The Daily Show: Ears EditionTrump's Tariff Boredom, Hegseth Goes Diet Woke, Sports War: Super Bowl | Jesse Eisenberg
Jordan Klepper on Trump's boredom over his own tariffs, Pete Hegseth's half-woke Fort Bragg rebrand, and Eric Adams's "get out of jail" card. Plus, Grace Kuhlenschmidt, Michael Kosta, and Troy Iwata take a lesson from Mayor Adams on how to multi-task at the salon.
Sports War: Klepper & Ronny spar over Super Bowl LIX and Kendrick's halftime show.
Academy Award-nominated actor Jesse Eisenberg sits down to discuss writing, directing, and starring in his Oscar-nominated film, "A Real Pain." They talk about carrying generational grief and grappling with his own life’s meaning as a descendant of Holocaust survivors, how his relationship with Kieran Culkin mirrors their characters, and how that influenced his role as director.
You're listening to Comedy Central, from.
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This is the daily Joke.
With your home Jordan Clap.
Loco, the day Drub Jordan Plump, where we got so much to talk about. Tonight, Donald Trump is reaching across the prison yard aisle, the military gets half woke, and we'll tell you how New York's mayor.
Stays smooth as a dolphin. But first let's get into another installment of the Second Coming of Donald J.
Trump.
I'm going to comedy.
Donald Trump has been imposing a lot of tariffs since he took office, and if the nature and scope of these tariffs confuses you, don't worry.
You're not the only one, Thank you, sir.
Next, in twenty eighteen, you imposed oddolorum duties tariffs on imports of steel at a twenty five percent rate. Since that time, a large number of exclusions and exceptions to that tariff rule have been implemented because of the damage to the United States steel industry that those exceptions and exclusions have imposed. Were now this order would reimpose that twenty five percent oddlorum tariff rate on imports of steel, and it's presented for your signature.
Now do you understand what that means?
Do you understand what that means?
I mean, why don't you tell me, President of the United States, what this means? Explain ad valorum to me like I was a child. This is Trump's own policy, and he's so bored by it. And you can tell because at one point he gets so bored he just starts peeking into a random folder on the desk. What's in here? Candy picture of boobs?
What do we got?
Oh?
Oh, oh, just more falters? Why is this guy still talking? Trump's not the only one making moves. Yesterday there was a big announcement from Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Trump's top cabinet member if you go by blood alcohol level. Now Hegseith got the gig by promising to go to war against Woke, and yesterday he won another decisive battle.
Defen Secretary Pete Heggsmith has renamed the Army Base for Liberty back to Fort Bragg. The previous day was changing remember to Fort Liberty. In twenty twenty three, as part of an effort to cut military honors bestowed on those who rebelled against the Union during the Civil War.
There it is, I direct the Army to change the name of Fort Liberty, North Carolina to Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
That's right, Brag, he's back. Yeah, suck it lives.
Oh you didn't want this military base to honor a trader to America.
Haha, too bad.
Woke is dead and Confederate General Braxton Bragg is alive.
But this time Bragg is not a reference to the Confederate general. The name now honors an enlisted Army soldier named Roland L. Bragg, which the Pentagon says was a word a silver star, purple heart for combat during World War Two.
Okay, ooh, you renamed Fort Bragg after a different Brag. So, after all that bitching about not giving into woke history, you're basically admitting that we shouldn't name military bases after Confederate generals. Well, it's a good thing woke is over, because I think I can say this now.
That's a pussy move, hexad.
Just to be just to be totally clear, Roland Bragg is not a famous figure in military history. He's just someone who worked for this weird name switcheroo.
Idea.
Pete Hegsath basically said, find me a guy named Bragg who served in the army and didn't own slaves. I mean, he didn't even have a Wikipedia entry until today.
Today today.
Do you know how obscure you have to be to not even have a Wikipedia page. There's a Wikipedia page for cats that look like Hitler.
Hegsad.
Look, I'd say, either commit to honoring a Confederate general or don't. But trying to find some kind of name a loophole is just silly. I mean, why do I get the feeling Pete's going to try to pull this with his wife.
Baby, Baby, I didn't cheat on you. Her name was also Susan. Okay, I'm restoring greatness to our marriage.
Now with all this tariff imposing and fort renaming, you might be wondering, is there anyone who's benefiting from Trump's actions?
Yes.
The breaking news President Trump's Justice Department moving to drop the federal corruption case against the New York City.
Mayor Eric Adams.
The mayor was accused of taking one hundred thousand dollars in free plane tickets and luxury hotel stays from wealthy Turkish nationals and at least one Turkish government official.
Oh shit, if you're free tonight, head down to party at the Turkish Airlines lounge at JFK, because shit is about to be lit.
You know what, you know what?
I applaud Donald Trump for letting a blue city mayor off the hook. This sends a message Donald Trump is not about being a Democrat or a Republican. As long as you're criminally corrupt, you're his people. Now, I'm curious, I am curious. What was it about adams case that convinced Trump to drop the charges.
As soon as Donald Trump was elected, Adams began a campaign for a reprieve, flying down to Florida to meet with Trump, driving overnight to attend Trump's inauguration, the Democratic mayor declining to criticize Trump.
Oh god, Trump really loves getting his ass kissed, doesn't it. It's probably explains why all his suit pants have that little trap door on the butt, like old timing along underwear. Now to be said, not to be fair, the Justice Department didn't say they let Adams off because he kissed Trump's ass.
They had an even dumber reason.
The Justice Department memo said it reached this conclusion. Without assessing the strength of the evidence. So said the case needed to go so Adams could devote his full attention to Trump's immigration policies.
Yes, yes, of course Trump didn't drop the charges so he could hold them over him for the rest of his term. Trump did it so Adams could focus on enforcing Trump's immigration policies. And now that Adams has the time, I'm sure he's bringing a new laser focus to the job.
Mayor Adams has his plate full managing the day to day business of the city. Are you today, He's taking some time for some r and R Angela performed a ten minute laser hair removal procedure. Adams spoke with me exclusively during the process.
When now I'm leable to come into the community and say, okay, we date this policy.
We put these millions of dollars in.
Now let's go see the results.
You don't have to do an interview right now, I mean, I mean, should we go?
This feels like a private moment for you.
I mean, I thought I will more transparency in my government, but now I'm thinking perhaps some.
Secrecy is for the best.
So well, Eric Adams might waste his workday getting pampered at local businesses. We're doing the hard work to get to the bottom of this story, starting with our very own Grace Coolid Schmid.
Grace, Grace. Yeah, what's the latest, Jordan?
The Adams administration is happy to avoid federal charges, but it complicates his reelection campaign because Democrats may punish him for appearing to be under Trump's control.
Excuse me?
Can I get some more cucumber water, or even actually just some water? I'm a cucumber.
I can don't.
I'm sorry, Grace. Are you getting your hair done when you should be working?
Jordan?
When Sebastian has a chair open, you take the appointment?
Okay, yeah, I guess it just doesn't seem very professional.
How dare you? Sebastian is a complete professional? In fact, I can't believe you'd host this show without a fresh bolliage.
I mean, I am due for bolliage. I mean, let's get more analysis now from Troy Iwana, Troy, come.
On, I mean, come on, Troy, what's going on?
Jordan?
Eric Allens has promised to not be affected by the pardon, but that remains to be seen.
I'm sorry, Troy, are you getting your teeth whitened.
Yeah, right, you're supposed to be working. What's going on, Jordan.
When doctor Bukatini has a chair open, you take the appointment.
Is he really that good? Yes, she is. Women can white teeth too, You sexist?
Okay, where is that ditsy bitch?
Okay, forget it. Let's go to Michael Costa. Michael, look, okay, good, okay. I'm glad someone's taking this seriously. What's your take on the Adams situation.
It's a disgrace, Jordan. I mean, what we have seen today is naked corruption, pure and simple, and the message it sends to the American public is that they cannot trust their leaders to have integrity. I'm sorry to say that tonight. I pray for the future of our republic.
Yes, yes, yes, Jordan.
Michael, can you please not get your ans wax during your report?
Hey, when doctor bukatin he hasn't open it, you take the appointment.
Wait?
Is she the same Bucatini who does the teeth whitening.
Yes, Jordan, women who whitened teeth can wax anuses at the same time too.
Your sexist.
And for the record, Jordan, this is technically work because we're putting all of this on the Daily Show credit card.
No, now, you can't put your spa services on the show's credit card.
That's embezzlement. Michael, that's a felony.
It's not a felony. We're working.
When it comes to my job, I am the utmost professional.
Whoo and Hey, if it.
Is a felony, then I just make a trip tomorrow Lago and I tell the gracious Donald Trump to pardon me with his enormous penis.
Hey, yeah, me too. I would like some penis mercy, mister President.
Yay Pena Murphy, Grace, Troy.
And Michael.
Everyone got time. Don't want your fu We'll come back for decide who won.
The Super Bowl?
Stick around.
On the back of the Daily Show.
I think I speak for everyone when I say politics, drools, and sports rules. For a full recap of the biggest stories in the world of jocks and straps, we turned to Sports.
Warred for it's time for.
Not too god cared.
It's the Super Bowl oolitics.
Ronnie che I'm Jordan Clapper.
This is Sports war the show where we are legally not allowed to agree.
With each other.
So if I say the Super Bowl should have fuel commercials, and I say all the players should be dressed like Flow from Progressive. Oh, come on, no one wants to see Travis Kelcey.
In an apron Yeah, tell that to my poorn up search history Ronnie. Now, Sunday officially marked the end of the football season. We left, We cried, Ronnie tried to kiss me after every touchdown.
Now we crowned.
The Philadelphia Eagles are new champions utter domination.
There is no other way to describe what the Eagles did to the Chiefs.
Talk about them blowout who.
The most boring game you could expect.
I mean some people might have gotten to bed because they turned.
It was an old school clunker. That was the worst super Bowl in history.
The Eagles dominated the entire evening and just like Ronnie after eating dairy, the Chiefs shit the bed. You know what, I think I speak for everyone when I say no more Super Bowls.
NFL, you had a good run.
You ended racism, cured breast cancer, and found a woman under thirty who wants to see Bill Belichick.
Nate Jordan, have you been doing ayahuasca of Aaron Rodgers again? Okay, we can't cancel the Super Bowl. It's the only thing keeping ground from going throughout garbage at night. Plus, I don't know about you, but this was the best Super Bowl of my life. I mean yeah, it had touchdowns, Tom Brady's new face, Seal as a seal, and Jordan losing an ass ton of money betting on the Chiefs.
I mean, what happened to my homes?
You look like Ronnie out there, completely lost with the terrible haircuts.
The Chiefs were my ticket out.
Of this hell hole. And now I owe a lot of money to a very very bad man.
Which brings us to my Jordan owes me a lot of money better than nights. Which big Italian man will I send to Jordan's house? Tonight has always brought to you by gambling. Gambling, you have two kidneys for a reason.
Now, well, Philly dominated the Big Game, it's important to remember the Chiefs weren't the only ones getting dragged all over the field.
On Sunday for thirteen minute Kendrick Lamar provided the world with a halftime show.
That stayed true to himself.
Just as we thought it might not happen, Kendrick took the elephant in the room for a walk around the Superdome, King, Kendrick went hard leading the stadium in his accusatory taunt.
You tire struck a Cour's.
The knockout blow in his public battle with Drake.
I've had it with these motherfucking Drake's on this motherfucking plane. Hey, Kendrick, the world's on fire, the President's in the stands, and you're using the biggest stage on the planet to go after Drake again.
We get it. You don't like him.
Save your petty beef for the group chat. Like Rodney's fake accent. You're overdoing it all right.
Well, I disagree with you, Jordan, because, unlike you, I love black people and I thought Kendrick's performance was incredible. I mean, he proved I've been saying for decades the half time show should always be about petty grievances. I mean, next year, I want to see Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni jousting to the death, presented by gambling.
Of course, gambling.
Unlike Drake, you can come back from this.
Finally, let's not forget about a huge update rocking in the world of gambling.
The former interpreter of Dodgers Star show, Hey Otani, was sentenced today to nearly five years in prison in a sports betting case that made world headlines. Ip Mizuhara pled guilty last year after impersonating Otani in a.
Bid to steal millions.
To cover his gambling bets and debts.
Asian represented, we shouldn't be sending show heyes interpreting to jail. We should be giving him a medal. I mean you think show he has talent. It takes real skill to steal money from someone you work with, especially when you have to guess that mother's made a name. What is it, Jordan a Pikowski? Is that with a K?
It's with a C?
You dipshit and you keep my brother's made in am out of your mouth. Say, this is my point. Gambling shouldn't be about hurting the people closest to you. Whatever happened to doing it the old fashioned way making.
Dogs fight each other.
As someone who had their identity stolen by a certain Japanese coworker, this is a disgrace.
Well, I know you can't be talking about me because I'm Malaysian.
Oh, stop making up new types of Asians. It's offensive, which brings us to my Jordan's big dinger better than nights, which Malaysian celebrity will go to jail next for Otani's gambling has always brought to you by gambling. Gambling got Pete Rosey to heaven?
Why not you? Well, that's all the time we have for sports war.
Join us next week when we debate whether the NFL should expand to a fifty two game season.
Fifty two, it should be at least one hundred and four that we have no time to get injured in between games.
Who makes the most? That's what you need? You need more games. Welcome back to the Daily Show.
My guest today is an Academy Award nominated actor who wrote, directed, and stars in the Oscar nominated film A Real Pain Is Welcome.
Jesse Eisenberg. Beloved Jesse.
This is what my life is like now, is no no, no, no, Just.
Walk down the streets of New York and people just erupt in cheers.
Well they're standing already where he passed on the stead. Yeah, but they will start clapping.
That's respect, right, Ye what a career in the arts gets you In America?
Almost no one sits down when I passed them on the street. Yeah, bless you.
The movie is great.
Thank you were you thinking like, oh, were you thinking I'm gonna do a Holocaust film but with humor? You're like, oh that trope again?
Yeah, yeah, exactly, another hysterical Holocaust we go. No, I was, I was thinking the exact I mean, I was thinking, like, really like, if I'm going to do a movie about like this theme, and it's something that's on my mind all the time, as you know, third generation American Jew from Poland. You know, I wanted to just make something that felt like something I'd not seen before, something like not sanctimonious or academic. There are a lot of you know, Holocaust movies that give you the sense that like like they're punishing you for being in the audience and not being brave enough to be in this film, right, you know I didn't want to do that.
Well, this film really it dissects grief, right, and how we deal with grief, how we internalize it. Yeah, but it also places grief next to historical grief.
Exactly.
Is that something that you were grappling with early on and like the writing process, is that sort of the nugget you wanted to unpack?
This is the nugget I've been trying to unpack for like twenty years. Like once I learned about my family is like history. I just became so aware of like my own good fortune but also my own misery compared to their horrible fortune and the way they appreciate the world, and like I just couldn't reconcile, like why am I miserable? My life is so like fundamentally safe and fine, and why did they seem happier than me when they suffered? And I still can't figure it out, but I suppose it comes from like a some lack of meaning in my life. And so that's kind of what the script came out of it.
And so after going through this process, you still have that lack of meaning and clarity.
For some reason, the lack has gone deeper.
Wow yeah right, yes, just like a worthless pursuit.
It's even worse because like now I mean and I thank you so much for like clapping everything, but like because I'm like but a waste of time, but a total no no no no no, but like but like being like celebrated for something where I was trying to like find like meaning in my good life and now my life got like let's say three or four percent better because the movie people like it. Now I don't even know what to do.
Yes, So are you happier?
No, that's what I'm saying now, it's not even a three percent happier No. No, because the abyss got bigger and so now I'm just I think more confused.
Yes.
Is that what your next film movie about? Like ambition and the emptiness there and the confusion you have?
Exactly exactly exactly it's called the Abyss.
The Abyss.
Yeah, oh, I got I got bad news for you.
That movie might exist.
Does it really?
Yeah?
Then I'm not gonna make it. I'll make something else, ye, completely different. I really I love this.
I want to talk about a scene I don't I don't think it's a spoiler. There's a scene in this movie where Kieran Culkin is a complicated, difficult person and he says goodbye to the tour guide after some time with this tour guide, and there's this beautiful scene where the tour guide sort of explains to him what how meaningful he was even though he was so difficult, and then he says goodbye to you in a heartbeat of walks away and we left. It was the theater everybody laughed. It's a very funny moment. And I talked with my wife about this afterwards. I was like, who do I want to be in this moment? Like, I'm curious that there is this character who is it was complicated but consequential and in a lot of pain, right, and this other character who lacks consequence in other people's lives but in some ways less pain.
It's stable, It's somewhat stable.
Yeah, exactly when you are writing that and working through that, like where do you protect yourself in?
Who should I be in that situation?
Yeah, that's my big question. I mean, like I my character and also me, Jesse, I'm so envious and jealous of people like Kuran's character who kind of walks in late to a room, but somehow everybody loves him. And I get there early and I'm helping setting up the chairs and everybody's kind of annoyed that I'm like, you know, and like and for just some reason, the world loves that person and doesn't like me, And a lot of that just has to do with that that person seems like real, you know, And so I think about people all the time like that, and I think, like I'm so envious. I wish I could light up a room like that. But then I get home to my relatively stable life and I wonder, like what those people are doing now, like what happens when the music turns off and what are they left with when they're alone? And it makes my envy turn into something like sympathy, you know, And that's kind of what this movie is.
Like.
You're kind of annoyed by this character that Kieran plays, but by the end hopefully kind of like broken hearted about who this person is and what they have to deal with when they're alone.
Yeah.
No, I mean when you originally were conceiving this, you imagine yourself playing the other character.
Yeah yeah, yeah yeah, And so.
You find yourself flipped and playing this character. How would this movie be different if you had flipped?
Would you be happier?
Whatever? Money?
Yeah?
Yes, you know it's so funny. Yes, I'm delusional. I just did this movie. Now you see me three okay, and it's like a big that's right and no, but like so the movie's like a big Hollywood movie and everything. But I play this very confident like magician, and I'm incredibly confident performer in the movie. And I end every day on those sets going I did great, and I never I never have that feeling on sets ever. But because my character's so confident, I'm standing in a different way. My face is doing different things that are tricking my brain into thinking it's really happy and it's like the most amazing thing. So in this movie, yeah, I kind of felt like diminished at the end of every day because Kieran's characters like diminishing me.
Yeah, but you're also wearing you're director, writer and actor. There, yes, you feel like somebody who's thinking through every moment.
I am, but you know, Kieran I was like technically his boss. But because the nature of our characters in the movie where he's like constantly condescending to me and making fun of me, he would do that like in between takes. Yeah, And so I did not have one feeling on the set one day of feeling like in control or like he was constantly just like so he'd be kind of mean to me in a take and then we'd call cut and then he's like, what stupid show are you gonna do now? And so like I had no experience of feeling you know, I guess good and do.
You see that as like part of his genius or is he just sort of being a dick to you and unprofessional?
I truthfully don't know. He came to the set a day before shooting. He was like, gave this unbelievable performance. I don't know if he read the script before he got to Poland, Like before shooting, he sleeps like two hours a night. He was walking around Poland all night. I don't know. We got to call that his mattress was on the floor, Like he's so unusual and so brilliant, and so it was so great. So I just didn't want to tell him, like, hey, could you be nice? Because he was so great.
In the movie.
He's nice, he's nice, He's a lovely, lovely person. But this dynamic we had was so all encompassing that I didn't know how to separate out what was like the character and what was him or what was I doing? Maybe I was also being self deprecating in a punishing way because I was playing my role. I don't know, are you open?
Is there improv in a process like this?
Does it start with open space to like find and discover as somebody who wrote this and sat with us for quite some time.
No, I mean I don't like impress. You know, I'm not gonna come up with something like funny you know on the set, you know, So I mean maybe, but it's like, you know, it's always like last minute jokes that people improvise about spaghetti, you know, something stupid.
But like, as somebody who spent thirty years of my life doing an improv I want to tell you that is spot off.
No, no, you weren't doing a Holocaust movie, you know what I mean.
Well, we got some you know, we got some pretty risky suggestions back in the day.
Yeah, give us a location.
Okay, maybe a new location.
Yeah exactly. Okay, well no, so but.
This feels like Kieran is a if not an improviser, is loose in his performance style.
He's loose, but like he you know, you know, he wouldn't stand on a mark I gave him. So I had spent like, you know, three months in Poland with my amazing Polish cinematographer, you know, blocking out the shots and shot listing, and you have an idea of you know, all of the you know, this character standing here because the tree is on their left, which represents the you know, lack of roots in their life whatever, and you know, and Kieran's like, I'm not going to stand anywhere near there, And I'm like where you going to stand? And he was like, I don't know, let's shoot it, see what happens. So like, but he was so good, he's so brilliant. You just said, okay, yeah, let's just follow him. And I can't make this great rootless metaphor anymore.
You film in a concentration camp, yeah, in Poland? Yeah, what is that process?
Like, it took a long time to get access, Like they these concentration camps are museums and cemeteries, you know, so they're not they don't want movies shooting there because most movies want to turn them into like, you know, nineteen forty two war movies where they have extras and Nazi uniforms. But you know, what we did is it's a modern day Holocaust toury. That's what the movie is. And so it took a long time to try to like explain to them what we were doing and show that we actually had the same mission. Like their mission is to show kind of modern tourists what these places are, and my mission in a roundabout way is to show modern movie audiences what these places are. So once we like figured that we had a meeting of the minds, it turned into this like amazing, beautiful relationship. And I also have to say, like the people who run these concentration camps, like they're not Jewish. They're like young academics who could do like any job that they want in Poland. They're like brilliant, highly educated people. And these are the people that like choose to spend their lives like driving every day to like a concentration camp and eat lunch at a concentration camp because they believe that they're doing good work, which they are. And I just felt like, as an American Jew who like never thinks to memorialize my family history, I just had such indebtedness to these people who are doing it for no other reason than like the good of their hearts.
Oh, this film is very thoughtful, a lot of very deliberate choices. One choice I was curious about you throughout the film, are wearing a shirt that you button one button that's right, not on the top, but the second button, and none of the bottom buttons beyond.
That that's right?
What is that choice?
All about listen Jordan, if that's not obvious. No, well, my character talks about like OCD in the movie, and it's like, you know, I know what that is. And you know sometimes like you know, that is like more of like a fixation rather than like a fashion choice. So my character is not like a fashionable kind of person, but this is like a fixation kind of thing from his OCD.
Yeah.
Yeah, so that's why.
Now I should have known it.
I should have known it, you know, pretty much everybody else who saw movie.
Like I know, I know I need to watch these things closer.
You've sat in this movie, You've you've created this film. It's now out in the world. People really enjoy it so much so that you have Academy Award nominations.
Thank you so much.
With that comes promotion for Academy Award nominations. You're on shows like this, You're doing all of this publicity tour. How does that sit with someone like you? Do you like doing publicity for a movie like this?
Well, I've been I've been wanting to do this show for twenty something years. I mean, yeah, so this is amazing.
And and does does being here with me make you just a little bit happier.
This is amazing, like it's stuff like this is totally surreal. It really is. And like, yeah, that's been I on, like Terry gross Las speak and I didn't. I don't think on.
This stick on this one stick.
Yeah, yeah, I know. But and I was telling her this is terrible compared to the daily shower, and she said, I get it. She gets it, right, she gets it. And she said I might actually quit. So I didn't want to announce that here, but she's quitting because of the show.
Yes, hang it up, Terry.
Yeah, yeah, it's a truly it's a truly remarkable film, and it is it feels like an adult film about grief that has so many entrance points for people who who are sitting with these these conversations in their own hands. So thank you for for making that.
Thank you so much. What an honor to be here.
A real pain is in theater. That's the eyes of God.
I'm gonna tell you this right right, right back up.
Thank you so much.
That's a show for the night.
It is your moment.
Then I've been told I have thirty seconds, so I am going to tell you that we do have to. I don't swear in public very well, but we have to Trump.
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