yes. Yes.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Yes. Okay. Okay. This is not a quiz. But look in the back, on the back of this card. If you look, I drew a little figure. Stick. You see this? Yeah. Stick figure. He's supposed to say stick figure. And it's like a movie. You see this? It kind of moves. You see? See? It's so cool.

[B]

Right? Huh?

[A]

That's a teaser. But listen, he knew how you think he knew you're first going to touch which one you touch five diamonds first.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So look, look at this. He goes behind a curtain and he keeps one card and it happens to be the five of diamonds.

But hold on, hold on. He did not. No, he did not stop there. He knew he had five of diam. He drops it to the ground and he keeps one extra card in the hat just in case. He goes inside and he pulls out One other card, it happens to be the king of spades. And now we have the 5 of diamonds and the king of spades.

[B]

That's dope.

[A]

Okay, okay. We don't have. You want to do. Okay, we'll do this.

[B]

Got you. Okay. But here's the thing that I think.

When I see how you do magic and how even like, you know, online there's people who go viral for magic tricks they do and everything, I think that your approach is so human that it is timeless because it will be.

It will last as long as people last. You know what I mean? Whereas I think, which is very 20 minutes. But like, but I think that in that timelessness, is that also being factored in, into your approach? Do you think of tricks or do you want to do tricks that feel very like in the moment? That's a great memory. Or do you look at them as things that should last?

[A]

I mean, I want to do work that if I look back at it, I go, I still love it. I still like it. Here's the deal. We live in a world where technology is a real threat to magic, right? We look at AI, we look at all the things. Magicians were always afraid of technology. There's a magician, David Devant, many years ago was asked by a reporter, are you afraid of the new technology being a threat to magic? He goes, yes. And they were talking about the telegraph back then. They were scared then. But here's the deal. I'm not scared because technology cannot compete with one thing. People come to the theater, come to my show, I'm flattered by it. They bite a ticket, right, to see magic. Not because I do magic, because they want to see it. People have a desire to see magic. I'm only there to help them. So I think that's. They're the co authors of the show. Without them, there is no magic. Some people say, ah, sleight of hand, you know, they can dismiss it in a second and they see nothing. Some people say, I want to believe, I want to see it. So for an hour and a half, I'm there to help them.

[B]

No, that makes sense.

Yeah, that's. It's very true as well because it's like even as a magician, and a very accomplished one at that, you're not sitting in your room by yourself, like, can't believe I did it. You know what I mean? Like you're sometimes.

[A]

But.

Never, never I say, this is going, that's not going to fool anyone, you know, and so magic is the way we go about it. It Starts with a dream, right? My dream is to, like, let's say this thing I did with the cards, which is a classic, and it's a modern classic. And this is my take on it. I wanted the idea that the little figure would be able to guess two cards. How do you do this? And you start and you think and you make a million versions until you get to a place. Okay, this looks good, but it's a lot of work. And our job is to make it look effortless. Of course, but it's not. It's really a lot of work.

[B]

And can you tell me about your show? You're gonna be in the U.S. and Australia.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Shows at the Sydney Opera House.

[A]

Yes. Yes. And I'm very excited about that. So we're continuing our East Coast More Than Magic tour. We're going with a bunch of dates in Florida. And after that, early February. February. We're gonna go to the Sydney Opera House. And I'm very excited. Very, very excited. Yes.

[B]

Congratulations.

[A]

It's gonna be special. Have you been? Have you been?

[B]

I have been to Sydney, but not the Opera House. So thanks for rubbing in.

[A]

I believe you can. No, but I believe you should. Let's do it together.

[B]

You wanna do it together?

[A]

Yes.

[B]

That would be crazy. Are you being serious? Okay. You could just have me up there the whole time being like, oh, oh.

[A]

That will help the show a lot. Yeah.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

That would really.

[B]

Usually people have, like, a beautiful assistant. I'll just be a scared one, you know.

[A]

You'll be both. You'll be both.

[B]

Can I put you on the spot one more time? Can I?

[A]

Okay. Okay, so I have a map of the United States. Okay. And I would like you to think of a random place, a city and a state in the United States. It has to be in the United States. You cannot choose Canada. I mean, soon you'll be able to, but as of now. No, I'm saying it's within, you know. And we're going to do something crazy. If I find you, you already have a place, a random place in mind. If I find it right now, and I say, oh, you're thinking of blah, blah, blah, not impressive. You will find it, not me. Okay. And here's how we do this. We just light this.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

It's an incense stick, I think. Is that what you call it? Okay. And hold it by the corner. And as I move over the map, whenever you call stop, I will poke a little hole with your eyes closed, you say stop. Let's say Montana. It will be the state.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

But I will not be able to. You'll guess it by yourself. So close your eyes and think about. First the state. Think about the state and you say the word stop.

[B]

One second. I'm just trying not to sneeze.

[A]

Please.

[B]

Stop.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Do I open.

[A]

You can open your eyes. Okay. And we already know the state is Wyoming, right? And he stopped me. And I stopped. Exactly. It's the same as Wyoming.

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay, but it's close to Wyoming. Like if you took an Uber.

And. No, no, no, it's fine. You can say no. No, it's fine.

[B]

No.

[A]

Okay. It's a neutral. I have an idea. What if I poke a bigger hole? It's gonna keep burning, you know, and eventually it will get to your place.

No. Okay, we'll try this. So here, I'll burn a little, like. Try to make a little bigger hole here. Okay. Yeah. There we go. It's called. Yeah. Now, is your place east or west?

[B]

Just tell me that it is east.

[A]

East. So think east, and maybe the burn will go to the east. Okay. Oh, yeah. Yeah. It's kind of favoring. It's favoring east. It's favoring east, right?

[B]

Oh, yeah.

[A]

Yeah. It's favoring east. Is it. Don't say. Just think south or north. Okay. Just think it. Okay. I can tell you right now. Yeah. It seems to me that it's slowly making its way up north towards Canada, obviously. Towards Iowa. Minnesota. Yes. Is it. Your place is more north?

No. You say no. Okay, so let's focus then. South. Okay. Okay, so if you focus south. Yeah, it's going north. Are you thinking south?

[B]

No, no. So I'm. I'm. I'm trying to. I'm trying.

[A]

You have to think.

[B]

Oh, I'm sorry.

[A]

Maybe if you say. Say south.

[B]

South.

[A]

South. South.

[B]

Oh.

[A]

Oh, look, it's making a U turn. It's making U turn. Yeah, it's. It's pivoting down. It's going towards Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana. Is that the right direction?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Close your eyes. Close your eyes. Close your eyes. I want you to think now about the city. The city in the state you're thinking of. Are you thinking it's going towards Missouri? Are we in the right state? Missouri? Yes. Okay, good, good, good. It's going. Let's zoom on. Yeah, we see it. It's going down and down whenever you want. Take your time. Say the word stop.

[B]

Oh, I thought something touched me.

[A]

Okay, say stop whenever you want.

[B]

Stop.

[A]

Stop.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Okay, let's see if it stops by itself.

[B]

Do I open my eyes?

[A]

Oh, it stopped. Here. You said it stopped. Don't look, don't look, don't look. Can you tell us the place you're thinking of?

[B]

Springfield, Missouri.

[A]

Look where it stopped right there. Open your eyes. We stopped on Springfield, Missouri.

And by the way, if you ever find yourself in Wyoming and you're lost, this will guide you all the way and you can, please.

[B]

Oh, thank you, y'.

[A]

All.

[B]

Okay.

So this leads me to my next question.

You know, you do great tricks and stuff, but there's gotta be some people who don't love it after it's done, where they're like, does anybody freak out and run away?

[A]

Freak. There's some people who freak out, run away.

Hate me. But yes, some people don't love magic.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Because they take it as a challenge to. An intellectual challenge. Challenge. And. And I'm not there to do that. I'm there. I spend many hours just to figure out this magic. But some people take it too personal and they say, oh, this is offending, you know, offending me some way. So, yeah, it happens. My job is, with the humor and all that and presentation, and there's lots of audience participation in my show, is to tell, hey, we're here together to do this, you know, to have fun.

[B]

Yeah. So, no, this is fun.

[A]

This is fun.

[B]

This is very fun. And even though I have been more freaked out than I thought I was gonna be when I asked you to, come on. I am having a good time. I want you to think I'm not having fun.

Yeah. Yeah. Like, this is amazing. It's just taking a second to process. You know what I mean? It's like, I imagine what you do is like the first time somebody saw somebody dunk where they were like, I didn't even know you could. Wow.

I promise not to freak out. Can you show me one more thing?

[A]

Sure. So now we're going into improv land. I have no idea what I'm gonna do, but I'm gonna try. Okay, so maybe we can get a shot from above. Can we see it from above? So you verify to the audience all different, all mixed up. It's. That's not the same card repeated, right?

[B]

Uh huh.

[A]

So here's a question. If I just place him, let's say here. Okay. Name any card that pops into your head right this second. Remember, the deck is here. I can't do anything.

[B]

Seven of hearts.

[A]

You don't know where the seven hearts, the seven of hearts could be. Literally could be here, right? Could be there. It could be right where I cut it.

[B]

That is Wild.

[A]

In my country, that's considered amazing.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

No, no, no. I'm just saying.

[B]

I'm just saying.

[A]

They did not respond.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

So I had to.

[B]

No, I'm with you here.

[A]

Name a different card. Name a different card. Whichever you want. Anyone?

[B]

King of spades.

[A]

King of spades.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

King of spades. Remember, you chose before. Are you sure you want to still.

[B]

Go to the king of spades who.

Changed everything? Yeah. King of spades.

[A]

Okay, now you don't know where it is, right? Can you pick one? Take one out and anyone out.

[B]

One.

[A]

One, not two. This or this. You're changing. You want to change. You good with this?

[B]

I'm okay.

[A]

You're sticking to this?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And you wanted to be king of spades. Spades. And you could have named any one of these cards. Take a look what you chose. Take a look.

This is crazy. This is crazy.

[B]

This is crazy.

[A]

Not to be confused by you a second. Open your hand. You chose king of spades, but you also chose seven of hearts before. So if you switched it and you chose seven of hearts first, it would be this. Then I will change it again. You know what I mean?

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

I'm just saying if we're. It's.

And by the way.

Just in case, just for backup.

[B]

Okay.

I'm so glad you haven't started a cult.

Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much. For more info on the More Than Magic Tour, go to ossiwen.com ossiwen.

[A]

Explore More Shows from the Daily show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show. Wherever you get your podcasts, watch the Daily show weeknights at 1110 Central on Comedy Central and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount. Plus.

[B]

This has been a Comedy Central podcast.