The Daily Show: Ears Edition - From the Archives: Jake Tapper - August 29, 2018

Episode Date: August 29, 2018

Jake Tapper, host of "The Lead" on CNN, discusses President Trump's hostility toward the media and willingness to dismiss any facts that might reflect poorly on him. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. Hey, everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, The Weekly Show, coming out every Thursday. We're going to be talking about the election earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient-to-bread ratio on sandwiches. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go, but how many of them come out on Thursday. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart wherever

you get your podcast. Please welcome Jake Tapa. Thank you, sir. It's nice to be here. The face of fake news. That bothers you because you're the face of the news. You know what? I, I, I'm bothered by it because you're muscling it on my turf. I don't appreciate that. But on the real though, what are you going through right now because it is not very often

that as journalists, as a media organization, you get to be the face or as Donald Trump calls it, the enemy of the people. How does that feel right now? Well calling us the enemy of the people is just nuts. I mean, we're the media. We're the fourth of state. We have a tradition of being one of the Watts dogs over people in power. I think he is hostile to any check or balance. We see that most with the media. But he has expressed the same basic feeling towards the judicial branch when they try to hem him in on the the tra the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the legaaauiauiauiauiauiauiauiauiauiauia. thauia. thaards the judicial branch when they try to hem him in on the travel ban, on the

legislative branch, when ever as senator says something that he doesn't like, he's expressed or the White House has expressed concern about it. So I mean, I think that's really what's going on. What's interesting about the term fake news is, as you know, this is a real thing. There are sometimes fed by the Russians or other governments lies, stories that are just not true about a pizzeria in Washington where they torture children and it's all tied to the Clintons. I mean just nonsense, crazy stuff. That's fake news. The president and the White House have used the term to apply to stories they don't like. The president actually said at one point

any negative poll is fake. Which is right. He's right. I agree with that. And in fact, today, you saw, you ran the CBS poll. CNN has a similar poll. A majority of people who watch the speech, like the speech. 58% in our poll. and the White House Press Secretary

put out the CNN poll. Well, here's the question. Not fake, because it's positive. Here's the question I have, though, and this is interesting. Going back to CNN, you are a journalist. You know, you are a news anchor. I don't understand how so many people were so quick to say this is a pivot to presidential.

I genuinely do not understand that. How do you see that and how do you fall for the same tracks, trap so many times? Well I didn't say that last night. No, I know you didn't. I'm saying there's like your peers. It was, as you note in the show today, it was a fine speech and a decent performance. The policies and the positions that he holds are as, if not more important, I think. And the fact is that some of the things he has said and done have been completely contrary to the ideals and aspirations that he voiced in the speech. I mean, he, for instance, he condemned wholeheartedly, passionately, and eloquently the

hate crimes. Yeah. That's how we started the speech. It was really nice. It was a little late in coming. It was literally a year ago yesterday that I interviewed him and try to get him to distance himself from the Ku Klux Klan and David Duke.

Yes, and I think I remember that and he was like, I don't know about that. You're asking me to condemn groups, I don't know about them, I don't know who they are. I was like, it's a KKKK. And I was just like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's like, it's a David, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it, it's, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, th. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. K. was like it's a David Duke. I don't know I don't know. I don't know. I'd stick it. There are many Ks in my world I don't know. I don't know. So my only point is like that would have been a good moment for him to condemn hate and evil and any sort I mean it's it's really honestly the easiest question in politics is will you condemn the Ku Klux clans. Yes. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the th. th. th. th. th. to the to the the to the th. th. thi th. the the thi. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. I th. I th. I they they they they're they're they're they're they're they're they're t. I ta. I ta. I time. I time. I time. I'm time. I time. I time. I today. I today is today today are the. I the. I their the Ku Klux Klan? Yes. Can I ask you an honest question? How do you not last sometimes? You know one of my favorite lines Donald Trump said to you ever was, Jake, Jake, Jake, Jake, and you were like, how are you going to be? And he's like, we're going to build it, Jake, Jake, and then he made you look like the crazy person. He was like, hey, what part of build a wall then he made you look like the crazy person. Like, he was like, hey, what part of Builder World, didn't you understand?

How do you, like, your face is completely straight in those moments. How do you, how are you keeping, and on a larger note, how are you keeping a straight face as the media? How do you not get angry? How do you not? Do you have to work to compose yourself and go, we are the fourth estate, we are the news, I'm trying to remain impartial and truthful? Well, first of all, on the face thing, a lot of Botox. So,

I can't. The truth of the matter is that it's not partisan to want facts and the truth. And it's not partisan to expect decency from people and especially our leaders. And it's weird when I feel like I take a stand in any small way in favor of just like, can we just tell the truth about such and such? Or it's not acceptable to make fun of disabled people. It's just not. I mean...

I mean... Um... And it's weird to me when anyone construes that as partisan, because I have the same expectations of behavior for everybody. I don't care what party they belong to. Well, more especially the commander-in-chief. Do you ever get to the place where you go, maybe the media is operating in a space where they're not acknowledging what has now changed?

Because I watch news anchors sometimes breeze through the information, you know, like people, the phrasing, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, people, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, theirors sometimes breeze through the information, you know, like people, the phrasing people will use as they'll go, Donald Trump said this, but the evidence suggests the opposite. Right. Which means he lied. Like, why do news anchors not say that? Like, are we living in a world where the news almost hasn't adapted to deal with the situation the way it is right now?

Well, I have been trying to do fact checks for years and years and years on President Obama, on Hillary Clinton, on candidate Trump and President Trump. This is a different world of it because it started with, I think, the day that he accused Ted Cruz of Ted Cruz's father of somehow being connected to the Kennedy assassination. Yes Because he was losing the picture I saw him and You saw it too I saw it You were there You were there? I was there. It was in Soweto. So I remember I came out that day

and I just like did a fact check on it. And by the way I was defending Ted Cruz so this wasn't like some liberal position. It's just like you know Ted Cruz's dad was not associated with the Kennedy assassination because that makes me liberal for having that position is I don't even know what world we're in. But I I, I think that you're I, I think, I that I th, I th th, I th th, I th, I th th, I th th th, I th, I th th th, I think, I th think, I th th th, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I that I that that that that that, I that, I that I that I that I that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that I th. I th. I th, I th, I th, I th, I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thi, I think, I thi, I think, I thi, I thi thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi. I thi, I that position is I don't even know what world we're in. But I think that you're right in the sense that, well, first of all, there isn't enough calling out of these things and there needs to be. But second of all, I do think sometimes people in the media actually maybe because of the deficit here in sort of the facts and the fact checking,

sometimes on Twitter or whatever they go the opposite direction and they're hysterical because... Oh, interesting. And I think we need to have a happy medium where we are calling out things that are not true, covering things that, for instance, the stock market rally today, their, for instance, the stock market rally today, it probably had a lot to do with his speech last night and things that investors were happy to hear, that's fine to report. You don't have to be afraid to report something positive about Trump. I'm not talking to you, but you know, because it's positive to him.

I'm not afraid. It was a great speech. You love the speech. You want that speech for president. That's what I'm saying. I'd vote for that speech. So I do think the media, I think we're all still kind of trying to find our sea legs here. I do think that you're right though, that there needs to be an adaptation to this reality where, look, maybe last night was it. And when he said towards the end of the speech, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's time, it's, it's, it's, it's, the time, theing, theing, theing, theing, theing, the time, theing, theing, theing, the-a, their, their, their, the-a, the-a, their, their, their, their, their, their, the, the, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, I. I. I. I, I. I, I. I. I, I. I, I. I, I, I, I. I, I. I, I, I. I. I, I's, I. I's, I's, I's, I's, I'm, I'm, th. I'm, th. I'm, th. I'm th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. I th. I th. I th. I'm,time to put trivial matters aside. While pointing at the Democrats, but whatever. But you're allowed to have partisan fights. Maybe that was it.

I mean, maybe we're not going to see any more 3 a.m. tweets against Merrill Street. I mean, that's possible. It's possible. And if that happens, God bless. to put these little fights behind us but then immediately after the speech Mike Pence went on to all the news stations to comment and then nobody came to CnN yeah so clearly the fight is not oh I noticed I noticed I was like where's Pence and he wasn't on your shows and and and so I then then then then then then then then then then then then then then then then then then the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. the the th. the the the the the the the the to the the to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. the. thi. th. thi. th. th. thi. th. th. so I then go, even if the fight, even if the fight isn't over,

as journalists, as CNN, can you still do your job without access to the presidency? Do you need the president to say, come into my house and let me tell you what I'm doing? Let me tell you something. The idea that we need to have them come on our shows and that we should calibrate calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib calib. isn't that we should calibrate our coverage. That's a by, from a bygone era. CNN is kicking ass. CNN is, We are covering, we are covering him fairly and aggressively.

We are breaking stories about the investigations into him and his campaign. We don't need access to them. If they don't want to come on our show, they are giving up airtime and to an audience that wants to hear from them, but that's on them. Ultimately, President Obama, who declared war on Fox, ultimately he caved and realized I need to talk to some of those people and he would do interviews with O'Reilly or or whomever. Ultimately, the leaders ultimately, generally realized they need they they need they need they need they need they they need they they need, they need, they need, they need, they they they they they th, th, th, th,, ultimately, the leaders ultimately, generally realize they need to

come to us. We don't need them to come. They're passing it up. They're passing up that opportunity. But you're right. To say that the area of the era of trivial matters is over, but we're still going to boycott CNN. I mean, that's, um, no one said it in a Mr. McGoo voice voice voice voice voice voice. that. to. to say. to say. to say. that. that. to say. that to say. that that that to say. that to say. that that that that to say. that that to say. to. to say. to. to say. to say. to. that. that. to. to. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. that. But. But. But. But. But. But. But. But. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. to. the. the. the. the. the. the the to. the the the the the the the the the the the to. the the. to. the. the. You could have said anonymous sources told me, you know, you can't see anything, and I could have said that.

That was a Mr. McGoo voice. But I'm just saying like, I was trying to be, it was a petulance. It was a petulance. It was a pet. See, it's fun. You can't do to the country. Absolutely, that's what I want to do. I agree with them.

Thank you so much. Thank you so much. You can watch the tea the Jake Topper weekdays and 4pm and State of the Union on Sundays, and the Comedy Central, and the Comedy Central. Thank you. The Daily Show with Cover Noa, Ears Edition. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and the Comedy Central app. Watch full episodes and videos at the Daily Show.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and subscribe to the Daily Show on YouTube for exclusive content and more. This has been a Comedy Central podcast.

Hey everybody, John Stewart here. I am here to tell you about my new podcast, the weekly show. It's going to be coming out every Thursday. So exciting. You'll be saying to yourself, TGID. Thank God it's Thursday. We're going to be talking about all the things that hopefully obsess you in the same way that they obsess me. The election. Economics. Earnings calls. What are they talking about on these earnings calls? We're going to be talking about ingredient to bread ratio on sandwiches. And I know that I listed that fourth but in importance it's probably

second. I know you have a lot of options as far as podcasts go but how many of them come out on Thursday. I mean talk about innovative. Listen to the weekly show with John Stewart wherever you get your podcast.