The Daily Show: Ears Edition

Episode: Trump Trolls Biden with Autopen Portrait & Sics His DOJ on James Comey | Regina Hall
Date: September 26, 2025
Host: Jordan Klepper (as "George Clapper") and The Daily Show News Team
Special Guest: Leslie Jones, Regina Hall

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into President Trump's latest acts of "presidential pettiness," from trolling Joe Biden with an autopen portrait to leveraging the Department of Justice against James Comey. The team also discusses recurring issues of unqualified appointments, the state of racism in America (with a fiery segment by Leslie Jones), and features a candid, humorous interview with actor Regina Hall about her new film with Paul Thomas Anderson.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Trump’s Latest White House Stunt: The Biden Autopen Portrait

[01:30–02:47]

• President Trump is updating White House decor, introducing a “Presidential Walk of Fame.”
• Instead of Joe Biden’s portrait, Trump displays a framed photo of an autopen signing Biden’s signature, referencing online conspiracy theories about Biden using an autopen for official documents.
• Key Insight: The move is shown as another level of Trump’s penchant for public “trolling.”
• Memorable comment:
  • “Style which can be best described as C3PO's taint.” — Jordan Klepper (01:34)
  • “Damn it, he got me. So apparently Trump is trolling Biden about the autopen conspiracy, a hilarious burn that will make millions of Americans say, ‘wait, what was that about? Again.’” — Jordan (02:47)

2. Weaponizing the DOJ: The Comey Indictment

[03:10–06:53]

• Trump pressures appointees to indict former FBI Director James Comey, though there's reportedly no evidence of criminal behavior.
• Trump ousts a sitting U.S. attorney and replaces them with Lindsay Halligan, one of his personal lawyers, who has no criminal prosecution experience—her main experience being insurance law and a stint as a beauty pageant contestant.
• Ongoing pattern in the Trump administration of appointing friends, loyalists, and unqualified individuals to high offices.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “Trump, he’s the dude who got you elected president. Remember, he announced a few days before Election Day that he was investigating Hillary for her email speaking..." — Jordan (03:28)
  • “She must have a ton of experience in the criminal justice system. Bet she knows her way around a grand jury.” — Jordan (04:42)
  • “In this administration, that's well above the baseline. There was a really good chance he could have appointed the Jizz Brothers for this job…” — Jordan (05:01)

3. DOJ Segment with Troy Iwata: Underdog or Disaster?

[06:53–09:31]

• DOJ correspondent Troy Iwata jokes about rooting for Halligan as an “underdog story,” likening her situation to "Legally Blonde" and "My Cousin Vinnie."
• Jordan tries to steer the segment back to the seriousness ("This is not a movie, Troy. This is going to be a real indictment…undermining democracy.")
• The pair riff on what it would take to make Americans care ("give me the trailer"), mocking the American attention span and love of spectacle.
• Memorable exchange:
  • Troy: "She may be the most unqualified U.S. attorney ever. So unqualified that I’m kind of rooting for her.” (06:53)
  • Jordan: “This isn’t a movie. It’s undermining democracy. If I may quote from the January 6th select committee, the rule of law is a sacred hallmark of this country.” (08:41)
  • Troy: “Oh my God, that’s so boring. You gotta put it in movie terms…” (08:58)

4. Leslie Jones: Racism, Museums, and Gaslighting

[11:09–20:23]

• Leslie Jones delivers a raw, comedic, and intense rant about racism persistently affecting America.
• She calls out Trump’s attacks on the Smithsonian for “wokeness” and underscores the importance of confronting slavery and systemic racism in history.
• Jones lampoons those minimizing slavery (e.g., statistics about white slaveowning) and individuals who blame Black Americans for white hostility or racism.
• Addresses a viral incident of a Black TV writer being handcuffed on a train at a white woman's behest, using it to illustrate ongoing microaggressions and systemic injustice.
• Pleas for museums and education to teach real history before institutions close or are altered.
• Notable Quotes:
  • “If you don’t leave an African American history museum weeping and wanting to give your closest black friends reparations, then they didn’t do the museum, right!” — Leslie (12:00)
  • "40 acres and a mule is not enough anymore. I want 40 acres and a trust fund. How about that?" — Leslie (12:43)
  • "Teaching slavery is not woke. It’s history." — Leslie (12:56)
  • "Racism is like the syphilis of America. Once it gets in there, it just keeps spreading until the whole country is blind and crazy." — Leslie (15:22)
  • “America, you in danger, girl. We keep trying to tell you this is a horror movie. Just because the black guy got killed first doesn’t mean that the white people are safe.” — Leslie (16:18)
  • “Why does America have so much hatred for black people? Is it because...my ass is too fat?” — Leslie (17:00 & 17:20, mixing humor and candor)
  • “If this woman had went to a black history museum, she would have learned that it’s wrong to call the police on a black man.” — Leslie (19:30)

5. Regina Hall Interview: Making “One Battle After Another” with PTA

[21:51–31:06]

• Initial banter about how she landed the PTA role (neighborly friendship, jokes about “sleeping with Maya Rudolph”).
• The film is a father-daughter story with themes that resonate today, but its central ideas are universal and historically rooted. PTA conceived the idea 20 years ago.
• Regina discusses the timing of the film, how its social commentary aligns with current events, but its heart is about family, identity, and how “calamity” tests people.
• Hall plays a former leftist revolutionary dealing with fallout years later. Jokes about the press tour focusing on extremism.
• Highlights the unexpected humor in the movie and her shift from comedic to dramatic roles; she enjoys helping others on set land the jokes instead.
• Praises the cast (Leonardo DiCaprio, Benicio del Toro, Sean Penn), and shares a behind-the-scenes anecdote about a scene-stealing baby.
• Memorable Quotes:
  • “You gotta sleep with Maya Rudolph.” (on how to get cast by Paul Thomas Anderson) — Hall, joking (23:28)
  • "There may be themes that echo today, but I think those themes just echo, you know, historically. But the film, it's really a father daughter story." — Hall (25:33)
  • “Leftist extremist...Thanks, Paul. Leftist extremists. Let me go out and talk about it.” — Hall (26:56)
  • “It doesn’t choose a side. It just is a story of what happens…when this kind of calamity strikes and you’ve got to, you know, be like, how can we save the innocents?” — Hall (27:22)
  • “I didn’t get a joke. I barely got a smile in it. I was like this.” — Hall on her dramatic role (28:48)
  • “If an audience laughs, it doesn’t matter, like if I say it or you say it. As long as it’s like, oh, this will be good.” — Hall (29:44)
  • “That baby was a scene stealer…she loved Paul. I think she wanted my part.” — Hall (30:09)

Memorable Moments & Notable Quotes (with Timestamps)

• On the Biden Autopen Portrait:

  • "If I was president, I wouldn't plaster every foot of the place with gold. But if you're going to, this is a nice, inclusive gesture. Mr. Trump, I applaud your class." — Jordan (02:18)

• On Lindsay Halligan's Qualifications:

  • "She told the Washington Post that she ended up on Trump's legal team after showing up at one of his golf events in a suit, prompting Trump to hire her just weeks to." — (05:25)

• On Making DOJ Shenanigans a Movie:

  • Troy: “It’s triggering my American love for an underdog. Like, I don’t know if it’s, like, the legal part or the blonde part, but it’s reminding me of that movie. You know, that movie, My Cousin Vinnie.” (07:02)
  • Jordan: “Don’t you mean Legally Blonde?” (07:24)

• On Racism and Museums:

  • Leslie: "Black degeneracy begots white hostility and in her ignorance, begots stupidity." (14:35)
  • Leslie: "In the history of America, black people are the lowest on the totem pole. Well, except for the people who invented the totem pole." (15:16)
  • Leslie: “I honestly think everyone, not just white people, are uneducated. Not stupid, just uneducated about black people.” (17:50)

• On Playing a Leftist Extremist:

  • Jordan: “What is it like playing...essentially a leftist extremist, yeah, like, that’s right now. Like, how's the press tour been, huh? Easy. Great. Thanks, Paul. Leftist extremists. Let me go out and talk about it.” (26:56)

Important Timestamps

• 01:30 – Jordan introduces episode's main topics (Trump's pettiness, James Comey's return to the news).
• 02:12–02:47 – The Biden autopen portrait story.
• 03:10–06:53 – The Comey indictment saga; Trump’s appointment of Lindsay Halligan.
• 06:53–09:31 – DOJ segment with Troy Iwata; "Underdog" narrative, movie jokes.
• 11:09–20:23 – Leslie Jones' "In My Opinion": Racism in America, museums, microaggressions.
• 21:51–31:06 – Interview with Regina Hall: Casting stories, film themes, working with PTA.
• 31:31–End – Ad breaks, show wrap-up, promos (not summarized).

Tone and Style

The episode maintains The Daily Show’s signature blend of biting satire, irreverent humor, and sharp social commentary. Jordan and the correspondents use rapid comedic delivery, playful sarcasm, and pop culture references to dissect current events. Leslie Jones’s segment is especially raw, direct, and outrageously funny, while Regina Hall’s interview brings a balance of wit and heartfelt insight.

Conclusion

Summary:
This episode encapsulates The Daily Show’s core strengths: lampooning political absurdity (Trump’s autopen and DOJ antics), confronting social justice issues head-on (Leslie Jones’s racism segment), and offering smart cultural conversation (Regina Hall’s interview). The humor is cutting but underpinned by a recognition of the seriousness of the moment, “making the medicine go down.”

For listeners who missed this episode, expect a healthy dose of hard truths, belly laughs, and behind-the-scenes Hollywood anecdotes, all filtered through The Daily Show’s comedic lens.