The Daily Show: Ears Edition
Episode: Trump Makes Milk Whole Again, Europe Defends Greenland & MAGA Blasts Mamdani | Wagner Moura
Date: January 16, 2026
Host: Jordan Klepper
Guest: Wagner Moura
Overview
This episode of The Daily Show with Jordan Klepper is a sharp, satirical look at the current political climate in the United States and abroad. The team skewers everything from President Trump’s fixation on whole milk to the absurdity of U.S. foreign policy (the Greenland “crisis”), and New York’s supposed descent into "communist hellscape" under newly elected Mayor Zoran Mamdani. The episode features a lively tech segment from Grace Kuhlenschmidt and a thoughtful, illuminating interview with Golden Globe winner Wagner Moura discussing his new film and the enduring legacy of dictatorship on Brazilian politics and global democracy.
Headlines & Political Satire
Trump’s Whole Milk Crusade (01:13–03:01)
- Main Point: The show opens by mocking President Trump’s latest, bizarre priority: staging press events around whole milk.
- Satirical Highlights:
- Jordan Klepper lampoons Trump’s penchant for visual aids:
"Mr. President, thank you for shining a light on this important issue and also for having a big jug of milk on your desk as a visual aid in case people forget what milk is." (01:34)
- Commentary on lactose intolerance and misplaced presidential focus.
- Jordan Klepper lampoons Trump’s penchant for visual aids:
The Greenland Crisis & Europe’s Response (03:01–04:25)
- Summary: A fake-news breakdown of the Trump administration's push to "take over Greenland," escalating tensions with Denmark and Europe.
- Grace Kuhlenschmidt:
"Top officials from Greenland and Denmark traveling to Washington to plead their case... but they emerged saying the two sides have a, quote, fundamental disagreement." (03:11)
- Jordan Klepper’s Snark:
"Germany, Sweden, France, Norway all sent soldiers because of us. And you know they're pissed. They're supposed to be on one of their 37 weeks of vacation right now." (04:25)
New York’s ‘Communist Dystopia’: Mayor Zoran Mamdani (04:25–10:49)
- Premise: The team burlesques right-wing panic over Zoran Mamdani’s mayoral win in NYC.
- Bits Include:
- Mamdani fixing bike paths (“Classic communism. First they level out the roads, then they level out the social classes.” – 07:04)
- Public bathrooms initiative, expanding free childcare, and collaborations with Ms. Rachel (satirical “red scare” spin).
- Jordan’s recurring joke:
"Better to piss your pants as a free man than to use the toilet as a slave." (07:48)
- Segment Ends: Klepper jokes about New York’s hygiene dystopia and sets up a field piece with Josh Johnson.
Field Piece: New Yorkers React to Mamdani’s First Two Weeks (10:49–13:40)
- Reporter: Josh Johnson hits the streets for comic interviews.
- Recurring Gags:
- “The city is going to hell” because the Halloween store closed—not because of socialism (11:28–11:37).
- Faux-outrage over not having snow plowed in a snowless two weeks (12:22–12:28).
- Bathrooms as “nanny state” overreach, leading to the segment's signature joke:
"Welcome to New York, we know you gotta poop." (13:00)
Tech Segment With Grace Kuhlenschmidt: “Tech Yeah” (14:27–20:15)
CES 2026 Debrief & Gadget Satire (14:52–20:15)
- Opening Bit:
"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Especially when you lose your fingertips in a robot's eegina. Ouch." (15:20)
- Highlights:
- Bone-Conduction Lollipop for Audio:
"I'm so tired of headphones that don't feature bone conduction. And just so you know, the music lollipop doesn't work in your butt—a little heads up would have been nice." (16:04–16:25)
- Smart Hair Clipper: Promising instant barber skills, joking about “abused Barbie doll” results (16:36).
- Robot Fights:
"I was just thinking, I'd love to beat up a small child, but without having to feel too bad about it. And if you love this video, good news, because this robot has already agreed to fight Jake Paul." (17:47–18:06)
- Socially-Aware Robots: Discussion of robot “Aria Vision” that can see and verbally comment (18:13–19:36).
"Eat shit, mirror. Now I know what I'm wearing." (18:34)
- Bone-Conduction Lollipop for Audio:
- Closing Line:
"Tune in next time where I'll show you how to avoid dropping your phone in the toilet by shitting in your yard." (20:04)
Interview: Wagner Moura on Art, Dictatorship, and Democracy (21:03–34:26)
Wagner Moura’s Golden Globe Win (21:03–21:42)
- Celebration:
"We played some samba and then we celebrated... looking for some caipirinhas but they weren’t quite good, so I went to, like, some vodka with sparkling water." (21:29–21:41)
“The Secret Agent”: Art in the Shadow of Dictatorship (21:43–24:24)
- Film’s Core:
"This is a film about a man who is sticking with his values when everything around him says opposite of what he believes." (21:53)
- Set during the Brazilian dictatorship (1964–85), it addresses governmental oppression and its echoes in modern Brazil.
- Klepper observes:
"It just established this tension that felt very resonant right now in a time where we're all feeling a certain tension about the government." (22:30)
Brazil’s Political Trauma and Memory (24:24–26:52)
- On Memory:
"Preservation of memory is a very important thing... There are things that cannot be forgotten, there are things that cannot be forgiven." (24:50)
- Bolsonaro & Legacy: Bolsonaro’s rise as a “physical manifestation” of dictatorship’s lingering effects (23:14–24:15). Moura notes Bolsonaro is now in jail.
- Film’s Theme: Generational trauma explored via narrative device—a survivor receives a pen drive of dictatorship-era crimes:
"That man can't deal with that information because the trauma is too big." (26:41)
Political Art, Censorship, and Polarization (26:52–28:58)
- Art vs. Fascism:
"The first thing fascist governments do is attack journalists, universities, artists. They were very effective in transforming artists in Brazil into the enemies of the people." (27:41)
- Cultural Resurgence: Encouraged by current public support for Brazilian artists and film.
- Warning to America:
"Polarization, I think it's the biggest thing that can lead to social conflicts nowadays. And it's a big threat to democracy." (28:58)
- Moura contrasts swift Brazilian response to attacks on democracy with perceived American complacency.
Institutions, Collective Action, and the Danger of Apathy (30:33–33:10)
- Klepper:
"Institutions will not save you. It's the people who sort of fight for those things and uphold those moralistic points of view." (31:28)
- Erosion of Truth:
"Truth as we know it is kind of over... facts, they don't matter anymore. It's about versions. People have versions of the truth. And that, I think, is very scary, especially with the development of technology..." (33:02)
On Activism and Responsibility (33:45–34:26)
- Moura:
"I don't see [outspokenness] as a responsibility. I think that this is me, this is how I behave as a human being... you have to be strong enough to survive that backlash. And not everybody's ready for that." (33:45–34:21)
- Klepper closes:
"The movie is fantastic. I really hope people go see it. Congratulations on everything." (34:26)
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- On Trump’s priorities:
"How are these people intolerant of everything except lactose?"
— Jordan Klepper (01:45) - On communist infrastructure:
"First they level out the roads, then they level out the social classes."
— Jordan Klepper (07:04) - On the 'nanny state':
"Better to piss your pants as a free man than to use the toilet as a slave."
— Jordan Klepper (07:48) - On preserving memory and trauma:
"There are things that cannot be forgotten, there are things that cannot be forgiven."
— Wagner Moura (24:50) - On erosion of facts:
"Truth as we know it is kind of over... facts, they don't matter anymore. It's about versions."
— Wagner Moura (33:02)
Notable Timestamps
- 00:00: Intro & sponsor (skip)
- 01:13: Show opens; Trump and milk headlines
- 03:01: Greenland crisis coverage
- 04:25: European military response satire
- 05:46–10:49: Satirical coverage of Zoran Mamdani’s NYC
- 10:49–13:40: Field piece: New Yorkers on Mamdani
- 14:27–20:15: Tech Yeah segment
- 21:03–34:26: Interview with Wagner Moura
- 34:48: Show wrap-up & outro
Tone
- Comedic, incisive, and self-aware throughout.
- Blend of sharp satire, cultural critique, and moments of earnest reflection during the Moura interview.
For New Listeners
If you missed the episode: expect a quick-witted breakdown of the day’s weirdest political moments, an irreverent look at tech gone mad, and a nuanced, personal conversation about dictatorship, memory, and activism with a major Brazilian artist. The show dances between exaggerated parody and grounded insight, poking fun at both real and imagined political calamities while pausing to ask what democracy—and art—actually require from us today.