The Daily Show: Ears Edition - Trump Suddenly Sides with Ukraine & MAGA Spins Conspiracies About U.N. Escalator | Sebastian Murphy

Episode Date: September 25, 2025

Jordan Klepper covers how Putin's f**kboi antics pushed Trump into Ukraine's arms, while Grace Kuhlenschmidt and the rest of MAGA unravel a sick plot to prank the president in a conspiracy that starts at the bottom of a malfunctioning U.N. escalator and goes all the way to the top. Sebastian Murphy, the frontman of Swedish punk band Viagra Boys, sits down with Jordan Klepper to talk about their latest album, “viagr aboys.” They discuss how the band got its name, the Mariah Carey song that brought them together, moving to Sweden after growing up in America, and the band’s satirical and often hypermasculine-parodying resistance music that lets audiences know “freaks are welcome.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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You're listening to Comedy Central. From the most trusted journalists at Comedy Central, it's America's only sorts for news. This is The Daily Show with your host, Jordan Clever. Welcome to the day of the show. I'm Jordan Clap, where we got so much to talk about tonight. Ukraine gets a much-needed morale boost. The right takes victimization to a whole new level, and Donald Trump faces his greatest enemy. A short flight of stairs. So, let's get into headlines. It's no secret Donald Trump sympathizes with Russia in its war against Ukraine. He blamed Ukraine for getting invaded. He berated its president in the Oval Office.

and he made the ultimate gesture of friendship to Vladimir Putin, picking him up at the airport. So, safe to assume he spent this week at the UN continuing his full-throated support of Russia. Breaking news we were following this morning. President Trump reversed his position on the war in voice confidence that Ukraine can regain its territory seized by Russia. Trump writing, in part, Ukraine would be able to take back their country in its original form,

and who knows, maybe even go further than that. Damn! Trump went from Ukraine needs to accept Russian invasion to they need to invade Russia. When this all began, Trump said he'd end this war on day one, and instead, we've now joined both sides. I guess you can't lose a war if you're on both sides. Now, let's not overreact here.

Trump isn't exactly known for his consistent positions. He could just as easily switch sides again tomorrow if he, I don't know, gets complimented by, by a Russian lady or sees a photo of that dog that looks like Vladimir Putin. Oh, who pushes his opponents out the window? You do. You do. Ooh.

But still, this is a surprising development. Maybe Trump changed his position after coming to a better understanding of the geopolitical implications of the situation. Or, perhaps, it was something a bit more personal. Last month, President Trump rolled out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin in Alaska, but is now sharing frustration.

I thought that was going to be the easiest one because of my relationship with Putin, but unfortunately, that's it. Relationship didn't mean anything. Oh. This season of the Golden Bachelor is fucking weird. Thank you.

Hey, you know what? You know what? Don't get down on yourself, Donald. It's not your fault. the relationship didn't work out? Who could have known not to trust Russian dictator Vladimir Putin? You're not a mind reader? But whether it was pursuing

strategic objectives or merely getting tired of boys, this was a major development. Unfortunately, it was overshadowed by another international incident. The president was joined by the First Lady today

as he made his big address at the United Nations. But they had a bit of trouble on the way. They were taking an effort. escalator when it stopped working, leaving the first couple, no other choice, but to walk the rest of the way up.

Yeah. I like how he's just looking around with it broke thinking, do I walk up these 15 stairs or do I just live here now? But hey, this is a pretty standard inconvenience. I'm sure we will never hear about it again. Unless, of course, there's an entire right-wing media apparatus built on grievance in hyperbole that wants to breathlessly recount it

as a heroin brush with danger. Trump and Melania were riding it up, and it just stopped. The first lady lost her balance a bit, but steadied herself, thankfully, and then marched to the top. She could have been hurt. It came to a grinding halt, and you can even see them kind of slightly lurching forward.

This is serious stuff as sitting ducks if, God forbid, there was a security threat. They could have hurt the most beautiful, first lady in American history. Oh, my God, you monsters. We're not talking about some Uggo Eleanor Roosevelt here, no. You could have heard someone hot.

It's a good thing Melania's in such good shape, and it's a good thing Trump's ankles are the size of car tires. You all laughed at his cancels, but guess who's sturdy as a redwood? This canckel-haven mother-b-b-kir. Now, the U.N. released a statement

saying somebody at the top of the escalator inadvertently triggered a safety mechanism. So it seems like the whole thing is just a silly coincidence. Coincidence or sabotage? It doesn't look like a coincidence to me. Something more nefarious happening than just simple technical glitches.

Absolute sabotage. I've been caught on like five elevators in my life. An escalator has never stopped working mid-escalation. I find it bizarre that just coincidentally all these things just, don't happen to work for the president when they work for everybody else. Are we really doing this?

Are we going all in on the president being a victim of escalator sabotage? Because the deep state wants him to get his steps in? Can we just have a day, people? I will admit, it's a little suspicious that the escalator just happened to break for Trump.

But, on the other hand, things do break a lot. lot around him. You know, I pay all this money to teleprompter people, and I'd say 20% of the time they don't work. They don't work. And I apologize for those lights. The only place I don't have a light up here. I feel like I'm in a sauna. So I don't know what hotel this is, but you ought to try turning on the air conditioning. I think this mic stinks, by the way. So maybe it's not a coincidence. I mean, why does everything around Trump break? Is he being followed around by Gremlins? Is that...

Okay, yeah, maybe. Maybe that could be. That might be it. That might be it. So conservative media is furious that Trump was attacked by a stopped escalator. And apparently, some of them are furious that his people did nothing about it. But that's a major security failure. And I was more stunned at the reaction.

Like, the leader of the free world is on the escalator. service looking like, what do we do? Yeah, what do we do? Do we just let this grown man walk upstairs? What do you want Secret Service to do? Wouldn't it have been more embarrassing if they had rushed

in and made a big deal out of it? Thrown Trump over their shoulder like a kid having a meltdown leaving the Magic Kingdom? Well, look, there's no point trying to reason with them now. The right wing train is leaving the station, so naturally the White House is jumping on board. Well, there was some concerning reporting over the weekend from the London Times,

as you pointed out, that UN globalist staffers were basically plotting to set up the president of the United States. And if we find that these were UN staffers who were purposefully trying to trip up, literally trip up the president and the First Lady of the United States, well, there better be accountability for those people. And I will personally see to it, Jesse. Can you people please decide if Trump is the strongest man who has ever walked the earth or a sickly child with hollow bird bones who will crumble if he walks up three stairs? Now remember, the UN already gave an official explanation about why the escalator stopped. But see if you think the president's TV friends are buying it.

The spokesperson for the UN General Secretary said that, As the videographer, who was traveling, I don't buy this, by the way, was traveling backwards up the escalator, reached the top, the First Lady, followed by the President Trump, each mounted the steps at the bottom. At that moment, it was 9.50 a.m. if you're counting at home. The escalator came to a stop. Dot, dot, dot. Dot, dot. We're making ellipsies feel sinister now. What are these dots? What are they hiding? And don't get me started on semicolens. Are you a period? or a comma, pick one. But also, why does Brian Kilme think he knows better than the UN officials? What makes him an expert on escalators?

It's never happened to me before. I do a lot of shopping. You've got a lot of malls. Go to the second floor where the men's stuff is. I go right to the men's floor. I don't stop at the kids' floor. No, no, no. I shop in the men section,

even though sometimes a kid's double-x-L is basically a men's small and the designs are cooler, but that's totally not where I shop. that sometimes I sneak into the Spencer Gifts where my mom's not looking. Look, you know what? I'm sorry, I interrupted you. Brian Kilmead, I'm sure this story

is going somewhere. Go to the second floor where the men's stuff is, you know, because you're walking on the first floor. It never happened to me. That's great. That's it. Your whole story about the escalator is that you also once went up an escalator. Another fascinating addition to the discourse.

And if I may also add, I, too, have been on an escalator. Uh, that's great. For more on Escalator Gate and the controversy around it, we turn to Grace Koolenshmit. Great. Grace, wait a bit, why are you at a parking garage? Because I'm investigating, Jordan. I've been talking to my sources and let me tell you, this escalator story

goes all the way to the top. And then flattens out and goes back down to the bottom. Okay. Wait. Are you saying the Fox News people are right that there's more to this story? You better believe it, bitch. The deep state has all sorts of plans. for Donald Trump.

I'm talking somebody getting on his elevator, then pushing all the buttons, and then jumping out. I'm talking about those car door locks that keep unlocking just as he tries to pull it open, so he tries it again just as they unlock it again, and he's like, God damn it, just let me unlock it. I'm talking removing the latch on the bathroom stall, so he's got to do that little football squat thing

where he holds the door while pinching a loaf. Okay. But what's the point? It seems kind of silly. Silly. Really, Jordan? You think it's silly that Donald Trump

almost fell down a flight of stairs at the UN? Our beloved president toppling backwards his legs flying over his head. Hitting every step going down. Doi, doy, doy, doy, do it. Is that funny?

Landing on his butt. His pants splitting wide open in front of every world leader while the king of England says, good heavens, I saw testicle. Would that be funny to you? Yes. It would. It would be funny, yes.

Frankly, Grace, frankly, I just doubt that there is some global prank-prank conspiracy. Oh, so I guess I just woke up this morning with my hand in a bowl of warm water for no reason? No, it's because, they know I'm getting close. Grace, look. It doesn't need this big investigation. It's just an escalator malfunction.

Oh, is that right? He, Jordan, let me tell you a story. When I was 12 years old, all I wanted most in the world was a dress for my middle school dance. So I went to the mall, and I took an escalator to the second floor because that's where the teen stuff is because you walk in on the first floor. Is that the whole story?

Yeah, I was on an escalator once. Yeah, that's great. Great Schoolishman, everyone. We come back, Sebastian Murphy, a Viagra Boys. We'll be joined in us. Don't go away. During the Volvo Fall Experience event, discover exceptional offers and thoughtful design

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To deliver a quality product at a fair price while paying your people what they're worth too, so your business can stay unfazed. Learn more at SAP.com slash uncertainty. Welcome back to the Daily Show. My guest tonight is the front man of the band, Viagra Boys, whose latest album is called Viagra A Boys. Please welcome Sebastian Murphy.

I will say this, Sebastian. When I read the title of this new album, Viagra A Boy. Oh, you're wrong. Am I wrong? Yeah. It's Viagger, boys. It's Viag because the A... It's self-titled.

It feels like you were... We asked you before, and it feels like you're f***ed us. Yeah, yeah, it's just a little bit... I think it's... No, we made a poster, actually. We did a poster once, and then I wanted, like, I wanted it to look symmetrical. Right.

And I think it's the same amount of letters on each side, so I'm like, let's just do that. Right. And then it ended up... You ever have to say it out loud? a rarity to have to say the title of, because everybody's like, oh, it's just Viagra Boys, the album? You're like, this is probably the first time, yeah. This is the first time. How does it feel?

Does it feel good? It feels weird. I don't know. I don't like it. I don't like it anymore. I don't like. Yeah, fair. When it was announced on our show that Biagra Boys was coming to perform, you have a lot of fans here, including myself, for big Viagra Boys fans. Hell yeah. And then you also had people in the building who didn't know Viagra Boys, and they just saw

what's coming on the show, Viagra Boys. And they wondered if it was like a health conscious pro-masculinity group, like a subpar sketch comedy group that was coming out. Where did the, where did Viagra boys come from? Well, the name came from a friend of mine who was just at the time. When we started the band, we were pretty, uh, uh, uh, f***-up people at the time. Yeah, yeah. And, uh, you know, now I got my shit together.

But, um, but back then, uh, we were on a lot of stimulants and stuff like that. And the actual use of Viagra was necessity. Which is weird, it's different from, you know, most people, they're young and they, you know, everything works, and then they get old and it doesn't for me. It was, I was young and nothing worked. And then I grew up and look at me now, you know. Is it true? I read somewhere that this band, your being a part of this band owes a lot to Mariah Carey? That's true.

That's how my bassist found out my incredible talent was, We were at a karaoke show for some, a friend of ours who was her birthday party, and I sang, my go-to karaoke song is We Belong Together by Mariah Carey. Is that right? Yep. Yeah. I can't sing it anymore. I don't know why, but I used to be able to hit those high notes.

But that is what drew them in? But that's, but then my bass is on. He's like, hey, man, you want to start a punk band or what? This is happening in Sweden, is that correct? This is in Sweden. So you grew up in America. Grew up in America. I fled. How is property in Sweden?

Is there any available? There is. It's cheap. Rent's cheap. You know, it's, you don't have to pay, what is it, like $2,000 a month to live in some shithole apartment like you do here. Hey, to be fair, it's $4,000 a month to live in a shithole. And we appreciate it.

And you get to work four jobs. Yes, yes. The American Dream. The American Dream. No, I feel like I moved to Sweden to actually live the... American dream. Yeah. How is that? What is it like to move there? You were like 17? I was 17. Yeah, it's, you know, it was great. It was a bit of a culture shock. Swedes don't really... I mean, they, I guess they like Americans, but, you know,

they like them, like, as a novelty, a little, you know, like, oh, yeah, cool. And then, like, hamburgers, and then they're like, yeah, yeah, go sit somewhere else, you know. But luckily, I speak, I speak fluent Swedish, so I was able to. nestle myself into the Swedish culture. To get in there. What's it like coming back now, doing an American tour? I know there are some... It's scary.

It's... Well, I mean, some groups are choosing not to, or they're canceling tours. Was that a conversation you guys did? That was a conversation, for sure. But at the same time, I kind of feel like our fans, like, I feel like, you know, they deserve to hear, you know, resistance music as well.

Yeah. And, you know, I feel like I'm... I come here to play for like-minded people, hopefully. You know, not everyone has to think exactly like, me, but it's not like I'm going to be like, oh, these, you know, because the people that go to our shows, for the most part, they aren't the, they aren't the ones snatching people off the streets and, you know, you know.

You're not getting about it. Yeah. And, yeah. I mean, it is curious because I feel like your music is not to, I mean, it's, call it punk rock, but I feel like a lot of the lyricism in many ways it feels like, at least from a, outside looking in, you're inhabiting a character or you sort of play this heightened version or at times as written from a perspective of like a hyper-masculinity, almost to the point

of like dysfunctional male perspective in a way that's very funny. I mean, well, I am a dysfunctional man. Are you satirizing something or are you just living your truth? It is satire, but at the same time, it's, you know, it's a bit, you know, that's kind of how you get over, but that's how you change as well as, you know, admitting to your own fault. and, you know, doing some investigative journalism into your own soul. So, yeah, I mean, I think it's 50-50, satire 50-50, my truth.

Yeah, for sure. How do you start with an idea there? Are you starting with that in mind? Like, it does feel like in 2025, like the punk scene in and of itself is always speaking towards or against, oftentimes, authority. And now we're in this weird time, in America-specific. Like, that feels like you're under the weight of the time that we are in. Do you, do you grapple with that?

Is that a place that you started from creatively? Not really. Like, I don't really... God, I got to move to Sweden. I got to tell you. No, but there's not too many... I mean, like, dude, it bums me out to think about that shit all the time. Like, you know, so I usually, you know, maybe, you know,

I'll start writing a song from maybe just my perspective of kind of what I'm seeing around me and not instead like, oh yeah, this is what, you know, like, like freedom or like we need to fight for our rights to you know i'm not a i don't feel like i'm a good enough commentator on what's going on i you know what i can only what what i can do is speak my you know what i see and how i perceive it and i perceive things in a kind of f***ing way but but hopefully you know but it obviously resonates with some people yeah so i mean when you come here what do you help american audiences take away from it um just that you can be yourself and, you know, and be whoever the hell you want to be.

And, you know, that, you know, freaks are welcome. Freaks are welcome. Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, I mean, to be fair, on this latest album, there is a song that investigates what it's like when somebody's partner falls in love with a body that's found in a bog. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Well, that's almost, that was actually kind of a true story, too. Right, right? Well, I mean, not entirely, but my fiancé, she spends a lot of time, like, like reading on weird stuff. I've talked to these people before. She was just like find one subject

and then she's in it for, you know, like weeks. She's, oh, did you know that bog buddies are blah? And I'm like, I don't want to hear any more about these f***ing bog buddies. And then she was at a museum one day where they have a lifelike creation of Sweden's most famous bog body. But they made what he would look like, you know,

made out of wax. She was taking all these sexy photos with him and kissing him. and, like, she was showing her tits and doing all this. And I was like, this motherfucker. And so that's why I wrote the song. And, too, to be clear, is there, is that a trope in Sweden, bog bodies? Is that there is a most famous problem?

It is a thing, you know? It's a kink for something. Which in and of itself is a perfectly preserved corpses. Yeah, yeah. Well, tonight you're giving us pyramid of health. Yeah, yeah. Is that inspired by Tylenol? Yeah, it is.

Yeah, yeah. It's, you know, don't take Tylenol, folks. You can grow a tail or whatever, you know. Who knows? But, yeah, it's, yeah, it's inspired by pseudo-health bullshit, you know? Burning Man, all that crap. I want to say it right. Viagra, a boy.

Viagra. Viagra. A boy. A boy. Viagre. Or Viagrebois. Viagra boys. It's available now.

Oh, hi, buddy. Who's the best? You are. I wish I could spend all day with you instead. Uh, Dave, you're off mute. Hey, happens to the best of us. Enjoy some goldfish cheddar crackers. Goldfish have short memories.

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Your moment is end. You are married to Stephen Miller. What is it like being married to such a sexual matador? He is an incredibly inspiring man who gets me going in the morning with his speeches being like, let's start the day. I am going to defeat the left. and we are going to win. He wakes up the day,

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