Trump Throws Gatsby Party as SNAP Funding Expires, Makes It Rain on Argentina | Former Sen. Joe Manchin

Summary

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The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: Trump Throws Gatsby Party as SNAP Funding Expires, Makes It Rain on Argentina | Former Sen. Joe Manchin

Date: November 4, 2025
Host: Jon Stewart

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Episode Overview

Jon Stewart and The Daily Show news team tackle the continuing government shutdown, its impact on critical social programs (specifically SNAP/food stamps), and President Trump’s controversial response—including an extravagant Gatsby-themed Mar-a-Lago party and a multibillion-dollar aid package for Argentina. Stewart also sits down with former West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin to discuss the value and viability of centrism, the disconnect between DC politics and constituents, and the future of American government.

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Main Themes and Segments

1. The US Government Shutdown: SNAP Benefits and Presidential Optics

[03:52 – 13:38]

• Millions Lose SNAP (Food Stamps) as Shutdown Drags On:
  Stewart highlights how the cessation of SNAP hits vulnerable Americans, with rising insurance premiums adding to the strain.

• White House Rhetoric vs. Reality:
  Stewart calls out the administration’s insistence that President Trump is “desperate for SNAP benefits to flow” to needy Americans, contrasting these claims with Trump’s actions.

  "Is he big-hearted, loves us? Because again, and maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but he did just recently dump diarrhea on all of us. ... Obviously he does have a diarrhea plane. Maybe that is out of love." – Jon Stewart [05:02]

• Decadent Mar-a-Lago Party During Crisis:
  As the country struggles, Trump hosts a “Great Gatsby”–themed party, signaling extreme tone-deafness.

  "There were dancers, costumes, champagne... where the theme was apparently gross income inequality. The slogan of the party as people were losing their food benefits was—I shit you not—'A little party never killed nobody.' Did you even read The Great Gatsby? Spoiler alert: the party killed somebody." – Jon Stewart [06:36]

• Lavish Renovations Shared Online:
  Trump posts 25 photos of new gold-and-marble Lincoln bathroom, including from his "new toilet."

  "Who designs a bathroom with ass level windows? Aren’t you gonna frost the glass a little bit there?" – Jon Stewart [10:29]

• Administration Excuses and Snapback to "Rules":
  Stewart mocks administration claims that "the rules of the road" or "the courts" now tie Trump’s hands, especially given his history of disregarding norms.

  "When has this administration followed the rule?... you guys have been grand theft auto this entire presidency the whole time, but now—Hey, everybody, 'no passing on the right!'" – Jon Stewart [11:57]

2. Rainy Day Funds and Stereotypes about the Poor

[13:38 – 17:55]

• Partial Funding for SNAP:
  Citing court rulings, Stewart notes a reluctant administration finally unlocking a “rainy day” fund for partial SNAP aid, but protests warn it may be needed for a literal rainy day (eg, hurricanes).

• Right-Wing Dismissal and Dog Whistles:
  The MAGA/media ecosystem pivots, expressing skepticism about SNAP by focusing on rare abuses, invoking racist/classist tropes.

  "Why are people who weigh 300 pounds on SNAP? Is there no weight limit for a free food program? People are using them to get their nails done, to get their weaves and their hair..." – Stewart paraphrasing right-wing media [16:48]

• "Who Is the ‘You’ Trump Fights For?"
  Stewart notes the Trump campaign promised to fight for “you”—but he never defined who “you” was, leaving millions out.

  "The real brilliance of it is Trump never actually told America who you were. Are you ‘you’ or are you they/them? Who’s they? Who’s you?" – Jon Stewart [18:00]

3. Argentina Aid and American Hunger

[18:00 – 23:28]

• $20 Billion to Argentina vs. Domestic Hunger:
  Stewart criticizes Trump’s $20B bailout for Argentina while Americans go hungry, suggesting Trump is helping “friends” abroad instead of his own struggling citizens.

  "If only our president had an in with Donald Trump. We live in bizarro world..." – Jon Stewart [21:07]

• Imported Beef Irony and Satirical Skit:
  US is buying Argentinian beef with bailout money, while American cattle ranchers and SNAP recipients are out of luck. Stewart acts out a faux “Hungarian Fiddler” sketch to lampoon the situation.

  "Hungry fiddler, too weak to climb to the roof... We happen to have this delicious Argentinian meat that's undercutting the prices you normally get. Bless you, bless you—no, no beef for you, we don't take food stamps, 'cause you’ll just spend them on... Do Jews get weaved?" – Jon Stewart [22:00]

• Summary Punchline:
  Trump only works for “you” if you’re a friend, donor, or helpful to his business/political prospects.

  "For those of you wondering... who the you was that he was going to work so tirelessly for? It turns out he is for you... if you are a personal friend, or if you donated a lot of money or enriched his meme coin businesses..." – Jon Stewart [23:28]

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INTERVIEW: Joe Manchin on the Viability of Centrism

[25:59 – 49:19]

Upbringing and Political Roots

• Family, Coal, and Community:
  Manchin recalls growing up in coal country, referencing hospitality, hard work, and family values ("You can't cuss, you can't drink, and you have to work" – Manchin [28:35]).

• Memoir Title – "Dead Center":
  Stewart teases the double meaning (either in the center, or the center is dead), Manchin says he’s always strived for the middle, even as it's become “not a crowded place” [29:26].

• Not a Republican Despite State’s Lean:

  "The Democrats were upset with me... But the Republicans wouldn't like me any better because I just couldn't conform... I wanted to do things." – Joe Manchin [29:44]

Senate Dynamics and Moderation

• Deal-Brokering and Partisan Tension:
  Manchin describes being the essential swing vote and working both sides, including with Ted Cruz, though saying real cooperation is rare.

  "You can't do them from the extreme right and Extreme left. You don't run your life that way, you don't run your businesses that way." – Joe Manchin [32:03]

• Disconnect with Trump’s Populism:
  Stewart points out that Trump won by eschewing moderation and governing impulsively, observing centrism may be “dead” as a force in current politics [32:24–32:55].

Roots of Dem/Working-Class Alienation

• "What Happened to West Virginia Democrats?"
  Manchin argues his constituents felt national Democrats spent more resources on “able-bodied people who won't work” than on those “who do” [38:47].
  Stewart challenges the caricature, saying it’s factually inaccurate—most support flows to working poor, children, and elderly [39:19].

Policy Nuance: Welfare and Worker Support

• Cliff vs. Slope:
  Manchin proposes welfare benefits taper off with earned income (“slope“), not end abruptly (“cliff“), to reward work [40:30].

  "Why can't we make that into a slope and let them work into a livable wage and give them assistance all the way up? It's the cheapest thing we could ever do." – Joe Manchin [41:02]

• Frustrations with Government Perception:
  Stewart highlights public double standards: corporate subsidies/benefits considered “common sense” vs. welfare seen as wasteful and fraudulent [41:41].

Filibuster, Compromise, and Reform

• Bipartisanship on Immigration:
  Manchin recounts bipartisan failures on immigration reform, including the unpassed Senate bill of 2013 [45:59].

• Filibuster Defense:
  Despite stagnation, Manchin defends the filibuster—believing it's crucial for minority rights in Senate [48:42].

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Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Presidential Optics During Crisis:

  "A little party never killed nobody. Did you even read The Great Gatsby? Spoiler alert: the party killed somebody." – Jon Stewart [06:36]

• On Government Excuses:

  "You guys have been grand theft auto this entire presidency... but now, 'Gotta respect the rules of the road.'" – Jon Stewart [11:57]

• On Defining 'You':

  "Trump never actually told America who you were. Are you you or are you they/them?" – Jon Stewart [18:00]

• On Social Program Stereotypes:

  "Why are people who weigh 300 pounds on SNAP? Is there no weight limit for a free food program?... using them to get their weaves and their hair..." – Stewart paraphrasing right-wing media [16:48]

• On Centrism:

  "You can't do them from the extreme right and Extreme left... You usually got to find a way to maneuver to get to the next." – Joe Manchin [32:03]

• On Welfare Reform:

  "Cliff is this... you make a dollar over $25,000, you lose all your benefits... Why can't we make that into a slope?" – Joe Manchin [41:02]

• On Senate Hostility:

  "It's the most hostile environment you've ever encountered. You go to work. The person on the other side is trying to get you defeated." – Joe Manchin [42:48]

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Important Segments by Timestamp

• Government Shutdown and SNAP/Mar-A-Lago Party: [03:52 – 13:38]
• SNAP Stereotypes/MAGA Media: [15:15 – 18:00]
• Argentina Bailout/Beef Satire: [18:00 – 23:28]
• Interview: Joe Manchin—Background & Centrism: [25:59 – 30:11]
• Senate Dynamics, Moderation, and Trump: [30:11 – 34:08]
• West Virginia, Democrats, and Social Programs: [38:34 – 40:23]
• Welfare Reform ('Cliff' vs. 'Slope'): [40:29 – 41:32]
• Filibuster and Political Hostility: [48:42 – 49:19]

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Tone and Style

The episode is characterized by Stewart’s incisive satire and exasperation with government gridlock, combined with heartfelt and sometimes irreverent humor. The interview with Manchin is affable but pointed, probing the challenges facing centrism and government efficacy in deeply polarized times.

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For listeners:
This episode marries political absurdity with earnest inquiry, exposing the growing gap between leadership optics and citizen needs and questioning whether moderate solutions are still feasible—or even desirable—in today’s America.

Transcript

[A]

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[A]

Welcome to the Daily Show. My name is John Stewart. We got a great one for you tonight, a great show for you tonight. Later on, we'll be joined by former West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin. We will discuss with him how his position as a centrist has given him the unique ability to disappoint everybody. Lots of news to discuss, including apparently something I read today. The Daily show will be coming back for another year. We got another year. It is our third 30th year. When we come back, it'll be our 30th year. And like most 30 year olds, we're still thinking about going back to law school. We're still thinking about maybe being a video director. I don't know, play by ear. But you know, listen, we do want to thank everybody. We don't take for granted in any way how much your support means so that we get a chance to keep making the best show that we can make for you. So we truly appreciate that. Thank you. But by the way, there was also great news for America this weekend. We finally defeated our worst enemy, Canada. Yeah. How's it taste, Canada? Try us again, mother. Think about that next time you run an ad that accurately quotes one of our former presidents. You know what? A million percent tariffs on Canada. But congratulations to Los Angeles. I hope that you are celebrating safely and responsibly as you enjoy this very. No. What are You. Gah. No, no.

[B]

Really.

[A]

Your whole city is kindling. What are we doing? Whatever happened to a good old fashioned wholesome water balloon celebration? But obviously the World Series morale boost was short lived because America is still in the throes of the government shutdown. So let's get into it. With our ongoing coverage of shutdown showdown 2025. Locked up, locked down and closed for this past weekend, the shutdown took its worst turn yet as notices began to go out for health insurance premium hikes and millions of Americans also lost their SNAP or food stamp benefits. It's as heartbreaking as it is infuriating. But there's one American who's taking this harder than anyone else.

[B]

The President is desperate for SNAP benefits to flow to the American citizens who desperately rely upon it. He is a big hearted president.

[A]

Is he? Is he big hearted, loves us? Because again, and maybe I'm misinterpreting it, but he did just recently dump diarrhea on all of us. I don't know if you remember that. Yeah, he just, he cares a lot about the American people. Obviously he does have a diarrhea plane. Maybe that is out of love.

[B]

I don't know.

[A]

It feels somewhat dismissive. But of course, I'm only seeing the small portion of the day he spends dumping diarrhea from a plane on the American people. I'm sure that's not the entirety of his efforts on our behalf. He is so resolutely focused on delivering for the American people all day, every day, seven days a week, 20 hours a. Did we miss an executive order about how long days are? How far did you guys set your clocks back? But okay, seven days a week, 20 hours a day, four hours for diarrhea plane training. But point taken. Donald Trump. Trump is a big hearted, caring man who works 20 hours a day, seven days a week to deliver for the American people. So I imagine if I were to randomly turn on the camera at Mar A Lago, where Trump was on the very night that the poorest of American people lost their food benefits, we would see images that reflect Trump's concern and dedication. Is that correct? You know what? In fact, let's turn on that camera. Yeah, yeah. That's what he was doing this weekend. He wasn't working for the American people. That was just some Hollywood Babylon shit that once and for all shows that Donald Trump doesn't give a about even looking like he gives a. Doesn't give a at all. Also, honestly, how uncomfortable is the seating in Mar A Lago on the very night SNAP Benefits ended, Trump threw a Great Gatsby themed ode to decadence and hedonism that even Jeffrey Epstein would have thought was a little over the top. There were dancers, costumes, champagne, a wonderful celebration where the theme was apparently gross income inequality. The slogan of the party as people were losing their food benefits was I shit you not. A little party never killed nobody. Did you even read the Great Gatsby? Spoiler alert, the party killed somebody. Two. Some. Two buddies. How do you not know that? I knew that, and I've only read the Cliff Notes. The Great Gatsby is a cautionary tale and it's the theme for your. What did you just think? Oh, it's a great book about a rich guy who bangs married ladies. No. Partially, yes. But the subtext. You see, usually in a time of national suffering, there's a generally accepted principle in leadership that you at least pretend to feel the pain of the people that you represent. But this president seems to go out of his way to let struggling Americans know that he is doing very well. Your premiums may be going up, tariffs may be shutting down your small businesses, you may be losing your food assistance, but it'll all be okay. Because Donald Trump is building a ballroom that looks like the inside of Marie Antoinette's vagina. Yeah, I don't actually know that. That was rude. I've heard. And I know what you're thinking. As your electricity bill skyrockets and they're shutting off your heat, will guests of this ballroom be able to shit in bemarbled rooms? Well, the answer is yes.

[B]

President Trump revealed photos of a newly renovated Lincoln bathroom.

[A]

He posted six times today about it. He uploaded a total of 25 detailed photographs of the gold and marble upgrades, including the view from his new toilet. You know, I'm not an architect who designs a bathroom with ass level windows. I mean, is that. Isn't that. Aren't you gonna frost the glass a little bit there? Throw some shutters up? You're gonna have tour groups walking by. Oh, no, that's not good. So with all this, it's kind of hard to argue that Trump has been laser focused on, you know, needy Americans and funding snap benefits during the shutdown. Especially when the notorious power grabbing unitary executive, I.e. trump, pleads that his bruised hands are tied.

[B]

The President has lamented this. He has informed USDA and everybody, do as best you can. But the money doesn't exist to do it. The truth is, there's no legal mechanism to do it. President Trump can't just wave some magic wand and fix the mess.

[A]

There's nothing we can do at this point.

[B]

There's not much more we can do because the rules are the road by which we have to play.

[A]

The. The rules. Did you just say you can't do it because of the rules? The rules of the road? When have you followed the road? Well, you follow the road rules, but when have the administration. When has this administration followed the rule? You guys have been grand theft auto this entire presidency the whole time, but now, hey, everybody, we're just going to take a quick break from unauthorized Caribbean boat bombing and sending hairdressers to El Salvadorian prisons to remind everybody, no passing on the right. Gotta respect the rules of the road. How disingenuous has this gotten? You'll never guess which branch of government that the Trump administration is deferring to for guidance on these food assistance payments.

[B]

When can we expect the Trump administration to make these payments?

[A]

Well, President Trump just truthed out that.

[B]

He needs to hear from the courts how this is going to be done.

[A]

The courts? The rules of the road and the courts. Are you kidding me right now? You, You, Donald Trump, are now waiting for the activist, radical left, lunatic, Trump hating, biased, Harley partisan, unhinged agitator judges to give you the okie doke. Is that what I'm hearing? President Trump just truthed out that he's.

[B]

Very anxious to get this done and.

[A]

It'S gotta go through the courts nonsense. And stop trying to make truth out happen. Okay? Like it's a real verb. He just. Well, it's an excellent question. He just truthed out, like, what? Just say the president said. The president truth talked. You're a grown man. You're a grown man. Act like it. Secretary of the Treasury. Hey, yo, did you see what Trump trooped out, like six, seven? Bussing. Whoa, hey, I'm bussing. I was told that means something. So the courts ruled Friday that the administration does have to continue some SNAP benefits, and the administration has finally agreed to at least partially fund it. But even then, they're so weird about it.

[B]

We have a little rainy day fund for food stamps in case there's a disaster, which is about half as much as you need for a month of food. And they're saying, oh, just release that.

[A]

Yeah, that's exactly what we are. It's a rainy day fund. This qualifies.

[B]

But also, as you've seen with the hurricane in Jamaica, that, you know, if our rainy day fund is gone, then what happens? If we have a rainy day, it.

[A]

Doesn'T have to literally be a rainy day to be a rainy day fund. What is wrong? We have the money and I see you're hungry, but you're not hungry and wet. So get doused and then come back and see me. If you really want to know why the administration seems reluctant to push the issue, you have to burrow a little deeper into the mag hive as they begin to express their subtle reservations about a program that feeds 40 some million people, including 16 million children. On Amazon, you can use SNAP benefits to buy an ounce of caviar for 70 bucks. I mean, like, I don't think I've even had caviar myself. Why should this be a. Who signed off on this? Relax. I know you're upset. Put down the Panera Charged lemonade and calm down. My guess is, and I can't back this up, is that the majority of food stamps are not spent on Amazon caviar. What is it about these people that get these benefits that bothers you so much? And please feel free to make me read between the lines. Food stamp money will be cut off. And the reaction from many SNAP recipients online has been threats, of course, of.

[B]

Stealing and violently assaulting anyone who tries to stop them.

[A]

Why are people who weigh 300 pounds on SNAP? Is there no weight limit for a free food program? People are selling their benefits. People are using them to get their nails done, to get their weaves and their hair Subtle. With the B roll you used and the verbiage, I mean, you guys could be referring to any one of the 40 some million who were using food stamps to get weaves or subscribe to BET or People. I don't know. Just people who have a People history month. I don't know who you're referring to. It's as though there's people in this country who deserve a break and then people who don't. And we all know who those people are. It was really the centerpiece of Trump's campaign. Kamala's for they them President Trump is for you. Simple and effective might have gotten him elected. And the real brilliance of it is Trump never actually told America who you were. Are you you or are you they them? Who's they? Who's who you? I don't know. I'm sure it's apparent in the Trump children's book. You know who you are now as the they them suffer through the shutdown and Trump pretends his hands are tied. Who are the you's that do get the benefit of Trump's largesse? President Trump has announced a $20 billion bailout for Argentina. Whoa. They're you. Or the more formal usted. Wow. 20 billion to bail out Argentina. No offense, Mr. President, but it seems kind of weird that when people are going hungry at home to hand out that much cash to another country. Argentina is fighting for its life, young lady. You don't know anything about it. They're fighting for their life. Nothing is benefiting Argentina. They're fighting for their life. You understand what that means? They have no money. They have no anything. They're fighting so hard to survive. Oh, my God. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that Argentina was struggling. And I'm sure that they are using our bailout money in a responsible way that doesn't take a weave. Damn you, Argentina. I'm just curious, is that a weave or is that literally just Al Yankovic? What are we doing? I'm just curious, you know, there's a lot of countries suffering, including the one that you run. What makes their suffering more urgent? I happen to like the president of Argentina. I think he's trying to do the best he can. How nice for Argentina. If only our president had an in with Donald Trump. We live in bizarro world. The president of the United States is no longer even trying to justify random foreign aid or blatant cryptocurrency corruption or let them eat cake optics. All because he loves us. He claims to love us. It's America first. And it creates moments of such blatant irony that words almost fail. Do you know what some of the billions going to Argentina are being used for in the midst of what may be a burgeoning hunger crisis in America? President Donald Trump buying beef from Argentina. Beef? What? The Trump is for you Argentinian beef cattle ranchers. Did you think you were American cattle ranchers? No. You're they. Them. They're you. And you're they. Along with the people on food stamps who will not be able to partake in this new Argentinian beef glut. Wrap your head around that. You know, at a different time on this program, we would illustrate this disparity with a short play. Probably would have had John Oliver come out dressed perhaps like Oliver Twist. We would do. We would do a whole thing where he. Please, sir, I'd like some more beef. Argentinian beef. Yes. And John would be using his fake English accent. John is from Fort Lee. But obviously we can't do that. John and I work on different one days a week. But you know what? This delicious irony is still playworthy. So I will do the Oliver part, albeit with my own Cultural stereotypes. I give you. Oh.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Don't get ahead of me. I give you. Hungry fiddler. Too weak to climb to the roof. So hungry. I dream of sustenance. Unfortunately, because the tsarist government is shut down, I have nothing to eat. Excuse me, boy. Would you like some freshly imported Argentinian beef? Was I supposed to be born in this? This is the first I'm seeing the script and I mean, you're pulling it off great. But sir. No, that's not enough. I'm just gonna go back to old Jew. I'm so hungry. Oh, well, we happen to have this delicious Argentinian meat that's undercutting the prices of the meat that you normally get. Bless you. Bless you. Bless you, boy chick. I'm so hungry. No, no beef for you. We don't take food stamps. Cause you'll just spend them on. Do Jews get weaved?

[B]

No.

[A]

And seed. Well done. So really appreciate it. Well done. Yes.

[B]

Why not?

[A]

So for those of you who were wondering during this delightful first year of the presidency, who the you was that he was going to work so tirelessly for? It turns out he is for you. If you are a personal friend, or if you donated a lot of money or if you enriched his meme coin businesses or you enriched his son's crypto coin businesses, or if police officers on his behalf or if you bought him a plane, or if you probably promised not to reveal anything incriminating about him, those are the you's it turns out that he was for. And if you're one of those yous life's pretty sweet. But for the rest of us, we're on the outside. And I can only guess what the view is that we're going to enjoy. When we come back, we'll be talking to Senator Joe Manchin. Don't go away.

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[A]

Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight, a former governor, US Senator from West Virginia, whose new memoir is called Dead Center In Defense of Common Sense. Please welcome to the program Joe Manchin. Sir, thank you.

[B]

Thank you for being here, for inviting me.

[A]

Thank you for being here. First of all, forward by Nick Saban.

[B]

We grew up together, you and Nick Saban, three miles apart, in two cold camps, Worthington and Farmington. I grew up in Farmington and my dad had a little furniture store. My grandfather had a little grocery store.

[A]

Right.

[B]

He grew up three miles, three miles over two hills in Worthington. And his dad had a little golf filling station. Mother had a little Dairy Queen.

[A]

That's wild.

[B]

It is.

[A]

And was he a baller when he was a kid? Was he a great football player?

[B]

All state.

[A]

He was all state. Did you play?

[B]

I played. I went to WVU on a football scholarship until I got to college. Wow. So then I got hurt in college and we've just been good friends all of our life. And his dad, I played for his dad in Little League. Like, his dad was tough. Both of our dads always had one saying, not good enough. He's never bought a black car. He's never bought a black car because every time a black car came in to get washed and waxed, he had to wax it twice because his dad didn't like the streaks in it. So he's never had a black car since. And my dad just, they were tough.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Tough coal.

[A]

That doesn't sound like a fun story. That sounds terrible.

[B]

It's real.

[A]

No, no, no, no, no.

[B]

We learned.

[A]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, you did just. Yeah.

[B]

We had to get it.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

Watch the. You had to work, you know. And my grandmother, she had three rolls. We lived between the railroad tracks and Buffalo Creek. We had a three room garage apartment and we lived beside my grandparents, had a little house. And for some reason they all knew that when they jumped the train to go to Mama K's, my grandmother, she would feed anybody, she'd keep anybody, and she made us. There's 20 little grandkids. We all lived real close together.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And she made us whitewash the basement every year to keep it clean and neat because someone needed a place to stay.

[A]

No. Did anyone ever stay there?

[B]

Hold on. Oh, we had Will Bar Willie.

[A]

Oh, sure.

[B]

Will Bar.

[A]

Sure. Yeah.

[B]

Peg Leg Peggy.

[A]

Peg Leg Peggy, Deloitte.

[B]

We had them all. And they. Every six weeks, I lose them in. Mama K said. I said, hey, Mama K, where'd they go? They're on a toot, honey. They'll be back in six weeks. But she took care of everybody. There was no social services, so I learned that you had to have rules. They come down and she. She lined them up. She said, okay, here's what we're gonna do. You can stay with Mama Kay. I'm going to feed you and take care of you. Nice place to stay.

[A]

And they would do.

[B]

But you have to. You have to. You can't cuss, you can't drink, and you have to work. So those are the rules. I grew up with those rules, thinking everybody had to work.

[A]

You can't drink and you can't cuss.

[B]

Not with 20 little kids running around. Right.

[A]

I don't think I would have made it.

[B]

We still learned how. You definitely wouldn't have stayed overnight.

[A]

I'd have been. They'd have. You'd have been fine. I'd be stuck head first into a sump pump. I'd be done. They'd be all down and that. So that upbringing, it's such an interesting background, you know, because the book is called Dead center. And you could look at it as, this is I'm dead center, or the center is dead, which in your mind is the correct interpretation.

[B]

My mind is dead center. But you're not wrong on a sinner's dead. There's.

[A]

There's.

[B]

It's not a crowded place, right? In the political world today, would there.

[A]

Be a place for Joe Manchin if. Well, certainly in West Virginia. If you were gonna run today in West Virginia, you would run as a Republican, I'm assuming. No, you would not.

[B]

No, I said this. The Democrats were upset with me.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

Okay. But the Republicans wouldn't like me any better because I just couldn't conform to, you know, the other side's evil. The other side's our enemy, and we hate them. We got to defeat them. I didn't get involved in public service. I wanted to do things. And I looked at everyone being my friends with different ideas, Right. And I tried to get in the middle and make things happen. So I probably signed on more pieces of legislation that had been passed in 15 years because I was always in that middle.

[A]

You were the guy. You were the belle of the ball. You were the one that if they could get. If they could get to you, they could make this happen.

[B]

Well.

[A]

Say you're the bell of the ball. Say.

[B]

Wasn'T a pretty ball.

[A]

No.

[B]

Here's the thing. They would come to me if a friend would come from the Republican side, always Ted Cruz.

[A]

Okay, Ted.

[B]

I know Ted.

[A]

Sure.

[B]

Okay.

[A]

Great guy.

[B]

He would come over. Ted's very. Ted's very smart and very articulate. And he said, joe, I got something I want you to be with. I think it's a perfect bill for you. And I say, ted, I'm happy to work with you. I'm happy to work with everybody. Then I look at the bill and I'd say, well, it needs some. It's just not right. It's not everything. You said it was, Ted. And I said, ted, if you can let me make some edits to it and addendums to it, then it'd be fine. I'm happy to sign onto it and we'll try to pass it. And if I got two answers from anybody on the other side, two answers would be this way. I can't change anything. It is what it is. That's a political statement. I don't get upset about that. At least I know where they're coming from. They want to make a political statement, let him do it. Or he says, yeah, Joe, go ahead and make some. You want to get something passed, let's do it. Right? So once you get read the language, just can't.

[A]

You can't.

[B]

You know, you got to be friends, you got to talk. You got to understand each other. You've got to want to get things done.

[A]

But there's a conundrum here. Okay, you know what? You represented what the Democrats wanted to pass in their. In the Audacity of Hope. Right. They couldn't pass because you represented someone who wanted to temper maybe some of their legislation, but they needed you because they didn't have the numbers. Isn't that the conundrum of a Joe Manchin, is that we need him to be on our team, but we don't need him to interfere with our design.

[B]

Correct. But you know, they get upset and got frustrated with me, and I said, let me tell you something. I have been voting this way all my life. I've been involved since 1982 in public service, and I've always looked for, how do you get things done? You can't do them from the extreme right. And Extreme left. You don't run your life that way, you don't run your businesses that way. You usually got to find a way to maneuver to get to the next.

[A]

But so that in 1982, maybe that's the case. But as it plays out, you know, the idea of moderation, Donald Trump didn't win on moderation, and he's certainly not governing from no, let alone a coherent place. You know, his is, you know, I'm going to put on tariffs now. It's volatile, it's mercurial, it's impulsive, it goes against a certain.

[B]

It's not normal, John. This is not normal, what we're seeing here.

[A]

But that's my point is the antidote to this. These last I don't know how many years. It feels like 100. This idea that you're talking about, the sort of the gentleman senator, is that.

[B]

Even alive in this time, my state of West Virginia, wonderful, beautiful state and great people, and I'm so thankful I was born and raised there. They were 100%, 75% registered Democrats from the Great Depression, from the 30s. And I guess they said, why are you a Democrat, Joe? I said, well, I guess my grandfather was very thankful that FDR gave them a chance to feed their children and live. So that's who we were. And John Kennedy, West Virginia was his stomping ground. Without West Virginia, he'd have never became president. He had. I'll never forget, John, one time they were all campaigning, all the Kennedys were there. And my mother.

[A]

How old are you?

[B]

I was a baby.

[A]

Stories. My pappy was with FDR and we were washing a basement.

[B]

Well, I was 12 years old when Kennedy came. 1960. I was turning 13. I was born in 47.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Okay. So. And so here's the Kennedy family. And my parents are all excited. We're a Catholic family. Ethnic Catholic family. My father's from. My father's Italian. My mother was Czechoslovakian. So they're all from Eastern Europe. And here we were. So they got all excited. I never seen them get that excited about politics before. And they said, this young Catholic Irish person is going to come and ethnic is coming. And they all got excited. So I got excited, you know, what the heck.

[A]

And that got you into it?

[B]

No, that got me thinking. That's not what your country can do for you, but what you could do for your country. I always thought that public service is the noblest of all professions, and if you got involved, you had to do something right and correct. So I'll never forget we Were watching television, little black and white television show, and had to be Walter Cronkite saying, it's been said that if John Kennedy becomes president, the Pope will run the country. And I looked at my mom and I said, poor mom. They don't know the Democrats. They don't know the Catholics. We know. Because I never. You couldn't tell a Catholic anything.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So anyway, I've had a real. A real unbelievable childhood with. I was a privileged child.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Three room, garage, apartment. Why are you privileged? Not big house, right between the tracks and the railroad and the creek. Not a fancy neighborhood. Why? I had unconditional love.

[A]

Right.

[B]

There was not a day in my life that I knew that my parents and my grandparents didn't love me unconditionally, but they expected me to return that. And basically by being accountable and responsible.

[A]

Right.

[B]

They always said, words have meaning and those meanings sometimes have actions and reactions and you'll be responsible for both. Right.

[A]

I've never forgotten. In your mind. So those are man grounding lessons and common sense. Yeah, but doesn't everybody think that their sense is common sense? Sure. You know, I'll look at my background and I'll come up with the same sort of foundational reasoning that you are. You know, I was raised in a house. We struggled. My parents got divorced. They worked hard, but I learned. I had to work hard and I had to, you know, get what I wanted and all that. But those are how you translate that into policy is where government comes in. My concern sometimes with these sort of ideas that common sense is moderation is that sometimes policy, like FDRs, like Social Security, like Medicare, like Medicaid, that's not moderation. It's solving a problem as directly as you can. That the art of compromise sometimes dilutes the solutions that you want to bring to people's lives because you're in it for public service. And I worry that that ethos dilutes things to where we get unsatisfactory outcomes.

[B]

Well, the shutdown right now.

[A]

Yeah.

[B]

I never voted for a shutdown. A shutdown's saying that you can't do your job. So we're just going to close the doors.

[A]

Right?

[B]

That's first. So anybody that votes for a shutdown is not willing to put the time and effort to reach across the aisle. What's our big differences? This shutdown is based all around pre Covid, 2020 and before. Where were we at that time? Covid comes. I'll never forget when we first were told. Dr. Fauci came and told us and all 100 senators, what was coming. We weren't sure about this. The only thing I knew about a pandemic, I heard my grandparents talking about, my grandmother was talking about, her father died in the 1918, influenza. That's all I knew about a pandemic.

[A]

How old are you? All I know about the Civil War is what my uncle said.

[B]

So that's what happened.

[A]

Right, I understand that, but do you get my point? So in your book, you go through a lot of legislation and the choices that you made in defense of moderation. I would say to you, I don't know that West Virginia is a moderate state. It voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump, who is not a moderate president.

[B]

Three times, three times over 40. He beat Hillary by 40, 41 points.

[A]

Right.

[B]

He beat Joe, he lost to Joe.

[A]

Biden, but not in West Virginia.

[B]

No, he still won by 40 points.

[A]

Right.

[B]

And he won again in 2024. And I've told my Democrat friends, they said, joe, what happened to the West Virginia Democrats? And I said, nothing. They want to know what happened to the Washington Democrats. And they said, what do you mean? I said, I can tell you why the coal miners union, coal miners and all the factory workers that I grew up with, where they are today, why they switched and started voting Republican. They believe that the Democrat Party in Washington basically spends more resources, effort and time on able bodied people that don't work or won't work than you do, those who do.

[A]

Right. That makes, it makes sense. It's just not true. I mean, I'm only saying like, that's just not like even. And I feel you think that's a caricature of social programs. And this really gets into the thing that boggles my mind. Government is there to step in on market failures. And even food stamps or EBT is kind of a subsidy to Kraft and Nabisco and all kinds of other companies. But our health care system, the market has failed in these areas. And when people say they spend more money on welfare queens and all that than they do on people, that's just not true. And the percentage of children and elderly and people on disabilities and people that work their asses off for a living, that don't make enough money, that still have to apply for government programs to help them just to get by is astronomically larger than this so called moocher class. So if that's their conventional wisdom, they're just wrong.

[B]

No, I've said that.

[A]

So, so how do we.

[B]

How do you correct it?

[A]

How do you do politics on a.

[B]

Failed premise let's take the welfare system. I tried for the last five years. I had one person who's bright as could be. I says, I want to change the cliff to a slope. That's all cliff is this. I'll use $25,000. You make a dollar over 25,000, you lose all your benefits. Right? Okay, so. But you stop working right there or you work under the table so it doesn't show up. Do whatever you can, Right? Why can't we make that into a slope and let them work into a livable wage and give them assistance all the way up? It's the cheapest thing we could ever do. Pride and dignity back in a person's life. Child care. I got eviscerated on childcare and I said, I'm all for childcare. Give it to the people that need it. And most of them are in the income bracket right above welfare. 26, 25, 26, 30, 35, up to 50, 60, 70,000. Most of them are single households, most of them are female. And they're trying to raise a child. They're working. We should be dedicating our resources, trying to help them lift themselves up. We were giving it to $400,000 income.

[A]

But they'll call you a socialist. And then you know what, you know what hasn't stopped are the social media. But you know what I mean.

[B]

I know what you say in this.

[A]

Country, if you subsidize corporations or if you take out and capital gains are taxed less than regular income, that's just standard common sense. Capitalist. But the taker class must be penalized. All the fraud is apparently in food stamps and welfare and not in a trillion dollar defense budget and subsidies that go to welfare. So I don't, I'm just trying to find common ground.

[C]

Right.

[A]

If we're working off a flawed premise, does the idea of, of moderation and common sense, to my mind, common sense isn't the aca. Common sense is health care, like directly single payer, like that. That feels moderate to me. And in the rest of the world it's moderate. So how do you, how do you square that? And I don't mean to. This is not aimed at you. No, it's a frustration with, with what I hear back from. It blames people for their own poverty.

[B]

Let me tell your audience about the working conditions in the United States Congress. Okay? It's the most hostile environment you've ever encountered. You go to work. You go to work every day. And the person on the other side of the aisle is trying to get you defeated. So you're going to work every day and have a co worker trying to get you defeated or fired. So that'd be like your other host coming on, saying bad things about the other one, trying to get the other one thrown off.

[A]

Yeah. Or it's called show business.

[B]

That's what we're in, show business. I think you're right.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

And so only thing I said when I first got there, I told Harry Reid, I said, harry, I'm not going to raise money to be used against friends of mine on the Republican side or Democrat side or whether I like him or not. I try to like everybody. But I can tell you where I come from if you try to get me fired every day at work. We're going to have a little talk after work tonight.

[A]

Okay.

[B]

Just doesn't work that way. And that's just the way things are back home. We settle our differences, but here I said, I can't genuinely go to a person and say, will you help me with this piece of legislation? It really would help people in my state. They're going to say, what the hell, Joe? I'm not going to do that. You've just been out. You come out, campaigned against me, you gave money to an opponent that was running. When I got reelected, you were out against me. Why am I going to work with you now? So it gets divided deeper and deeper. So both sides are blaming everybody and they want you to hate the other side. Don't just fear them, but hate them. And you've got to defeat them. Don't just beat them, but defeat them. Everything they're doing, they're breaking down. Anyone participating. The hardest thing I've got today is to get good quality people involved in public service. I'm not going to go through that. They tell me, I say it's a small price to pay for the quality and opportunity of life we have here in this great country.

[A]

But as we look for a way out politically, the answer feels like it can't lie in if Washington was. If they were nicer to each other, it feels like the answer has to lie outside of Washington in a battle of ideas. This consent of the governed, and that's how Trump is governing. Does the way he governs give you pause in that? In that that's not how he's governed.

[B]

Not at all. No. The thing that I've said to again to my Democrat friends, the mistake was made on the border. We, the asylum should have never been done. We've never done asylum at the border. Democrats can Say, well, you know, we're compassionate. We wanted to do that because the world was in a flux. People were leaving, going everywhere, trying to find some reprieve. But say we made a mistake and said, we want to work with President Trump, we want to have a secured border and please, will he work with us and have a legal immigration program that people can come for the right reason, people can stay here that have worked here, no crime. They're doing it for the same reason our grandparents came. They want a better life. We can make that work. In 2013, we had a bill, bipartisan. You would not have an immigration problem. Today we passed it in the Senate. 68 senators voted for it, Democrat and Republican. It went to the House. My good friend John Boehner couldn't put it on the floor. I kept begging him, john, please put it on. It'll pass.

[A]

He was a Republican from Ohio.

[B]

Eric Cantor was a Republican from Richmond. Just got beat. That's right, because.

[A]

By a Tea Party insurgent.

[B]

By a Tea Party that said he's for amnesty. He doesn't want. He wants to let people stay here that came here illegally. Well, people are coming here to the type of life, trying to find a place, have a proper way to get them here. And how about the dreamers, babies that were brought here who don't know how they got here? This is the only country they know. They fight in our wars, force. They're educated, they're educating other Americans and they're not legal. That's ridiculous. We can fix that. And we had it fixed.

[A]

Can we?

[B]

Well, we had it fixed. We had it fixed.

[A]

You talk about 2013. Right before the election, Lankford comes up with a compromise with all of the Senate. They ate him alive. Trump didn't want to do it, so that's a shame. My point is the way. Because we keep talking about what's the way for Democrats. Is it Mamdani, Is it, you know, being more center left? Is it being more moderate? And isn't the way to just be honestly more responsive to what the real problems and needs are of the people you purport to represent? And then fight like a mother, Fight like you were brought up to fight and don't.

[B]

When I was governor, I asked for waiver on my medic, on my welfare program, right? And I told Mike Levitt and that time George W. And I said, compassionate conservatives. I says, give me a waiver. I says, I don't have enough money to take care of healthy, poor people that could be working if I could help them. Get back to work. Because I do have a moral responsibility, compassion to help those who can't. I've got a lot of poor people that depend on us. He gave me a waiver. I had that waiver and I tried it. I put mountain choices in teaching people how to work, how to get skill sets back. Boom. Get back into society. It was going good, but there was resistance. Because when you're giving things away, it's hard to take them back. It's hard. Like today, the health system. The health system is broken. That's why they're fighting right now. These subsidies help people. An awful lot of people. But what happened? The subsidies weren't that great before COVID We've expanded them, tried taking them back. Doesn't work that well. You've got to change the system. But anyway, they took it away from me when Obama's came in and I said, well, why? I said, all I'm asking for is let me have the money I need to take care of the people that need it the most and I'll help the other people help themselves. I got chastised for that one.

[A]

Do you still, with your experience, believe in the design of our government as currently constituted as being a productive avenue to which to address the things that you are?

[B]

I do. I protect the filibuster with my every.

[A]

You still believe.

[B]

Every breath in my body because it's the only thing that makes you and I in the Senate. If you're in the majority, you give me a voice. I'm a minority.

[C]

Right.

[A]

The House has no measures for its strict majoritarian.

[B]

And George Washington was trying to explain to Thomas Jefferson, how old are you? I love history.

[A]

I like history.

[B]

I like history.

[A]

Dead center with a forward by Nick Saban. A fascinating conversation that. I really appreciate you having it and come back and see us.

[B]

Thanks, John. Thank you.

[A]

I really appreciate it. With Joe Manson. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back after this. You don't have to leave. You can stay. That's our show. But before we go, we're going to check in with your host. For the rest, Mr. Jordan Climb for Jordan. Jordan, what are we looking at this week? Well, John, election day is tomorrow in New York City and I am fired up for our next mayor, Curtis Sliwa. Now, it's funny that you said I did not know that you were a Sliwa fan. Oh, I am. But only because if is it pro beret agenda? Jordan Klepper is a single issue voter and that single issue is 17th century French hat wear. Your number one issue is beret. That's right, John. The only thing I care about more than that is government run grocery stores and free buses. That then sounds like you're a Mamdani guy. Yeah, you know, I looked at him but wasn't crazy about his whole lack of beret thing. Why do you care so much about berets? Why don't you care more about berets, Jon? It's like a yarmulke on steroids. Can I say that? Yeah, I think you can. Joining club are on this week. Here it is, the moment of death.

[B]

It is a Yamakan Stadium, day 29 of the shutdown. It's a soap opera. If I were naming this soap opera, I'd call it as the Stomach Turns. There's a lot of melodrama. It's not going to end until enough senators take their egos out back and shoot them.

[C]

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

[A]

Plus.

[C]

This has been a Comedy Central podcast.