The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Trevor Interviews Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Episode Date: April 2, 2020

President Trump suddenly gets serious about the coronavirus, Ronny Chieng catches up with Andrew Yang, and Trevor interviews Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer about COVID-19. 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. Listen to 60 Minutes a second look on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Hey everybody what's going on, Trevor Noah here.

Welcome to another episode of the Daily Social Distancing Show. It is now day 17 of staying at home to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. But, I've got some good news, everyone. Coronavirus is officially over and we can all go back outside. Ha! April Fools! Ha! Ha ha ha ha! It's not over. Anyway, tonight we're going to check out all the latest coronavirus news from around the world.

For instance, the virus is making Malaysia sexist. Ronnie Chang catches up with Andrew Yang and President Trump discovers the real culprits behind the pandemic. So let's get into it. 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. Here's edition. Today is April 1st.

Known throughout the world as April Fool's Day. It's the perfect day to reveal a secret you've been keeping, and if the person you tell reacts badly, you can just pass it off as a prank. Honey, I've been sexting with your sister. What did you say? Now, April Fools! Erase iPhone.

Now, this year, as you can imagine, no one is in the mood to be pranked. In fact, governments around the globe, including Thailand and Germany, have warned their citizens not to spread hoaxes or to prank anybody relating to the coronavirus. And let's just take a moment to realize how crazy things have gotten. That world leaders in countries like Germany are out here like, guys, let's cool. this year are not cool, okay? Don't be pranking anybody, okay? Yeah, you can't be like dunking your balls or telling people the virus cures inside your butt and they have to smell your butt, okay?

If you want someone to smell your butt, just asks them this year, right? No pranks, okay? Yeah? Yeah, y'all, good. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. to to to to to to to to to to to that. thi. to to th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the the th. th. th. th. th. th. th. Yeah? Yeah, th. Yeah, th. Yeah, th. Yeah, th. Yeah, th. th. th. th. th. to to t. t. t. t. t. toda. te. to te. te. te. te te te te te te. te. te. toe. te. te. te around the globe and what's disturbing is that some countries are experiencing a second wave of the crisis. For instance, in Hong Kong they successfully social-distanced, saw their numbers drop, relaxed their quarantine rules, and now they've been hit with a new wave of infections. Yeah, a new wave of coronavirus. And I feel so bad for these Asian countries, because whether it's coronavirus or Godzilla, every time they think it's gone, comes back again for another movie. Now while some Asian countries are dealing with a second wave of coronavirus, other countries are dealing with a wave of their own stupidity. The Malaysian

governments was forced to apologize after they issued guidelines which told wives that they should not be nagging their husbands too much during quarantine, which is obviously incredibly sexist, but also people as stressful as quarantine is, this is not the time for husbands and wives to be fighting each other, all right? Husbands and wives need to come together to fight the true enemy, their kids. Don't let those cute faces f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f f- that that that that that that that that that that that that this this this thi thi thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- thi- th thi- th thi th th they thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii thi thi thi and wives to be fighting each other, all right? Husbands and wives need to come together to fight the true enemy, their kids. Don't let those cute faces fool you. They'll shit right on your lap and laugh while doing it. Meanwhile, back here in the United States,

coronavirus cases have now passed the 200,000 mark, and the number of deaths has reached 4, in just three days. But one thing I love about America is that even in the most difficult times, there are always people who try and find joy. Neighbors in Buffalo, New York are getting outside. They're having a block party every night dancing together, are keeping their social distance. It's like fun. Tell me that's not sweet. I love this for so many reasons. One, it's amazing to see people finding ways to connect with others while keeping their physical distance. And seeing this many white people dancing offbeat, it almost makes me feel like the world is back to normal again. I miss those days. And also that is my dream party that they were having. Yeah, a party where you can go out on your front step to a little bit and then when you're ready 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, they. they. to their, their, their, their, their, to be, 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, tho, tho, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, try, thea, thea, theto leave, all you have to do is turn around and then you're back home,

sign me up. But let's move on to the big story, the White House. Or as they call it in D.C., the bad part of town. The big story right now is that President Trump, who usually treats his daily briefings like the last scene in in in in in in in in in in tode then todinininininininin san an than an than an than an like he had also been reading the news. President Trump just moments ago with a somber tone. President Trump is taking this darker tone. He was as grim as he's been through this entire crisis.

I want every American to be prepared for the hard days that lie ahead. We're going to go through a very tough two weeks. We're going to start seeing some real light at the end of the tunnel, but this is going to be a very painful, very very painful two weeks. God damn, Donald Trump for the first time at least sounds like he's afraid of this virus. And if he's taking it seriously, then we should be really scared. Because I mean this guy takes nothing seriously. This is the same dude who stayed at an eclipse like it was a magic eye painting. The same dude who sang Hakuna Matara when he assassinated a general in Iran. The same dude who responded to a hurricane with a paper towel three-point contest. So this is

a side of Donald Trump we don't often get. I haven't seen Trump this somber since Mori told him that he was Eric's father. And if the president is finally treating the crisis with a little more respect, maybe it's because of the numbers. The White House has just released their first official projections of coronavirus deaths, and they are terrifying. Dr. Berks and Dr. Fauci said that according to their numbers, even if America did everything right, we could still see 100,000 to 240,000 deaths from coronavirus.

And I don't care what anybody says. That is a staggering number. Even in the call of duty, if you saw that many deaths, you'd be like, ah, I think I've been playing this game too much. I'm gonna switch to animal crossing for a while. But while the President may finally be grasping the gravity of this outbreak, he and his allies continue to make excuses for why it took him so long to respond. Mitch McConnell, yeah.

He said that impeachment diverted the attention of the government. Do you think that in any way, this was happening and building at the same time? Did it divert your attention or your team's attention? Well, I don't like to think I did. I think I handle it very well, but I guess it probably did. I mean, I got impeached. I think, you know, I certainly devoted a little time to thinking about it, right? So, you know, when you say that, yeah. Ah, yes, in classic Trump fashion. The president wants to have it both ways. I acted properly with Corona. But I was also distracted by impeachment. But my response has been perfect, but impeachment is why I messed up. And I gotta say, if Trump was so easily distracted from dealing with a looming pandemic,

then that's bad news. Because then America basically has a puppy as its president. Yeah, one little thing can distract him. Next time America wants to invade Iraq, they should just throw a frisbee by Trump's head and that'll distract him for a month. It went that way. And it's funny. And it's thiiiii. And it's thi. And it's thi. And it's thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thi. thr-a thr-a' thr-I's thr-n't thr-I's tr-I's tr-I's tr----------I. thr-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. tru. tru. tru. tru. tru. tru. truuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-s'-s'-s'-s'-s'-s'-s'-s'-s truuuuueeea-s truu. tr month. It went that way. And it's funny how Trump and McConnell are trying to make it seem like the government stopped in its tracks because of impeachment. Because the truth is, Trump still found plenty of time to do the things that he wanted to do while impeachment was happening. He imposed new restrictions on immigration.

He increased sanctions on Iran. He unveiled a new peace plan for Israel and the Palestinians. And of course he had a lot of time to play a shit-ton of golf. So unless he was searching for coronavirus in a sand trap, I don't think this excuse checks out. And impeachment isn't the only excuse that Trump has used to try and explain why it took him so long to try and stop the coronavirus. He also blamed China for covering up the seriousness of coronavirus. And yes, and yes, it is true. China did censor information about this disease in its early stages and that didn't help. But President Trump was warned about coronavirus by his advisors

as early as January 18, and he dismissed it for months. So as much as Trump wants to blame China for downplaying the virus, he himself ignored all the messages that his experts were giving him. And he didn't ignore them once. He didn't ignore them twice. He ignored them countless times. Like if we were back in Bible times, Trump would have heard the burning bush and then just thrown water on it. Finally, that bush was so annoying thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi thi thi thi thi-a-a-a-a-a-a, and he didn't thi, and he thi, and he thi, and he thi, and he thi, and he thi, and he thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi, thi. And he didn't thi. And he didn't thi. And he didn't thi. thi. thi. thi. thiiiii. thi. thiiii. thi. thi. thi. thi thi was so annoying. So to try and avoid taking responsibility

for the government's slow response to coronavirus, Trump has blamed impeachment and China. But as always, there's only one person who Trump loves to blame for everything that goes wrong in his life, Barack Hussein Obama. You see, Trump has claimed that the reason America fell so far behind other countries when it came to coronavirus testing is because of rules that the Obama administration made. Now, the only thing is nobody has been able to find these rules that Trump is talking about. So that means either Trump is lying, which is unlikely, or it means Obama did block Trump from doing the tests.

But then he hid his evidence. In the same place that he hit his birth certificate, magical Kenyan strikes again. So Trump is still making excuses for not reacting soon to this crisis. But on the upside, it seems like he's at least starting to act like he's taking the threats of this pandemic a little more seriously. And I hope he is taking it seriously, because let's be real. This is still Donald Trump, people. I wouldn't be shocked if he acted like this, and then tomorrow he comes out like April fools. I'll see you losers on. Did you see me act and sad? Ha ha ha ha.

But let's move on. Because as the federal government tries to figure out how to mitigate the fallout from the coronavirus outbreak, they've decided to stimulate the economy by sending out cash directly to millions of Americans. It's an idea that sounded very familiar to Andrew Yang. Thanks, Driver. By the way, just because we're doing to to to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have to have 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 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 thea., thea., thean., thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. thean. the the the the the the the the the to Andrew Yang. Thanks, Trevor. By the way, just because we're doing this from home, doesn't mean you have to dress like

shit. Anyway, the Trump administration is currently celebrating a coronavirus relief bill that would send most Americans over $1,000 in cash, which is an idea that sounds necessary and strangely familiar. Andrew. What the fuck? that sounds necessary and strangely familiar. Andrew, what the fuck? Yo, the Republicans stole your idea. Uh, oh, it's not my idea, and I'm thrilled that they're doing it. But, dude, this is your idea.

Literally, your one idea, you're running on this one thing, and they stole it. Well, uh, you know, they're not going to do it in perpetuity. That would be my idea. If they put it in place where we get it every month forever, then I would be up there. I hope I'm just clapping and cheerleading because all of this stuff's very overdue. Remember when you first started and you were talking about UBI? A lot of people called you crazy? It's a convoluted cockamami idea. It's this move towards socialism. It's all gonna stink, you're gonna lose your job, you're not gonna have anything, so we're gonna give you a big handout. I mean I don't know that that's gonna be inspiring to be pushed to the brink of death and economic collapse to realize that

hey maybe giving people a thousand dollars isn't a bad idea. On my campaign I was talking about how more and more of us are going to get sent home because technology, artificial intelligence robots are going to do more and more of our jobs. And now we've all been sent home. And we see that it's obvious that we have no way to help people survive this crisis but to put money directly into our hands. Okay but how much do you believe that this coronavirus is caused by AI? Is this the first step in the global domination? AI had nothing to do with the coronavirus? Just a coincidence, just a coincidence just a coincidence that now we depend on computers more than ever. I'm to' to thi to to to to thi thi tho tho tho tho tho that, tho that, that, thi that, thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi, but thi, but th thi, but thi, but thi, but thi, but thi thi, but thi thi thi thi, but thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thi thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, thi, thi, the coronavirus. Just a coincidence. Just a coincidence that now we depend on computers more than ever.

I'm talking to you on a computer. I'm also looking at porn on a computer at the same time. Because computers are great like that. You can multitask. Computers are definitely transforming our way of life in ways big and small. But this virus is a totally different phenomenon. Sorry Andrew, I didn't hear any of that was multitasking. So how do you stop this administration from fucking this idea up? Well we tell them just to keep it as simple as possible money in our, regardless of who we are every month, until the crisis is over. And then after the crisis is over, just keep going.

Just say, you know what? Who knows? There could be another crisis around the corner. Do you think we should add an extra $500 for all Asians as a racial profiling rebate? You know, just each of us gets maybe Venmoat a few bucks every time a politician uses the term Chinese virus? I do not think so. I think we should treat everyone the same, Ronnie. Right, gotcha. Let's talk about it in the chat after this.

Uh, I guess the last day I'm wondering is, when you look at what's happening out there, do you think it's too late? I wish we'd acted before, Ronnie, but it's never too late to do the right thing. We just need to start doing the right thing for our people. What? No, I meant, is it too late for you to get back in the race? To run for president as an independent. We need helping the Democrats win in the fall. Okay, got it. So we solve coronavirus first and then vote for Andrew Yang as independent for president of the United States. Got it. No, that's not right. We take care of our people, we get money into our hands, and we get Donald Trump out of there in the fall.

Whatever you say, President Yang. Thanks, Ronnie, not at all what I said, but stay home. Oh, sorry, sorry, I can't hear you. I gotta close this window. Thanks, Ronnie. Thanks, Andrew Yang. When we come back, I'll be talking with the Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer. So stick around.

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 on Apple podcasts starting September 17. Welcome back to the Daily Social Distancing Show. Earlier today, I had the chance to speak with

the Governor of Michigan, Gretchen Whitmer about struggling to get the supplies her state needs from the federal government. And we got to chat about being called the woman governor by President Trump. Check it out. Governor Whitner, thank you so much for taking time out of your day to join us on the daily social distancing show. How are you holding up? You know, we're hanging in. We've got a lot of challenges. And there are a lot of people that are getting sick from COVID-19 and we don't have enough masks and enough PPE for our first responders but that they're doing and I'm working my

tail off to support them. Your state now has, last I checked, the third highest cases of coronavirus in the United States. Dr. Fauci himself said that he's worried about Detroit and Michigan as a whole. Do you have any explanation for why you're seeing such a rapid growth in the cases of your state? Is it because of being a transportation hub? Is it because of an explosion in testing? What do you think is going on right now? I think there are a lot of things that contribute to it.

Detroit is an international destination and it is with our big airport that's, we've got a lotveling in and out. We've got serious poverty issues as well. 40% of our residents live below the ALICE standards. And we know that poverty is a pre-existing condition, right? You don't have access to health care, if you've got higher rates of diabetes or coronary disease. These are all things that exacerbate an illness. But COVID-19 is, you know, without a cure, a vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine vaccine, a cure, a cure, a cure, a cure, a cure, a cure, a cure, a cure, but COVID-19 is, you know, without a cure, without a vaccine, highly contagious and deadly.

We're finding that it's just growing exponentially, despite all the aggressive actions we've taken on the front end, and that's why we need as much help as we can get through more PPE and support for our medical professionals. Let's talk a little bit about getting as much help as you can get. Right now across America, it seems like there's a huge divide and there's a disconnect in understanding whether or not the federal government should be stepping up or whether or not states should be going at it alone. We know that your state has been asking for supplies.

It sounds like your state is not getting the supplies that it needs, but then there are states like Florida, where they've gotten 100% of what they've asked for, and they are nowhere near close to being in the situation that your state is in. Does it feel like there are politics at play with regards to what relationship a state has with the president? Well, all I can say is this. The fact of the matter the matter the matter matter matter matter matter matter matter matter matter matter matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter the matter is the matter is the matter the matter the matter is the matter is the matter is the the the the the the the the tha thathea th. th. th. th. th. th. th. th. thia, the thia, 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 th. thi. thi. thia. thia. thi. thususususususus. thus. to is, toe is, ty. ty. ty. ty. te. te. tea. tea. tea. tea. te fact of the matter is, it's on all of us to remember that the enemy is the virus. It's not one another. It's not the federal government

versus the states. My experience is similar to that of a lot of other governors, and Republican and Democratic, frankly, that we're not getting as much as we hope to from the federal government, and so we've got to supplement that by contracting with anyone anyone the the the the the the the the the to the to to the the the to the to. the federal government. And so we've got to supplement that by contracting with anyone we can find masks from or test kits from. And we're in and up bidding against one another. And it's really a destructive way about going, you know, to fix this problem. A national strategy with a national buying power that actually, in short, everyone had equitable access to what we need when we need it would be

would be the wisest thing to do, but we're in this situation and like governors across this country, I'm going to do everything I can. So whether it is working with businesses inside Michigan, like the big three who are stepping up to start producing components to ventilators, we're going to see you know the arsenal of innovation is going to be right here within our borders, but we've got a lot of work to do. The unfortunate thing is our need is right now. We have a need for not just PPE, but for volunteers. We're looking for people to come into Michigan and help us meet our need.

And, you know, any of your viewers who are interested in that can go to Michigan. to fight COVID-19 and and join the fight with us because it's got to be all hands-on-deck and we are a hot spot right now. It's it's hard to talk with you or speak with you and not ask you about the comments the president made about you. I think you have a shirt that might be exactly that, that woman from Michigan. An extremely dismissive statement and one that sparked a conversation across the country, you know, where Trump flat out said, if you are not nice to him, he will not help you. I believe that Vice President

Mike Pence still called you. Is it difficult for you during this period to be dealing with politics whilst at the same time trying to deal with a crisis? I don't think any of us has energy to deal with politics right now. All of our energy, all of our focus has to be on meeting the needs of our people. People are dying.

Every day we are announcing, you know, the additional people that have tested positive for COVID-19, the number of lives that are lost. Those are stories, those are people who leave loved ones and family. Those are people who relied on a health care system to meet their needs and front-line providers who put their own health at risk to take care of others. I don't have any time to think about fighting anything other than COVID-19 and that's precisely why I say let's not fight one another we are not the enemy this virus is. Right now we know we are chasing a few things. We're hoping to get a vaccine. We're hoping to find treatments for the virus. We're hoping to get ventilators and PPE for people who are

treating the coronavirus. But beyond that all most people can do is stay at home and stay away from other people. As a governor of a large state where many people work in blue collar jobs and they work from paycheck to paycheck, do you worry about a tiping point where people no longer see the positive effects of waiting at home and say no, we're going to go back out into the streets? Are you worried about that at all? Of course I am. You know, each of these orders that we issue as governors,

we heavily on us. When I close bars, I know that that means there are going to be people who get late. I know it means that there will be businesses that will struggle to ever reopen again. I know that 1.5 million million million million million million 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1. kids in my state are not in school and they need an education and half of them get their meals at school because of free and reduced lunch. This every decision we make weighs heavily and has ramifications and I do worry that people will get impatient or start to get feeling you know cabin fever

being at home so much and yet we know with a novel virus for which there's no cure and there's no vaccine and it spreads incredibly, you know, aggressively and it's deadly, that the best thing we can do is not to see one another. And it's really hard for people to get their minds around, but this virus can't transfer from one person to the next if we're not together. And so staying at home is doing your part. And it is a sacrifice, and we recognize that. But that's why it's so important that we make it easier for people to stay home. They're worried about paying their bills,

or worry about putting food on the table. So making sure that we are able to have that kind of support that people need is really important for the health of the individual, for the health of the health of the health of community, for the health of communities, for the health of communities, for community, for community, for community, for community, for their community, for their, for their, for their, for their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and the the to to the the to bea, and to bea, and to be, and to be, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and their, and the the the the the the th.... And. And, and th. And, and the th. And, the the thii. And, the the the th th th th toooomorrow, thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. thea. the th th th the individual, for the health of communities, for the health of our economy in the long run. And that's why everyone's got to do their part. Well, I'm hoping everyone takes your word. Hopefully, the federal government will be getting you what you need and good luck to you and your constituents. Hopefully we'll be speaking to you on the other side.

Thank you so much for your time, Governor. Thank you so much for that, Governor Whitmer. Well, that's our show for today. Before we go, we want to keep reminding you that doctors and nurses out there need our help to get the protective gear that they need. So please, if you can help, go to Thrive Global's First Responders First and donate whatever you can help them get PPE, so that the people saving lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives lives. to to to to tothem get PPE so that the people saving lives right now can protect themselves. And if you want to help in New York specifically, you can go to New York Mayors Fund COVID-19 response and donate there. Stay safe out there, wash your hands. Remember to change your underwear at least once a week,

and I'll see you again tomorrow. The Daily Show with Trevor No, 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. 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. 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.

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