The Daily Show: Ears Edition
Saudi Arabia Gives Trump the Royal Treatment With McDonald's & a Mid-Meeting Nap | Matt Wolf
Wed, 14 May 2025
Jordan Klepper breaks down day one of Saudi Arabia’s effort to buy Trump’s affection: Arabian horses, a McDonald’s food truck, some business deals, and a mid-meeting nap. Plus, Michael Kosta is so taken by the Saudis' lavish welcome he almost forgets about their oppression and orchestration of 9/11. Trump's 2024 campaign blitz through right-wing podcasters and influencers bought him a big win among young male voters, so Jordan Klepper sat down with liberal darling and Twitch streamer Hasan Piker to better understand how the Left can find a bridge into bro culture, and how easily men are sucked into the manosphere by social media algorithms. Award-winning filmmaker Matt Wolf sits down with Jordan to discuss his new two-part HBO documentary, “Pee-Wee as Himself,” which tells the story of the late comedian Paul Reubens in his own words. Wolf explains his goal to create a “portrait of an artist,” which was often at odds with Reubens’s vision, their “barbed” but “fun” dynamic behind the scenes, whether the actor’s passing informed the project, and how the “radical acceptance” of the original “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” changed his life. For more about the rise of young Trump fans, check out Jordan Klepper's new special, "MAGA: The Next Generation," airing on May 19, right after The Daily Show on Comedy Central.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Chapter 1: How did Saudi Arabia welcome President Trump?
The Saudi prince greeted him at the airport, and he got a horse escort into the Saudi palace.
What? A horse escort? I got to say, when you hear that Trump got a horse escort, This is the best version of that story. But, but, I gotta tell you, Saudi Arabia, oh man, they went all out. It wasn't just the horse escort. They greeted Trump with a full brass band that was... really trying their best, you know? And then it was time for Trump to walk down the famous purple carpet. Ah.
And so he walked. And he walked. Kept walking. You know, it feels like you could have stayed in the car for some of the... Oh, now we take an escalator. Great, we're done with... No, we're still walking. Yep, that's fine. It's a cool 108 degrees. This guy can handle it, you know? You know Trump's looking at the carpet going, you know, these things fly here, right?
Don't they show me a whole new world or some shit like that? But look, a horse guard and purple carpets, that might impress the average world leader. But Donald Trump is no average world leader. And Saudi Arabia knows how to cater to a man with such refined tastes.
Saudi Arabia had a McDonald's mobile truck come on site so that President Trump could have his favorite McDonald's.
Perfect. Perfect. Oh, I gotta tell you, it is nice to see they got another use out of the horses once they were done with that ice cold. It's good to know. It's good. It's good. It's good. You gotta hand it to the Saudis, though. They know the fastest way to Trump's heart is through his stomach, out the colon, with a little bit staying behind in his arteries.
You know, but not everything in the royal kingdom was to Trump's liking. Now, after they arrived, the Saudis served some coffee, but while everyone else drank theirs, Donald Trump just held his in his hand the whole time. Look at that. Look at that, right? It looks like he was waiting to give a urine sample to the nurse. Yeah, I got to tell you, I get this. Honestly, I get it.
Unfamiliar coffee on a trip is risky. One sip is all it takes to go from traveler's constipation to traveler's, you guys go without me, I'm going to hang out in the room for a while. Smart move. It's a smart move, Mr. President. You don't want to throw a wrench into that perfect gut biome you've created.
Now, that being said, that being said, Trump may be regretted not taking that caffeine shot a few minutes later.
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Chapter 2: What unique gifts and experiences did Trump receive in Saudi Arabia?
It was just a few years ago that he murdered an American journalist, so I'm sure the president will keep a healthy distance from the crown prince.
I like him a lot. I like him too much. That's why we give so much, you know? Too much. I like you too much.
Yeah, I agree. You might like him too much. Regardless, you know what? It was a very nice start to this trip abroad, where he'll visit not just Saudi Arabia, but then Qatar and then the UAE. But you might be wondering, why did Trump pick these countries for his first foreign trip? Well, there's a strong geopolitical balance. I'm f***ing with you! No!
Corruption! His sons, who now run the Trump Organization, have lucrative real estate deals in the works in all three countries the president is visiting.
The Trump boys have projects in all three countries. I never thought I'd say this, but can't these countries go back to doing something more constructive, like funding terrorism? Donald Trump doesn't see any of these business conflicts as a problem. In fact, if anything, he's taking conflicts to a new height, as in heights like the sky.
We turn to the uproar over the $400 million gift from the government of Qatar tonight, a luxury 747 jumbo jet to be used as Air Force One until the end of Trump's term when the White House says it would be decommissioned and donated to the Trump library.
Yeah, you know, I think we could stop pretending that this airplane is going to be transferred to his presidential library. This is like the news reporting your aunt is bringing her good friend Linda to Thanksgiving. Don't lick the cooter, people. That's what's happening, okay?
Look, now apart from being a security concern and a potential bribe, it seems clearly unconstitutional to give the president a gift like this. You know what? What do I know? Attorney General Pam Bondi, what say you?
Attorney General Pam Bondi says the gift is, quote, legally permissible and not a bribe because Trump isn't giving Qatar anything in return.
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Chapter 3: Why is Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia controversial?
In my defense, I thought her oxygen tank was a bomb. But point is, maybe the bribes are a good thing. If you want Trump to fix the Middle East, he needs some skin in the game. You think he's going to do this pro bono? He doesn't give a what the guys from U2 think. OK, Michael, no.
This is the pathway to corruption. If Trump takes bribes, he's going to favor that country in decisions regarding American policy.
Trump's going to take bribes no matter what. The smart thing to do is make sure he takes bribes from every country. Then he'll work for every country and we'll all live in harmony. That's why I say if you want world peace, you got to give Trump a piece. You see what I did there? I spelled it differently. It's clever. It's a play on words.
I see it. I see it. I see it. Look, look. OK. I got to tell you, Michael. Very clever. But this whole thing just, it just doesn't feel good.
Well, then you need to talk to Omar because he can make you feel real good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to use the bidet again. This thing's like a fire hose. I'm practically cleaning my teeth with it. Omar, grab me some towels, buddy.
Okay, that's good. Michael Kosta, everyone. We'll come back. I talk with Sean Piper. Don't go away. Welcome back to The Daily Show. You know, it's common knowledge that the podcast world is full of MAGA right-wingers, but the left has some big players, too. I spoke to one of their biggest. After 10 years of covering the Trump campaign, I thought nothing could shock me anymore.
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Chapter 4: What role do business interests play in Trump's Middle East trip?
But somehow, in 2024, young voters, and most especially young men, went hard for a 78-year-old who uses pancake makeup.
The bro vote, especially on college campuses, broke heavily for Trump.
Yes, Trump reached voters by engaging with right-wing influencers in what's called the Manosphere. It's a collection of online content and social media promoting bro culture, and it's a space that the left seems to ignore. But someone saw this as a mistake. Were you surprised that so many young people showed up and voted for Donald Trump? No. Not even a little bit. This is Ahsan Piker.
He's a progressive who has intellectual sit-downs with Bernie and AOC and still manages to post thirst trap workout videos to his 2.8 million followers on the platform Twitch. This combo has liberal media asking if he is the magical connection to young male voters. This is where you Twitch from. Yeah. What is a Twitch? It's basically like YouTube, but you're live streaming.
It's a podcast for people who are like, I wish this podcast were longer. Yeah. Yet his lefty bona fides might have made him a target for Donald Trump's Homeland Security, which recently detained Piker at the airport. How do you see the left communicating with, like, young men in this time of the manosphere?
Um, the left could... I don't know, talk to dudes without vilifying them. There's a lot of anger, resentment, not having any hope for a future, never being able to retire, never being able to own a home. All of those things are very much of the core identity for the next generation.
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Chapter 5: What is the significance of the $400 million gift from Qatar?
But is there room for the Democrats to create a left-wing manosphere to talk about the social safety net and protein powder?
Absolutely. I think that there is a space for it, but I don't think the left fills that void at all at this moment. I try to do so, but even I sometimes get hit with the, this is body fascism.
Now I have to worry about a new fascism? I'm just getting used to the old fascism.
What does even the term body fascism mean? I don't fully understand it. I think it's like a lot of leftists hate other leftists. Any sort of consideration about the aesthetics of how you look is actually another way to, I guess, reinforce an unjustifiable hierarchy. To be fair, that's why I don't work out.
Yeah, yeah. Because I'm anti-body fascism, so people are like, oh, are you lazy? I'm like, no, I'm a socialist with my body. Yeah, no, respect. And it's not young men just being drawn to the right. Some technology is giving them a push. A recent study created generic TikTok accounts for imaginary 16- to 18-year-old boys to see how the algorithm acted.
And within 23 minutes, they were fed masculine, anti-feminist, extremist content.
Life for a man is harder than life for a woman. The hotter a woman is, the more insecure she is about her looks.
Your body, my choice.
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Chapter 6: How is Michael Kosta experiencing Trump's Saudi Arabia visit?
So I was excited to dip my toe into this cesspool. So I set up this account as a 16-year-old pretending. That's what the pedophile hunters do as well. I'm not in that world. So walk me through some of the stuff we see here. So this is what my algorithm is essentially feeling. First up, some content from Charlie Kirk. Kirk is a right-wing influencer known for trolling liberals on college campuses.
You said male baristas aren't masculine. I think you and I can both agree that male baristas are not exactly high, usually high on the testosterone. They are. Wait, pause for a second.
But he's a podcaster.
He's a podcaster.
We are doing something very... very not like alpha dog. They mistake being confident for what it means to be masculine. Okay, moving on. Trevonta Davis, he's six. Okay, I'm seeing your algorithm. May I gently bury my face in those milkers?
This dog, see, there's just so much going on here. Does this dog want to a woman? Is that what's happening here? I don't know what's going on. Who am I?
I don't know.
Who are you, Jordan? This TikTok makes me very existential. I'm going to like it. I'm going to smash that heart. What are these trucks? What is going on? I like this one, though. This is interesting. Me, cheat. The only thing I do behind your back is look at your ass. See, this is actually kind of sweet. But it's like, why is it always trucks?
You get dogs that objectify women and also trucks that objectify women. Yeah. Are you a sea lion because I would like to see you lying in my bed, sweetie?
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Chapter 7: Why are young men showing strong support for Trump in 2024?
Well, you coming into something like that, what is the story you wanted to tell? He says you have an agenda in that clip. It's interesting.
What's your agenda? My whole pitch to him is I want to make a portrait of an artist. You know, he wanted to really set the record straight and overcome some of the controversies from his arrest. And I said, well, you know, that's the easy part. The harder part is to really look inward. Who are you really as a person who the world doesn't know, even though your character is so iconic?
I mean, it's interesting because it feels like the documentary looks at the arrests and sort of what happened post-Pee Wee or the initial run of Pee Wee, but he's reticent. in telling that story, even to the point where he avoided you at the end of filming, right? Do you feel like you were able... Like, what did he want to say and what was he able to actually reveal?
You know, I think Paul felt comfortable talking about his artistry and less comfortable talking about the controversies that surrounded it. But he was determined to overcome those controversies. So I was there to help him do it, but he really wanted creative control. It was a little like his Achilles heel. And so we were at odds. And some time went by where we weren't working together.
And it was only at the end, before Paul died, that I was able to talk to him, and he wanted to move forward. I didn't know what was going on behind the scenes.
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Chapter 8: How can the political left engage with young male voters and bro culture?
Well, this is what's crazy. You didn't, you make it very clear, but you didn't know he was dying. Paul Rubens was battling cancer at the end for years, but you were unaware of this while you were working with him.
No idea at all.
Yeah, but he came, and then he basically blocks you off for a little while.
There was a time where we weren't working together. We were trying to find a path forward, and we couldn't. But fortunately, I was able to talk to him toward the end, and I could tell something was up. But I had no idea of the gravity of it. I was supposed to do a final interview with him the week after he died.
Really? Oh, I mean, it's heartbreaking. You talk about his stubbornness and his creative control. You also show a big part of this is celebrating Pee Wee Herman and the character he created, which that creative control allowed him to create something that really is unlike what people see today. I'm a father to a four-and-a-half-year-old, so I watch a lot of kids' entertainment.
It's sort of an antidote to watching CNN all the time. It's like you throw on a Bluey and life is good. And it's curious. Bluey, outstanding. That's a wonderful show. But for the most part, they sand off certain edges to it. And you revisit what Paul Rubens was doing with Pee Wee's Playhouse. And it really, it pushes boundaries. It's empathetic. It speaks to kids and adults at the same time.
It's a show about inclusivity without making that direct focus. Like, it still feels cutting edge revisiting it in your documentary.
Yeah, it changed who I am as a kid.
You were a fan growing up.
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