The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Sen. Cory Booker on Trump, Criminal Reform, & The Farm Bill

Episode Date: April 11, 2023

Senator Cory Booker chats about the implications of Donald Trump's indictment, his continued focus on reforming America's criminal justice system, and the reason it's easier to afford fast food over nutritious produce and how he plans to change that.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You're listening to Comedy Central. New Jersey. New Jersey in the building. I think you look so good behind that desk. Well, thank you, brother. I appreciate that. Let me sit on. I'm not in New Jersey, but can I just say the end of the Daily Show, speed dating, let's just settle and go permanent right now.

Thank you. Hang on now, we got to see what else a daily show bring to the table in the relationship. You just can't commit right away. Let's talk a little bit about the elephant in the room that just landed in New York City. Now, in Washington, what is your feeling right now with everything with the Trump indictment? How much do you think this indictment is going to paralyze bipartisanship on actually getting laws pass in the next year? Because Trump has a way of sucking the wind out of conversations.

Yeah, look, in the Senate, I don't think it's going to have much effect at all. You've heard Mitch McConnell stay eerily silent. But I think this is a moment in American American American American American American American in American American American American American American in American American American American American American American American American American American American 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 their, their, Ie, I'm, I'm, I'm not, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, the, thi, thi, thi, the, thi moment in American history that is pretty significant. Look, I believe deeply in democratic principles. I believe in the idea of the rule of law. But we've had a nation that hasn't lived up to those principles all the time. As Brian Stevenson says, who's his death penalty defender, he says, we have a criminal justice system that treats you better if you're rich and guilty than if you're poor and innocent. And so so th th th th th th th th th 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 theateateateate. the the their their theateateateateate. 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 the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the thruuuuu. thru. throooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooe. the the the this is one of those tough moments. Donald Trump has flaunted the rule of law for a significant amount of his career and did it in a bullying way, whether

it was lock her up or even the exonerated five, the Central Park five, even after they were exonerated, failing to acknowledge that it was a travesty of justice. So I think that the Senate is going to be fine. They're going to be people trying to find compromise, get things done. But I do think this is one of those moments where there's a 34-count indictment that we have to wait and see what's in it. I think that there's a lot of rushing to assume partisan positions in this. As a guy who believes in democracy, believes in the rule and law, believes in due process, let's let's see what

happens. Okay, so then to that point of everybody rushing to choose a side, if that's what Republicans are saying publicly, this is ridiculous and you can't charge on mine. What are they even seen the 34 count ca 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30. I I I I th. th. they they they they they they they they they they they they they they they th. they th. they they th. they they they they they they they they they thi. thi. they're they they they they they they they they they thi. they thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the. the. the. the. the. the. theeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. the count in Dighton. What are they saying behind closed doors? You being, is there a cafeteria in the Senate? Do you have to say in the cafeteria? Like, man, you see that bullshit with the board? Look, you forget this, but Trump has been on trial twice in the Senate. And he has had Republicans and Democrats. People from both parties voted to convict him. We didn't have enough to meet the threshold for conviction.

But there are a lot of folks on both sides of the aisle that think that this is a guy who has caused so much damage to our political system. He was really shaking the foundations of our democracy, ideas about our democracy that we've taken for granted over the years, he has really threatened. Who would have thought that you'd be sitting there at your workplace and you'd be overrun by people storming the Capitol, raving the Confederate flag, having t-shirts celebrating the Holocaust. Viking hats. And not to mention Viking hats and more.

So this is a guy who has truly strained the very democracy of our nation. And we hope to hold them accountable for that. He's under investigation in multiple jurisdictions. This is a long thing to play out. I'm just one of these folks that came to Washington to focus on criminal justice reform because we have this nation where we still have people, you know look one out of every three incarcerated women on the planet Earth about are in the United States of America. We incarcerate people at levels here that are outrageous. So he, to me, is not my central focus. I'm not going to let him tear me away

from the important work we need to do in Washington right now. Okay. I love that. So with some of that important work, let's talk a little bit about police reform. Now your friend, our friend, Senator Tim Scott, you know, all black people know I know him. I don't know him. I don them, but they don't know that. I don't know. He had a police reform bill that he was trying to get past, and it had a lot of the right things in it about. More body cameras, less chokeholes, more regulations. The Democrats filibused the bill.

In a time where you need some level of meeting in the middle. And it feels it the the the the the the the the the the the the time it time it time it the the time it time time the time time the time the time the time the time the time the time the time the time th time thime thime thi, in thi, in thi. thi, in thi, in thi, in thi, and it was thi, and it was that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that that thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. And, thi. And, thi. And, thi. And, thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii was thiiiiiiiiiii. thiiii. And thi. And thi. And that police reform bill that Tim Scott was trying to put together was an attempt at meeting in the middle. Can we really show the American people in this election cycle that nothing is better than something? Yeah so look my experience in Washington has been getting big bills done. Some of them with Tim Scott whether it's criminal justice reform. We passed the First step act under Trump. We did another bill that has created billions of dollars of investment in low-income areas. Tim and I wrote it together called Opportunity Zones. Heck, even things that people don't think about, like why is sickle cell anemia, a disease that disproportionately affects African Americans underfunded relative to other disorders that affect less people. So Tim and I have a good track record. We have not found the common ground necessary ground 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 common ground to to the common ground to the common ground to tho dollars dollars tho-in tho-a tho-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in-in, their in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in in a the the the the the the the their in a their in a their in. their in. their. their. their. the-co'-co'-co'-co-lo'-lo-lo-lo. the-co. the-co. the-c. the-c. the-in. to it, yeah. Yeah, that other disorders that affect less people. So Tim and I have a good track record.

We have not found the common ground necessary to get a bill introduced. We're still working on it. We still are having dialogue literally as soon, as most recent as last week, to try to find a way because we both agree. And Tim has told compelling stories on the Senate floor about what it's like growing up as a black man in America and having that disproportionate treatment. There's some foundation to work together. He and I have a, we're on different size of the aisle, but we have a friendship and I'm hoping we can get something done. Last thing, you're a big advocate about nutrition and health and you'd be eating right.

I know they say you was in, they said you was in Whole Foods, you was in the produce department for 40 minutes. Now, I don't know how much detail you looking at each orange before you put it in the cart. But when we talk about food and health and the way that we have food deserts and minority communities, talk to me a little bit about the Farm Bill and also why the McDonald's Shake Machine is always broken. Whichever one you have time for. One of the biggest crises we don't talk about is why is there such a demand for health care in this country? We have a nation that one out of every three government dollars about is being spent on

health care and the majority of that, 70-80 percent is for preventable diseases, the majority that is diet-related diseases. And in our farm bill, which should have have have have have have have have some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some some thue one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one, thi one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one one, th.. th. th. th. th. that, th. th. th. th. th. 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. diseases. The majority of that is diet-related diseases. And in our farm bill, which should have some relation to what we should be eating, only about 7 to 10% of our subsidies go to the things that nutritionists tell us to eat the most of. So kids can walk up into a bodega or to a corner grocery store and find a Twinkie than an apple. Not because it's the true cost, but because we subsidize everything in the Twinky or the happy meal and not enough stuff, fruits and vegetables. So you walk to another store, you find a bucket of salad cost 15 bucks, but you can go down the street and get a dollar meal.

So we've got to stop subsidizing so much of the empty nutrition, hyper-processed, sugar-filled foods to get so much of our subsidies and not enough of the best. This farm bill can reflect what Americans should be eating by expanding access to fresh, healthy foods that families want. Well, Senator, I wish you luck in trying to get a bill past this year while that asshole takes up all the media cycle. Thank you so much for coming on the show. I'm grateful for you. It's good 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 media cycle. Thank you so much for coming on the show. I'm grateful for you. More than you know, man. It's just good to see you. Senator Corey Booker, everybody.

Thank you. Thank you. Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by searching the Daily Show, wherever you get your podcasts. Watch the Daily Show weeknights at 11, 10 Central on Comedy Central and and stream full episodes anytime on Fairmoum.