Trump Pauses Tariffs, Crashes the Stock Market & Threatens China | Antoni Porowski
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You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only source for news. This is The Daily Show with your host, Michael Kosta. Welcome, welcome.

We've got so much to talk about tonight. The U.S. economy is down bad. Apparently, America likes guns and Trump broke a campaign promise. So let's get into it. I'm going to come. I'm going to come. Being president comes with a lot of pretty cool powers. You can write executive orders. You get one free checked bag on Air Force One. And even you even get an uncensored feed of C-SPAN, which is

But for Donald Trump, the power he enjoys the most is the power to impose tariffs. Tariffs are easy, they're fast, they're efficient, and they bring fairness. We're going to bring so many things back to our country, and the thing that's going to get us there is tariffs. We'll take in hundreds of billions of dollars in tariffs, and we're going to make our country so strong and so rich, it will never be so rich. Tariffs, it's a beautiful word, isn't it?

Tariff. It's a beautiful word. It's why I named my daughter Tariffany. This guy's so horny for tariffs, isn't he? I love any word with big natural double Fs.

According to Donald Trump, tariffs are great. And I also want our country to be rich without any negative consequences. So let's see how he's imposed tariffs on Canada and Mexico. And let's sit back and let's watch that economy roar, baby. Tonight, the stock market dropping more than 600 points. U.S. stock markets plunged for the second day in a row. We've seen consumer confidence tank. Layoff numbers across the U.S. are the highest they've been since 2020. The R word is back, thanks in large part to tariffs.

Wait, the R word is back? Tariffs brought back the R word? So I guess I can say it. R... Wall Street banks are starting to raise a red flag that recession odds have become unsettlingly high. Right, right, that R word. Of course, that's what I was thinking. I can be such a recession sometimes. By the way...

Is recession an R-word now? Who thinks the word recession is a fence of finance, bros? Did they get woke? Before we discuss the impending R-word, we begin by acknowledging that we are on the ancestral grounds of Capitol Grill, where Chad was unjustly removed by the bartender before he could get a chance to cheat on his wife. Sup, Chad? So basically...

Trump said the tariffs are going to be a quick and painless way to get rich. And now that it turns out we're not all shitting gold, Republicans have moved into their new talking point. Hey, nobody said this was going to be easy. Trust the process. There'll be a little disturbance.

We're okay with that? There's going to be a little bit of pain going into this. It is going to be painful. And if I have to pay a little bit more for something, I'm all for it. We're going to have to suffer through some bad news. There's going to be a short period of time where there'll be some higher prices on certain products. It's not inflation. That's nonsense. Yeah, yeah.

Nonsense. It's not inflation, people. It's just higher prices on food and cars and gas and every other product we import from our biggest trading partners. But do you know what? We might be in for some hard times, but tariffs are Donald Trump's whole thing. And if there's one thing I know about Donald Trump, he's a man who sticks to his guns. Breaking news into CNN. President Trump's officially delaying tariffs on Mexico and Canada.

After all that, tariffs are now on hold? Trump just backed away from those tariffs like it was a long-time friendship with Jeffrey Epstein. So... So tariffs are on. They're delayed. They're off. Who knows if they'll come back or when or for how long. Look, I'm not a big business guy, but quick question. Does anyone know if businesses need to make decisions more than four hours in advance? No.

So it appears the only silver lining in this pointless trade war is that at least we're only fighting with Canada and Mexico, you know? If you're gonna pick a fight, pick a fight with two sissy countries you can beat. Right? Right? Right? The Chinese embassy in the U.S. tweeting earlier this week, "If war is what the U.S. wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war, or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end." Oh, shit. Uh... China. China don't play.

They're like, "If you got beef, we got broccoli, bitch. Let's go." Listen, Donald, Canada and Mexico are one thing, but please don't piss off China. I know you wrote "The Art of the Deal," but they wrote "The Art of War," okay? And I think a trade war with China might lead to, at best, a devastating economic depression or, at worst, nuclear destruction of our-- most of American cities. Or as Trump might say... -There'll be a little disturbance.

Look, for more on Trump's tariff policy and its economic effects, we go live to the White House with Josh Johnson. Josh, Josh, what exactly is going on with these tariffs? Costa, this is nothing we haven't seen before. These economic decisions are smart, so everyone should stop throwing around the R word. Oh, recession. Okay, everybody should stop throwing around both R words. All right?

In fact, these tariffs are going to help out all my N-words. Your... Your... My net gains, Costa. Right, right, of course. Of course, your net gains. Hey, hey, you're not an economist. That's not your word to say, okay?

Point is, these tariffs are necessary. I've been talking to President Trump, and I can speak exactly to his intentions on tariffs. I mean, come on. Y'all heard Donald Trump. He said during the campaign, we're doing this. It's an economic street fight, so you better get on board, because the pain is worth it to bring back manufacturing, even if it leads to higher prices. We are not backing down. Okay, but the American people don't like higher prices. Then forget the whole thing. Tariffs are...

All right? I don't even know who suggested it. Trump did. He said they're necessary to bring back America's economy. And they are, which is why they're back on. So we are doing tariffs? Damn right we are. I ain't scared of shit.

Not even more expensive housing? Tariffs are off. But that will increase the trade deficit. On again. What about the price of breakfast? Off in the morning, on at night. But Canada is retaliating. Off with Canada, on with China. We'll go to war with China. I don't give a f***. Josh, China has nukes. No tariffs on China. In fact, we're part of China now. Thank you.

President Xi, you're the snake, mother . Get on board. - Josh, Josh, how can Trump run this country like this? Tariffs, no tariffs, we're Chinese, we're not Chinese. It's unsustainable. - Get off his ass, Costa.

All Trump's trying to do is stand firm on his principles, even though he doesn't know what they are yet. No matter the cost, although cost really shouldn't be a single dollar. And what anybody thinks, but please, nobody get upset. Josh, Josh, be realistic. Part of being a leader is knowing there are trade-offs to every decision. It's not possible for everyone to have a net gain. Well,

told you, Costa, that's our word, okay? Me and my economists are going to f*** you up. I'm sorry. Josh Johnson, everybody. Josh Johnson, when we come back, we get guns off the streets. Don't go away. Welcome back to The Daily Show. There are millions of guns in America, but one 40-year-old virgin is trying to change that. Desi Lydic has more.

It's no surprise America has a gun problem. In fact, even if our legislators could pass comprehensive gun reform, there's already over 400 million guns in this country, a number statisticians call really high and f***ing huge. But one brave Michigander is taking action into his own hands, and it's not someone you would expect. I haven't been this confused about a priest since I binged Fleabag.

How does a priest get involved with getting guns off the streets? In America, it's a lot easier to get a gun than to get rid of a gun. There is this sense that in churches we're just going to pray for this gun problem. Right. But church people are sick of thoughts and prayers, too. You know it's bad when a priest is sick of thoughts and prayers. I mean, that's your bread and butter.

And just as Jesus turned water into wine, Father Yaw turned prayers into action and started a gun buyback program. The gun buyback program is aimed at reducing gun violence. They're popular and that's because it's your choice to turn in your gun. And because this is America, people are more willing to part with their guns if they get something out of it. The first buyback we did, we had $5,000 worth of gift cards and the line was two miles long and we gave away the gift cards in 20 minutes.

What kind of gift cards are we talking about here? Usually Target. Target?

I'm not allowed in Target anymore. I had a bit of a run-in with the law involving an incident with a cheese grater. Do we want to save that for later? We'll take care of that in confession. Okay, thank you. And what happens to the guns once they're collected? Do they go to that farm upstate with all the dogs? After guns are processed, Michigan State Police send them to a company in Missouri called Gun Busters, and they destroy parts of the guns.

The state police then was contracting with a company called Gun Busters who has a gun pulverizer. Ah, the pulverizer. That was my signature move when I was on the amateur wrestling circuit. No, no, it's...

These things destroy weapons. A deadly machine that destroys deadly guns? Problem solved. This machine called the pulverizer can turn this into this. Most of the metal left behind can be recycled. I love a name that says exactly what it is. Busting guns. No deception there. But they weren't busting them.

Come again? We found out they're not really destroying them. They were salvaging most of the gun and reselling the parts on the internet. People can make their own ghost guns. So Gun Busters is actually contributing to making more guns? Yeah. Jeez. Sorry. Shit. Sorry. Jesus.

Turns out they were using the pulverizer more for evil than good. Doing only partial destruction means that the guns can be born again, and not in the Jesus-y way. I reached out to speak with gun busters, but much like the fate of their guns, they ghosted me. If I can't find answers to this gun problem in God's fancy buildings, maybe I could find some in the state's fancy buildings. Michigan State Representative Natalie Price. ♪

How the f*** is it legal for gun busters to get away with this? Because of the Gun Act of 1968. Sure. The famous 1967 Gun Act. 1968. Gun Act. The act of...

when we only destroy that narrow part of the weapon, a receiver and a frame, which includes the serial number, the firearm is considered by federal law to be fully destroyed. - Yes, receiver and the frame.

So just to reiterate, under this old-timey law, the receiver or the frame by itself is considered to be a firearm. So if Gunbusters tells you they've destroyed the firearm, technically they only have to have destroyed that one tiny piece, leaving the rest to be potentially used for ghost guns.

There's no good way to keep track of how many there are. From 2016 to 2021, there was over a thousand percent increase in ghost guns. Holy shit, a thousand percent? That's like four ghost guns for every ghost. Luckily, Michigan has a solution. I can tell you what we are doing here in Michigan, which is partnering with state police and a company that will fully pulverize and destroy the complete weapon right here in Michigan. Women get shit done.

So it seems the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a pulverizer. But this time, Michigan has their very own state-run pulverizer, ensuring that the guns that they receive are completely destroyed.

I went back to the church to spread the good word to Father Yaw, only to discover he had taken it upon himself to fulfill his own prophecy. There's more that needs to be done. We're planning to actually destroy the weapons ourselves with chop saws. That sounds dangerous. I can take you to a place where we're practicing and you can watch it happen. All right. Sure, just follow a priest I just met to the set of the movie Saw, but for guns. What could go wrong?

And that goes in the disposal here. Three guns down. Now just 399,999,997 more to go. Thank you, Desi. When we come back, Anthony Parovsky will be joining in the show, so don't go away. Welcome back to The Daily Show. My guest tonight is a best-selling author, culinary expert, and host of National Geographic's No Taste Like Home. Please welcome Anthony Parovsky. Thank you.

Nice. Wow. Thank you for coming. Thank you for having me. This show is amazing. It made me hungry. It made me emotional. It made you hungry for testicles. It made me hungry for testicles. Yeah.

For those of you that are unaware, maybe watching online, there was a clip before this that mentioned testicles. -Yep, it's always good to have a little bit of, yep, you're absolutely right. -Look, we're all hungry for testicles. Did you know that this show would get as elevated emotionally as it does?

Yes and no. I mean, the original, it's, look, it's National Geographic, which for me, I've been reading the magazine since I was a kid. We had a subscription. It's like the iconic, you know, yellow rectangle. But I think once we started going down, and each episode is a little different, but once it does get personal and you kind of, everyone's just trying to answer that question of,

why I am the way I am and learning that we're all standing on the shoulders of giants and we have all these people in our lineage that we can kind of explain why we are the way we are. I think it's sort of... So I would say it was like a mix. I think with someone like Awkwafina, it was very emotional because...

She was going back to South Korea. It was the first time since she'd been there since her mother passed away when she was four years old. And then we had a bit of like a bromance with Justin in Italy. So it kind of like ran the gamut a little bit. Explain to those that haven't seen it about how you start at home

with this family dish, a favorite dish, and you trace it back to the origin. And not only that, but through genes as well, right? Yeah, no, all of it. So it starts out with like a dish that shaped the guest. And it could have been something that was enjoyed during like a special family occasion or a birthday. Or for like James Marsden, it was chicken fried steak

that his mom was making in Oklahoma City as a single mom just to, like, feed the kids. And then we go to their country of origin. We explore what was going on culturally, politically, socially, and then we kind of break down the dish and the elements while introducing... It's a lot going on. No, it is a lot going on. While introducing to, like, to different key members of their family. And we meet genealogists and historians, and it's like it's a whole journey. I love that in that episode, James...

is with in his family's kitchen his mom is cooking he says oh that's the smell that brings me back to my childhood fast forward to you guys in an outdoor kitchen in bavaria and they're making you're making schnitzel right and he goes it's that smell it's the same smell totally that's when i started weeping no but it it's schnitzel yeah i'm crying over schnitzel

It's okay to cry over food. Because it is an emotional thing. And I mean, like, it's, you know, I go, like, the most emotional episode of all of them is Awkwafina's. And they're all really special for different reasons. But hers actually started out with jajangmyeon, which is a completely different dish. But we were making this seaweed soup,

that this woman who had a PhD in fermentation, which they do that in Korea, 'cause food is truly healing there and it's UNESCO protected. And she's making this soup and Nora Aquafina remembered the smell that her mom, it was the one smell she remembered of her mom when she was around and she was making this soup. And we learned that in Korean history,

make this for their daughters after they're born because they're depleted of iron. It's something that's very healing. Right. And it's passed on from mother to daughter. So for her to learn, like, oh, my gosh, that smells literally the soup that my mother was trying to use to heal herself and also to make sure that her daughter was okay. Like, it's... And it all, like, it's never... It's so much more than the dish. It's like when you look back on it, there's always a story. There's knowledge of history. And it's...

I'm thinking there could be a spin-off called No Smell Like Home. And you smell like your grandparents' boxers or something. Yeah. I mean, you know, there are a lot weirder things that are making it to streaming services these days. So I feel like we should definitely pitch it. It's Nat Geo after hours. Yeah, yeah.

You also don't have to respond to that, but you did a nice job. So, talking about parents, you know, this is a cookbook that my wife made after my father passed. And it's of his favorite dishes. And watching this made me think of this recipe for this Eastern European soup that my dad made called strutschke. I mean, look at this f***ing thing. How can anybody read that? Was he a physician? No, he was not a physician. I mean...

By the way, when I was watching your show, I was thinking of this. And then I'm thinking of my dad's handwriting. And then I'm thinking of him in the kitchen with the apron on. Now I'm crying. It's not even about your show. It's about my dad. You really f***ed me up, Anthony. But that's exactly...

No, but genuinely, that's what I want. I want people to watch the show. And, like, while I understand that not everyone has a National Geographic historical team that can do three to six months of research for each episode. Yeah, I want to hear about that. But I think it's, like, an important... It's an opportunity to start having these conversations with people in your family or, like, maybe even, like, the auctioneer

uncle and like learning those family stories because yeah we have to we have to pass those things on for our children for our chosen family for whoever it is and sitting around the table is like being raised the way that I was raised that's when we share those stories there's a universal thread there and I think God knows we're living in a time and place where like we need to figure out how we can like relate to each other as opposed to the opposite not that there's anything wrong with this country right now but you know yeah

Look, it's great if our favorite dish has a lineage back to the origin of country, but what sometimes happens, and I wonder, you know, my dad made this soup for us every Christmas Eve. No one in the family liked the soup. But it was his dad's soup, and you don't mess with it. Exactly. At one point, we said to his mom, my grandma, like, Dad's been making strutschke, and she goes, well, we don't eat that shit. You know?

But there's also something fun about your show. When you go backwards, you find out stuff that maybe isn't so complimentary of the family or of the lineage. How do you process that? That isn't complimentary of the family? I mean, there was the one with James where it's like, oh, my great-great-great-grandfather was in prison. Oh, yeah. You know, they didn't really know why. And there was a moment there where it's like, what did he do? Well, because he was like a political activist. The guy was a rebel. Yeah. It turned good. Let's talk about the history. I mean, this is actually research. Right. Oh, 100%. I mean, it's not like...

I love Queer Eye, but that's like a different unscripted show where I can say whatever I want. And it's a very different editing process. Here, you know, we have every single thing that I say has to be corroborated by three independent sources, which is like kind of wild. So we're dealing with places like Germany where, you know, they have the infrastructure and the places that you go to to get these documents. They give it to you like within the hour because the Germans have it all figured out. Right.

In Italy, they take like two to three weeks, but they'll get it as well. They take their time. If you're in Senegal, if you're in where we went with Issa Rae, or if you're in Borneo where we went with Henry Golding, they don't have that. It's oral history. So the team has to go there a few months prior, speak to village elders, and if the three village elders are saying the exact same thing, they consider it a fact.

If anything, it's like 80... I've done voiceover for narration on the show and had to go back to the studio after because our showrunner, Robin, was like, we're not 100% sure. We can't say it. We got to, like, go back. I watched your show and I said, wow, TV studios do have money. Let's be honest. Let's be honest. You're in a lot of foreign places. You're eating a lot of food. Yeah. You're using your hands. Did you mark off a day for traveler's diarrhea for you and the crew? I mean, did...

So, interestingly... I knew something would happen. Interestingly, so, I mean, well, the thing is, like, I'm not... Like, if I eat something and it's good, I just keep on eating it. I don't have, like, I've never believed in a spit bucket. I'm just, it's not in my DNA to do that. But I was in... It didn't happen on set, but I happened to be... We were filming in Italy, and then I had 10 days off

before I had to be in South Korea. And I was like, I'm already sort of on that side of the world. So like, why don't I go to Bali for 10 days? Like what's the worst that could happen? - Right, right. - And I went to this market and there was a beautiful piece of tuna and I just wanted like a light sear on it. And I picked it out and they gave it to me. And it was like, also the food in Bali was like, it was exceptional on all fronts. This is not to like put any like negative beef there or tuna there. And so,

They serve it to me well done, just draped in a cream sauce. And I ate it and I felt a little weird, but I was like, I'm sure I'm fine. I ended up with double IVs at the exact same time the night before my red eye to soul. And I was FaceTiming my dad, who's a physician. And he was like, why do you have two IVs at the same time? I've never seen this.

There's a language barrier. I have nurses there that the hotel sent because, like, people get this thing called Ballybelly. But the crazy thing that happened, because I'm an optimist at heart, I can eat ghost peppers now, and they don't, like, they don't kill me. I can eat spicy things. I'm a Polish guy. We don't do heat. You even said that in the Malaysian episode. You were like, I don't really do heat, but now you can do heat. I can do heat now, which is great, and I hope it lasts for a long time. But I get food poisoning once or twice a year because of the things I put in my mouth. It's just, it's par for the course.

Enough! You're all grown-ups. There are no children here. I find your personal history...

so connected also to this show because of your parents. Explain a little bit to your family history and how it's relevant. I mean, so I'm-- you know, my parents were both Polish. My father was born in Brussels because his family fled there after the war. But like, I'm like-- I think I'm like 80% Polish. And growing up, that was the first language we spoke at home. We were only allowed to speak Polish. Had all the food, cabbage rolls for lunch, the whole thing. And then there was a period of sort of growing up when I was in my teens.

like the angsty years, like Oasis, Richard Ashcroft, just to paint a picture, where I wanted nothing to do with my identity. I moved to the States. I was in West Virginia. I wanted to assimilate, change my name, the whole thing. And then there came a point when I was in university back in Montreal and I started working at a Polish restaurant. I met like young Polish people who had

super Polish names. And I was like, wow, you're actually proud to be who you are. And it's kind of like that whole idea of like, well, like this is in my DNA. So why am I trying to fight it? Yeah. And now it's kind of inspired me even as a result of the show. I had conversations with my dad. I was like, why do we have so much cabbage in our culture? Right. What's the deal with pierogies? Where did those come from? And he's like, we realize there's so much that we don't know. Right. And so it's kind of sparked conversations within my own family. Okay. So you might've answered it, but, but it's so clear in the show that the guest really,

sees how important this dish is, how important this food is to their family. For you personally, you know, we don't get to do this show with you, with your dish, but why is food so important to you? My face just got warm. Yeah.

Because I think, I don't know. I mean, I think it has to do with, to quote my therapist, if it's hysterical, it's historical. And growing up in my parents, I adore them and they did the best with the tools they were given. But it was a really dysfunctional household. And the one time where we all got along was when we were sitting at the table and gossiping and just like talking shit and having like the best time. And like that's when everybody had a smile on their face. And so it's personal to me. And it's...

I feel like everyone kind of has their own version of that. Like at any single gathering that my parents would have, everyone always ended up in the kitchen. And I feel like that's the case with so many people. And so food is there for you when you're depressed, when you're really happy, when you're celebrating life's achievements, when you're celebrating dealing with loss. Sometimes people celebrate loss, but I... But it's just... For me, it's...

My whole family is just as obsessed, if not more than I am, about food. Like, it's just, it's in our DNA. The show's great. It's beautiful. Thank you. You kind of do what The Daily Show does, which is you trick us by entertaining us, and then somehow we've learned something and there's a message been presented. So I really loved it. Thank you so much for making it. New episodes of No Taste Like Mine. Some days on National Geographic and all episodes are streaming now.

on Disney Plus and Hulu. Anthony Karofsky. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back after this. Thank you, man. That's our show for tonight. But before you go, if you're looking for a fun read, my new book, Lucky Loser, comes out this Tuesday, March 11th. It's a memoir about my life and how failing at professional tennis led me to be a comedian. What the f*** is that? Please, if you know how to read, please pre-order it now.

Now here it is, your moment of zen. Sir, this tariff war is heating up, isn't it? Yeah, it is. I mean, look, when Trump says tariff is my favorite word in the English language, I don't quite believe him. I think golf and one or two other things might come. But, but. Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching The Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch The Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount+.

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