Trump Thanks Qatar for Their Generous Jet Bribe & Accidentally Does a Socialism | General Stanley McChrystal

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From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central is America's only sorts for news. This is The Daily Show with your host John Stuart.

Thank you very much man, Welcome to the Daily Show. We got one point tonight. My name is John shirt.

Uh.

What a program we have designed for you a la carte.

It's gonna be fantastic. Our guest tonight, General Stanley McCrystal Webb. John wrote a book.

Chances are I will macrib.

Him about the McRock war, all right, first.

President Donald Trump. God, no, no, no respect his Authoritah.

Honestly, she's so much comes at us every day with him. I can't even sleep organized thoughts eat.

I just.

And he knows, he knows he's toying with us. Here he is. On Tuesday of last week.

We're gonna have a very very big announcement to make, like as big as it gets.

And I won't tell.

You on what.

Oh good, so we won't know how to prepare, should we wear our good pants or the ones we piss in?

But fine, don't tell us this big announcement, just tell us when.

And that announcement will be made either Thursday or Friday or Monday before we leave.

Why are you mentioning it? Is it sweeps week? Is that what this is?

But fine, we will keep our eyes out for any announcement bombshells.

And on Friday, I think we got one.

The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus can be suspended in a time of innovasion.

So it said, that's an option. We're actively looking at a murder as a murderer. The government, the United States government.

Is actively looking at suspending due process and then the rule of law. That's a big announce big enough for Stephen Miller to risk bursting into flames because of the touch of God sunlight.

The only time a president has done it unilaterally without the without the authorization of Congress was Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War.

That was the less really so back when slavery was legal and the treatment for diarrhea was amputation.

But that being said, this is a big announcement.

As you know, you know, ability of somebody to challenge their rights in courts is a pretty essential part of the rule of law. You so certainly raising a lot of eyebrows with that comment, just just eyebrows.

The Truman administration is thinking to tear it up the constitution. So here in Washington, we're hearing a lot of huh. One legal scholar even said that's weird. So maybe that's the announcement suspension of AB's corpus, unless there's something else.

President Trump is appointing former New York prosecutor Janine Piro as interim US Attorney.

You may say to yourself, well, that can't be the announcement, because that's just not that big a deal yet in this new world that we live in, this announcement registers the same as suspending habeas corpus.

On the eyebrow metour.

Jean Pirou of a lot of eyebrows are being raised at this pick so far.

Hey, hey, hey, Jeanine, you're going to be the new US attorney in DC.

Yeah, I know, we're surprised too.

That is, by the way. The sound. Oh also, they're suspending habeas corpus.

Is a statement, all right, So maybe maybe that's the big announcement. But hey, we've got it till today for any other announcements, or is there anything else.

The Trump administration is preparing to accept a super luxury Boeing jumbo jet from the royal family of Cutter.

That luxury jumbo jet, which has a value estimated at four hundred million dollars. The aircraft would be used by President Trump as a new Air Force one and then transferred to the Trump Presidential Library Foundation shortly before he leaves office.

What Cutter is giving us a plane that Trump gets to keep.

Like the reverse Oprah.

I get a jet and that's it. I get a jet for my library. Why does his library need a jet? Why would your presidential library? Yeah, hello, I'm calling from Europe and I need a book about Trump by morning. And the book must travel in the comfort and style one can only get from Cutter.

It's known as the most luxurious private jet in the world. Described as a flying palace, it features the biggest master bedroom in the sky, as well as some very plush living quarters and several private offices. Some of the nine bathrooms on board have full showers and even a bidet.

Wally right, I didn't even know water could go there.

Okay, holy trap, he's not a plane. That is a flying palace. I'm not gonna tell Trump how to run his business, but I would steam the shit out of those carpets. But Hey, it's a jet from Cutter. We can trust them. They're not suspect like Canada or working to undermine us like all of our other democratic allies in Europe.

Cutter is considered an American ally, but it is also an ally of Iran and China and even Hamas.

Oh, Trump's going to take a four hundred million dollar jet from people he would expel from Columbia University.

I think you know what this is shocking. This is shocking.

I think I know what this news might do to our ipews. It raises many many eyebrows to have this sort of deal at all.

Actually, that's how the plane flies.

It overcomes Earth's gravity through the power of.

The raised eyebrows.

Look, obviously, the president would understand that a gift of this magnitude from a government with questionable ties to terror organizations, combined with Article one, Section nine constitutional prohibition against the president accepting a foreign flying palace, he would understand that that's a legitimate I'm just kidding.

He was appalled that you'd even ask they're giving us a free jet.

I could say, no, no, no, don't give us. I want to pay you a million or four hundred million or whatever it is, well, I could say, thank you very much.

It's not a free jet.

That's the point, you know, the expression there's no such thing as a free launch.

That's about being skeptical.

The motives of somebody who gives you a sandwich, a sandwich a BLT. Now imagine that that BLT has an engine, nine bathrooms.

And funds proxy wars.

So when the dizzy run up to this big announcement of the possible suspension of Habeas Corpus, or maybe the appointment of another Fox New star, or the naked bribery of our highest elected officials, none of those were Trump's big announcement.

President Trump just announced that prescription drug and pharmaceutical prices will be reduced by thirty to eighty percent almost immediately. This appears to be the major announcement that the President has been teasing for days.

I am having wanted that for years pharma has exploited the American consumer, while we have in turned subsidized their whole industry with tax incentives and direct funds. I like this, but without getting into the weeds, explain this thing that I've wanted for a very long time, Like I'm incredibly dumb.

Drug prices will come down.

We're getting them down.

Sixty seventy eighty ninety percent, but actually more than that if you think about it in the way mathematically.

If you think about it mathematically.

I don't want to brag. I often think about numbers mathematically. How is this going to work?

The rest of the world's going to have to pay a little bit more, in America is going to pay a lot less. Basically, what we're doing is equalizing. There's a new word that I came up with, which I think is probably the best word. We're going to equalize.

Europe eureka euclid. Yeah, here it is equalized. I thought it sounded familiar.

Fuck, he's trying to kill us all.

Look.

I would like to think that the tenacious pleadings of progressive leaders like Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders helped make this possible.

We are sick and tired of paying, by far, the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs.

I'm going to attack the prices on commonly used drugs. Put a cap on the cost of insulin, a cap on the cost of prescription drugs.

Not one of those child caps that you can't and I have diar, Really, what's happening?

Unfortunately, it turns out credit for the biggest, most important announcement in the history of this presidency goes to someone else.

I mean, I'll tell you a story.

Friend of mine who's a business man, very very, very top guy. Most of you would have heard of him, a highly neurotic, brilliant businessman, seriously overweight.

That took a turn.

Top guy, brilliant, you know him, famous bit of a chubs.

Anyway, I'm public press covers is a rough way for this guy to find out that he is saved in Trump's phone as neurotic fat friend. Well, what else can you tell us about this friend who's very famous, successful.

Businessman, highly neurotic, brilliant businessman, seriously overweight, and he takes the fat the fat shot, drug, fat shot, the fat shot.

Do you read any of your briefings.

The fat He takes the fat shot, you know, the fat shot.

I got another friend, brilliant real estate mobile. He takes the dick stiff bills.

This guy takes the fat shot.

This guy takes the dick stiff bills.

I'm sorry, continue the story about this fat of a friend of yours and he called me.

Up and he said, uh, President, could I ask you a question.

What.

I'm in London and I just paid for this damn fat drug I take.

I said, it's not working.

Yo, Rickles, that is ice cold.

The friend is like opening up, like, oh, I took this bad drug.

He's like he's not working. He's like, I'm drunk. This poor guy, he's just catching strays. In the middle of a presidential press.

College, Trump's talking about drug pricing reform and he's like, hey, when this guy goes to the hospital, the nurse gives him fifty.

Ccs a Crisco.

He's fat.

Hey, my friend, he's very successful.

Went to London and when they saw him they changed the name of Big Ben to just Ben because this guy's fat. He's a fat He's shit this guy.

Anyway, back to life saving drug pricing.

Again, President drum What does any of this have to do with pricing?

He said, I just paid eighty eight dollars and in New York I paid thirteen hundred dollars.

What the hell is going on?

He said, So I checked and it's the same box, made in the same plant, by the same company.

It's the identical pill.

This is a great businessman, but he's not familiar with this crazy situation that we have.

But he was stunned. He was as stunned as he is fat.

I mean, by the way, I don't know if anybody realized, but the fat shot somehow turned into a.

Fat pill in the middle of the story.

It's how you know the story is true.

But you know whether the story sure not.

Donald Trump's point is, if you find yourself in the socialized healthcare systems of London and you want to run out and get some mozempic and some vision chips, don't bother because his fat fip of.

A friend.

Ate them all like a pot of work is on a tuna bender. But the point is, right now, his poor friend is at home going don't look at me.

It feels like a decade.

Ago that they threatened to suspend Avias Corpus. It was Friday, that long ago, yesteryear, when the knicks were still.

Up two oh and since then, we've had the largest bribe ever given to an American president, the seeming surrender of a trade war we started, and the socializing of our pharmaceutical industry.

What eve it is this country? What operatings?

Four months ago we were a standard issue democratic, constitutional republic. Now we're some kind of a narco klepto socialist, communist Silk.

Road reality show.

The only foundational unchanging edict that we can even hang our hats on anymore is that whatever we are now as a country, that country is closed to any refugees. Stephen Miller said, America is now for Americans only, So hopefully there will be no more surprise announcements that overturn that apple cart.

After pausing virtually all refugee admissions for those fleeing war and famine, the Trump administration is now planning to welcome one group, white South Africans.

What the fuck?

White South Africans. That's the only group we're opening?

What you already have one? Why you you know what, mister president, You don't need thirty thirty seven South Africans.

Now you'll make do with just one or two?

Wait?

This wouldn't have anything to do with the white thing, would it.

The Orlanda is being confiscated in South Africa.

I don't care about their race, their color.

I don't care about their height, their weight.

Oh you care about their weight? When we come back.

General Stanley mcrystal'll be joining us.

Don't go away?

What about Dallas, My God? Tonight.

He is a retired four star general served thirty four years in the United States Army. His latest book is called On Care Character Choices that define a life. Please welcome to the.

Program, General Stanley McCrystal, sir, how you can.

See you again.

It's great to see you.

Thank you for joining us. The book is called on Character. Tell me about this idea character? What is that?

And how do we get that in public life?

Well, I'm just going to break out of this and start with what I want.

From you for me?

I want a movie, all right, to start a national conversation on character? Yes, I think we could begin it tonight with this group.

It's a fine group. I think, what's the framing of the conversation?

We turn the lightship, we bring some beer in.

What kind of character are we looking for?

Well, how would you what is the framing of the national conversation on character?

In your mind?

I think first is character is our choice. That's the great thing about it. We have agency over who we as individuals are. And Heracleidis said an individual's character is their fate.

Character. That's true.

I also think it's true of a nation. And so we get to choose what our character is. Now somebody else we get to choose, and it's the didn't we just try that?

Yeah, we chose something some American people went.

Generally sixty five percent of America voted yes. And the reality is we can do better than that, and I think we can.

Yeah.

But if character is the essence of who we are, Thomas Paine said that reputation is what men think of us. Character is what angels know of us. Then I think if we look inside and we say what can we each of us, as individuals be, we have the opportunity to be something different. I mean, none of us is perfect. Every one of us makes a mistake every day. I'm seventy years old. I make mistakes and it still frustrates me.

You're seventy What am I doing wrong? What the hell?

What is that?

Well? You just choosing good character?

He just.

Mean?

Why I look like I sleep in a meat dehydrator.

The great thing about character is it is a combination of two things. It is our convictions. It's what we believe right, and there's no right or wrong to that, except we have to have thought about them. We have to know what they are. The beauty of the writing this book is it forced me to put on paper and to really think about what I believe. Then the other half of it is our discipline.

Do we live to them?

You know, you can have a lot of convictions you tell people about, but if you don't live them, there's zero, right And so I think our character is the essential identity of us as people and us as a nation, and we've let it a road.

Do you view this? So here's what I see with.

The audience a little bit now, and I come out usually in the beginning, and I have a little conversation with them, generally beerless.

Fortunately that's a mistake, and it really is.

It's okay though, because the log get highest, right.

I'm noticing a thirst.

Yeah, Like I've never an anxiety about this idea of control. I think people feel they've lost that agency by living in a country. And look, people when elections, people lose elections. Sometimes you live with a president that doesn't necessarily reflect you. This feels different. So how does this conversation around character. I've always thought action is the antidote to anxiety. What action, then,

Yeah, I think it's got three steps. I think the first is we need to think about character more. That's largely individual, but you can share.

It with people. Then we need to talk about it.

We need to talk about it in small groups, not just on TV, but we need to talk about it in our schools and our families.

We need to have those What are the parameters when you say we need to think about character? What are the parameters that come to your mind when you think about that? Is it boy scout pledge, stuff like be courteous, kind and forgiving all that sort of thing, or is it something different?

There are certains that I think almost all of us should agree on, But as you talked about faith earlier, there are parts of faith that we vary on. But I think that if we talk about what are the things that sort of bound America together?

What are the things that we all believe?

How we treat people, be fair to people, have empathy, give an opportunity to people.

So how do you square that?

It brings up such an interesting conversation because the worlds that we might inhabit would have a very different view. I might look at the January six ers and go, that was a lack of character. You know, one man's terrorists, another man's freedom fighter. How do you square that? And what do you do with people that you think stepped over a red line but in their mind was almost a heroic action.

I think that's right. First you need to listen to them.

One of the things I learned in the counter terrorist fight was we had our forces, which you know, I was obviously very close to the most elite people, and then we had our enemies, and there was a perception that they were two poles different.

They actually had bent up.

The personal attributes of the best people that I worked with and the best people that we fought. They were courageous, they believed in their cause, they were willing to sacrifice. There was a different life journey that got them to where they were. And if we're willing to listen to another person's life journey and admit often that had we had that same life journey, we would reach those same conclusions.

Then you reach it a different point.

Then they're not suddenly the enemy, they just have a different perspective.

Is the idea.

If I had just had Fox News on, I would have been doing that on Nancy Pelosi's desk, like that just doesn't There must be some incontrovertible truth though, is there not? We can't be is the idea that we are al Qaeda? Al Qaeda is us? That that's hard to square.

Well, it is.

But if we try to say they're incontrovertible truths to many of them, what are they?

You know?

We start to say the courteous kind and forgiving.

Yeah, I mean that's pretty good.

And those are the things that are common denominator sort of things. And that's where we have to connect because the reality is we're not going to have the same view from different parts of the world, different parts of the country, different zip codes, different economic backgrounds, because your life journey is just enough different.

Tell me in practice, so you have to negotiate.

You're in the war now.

I refer to either the countersearchs in I Rock or in Afghanistan. You are dealing with, on one level, ideological warriors, maybe in Afghananistan on another level mercenary to some extent. You go in there with a bunch of money and go, what are they paying you, I'll pay you this. How did you find common ground with them? Did you have to? Where does the wisdom of this come from for you?

Yeah? I think from experience.

One of the things you learned is you have to try to find common ground, and you have to start by having enough empathy. And remember it, empathy is not Sympathy doesn't mean you're rubbing somebody's belly and you agree with them.

It means that you can.

Would that have ended the Afghanistan war probably pretty quickly bring in.

The You have to be able to put yourself on the other side of the table.

You know.

I would talk to Poshtune elders and they had big turbans and beards and craggy faces and different lives in mind, spoke a different language and had a different religion. But reality they were actually pretty good people, and if you had their loyalty and their respect, they were as good as we are. In fact, they are very similar to

Because is that. You know, the book starts you famously.

You did an interview for Rolling Stone during the Obama administration and where you were critical of maybe some of the tax that we had taken in the war, the way it was being prosecuted, not enough to supply things like that, and you resigned because of that. That's how you open this book, right, is that where you're reflecting on yourself very much.

So.

Of course I cancel my Rolling Stone subscription right after that, but the.

Reality everyone else did to don't.

Even worry about it.

It's funny now because you know, we've got a little time and space. But no, we had an article that came out that I didn't think was accurate, but I accepted responsibility for it. And the reality was, in that moment, I had been I'd been born in an Army hospital, I'd lived in an Army family. I'd gone to West Point at age seventeen. I was now fifty five, almost fifty six, and suddenly, in an instant, I offer when I offered my resignation to President.

Obama, I'm not a soldier anymore. I'm not a commander. I'm not a soldier.

What am I?

You could say, I'm a failure. I go home.

Is that how you felt?

It felt exactly that way. I felt as though a bolt of lightning had I'd always thought I could be fired for incompetence.

Who are killed in combat.

I never thought i'd be accused of something like that. And so I offer my resignation to President Obama, who was very gracious and but he accepted it. I had flown home all night from Afghanistan for this meeting. I drive across the city to where my wife was living in a set of military quarters, and I tell Annie it's over, because she and I had been married for thirty four years, and I said, our career's over.

I'm out.

Holy.

She looked at me and she said, good. We've always been happy and we always will always be happy. And in that moment, what she communicated to me, without being straight, she said, can I face forward? And I always describe Annie as driving or a living life like she drives with no use for the rearview mirror.

And away, shoot, I don't not say any about she's here. She can hear you right now. I see her right over there.

It's gonna be a long night.

Who's driving known?

But we've been married forty eight years, and if you think about it, you commit to something. And I had committed to the military, I had committed to my marriage, and I'm committed to my country now. And so when I ask you to help lead a national conversation on character, you have the stature, you have the reach.

It's basic cable, sir, it's not you really should have gone on, Colbert. I think that if you want stature and reach.

No, I mean, as we say, if people are thirsty for something, for what they see, let's encourage them. Not that we're going to provide it from the outside, but we're going to have them provided to themselves. This needs to start with young people.

So you look at me, Okay, this is but it brings up such an interesting thought because so I'm reflecting on when this happened to you. It was basically it was an article where you said some things that might be intemperate for a man in uniform or in command.

That's really it. There was no secrets divulge.

Now you're watching the Secretary of Defense snapchatting his wife.

Hey, we're bombing to day. You know, doesn't resign? Is that character?

Because it's not you resign because your sense of duty and character felt that you would let yourself down and let the country down. But is there character in the reason he's still there? Is loyalty And isn't that a character trait that's also valuable? How do you process what's happening now?

Yeah, I certainly think you got a value loyalty. I can't put myself in his position. I can put myself in the position of an American. I can put myself in the position of someone who has both launched and been on those missions. And if someone had been you using an unsecure mode to communicate about them, I'd have been upset about it.

In fact, I could see that.

Yeah, I think for the people I worked with that had gotten your ass kicked. But the reality is the thing that upset me most about that was not the mistake. People make mistakes and we'll make them forever. It was after the fact, when people went on public news and they said the information wasn't classified.

Of course it was. And I don't like the idea that they.

Would look and say something that I know is not true and I think they know is not true.

And how much of an impediment to a national conversation about character. Is the reality distortion field about you know, incontrovertible things.

That are true or not true?

And how do you have a conversation about character in that environment.

Yeah, it makes it particularly hard because if we start to have a conversation on character, now, a certain group is always going to feel defensive because they think that.

You are leveraging the word character against them.

In fact, they can go both ways. People on both ends of the spectrum can feel that. But we've still got to have it. And that's why this has got to be a conversation that begins in the center. I think at pretty low levels, that starts with saying we're not going to vote for you, we're not going to buy your products, we're not going to like you on social media, we're not going to do all of those things you want us to do.

Unless we see.

Some level of character, not perfect character, we're never going to see that. But what we're going to see is a set of norms that say we respect the requirement that there is character. If you make a mistake admitted. What can our kids learn from watching us if they are absolutely point every time they see or if they just assume that's the way it is, that'll be worse.

And I do think there is a certain now mindset that what is rewarded now is result and not processing character. It's you know, we're in a different situation. But I would even say expand your aperture on this. It's not just about character. I do think there is a certain lacking of national conversations on everything, a truth and reconciliation for the American people with each other.

I think it's absolutely right.

I think it could start with character, but it really has got to emanate out from there. We have to have a different definition of what we think it means to be an American citizen, right because right now, many American citizens think that if you pay your taxes and you vote, and only about sixty five percent of us vote, that you've done your job. In fact, the responsibilities are much broader than that it is to every other American because the nation is only a cover in it between citizens.

God did not create the United States.

What are you saying?

What you're blowing it?

It's an agreement, yeah, and we.

All set to the go, right.

Sure?

Yeah, Well, it sounds to me like you have a series of books to write on character and other things, so I flip it back to you.

You keep the conversation going about that general.

It's so good to say all careful deveiled them out general than in the personal.

Kirk break to right out after this such.

An important.

Ally.

Let's not talking tonight.

Before we go, though, We're gonna check in with your hopes for the rest of the week, mister Jordan Clopper, Jorday, Yes, what are you?

What are you covering this week?

Well, John, Mother's Day is coming up next Sunday, so we'll be looking at all the best ways to show the mother in your life how much you'll love her.

So Mother's Day was yesterday?

Was it?

Damn it?

That's okay, that's okay.

I can make it up to her on her birthday.

When's your birthday, Jordan may second, Oh boy, it's it's May twelfth, Geordie.

Okay, that's all right. I'll make it up to her next week on Cinco de Mayo.

She loves Cargerina, Jordan Clupper, everybody, Jordan Clopper, you just gotta do that your locker. By the way, I'll go, hey, before we go, quick announcement here to the Daily Show. Starting a little non partisan initiative in partnership with Headcount.

Which is not what it sounds like. The initiative is called Indecision Take a seat.

Seventy percent of elections last year uncontested completely or open. That can change because democracy works better when you got some choices there.

So sign up.

You'll get information on how to run for school board, braces, city council, leagues of extraordinary gentlemen, all the things you want to be. So, if you're tired of complaining about who's running things and would like other people to complain about how you're running things, scan the QR code there or go.

To the link and learn more. Now here it is your moment.

Is that to accelerate these price restrictions and reductions, my administration will also cut out the middlemen. We're going to totally cut out the famous middlemen. Nobody knows who they are. Middleman they I've been hearing the term for twenty five years.

Middlemen.

I don't know who they are, but they're rich.

That I can tell you.

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