The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Republicans Accept Biden's Victory | Barack Obama

Episode Date: December 16, 2020

GOP leaders finally accept Joe Biden's presidential victory over Donald Trump, and Trevor talks to Barack Obama about his memoir "A Promised Land," his leadership initiatives and more. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at, that's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News,

listened to 60 Minutes, a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17th. Hey, what's going on everybody? Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. I'm Trevor Noah. Today is Tuesday the 15th of December, which means Christmas is only 10 days away. Now remember, when you wrap up the two turtle doves, put some air holes in the box. You don't want to spend Christmas Day digging a grave.

Anyway, coming up on tonight's show, President Trump is on his way out. President Biden is on his way in. And President Obama is here on the show. So let's do this people. Welcome to the Daily Social Distancing Show. From Trevor's Couch in New York City to your couch somewhere in the world. This is the Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah. Ears Edition. Let's talk about Christmas traditions. Every culture has them. Whether it's Americans leaving cookies for Santa, the Dutch putting on blackface to play

Santa's magical Negro helper, or Brazil, where Santa grooms his beard specially for the occasion. But in Wisconsin, the government grinch is trying to steal one very special Christmas tradition. A Wisconsin tradition may be under attack after the Wisconsin DHS warned against consuming raw beef sandwiches this holiday season. The popular treat known as cannibal sandwich or the wildcat has often served at holiday parties in other gatherings here in Wisconsin. Since 1986, there have been eight raw meat-related outbreaks in the state of Wisconsin, and that includes a salmonella outbreak affecting more than 150 people in December of 1994.

Despite the warnings, though, many people say they have no plans of ending their tradition. It's a Christmas tradition. Every year our family eats it. Before Christmas and New Year's, we might go through three to four hundred pounds each day. We warn the people we say this is raw meat. You should be c c c c c, their their their their their th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thiii. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the thi, thi, thi, thi. the thi, thi, thi, the, the, the, the, thi, thi, thi, thi. thi. th. the th. 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. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. the. the. the. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. the people we say this is raw meat. You should be cooking it, but when they take it home they can do what they want. A cannibal sandwich? Okay, I don't want to hear any more shit from Americans about what other countries eat. Ew, Africans eat bugs? Yeah, but we cook them first, you savages. I mean why would you even want to eat raw ground beef? I've never eaten a burger and said, Mmm, this is good. But I wish there was a chance I would die. Although, I love how they dress it up with the onion,

because raw beef by itself, that's gross. But you add a raw onion, and now it's like, ooh, cuisine. Honestly, guys, I can't even follow Christmas anymore. It just started out as the births thirs thi birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth birth the birth the birth the birth the birth the birth the birth the birth the b b added elves in the North Pole and magical snowmen, and now you guys are adding cannibal sandwiches? I mean, at some point, there won't be anything the holidays aren't about. You know, guys will be like, yeah, baby, I texted my ex, but that's just a Christmas tradition. It's not cheating, all right? Moving on to video games.

It's the other reason your nephew's wrist hurts. Blockbuster games these days are so huge that sometimes even with years of testing, developers still can't get everything right. But one new game has so many bugs, the company was forced to accept responsibility. The creators of one of the years most anticipated video games is apologizing just days after its release. Cypunc. Cypunc, 2077 has been plagued with bugs and crashes since its debut. Now CD Project Red is offering refunds for customers unsatisfied with the game.

Cyberpunk 2077, which features cameos from Kianu Reeves and Elon Musk is an action role-playing game set in Megalopolis. Developers say the $60 game was pre-ordered more than 8 million times. Wow, guys. Do you know how bad something has to be to have Keanu Reeves in it and people still don't like it? I mean, someone could serve me the cannibal sandwich, but if they said it was Keanu

Reeves, I'll be like, I mean, I hate case you're wondering what kind of glitches would be so bad that people would demand their money back, well in some cases players would suddenly see their character's penis poking through the pants. Yeah, and that is a huge glitch. I mean not like a huge glitch, an average size glitch really. Look it's not about the size of the glitch, it's just about, anyway, let's move on. Oh and it's not just penises either. Some characters would have their breasts pop out of the shirts. Yeah. And can I just say, kids today are soft. You're seeing dicks and boobs in a game and you want your money back? Yo, in my day, if there was a glitch where you could see boobs and dicks, we'd pay double for that game. I dreamed of getting to see any kind the the the the the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the kind the the the the the the the the the the the the their b. B. B. B. B. their b. their brushes p. their breasts their breasts. their b-up. their. their. their. B. their. their. their. B. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. B. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. th. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their. their We'd pay double for that game. I dreamed of getting to see any kind of genitalia in a video game. I used to have to take a Sharpie and draw a dick on Pac-Man.

You young bloods know nothing about the struggle. Blah-bubboh-boh-boh-wobb-wob. Moving on to something with even more bugs than cyberpunk, American democracy. It has been three years since Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, but yesterday, he did it again. President-elect Joe Biden took another critical step toward the White House today with the vote by the country's electors, known as the Electoral College, formalizing his victory. The ceremonies at state capitals across the country are usually a mere formality. But with the president refusing to accept defeat, the electors today found themselves

in the spotlight. Legislative offices in Michigan were closed yesterday amid threats of violence, and state police had to block a group of pro-Trump supporters from entering the Capitol. The Capitol is cold as you have an office here to talk about business or if you are taking part of the electoral process. Anybody else is not from the decision? We're electors. We're electors.

Yeah, the electors are already here, they've been checked in. I love that office's patience. But we're also electors! Yes you are, and you look so good in your elector costumes, but this meeting is only for grown-ups, so why don't you guys go to the park and play your sore loser game over there? Okay. And don't get me wrong. I'm glad that the system worked. But it is weird that this is the system. I mean, everyone has known that Joe Biden was elected for a month, but if those guys had somehow managed to sneak into the room, then, their, their, their, th, their, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, th, had somehow managed to sneak into the room, then they could have screwed up the whole thing?

I mean, what would have happened if that cop had been 50% dumber and let those guys in? Huh? You don't want your democracy to depend on a bouncer. But yes, for the 30th time, Donald Trump's attempts to unnec-due. to undo the election have once again, finally come to an end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end end an end. And even some of his biggest enablers are accepting reality. President Trump refuses to concede, but top Republicans now congratulating Biden. I think the race is over.

Pennsylvania Republican Senator Pat Toomey is telling the Philadelphia inquire, quote, the outcome of the election is clear, and that is that Joe Biden won the election. Senate Majority Whip, John Thune said, of South Dakota said, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, and it's, and it's, and it's, and it's, and it's, and it's, and it's, and, and thi. thi. thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and thi, and to, and to, and to, and thi, and to, and to, and to, and to, and to, and to, and to, and to, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, to, to, to, toe, to, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, toe, too, too, too, too, too, too, toe.. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. too. toe. too. toe. toe. toe. toe. toe. to election. Senate Majority Whip, John Thune said, of South Dakota said, it's time for everybody to move on. The electoral college has spoken. So today I want to congratulate President-elect Joe Biden. Overnight, Russian President Vladimir Putin finally acknowledging Biden's victory, congratulating

him in a telegram, reportedly writing in part, I am ready for interaction and contacts with you. I am ready for interaction and contacts with you? Putin doesn't sound human. He sounds like a self-checkout at a CVS. Ready for interaction, and the CLE, to place item in the tug. Seriously guys, what a weird phrase. thuke for a minute, Mike Pence, getting frisky. And you know Trump's luck has run out now

that Mitch McConnell has conceded the election. Because forget Putin. If Mitch can't find a way to subvert American democracy, then it just can't be done. And there's another sure sign that Trump's time is coming to an end. One of his most loyal minions is saying, peace out. Mom, the electoral the electoral the electoral, the electoral, the electoral, the electoral, the the the th is the Electoral College made Mr. Biden's victory official, President Trump

announced Attorney General William Barr resigned. Mr. Trump said Barr will leave his post next week after the pair met yesterday at the White House. Lately, President Trump has been upset that Barr said the Department of Justice found no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, a direct contradiction of the president's false claims. Bar has also admitted the president's interference of the Department of Justice made his job impossible.

Yes, Bill Barr has officially resigned, which surprised some people, because for a long time it seemed like he was right or die with Trump. He whitewashed the Mueller report. He protected Trump's cronies. He even reportedly ordered peaceful protesters to be tear-gassed just so that Trump could walk over to a church and wave a Bible next to it. And when the White House chef prepared Brussels Sprouts, Barr would hide under the table so Trump could feed them to him. The point is, these two were like Batman and Robin, if Batman and Robin couldn't fit into their tights. But Trump also the bar bar the th bar th bar th bar the th bar th bar th bar th bar th. B th. B, Bar their th. He their th. He w w w w w w w wh wh wh wh wh wh wh white, their, th. He wight, th. He white, th. He wight, th. He wo, th. He wo, 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 to to to to to to to to to to to the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the their, their, their, their, their, the their, the the the the the the the the the the the the the tr tr. the tr. trueu. trueu. too. the. toe.e. toe. the. their tights. But Trump also wanted Barr to overturn the election results and Barr wouldn't do that. So one of two things has happened here. Either Bar quit because Trump became too bad shit crazy even for him, or Trump fired

Bar because he's not bad shit crazy enough to roll in this White House. Either way, this works out the best for Barr, because everyone is heading out on January 20th. So this way, at least Bill Barr is beating the traffic. But let's move on, because it's easy to forget that Donald Trump hasn't always been the president. And earlier this week, I sat down with President Barack Obama for a wide-raging conversation. We talked about the challenges facing the world, his message to young activists, and workshopping slogans with Michelle. Enjoy.

Are you going to filibuster me or like, because I don't have all the time, and you're very good at like... So is this like a roundabout way of saying you just want me to give short, pithy answer? No, I don't want short question. You want me to speed up? faster? No, no, no, no, please, Mr. President. I will not, I will not purposely filibuster, but sometimes I will have a pause as I'm formulating my thoughts, as you well know. Michelle, Michelle has been speeding up my auto, my, my audio book. So, you know, I guess you can

press a button so it plays like one and a half times. Yeah, you're a one and a half guy. Yeah, you're a one and a half guy. I was I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I 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 th. I th. I th. I th. I th th th th th. I th. I th. I th th th th th th th th th th th th. I will th. I will th. I will th. I will th. I will th. I will 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 th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I th. I thi thi thi thi tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha tha. I will times. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I was a little offended by that, but that's OK. That's fine. It doesn't communicate the depth of feeling with which I'm doing the reading, but it's okay. How do you like being referred to, like just as a human being? Do you like Mr. President?

People call me Barack, but then sometimes some folks feel awkward doing it. Obviously, that's what my friends call me. You, so I consider you a friend, but you may feel, you know, so. No, no, no, the people, the people will feel like, like even Africans will, they'll write me let us saying, how dare you prefer to. So I don't want to get you in trouble. So you can say, Mr. President, that makes sense. You can call me POTUS.

My favorite one was Obizel. That was my favorite. Please call me that. Yeah, Mr. President, Welcome to the daily social distancing show. I am very happy to be here with you. You're out there promoting a brand new book, a promised land, a 700 page book, if I may add.

I love reading your stuff, don't get me wrong, but like I would have like 350, 350, why 700 pages? You know, I would have broken it up even more, but, you know, the publishers thought that breaking it up into two volumes would be about right. And look, the goal of the book was to give people a sense of what it's like to be in the White House as a normal person, finding themselves in extraordinary circumstances. And I think part of the goal, particularly for young people, I wanted them to get a sense that, you know, not everybody's gonna end up being president,

but if you decide that your voice makes a difference, if you decide that you can have an impact, then through the ups and downs, you will end up having some pretty extraordinary experiences. And I wanted to be an encouragement for people to say, ah, you know, the guy, yeah, he he's, he's, he's th......, th. th. th. th. thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's not, thi's not thi's not thi's not thi's not thi's not thi's not thi's not thi's not thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, th. th. thi, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi, thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi. thin, th. th. thin, th. thin, th. I's, thin, th. thin, thin, th. thin, thi. thi. thi. thi. for people to say, you know, the guy, yeah, he's okay, but he's not so special and look what he ended up doing, maybe I can do something as well.

It feels like this book is Barack Obama, convincing Barack Obama to remain optimistic. And what I mean by convincing Barack Obama, I think of like a young Barack Obama, I think of a fledgling Barack Obama, and not trying to emulate you per se, but rather anyone who's trying to make a change in the world or their world. That's what it feels like. If you are writing their side that may hinder that optimism?

You know, because if a young person says, yeah, but this system right now is crumbling more and more, how do you maintain that optimism, or do you think there has to be a point where they go, I'm not optimistic, I'm just fighting to break what it is to create something new. Part of the reason that it's 700 pages long is because by reading the book, they'll see, man, there are a lot of structural problems or barriers in making this place better. We're learning right now in vivid, a vivid example of the fact that our democracy is not the way we would imagine it to be. There are all kinds of elements to it where the most votes don't necessarily translate into

the equivalent amount of power. Very popular proposals can wither on the vine because of a filibuster in the Senate. And so I don't try to gloss those over. You know, the Paris Accord did not solve climate change, but it created the first global framework whereby all countries agreed we have to do something about this. And here's a mechanism to do it. You can still be terrified about the pace at which we are burning up the planet and

yet think that was a worthwhile endeavor because it gives us at least the opportunity maybe three, four, five years down the road to keep building on that. So that is the kind of mentality I want young people to have. A certain impatience, a certain frustration, a certain anger about the status quo. There are times now where you have younger activists criticizing me for Obama, why didn't you take care of this or that or the other? And I welcome them feeling frustrated and impatient because that's how I was before I got started. And then they'll get their own knocks on the head

and some stuff won't work out exactly the way they want. But the impulse is the one that I want to encourage, because it's as a consequence of that constant striving and imagining something better, that things don't get exactly as we wanted but They get better You're a very serious person because I mean you're a president of the United States But at the same time you're a lot more fun than a lot of people think you know

I'm constantly trying to explain to people I'm a funny guy, but but I don't know But you're right, but you really are you really are and what I liked in the book is there are moments where there's just like a roasting of people or life like the G20 that I've never I've never heard a world leader describe the G20 the way you do in the book the high school of it all I wondered on a personal level have have you maintain connections with those world leaders as like for you do you to send angler Merkel memes do you like who are you still close with just as a human being? You know I don't send angler Merkel memes but I talk to her sometimes. Sometimes you know she'll give me a call I'll give her a call and we'll trade notes. You know there are a handful of folks who you've been in the foxhole with, right?

You've done some good, important work. Some of them are still in power, so I don't want to mention that I'm giving them a call because who knows, that might get them in trouble. You mentioned somebody like an Angola Merkel. Look, the stance she took in Europe relative to immigration, and the enormous political costs she paid for that, and yet there was something inside her that said,

look, I'm not going to simply abandon a million people who are in desperate need. You know, you see that in somebody and you say, it encourages you that for all the cruelty and venality and corruption around the world, there are a lot of good people doing good work and some of them actually rise to significant positions of power. And in that sense, democracy can work the way it's people doing good work and some of them actually rise to significant positions of power and in that sense democracy can work the way it's supposed to. If we have a vigil and citizenry and that's not always the case. All right, don't go away because when we come back I spend more time with President

Obama and he tells me the biggest challenge of his presidency. Stay tuned. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at, that's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of of the the to to to to to to to to to to the to to the to to the the to the to the to the the the the the the the the the thi-C. I' thi-S. I's thi-S. I's thi-S thi-S. I'm thi-S. thi-Sen-Sen-Sen. S-Sen. S-S. S-S. S-S. S-S. S-S. S-S. S-S. S. S-S. S. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News.

Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Here is more of my conversation with President Barack Obama. We talked about leadership and what he wrestled with the most as president. You've started leadership programs, not just in South Africa but all over the world. The Obama Foundation has set about on a journey to inspire young people to grow up, to become leaders. Growing up in South Africa, I was taught about the different levels of what a struggle is going to be. You know, the Freedom Fights may not necessarily be the best politicians.

The best politicians may not necessarily be the best leaders. The best activist may not be the best organizers and so on and so forth. Everyone has a role to play in trying to get to a certain place. And so I wonder, when you set up these, you know, this leadership academy, that's all over, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is.S. And, is. And, is, is. And, is, is, is, is, is, is, is. And, is, is, is, is. And, is, is, is, is, is, is. And, is, is, is, is, is, is, is. And, is, is, is, is, is, is.e.e. And, is, is, is. And, is, is. the, is. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the best. the best. the best. the best. the best. the best. the best. the best. the best. the best. the best. the the best. the this leadership academy that's all over the globe, you know, you're clearly trying to create many Obama's everywhere, which is probably like a fever dream of the right, but what you're trying to do is create something specific, and I would like to know what that is. What do you believe a leader is, not just somebody who's in power, but a leader.

The program we did in Johannesburg, we gathered up 200 young leaders from 50 countries on the continent of Africa. And it was as varied. You had young women who had started rural health clinics. You had MPs, you know, who had taken a more conventional political route. You had entrepreneurs. The thing they all had in common, though, was this sense not only that the world could be better and that they had a role to play in it, but also the belief that they couldn't

do it by themselves and that they had to, in some ways, unlock the potential and power of other people. A speech I gave in Johannesburg in conjunction with that, it was for the anniversary of Mandela's hundredth anniversary, where I contrasted that sort of democratic, inclusive leadership to the strongman leadership that in some ways we've seen ascendant in certain parts of the world, in some ways was ascendant here in the United States. And those are two different stories of what it means to be a leader. And power. And that conflict, that battle, that battle, that the battle between, that, that, that, that, that, that, thattha. 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 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, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, thiiiii., thi stories of what it means to be a leader. And power. And that conflict, that battle between a more democratic, inclusive vision

and one that's top-down, dominant, subordinate. Yeah, that's a contest that's taking place here in the United States and around the world. And it's not going to be finished just because the elections over and Donald Trump was defeated because you see examples of this in the Philippines, in Hungary, in a variety of countries in Africa and Asia. And so that contest is going to continue. What I find fascinating about the conversation that a lot of Americans are having now,

and you talk about this in the book as well, is how America's influence in the world has diminished over the past few years. You know, how countries around the world have no longer said, what is America doing? We'll work with them. It's been more like, no guys, we can't wait for America, we're doing our own thing. But th th th th th th. But th. But th. But th. But th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thi thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi's thi's thi's thi. thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's thi's the the thi's 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 thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. t tea. tea. teanananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananananan, as someone who has family in other parts of the world, is there an argument that maybe that's a good thing that the world doesn't follow America anymore or what would the inverse of that argument be? Like should the world follow America or is it time for the world to start doing its own thing and America to be less the world police? I thi th th th th th th th th th th th thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi tho thi thi thi thi thi. thi. thi. tho-in tho-in tho-in tho-in tho tho thi. thi. thi thi. thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, thin, the the the an the an the an toe an toe an toe an toe an toe an the an the an the an the an the an the an the an th be less the world police? I think it is a good thing that other countries catch up

and have their own capabilities and their own agency. That's not something that I think America should fear. My argument would be that even in a more multipolar world, where you don't have just one big power, but you have other countries who are coming into their own. The principles that America articulated at its best about rule of law, human rights, freedom of speech, democracy, those values, at least I choose to believe, are not exclusively American. Yeah. You, as somebody who lived in South African, the the today, uh, the the the the the the the threat, uh, th., th. th. th. th. th. th. that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, that, thi thi tho-a, that that thi, tho-a, those values at least I choose to believe are not exclusively American. You as somebody who lived in South African know the play that in other countries sometimes you hear where somebody who's doing something entirely for power and money and influence will say

if they're criticized or say, ah, you know, you've been just influenced by Western thinking. That's colonial thinking. No, no, no, no, you are stealing from your people. Don't, and when we criticize you, don't, don't claim that somehow, this is some American hegemony being asserted against you. We're calling you on the fact that you're a thief. I think it's important for us to recognize that for all its failings, the values that America is often articulated on the world stage have been ones that I would still believe in and that a lot of people took comfort from. And when we are not asserting them, oftentimes they don't, you know, they don't play out on

the world stage. I sometimes wondered if you ever grappled with the difficulty of the paradox that America was creating in what it was trying to do in the world and then what its actions were sometimes creating in the world, you know? I mean, I mean, I th th th th th th th th th I th I th I th I th I th I th I, I th I th I th I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I mean, I th th th thi thi thi thi thi, I mean, I thi thi thi thi thi, thi, th do in the world and then what its actions were sometimes creating in the world, you know? I mean, I think about that in the Middle East, you know, wars that have been started under false pretenses,

people who have been killed, who had nothing to do, you know, and so I wonder as someone who had to make decisions, and someone who was in the world, like I'll tell you as an international person, we would oftentimes go like, man, yes, America's great and it's doing wonderful things, but then you'd be like, but also, man, sometimes they just break the rules and no one can say anything about it. Absolutely. And I record examples in the book, and I record examples of where I'm grappling with this, right? And one of the interesting challenges of being president of the United States, but I think being a head of government or state in any country is you inherit a legacy, right?

So if I come in as president and I can't undo the Iraq war, the decision to go into Iraq. Now, I can't, I can't, I can't, I can't undo the Iraq war, the decision to go into Iraq. Now I can manage as best I can how we can wind down that war, mitigate some of the damage that's been done, but I can't reverse it. Did you ever, did you ever envy though how Trump just came in and basically broke shit though? Because I mean he didn't care. No, I didn't envy it because I do care. And I do not think that is an option to simply pretend that the legacy of problems or issues that you inherit

are somehow things you can just brush aside. So the answer is yes. I would struggle with the fact that any action I took, particularly when you're talking about counterterrorism. That's probably the area where I wrestled with this most. about counterterrorism. That's probably the area where I wrestled with this most, because my obligation first and foremost in the United States was to make sure that people didn't get hurt. That's sort of the bare minimum that you expect out of a nation state that you're

living in is that you can defend against harm. Because you're dealing with non-state actors, that meant that by the time I took office, you had networks that were embedded in societies, not necessarily supported by those societies, but they're there, and they're plotting and they're planning. And that wasn't made up. And there were organizations that if they could blow up the those societies, but they're there, and they're plotting and their planning. And that wasn't made up. And there were organizations that if they could blow up the New York subway system, they would. If they could get their hands on a biological weapon,

they would use it. You then are wrestling with, how do I protect the American people from those actors, but do it in a way that is morally and ethically justified. And war is madness. Kinetic action of any sort, military action of any sort that results in death and destruction. At a certain level is not the thing I would want humanity to do. And what happens to people is tragic. It is not something you gloss over.

What it does to our soldiers and our troops, you know, as I talk about in the book. It's not just the harm that our young men and women suffered, and I would witness in Walter Reed, but it's also how it changes them internally when they have engaged in violence, even if necessary and justified against others. So the best I could come up with was to never glorify it, to never pretend like it isn't a dilemma. And so those kinds of questions I think are ones that not only should American leaders have to grapple with, but I think the American people have to be aware of. And sometimes the media does not do a very good job. It's a very binary.

The Iraq war, it's glorious for the first year and a half and then suddenly it's not. Yes. And we're shocked that us invading another country might turn out to be messy. Hopefully that's not a lesson we have to repeatedly relearn. When we come back, President Obama talks about how he really feels about the Black Lives Matter movement. Stay tuned. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes.

It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change. Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look. Starting September 17th, wherever you

get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Here is more of my conversation with President Obama. He told me how he would talk about police reform with white folks and with people like Michelle's mom and why progressives should avoid taking cues from the Republican Party. 2020 was a year for many of racial reckoning. mom and why progressives should avoid taking cues from the Republican Party. 2020 was a year for many of racial reckoning. You know it was the year when people of all ages took to the streets black and white alike and said we need

to change the way the police deal with people in this country predominantly black people in this country. It was an interesting time as well because, I mean, your presidency, as you know better than anyone, people thought, well, that is it. We're now in a post-racial utopia. Barack Obama's in the White House. We have half black, half white, all black, good times. Let's have a good one. And then people saw that there was still a lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot lot the work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work work thoomom about the movement as you see it. The problem I have

with headlines sometimes is like people take things out of context, etc. But some activists criticized you for saying they've got to be careful of snappy slogans, you know, like defund the police because it loses people. But I wonder, do you think that the slogan is off slogan is the thing that makes people for or against you, or do you think people are just going to be for or against you and then the slogan doesn't really mean as much? And what I mean by that is, like Donald Trump's Make America Great Again? It's not a very divisive slogan if you look at it on the face of it. That's a great slogan.

But the subtext said something else when you're thinking of that, as someone who's great at slogans, by the way, I mean, yes, we can. It's snappy. It worked. Although, as I said, in the book, I actually thought it was corny. I didn't, I didn't like it that much when my to ask Michelle and Michelle said, no, it's not corny, it's fine. So clearly, she had a better political brain than I did on this. Hey, yeah, I'm glad you actually brought this up

because, you know, what's been fascinating while I've been on this book tour is, you know, people have asked me what's my source of optimism. And uniformly what I have said is, nothing made me more optimistic during a very difficult year than the activism that we saw in the wake of George Floyd's murder. And Black Lives Matter. And I have consistently believed that their courage,

courage, activism, media savvy, strategic resolve, far exceeds anything that I could have done at their age, and I think has shifted the conversation in ways that I would not even imagine a couple of years ago. So throughout this slew of compliments, I then said, well, what do you think about the particular slogan defund the police? And I said, well, that particular slogan, I think the concern is that there may be potential allies out there that you lose? And the issue always is, and the issue always is, and the issue always is, the issue always is, the this is, and this, this, and this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this, this is, this is, this is, this, this is, this, this is, this, this, this, this is, this, this, this is, this is, this is, this, this, this, this, this, this this, this, this, this, this, this this, this, this this, this this, this, this this, this, this this, this, this this, this, this this this this, this is, the the the issue, the issue, the issue, the issue, the issue is, the issue is, the issue is, the issue is, the issue is the issue is the issue is the issue is, the issue is, the issue is, the issue is is is, the issue is, the issue is is, the issue is, the issue, the issue, the issue, the issue, the issue, the issue, the issue, the think the concern is that there may be potential allies out there that you lose, and the issue always is, how do you get enough people to support your cause that you can actually institutionalize it and translate it into laws, structures, and so forth. There were two or three writers who I admire who wrote,

Obama's making an omission to chastise Black Lives Matter, and you go, what, hold on a second, I just spent the whole summer complimenting them. What are you talking about? The reason it caught attention, I suspect, is there were some in the Democratic Party who suggested talking about? The reason it caught attention I suspect is there were some in the Democratic Party who suggested the reason we didn't do better in the congressional elections this time of this phrase. Yes. Was because of this phrase. And I think that people assumed that somehow I was making an argument that that's why we didn't get a bigger democratic majority.

That actually was not the point I was making. I was making a very particular point around if we in fact want to translate the very legitimate belief that how we do policing needs to change. And that if there is, for example, a homeless guy ranting and railing in the middle of the street, sending a mental health worker rather than an armed, untrained police officer to deal with that person might be a better outcome for all of us and make us safer, right, that if we describe that to not just white folks, but let's say Michelle's mom, that makes sense to them.

But if we say, defund the police, not just white folks, but Michelle's mom might say, if I'm getting robbed, who am I going to call and is somebody going to show up, right? So the issue here becomes, you know, at any given time, how are we translating and using language? Not to make people more comfortable,translating and using language? Not to make people more comfortable, quote unquote, right? Because that's always a strain in historically, right? The concern in these debates is also, is often, oh, are we just trying to make white people comfortable rather than speaking truth to power, right? That's the framework we tend to think about these things.

Right. Yeah. The issue to me is not making them comfortable. It is, can we be precise with our language enough that people who might be persuaded around that particular issue to make a particular change that gets a particular result that, what's the best way for us to describe that gets a particular result that we want, what's the best way for us to describe that? So what you're basically saying is we should workshop all of our slogans with Michelle. That's what I hear you saying. That probably would be wise. It would probably work, but I want to go back

to something you said earlier, which I think is really important. And I said this in the wake of some of this criticism. I said, look, part of this is also, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is a, is a, is a, is a, is a, is a, is a, is a the, is a the, is a the, is a the, is a thi.a, is a thi.a, is a thi.a, is a thi.a, is a thi.a, is a thi.a, is a thi.a, is a thi.a, is, is a thi. wake of some of this criticism. I said, look, part of this is also, everybody has different roles to play. An activist, a movement leader, is going to provide a prophetic voice and speak certain truths that somebody who is going to be elected into office will not be able to say. I re-read James Baldwin's a fire next time this summer. How is it that something written 50 years ago, 55 years ago, yeah, applies directly today, right? Despite everything that's happened.

To me, that is as searing and as honest a portrayal of the gaping wound of race in America. But of course, James Baldwin can be elected to the. Senate or unlikely that he would want to be the mayor of a city who's responsible for figuring out how do I deal with the police union. That's somebody else's role. And all these roles are important. And so, you know. Why do you think, if I may interrupt, why do you think, though, that Republicans or right-wingers now do that, though? That's something that I've that 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've I've that I've that I've that I've that I've that I've that I've that I've that I've that's think though that Republicans or right-wingers now do

that though? That's something that I've struggled to understand. You see now, even in this election, I mean, some of the Republicans who were running were Q&ON supporters and they were going, we're running and this is what, and some of them were winning. Some of them are so extreme and they're winning. And so I sometimes wonder if there's this, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, is, the the, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, I thin, I'm so thi, I'm thi, I've thi, I've thi, I've tho, I've so tho, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I th. I th. I th, I th, I th. I th, I th, I th, I th, I thi, I thi, I thi, I thi, I've thin, I've so thin, I've so some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some throomoomo. I've throomoomoi. I've throi. I've throoomo. I've so so some some some some some some some some, is it just a political thing in America where if you're in the Republican Party, you can be completely bombastic in what you believe in? And then as a Democrat, you're trying to tow the line between centrist and left leaning? No, well, because I think, in fact, the Republican Party is the minority party in this country. The only reason that it doesn't look like they're the minority party is because of structures

like the U.S. Senate and the electoral college that don't render them the majority party. So they have certain built-in advantages around power, given their population distribution and how our government works. But the truth of the matter is that 60% of the people are occupying what I would consider a more reality-based universe and those are the constituents we're speaking to and that is a more diverse group. You know I describe in the book the first time I go the constituents we're speaking to. And that is a more diverse group. I described in the book the first time I go to the Republican House caucus to speak to him. And I think there was an Asian guy or gal and maybe a couple of Hispanics,

and that was it. It is much more homogeneous, which and that was it. It is much more homogeneous, which means that, yes, they have to do less work, but it also means that they can talk to themselves. And as a consequence of the way our democracy, our republic is structured, they don't have to appeal to as broad of a base. That's not fair, but I at least would prefer not having the progressives model ourselves out of, or model ourselves on the current Republican Party.

That doesn't feel like a good strategy to me to get the outcomes that we want. When we come back, President Obama reflects on whether he should have roasted Donald Trump back in 2011. You don't want to miss it. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. But that's all about to change.

Like none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. Listen to 60 Minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Here is the final part of my interview with President Obama. I asked him about his legacy and what part he might have played in the rise of President Trump. Let's talk a little bit about, let's loosen things up. Let's unbutton one of those buttons on the shirt there.

As someone who I consider to be one of the best deliverers of jokes and roasts, are you going to be more careful going forward about who you roast? And I say this because you roasted Donald Trump, he ran for president. You roasted Kanye West, he ran for president. So I don't know if you've noticed, but you have an ability to inspire people to run for the highest office in the land with some of the jokes that you tell about them. Well, I should roast people, people I admire more. I'll start roasting you, man.

Who knows? Although you weren't born here, so, you know, but look, I was able to get away with it apparently. Who knows? Before I let you go, I wanted to know one last thing, and that is, being president of the United States is arguably the toughest job in the world. When you transition back to personal life, I wonder what that is like.

Because unlike you, I don't have that power. I've never been able to just change a thing in the world or do something about it. But now in many ways you are like me, in that you see the thing on the TV and then you get angry or sad, but you cannot really do anything about it. And so I wonder as former president Barack Obama, have you transitioned into that completely,

or do you find different ways to try and fix the problems that you see in the world? that you see in the world. Well, first of all, I'm not anything like you. I still have a lot more influence in cloud. So let's just be clear. Come on, man. I was hoping you let's try to keep things in perspective. I was hoping you just let that one slide.

I was hoping you just be like, yeah, you know Trevor, in many ways. Look, I, uh, the truth is that the truth, the truth, the the the truth, the the the truth, the the the the the truth, the truth, the truth, truth, the the the the truth, truth, the truth, the truth, the truth, the truth, the truth, the truth, the, the, truth, the, the, the, th, th, th, th. th, th, th. th, thus, th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. Come, th. th. Come, th. Come, th. Come, th. Let, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, thr, to to to to to to to to to to to to thr. Let's just just just just just just thr, let's just just just just just just just just thr, thuth is that I did not have those kinds of withdrawals. And I know that they're people who I know who've had them when they leave public life and very visibly, you know, they want to get back on stage. Yeah. Michelle and I, that's something we share. We feel good about the work we did. We don't feel anxiety about not being the center of attention.

We get frustrated like I think citizens around the world and here in the country do when we see something unjust or unfair. And yes, the goal I think for us is to find new ways to have that same impact. Understanding that we'll never have the exact same impact as you have in the office. But a lot of the work around the foundation is, you know, you said create a lot of Obama's, I'm not sure that's the goal. But if 10 years, 20 years down the road, there are 1,000, 10,000, 100,000 young people who are now moving into positions of authority

and power and in some ways have been shaped by our example in a positive way, yeah, that's a legacy that may exceed anything that we did while you know, while we were in, in, our formal positions. And that feels pretty good. Well, I can talk to you for hours, but luckily I have a 700-page book to answer the rest of my questions. Thank you for joining me. Thank you for taking the time.

And yeah, thank you for being you. Mr. President, aka Obizal. Thank you for joining me on the Daily Social Distancial show. I enjoyed it, man. We'll do it again. Definitely. Don't forget, President Obama's memoir, A Promised Land is available now. Well, that's our show for tonight. But before we go, this holiday season, please do not forget to support your their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, their, tha, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, ta, t, t, t, t, t, t, t, t, t, t, tha, t, ta, ta, ta, tho, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, and, ta, ta, ta.e.e.e.e.e.e. ta. ta.e. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. ta. t restaurants. They are struggling to stay open during this pandemic.

And if they don't get the help they need, they might not be open for you when the pandemic is over. Now if you want to help beyond just buying food, then please consider a donation to the James Beard Foundation's Open for Good campaign, which helps independent restaurants survive this pandemic and rebuild stronger. Until tomorrow, stay safe out there, wear a mask, and remember, if your penis pops out, just say it was a glitch and offer everyone in the room a full refund. The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, 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. When 60 Minutes premiered in September 1968, there was nothing like it. This is 60 Minutes. It's a kind of a magazine for television. Very few have been given access to the treasures in our archives. You're rolling? But that's all about to change.

Like, none of this stuff gets looked at. That's what's incredible. I'm Seth Done of CBS News. to 60 minutes, a second look, starting September 17th, wherever you get your podcasts. This has been a Comedy Central Podcast.