June 17, 2024 • 32 mins
Charlamagne Tha God goes Behind the Show to unpack his recent ‘In My Opinion’ piece with TDS writer, Ashton Womack, on the Democrats' messaging problem. He also discusses the actual spectrum of conservatism within the Black community, how the media twists his words, and the genius of of “The Boondocks” creator, Aaron McGruder, who is featured in Charlamagne’s new book, “Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks.”
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
You're listening to Comedy Central. Hello, and welcome to the
Daily Show Ears edition. This is Ashton Walmack. I am
a writer for the Daily Show, and we are back
in the podcast studio with none other than Charlemagne and
(00:21):
the guy. Welcome as brother a chilling, chilling. I want
to talk to you about this piece we've been working on. Biden,
fuck him up.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Let's do it, Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
This piece is very fun. I'm always interested in the
ideas that you come in to bring. Last time we
talked about DEI. This time we're talking about your in
my opinion piece about the Democrats messaging to voters.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Before Democrats even worry about explaining their side of an issue,
they need to learn something more basic, how to talk
like real people. Yeah, and I'm sure that possible. Yeah,
and I'm sure that possible, because you know who's good
at it talking not ask Republicans. The Biden administration shucks
(01:03):
said communists, they're Marxists, they're radical left Democrats.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
The sick people. There were riots burning down the country
over George Floyd. And I'm really sick and tired of
the bullshit annex I have to deal with constantly.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
You see that you see that Congress could pay off
the whole deficit by giving Marjorie Taylor Green. That's where jar.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah, to tell me, what was the inspiration for the
peace What about their communication is not getting to Charlottage.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
The inspiration for the piece was the fact that Democrats
suck in messaging, the fact that they don't talk like
normal people talk. And it's not about dumbing down like
I saw somebody say that. Somebody say that. They was like,
why do they have to dumb down? It's not about
dumbing down. You could be the smartest person in the world,
the most intellectual person in the world, if you don't
know how to message what you know, what's the point
of having all that intelligence. Part of being intelligent is
(01:51):
being a great communicator and saying what it is that
you know in a way that people can understand.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Make the message palpable to the people so we can
actually agree.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
With That's right. And I think for the past year
what we've really been seeing when you have a person
like a Donald Trump, you know, with all of the
criminal charges, with the four years we saw him in
the White House, we saw him leading an attempt to
cool his country. He says things that he wanted to
terminate the constitution to overthrow resultment election. We've seen him
(02:20):
do all of this wild stuff, but yet he still
could possibly win in November. That means that President Biden
in his administration, whatever they're doing, they're not messaging to
the people in a way that the people can understand
and know. Okay, this is who we should absolutely ride
(02:43):
with in November. Trump's more sincere about his lives and
Democrats are about the truth. And I can tell you,
I can tell you simple ways of why they're messaging
is better. You know, they can say the boarder is
fucked up, we got to close the border. People are
coming into this country under documented things aren't safe, right,
(03:03):
and people will hear that, like the people in communities
will hear that, but more more and more importantly ask
they'll feel it. I tell people got mad at me
back in January because I was doing an interviewing somebody,
U dude for Fox News. Joseph asked me. The Fox
News digital guy asked me, do I think the border
is gonna be a problem come November? And I said yes.
(03:23):
And the reason I said yes, it's because I'm talking
to people and people are telling me, like whether it's
activists in Chicago and they're like, you know, we hate
that these migrants are coming over here and getting resources
that you know, homeless people here have never gotten. Are
poor people on the South Side have never gotten. I'm
talking to people here in New York and they're telling
me about how, you know, their neighborhoods are unsafe because
they're being over run by gangs that are coming in,
(03:46):
you know, from from from from the border, and like,
I'm like, wow, are when Mayor Eric Adams closed the
school down for a day and made all the kids
do remote learning while he housed the migrants fortnight, ul
like that pisses people off, Like you know how many
people who were calling the radio station mad about that.
And I'm telling you real conversations that I had with people,
(04:07):
not just on the radio, but people telling me in
my eyes, looking me in my eyes in tears, wanting
me to say something about what's going on in their neighborhoods.
Are listening to these activists in Chicago when they're telling
me what's going on. So when I repeat that, the left,
MSNBC says, I'm spreading maga messaging. You know what I mean? Meanwhile,
I'm just talking about them. I'm just saying what the
(04:29):
people are saying. But guess what, you know who had
been saying that Republicans.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, So when Republicans were doing things like putting you know,
the migrants on the buses and on the planes and
sending them to the sanctuary cities, and then now you
got people in these sanctuary cities like the mayor Caatas,
and they're like, Yo, no more, we can't do it,
send them back, YadA.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
YadA, YadA.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
When you got Vice President Kamalahara saying, Yo, don't come
over here no more. You got President Biden saying don't
come over here. So when stuff like that happens, it
makes it seem Likeservatives had it right the whole time.
That's just good messaging.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
No, no, now, I hear you on that. I want
to say, I hear you say, Democrats they're ignoring the crisis.
Conservatives they say that, but they also add the racism
part in it. That's like, how can you take the
Republicans message at its whole value. Yes, they're talking about
a problem like the border crisis, but they're also dragging
in what feels like racism into it. How do you
(05:24):
separate that?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
You're absolutely right, But you don't, And I'll tell you
why you don't, Because everybody gets what they want from
whatever message you're delivering. All they're saying is something needs
to be done at the border. That's it. So everybody
will have their own different reasons as to why they
think something should be done at the border. Yes, there's
a lot of you know, Republicans who are just rooted
(05:47):
in racism when it comes to it. But most people
that I know, I'm not even talking about this Conservatives'.
People that I know that are feeling the brunt of
what's happening at the border right now are people who
you know, feel like migrants are getting more resources that
they've never gotten and because they feel like their communities
are unsafe. So people forget what you did, they'll forget
(06:07):
what you said, Ashton, They'll never forget how you made
them feel. So it's just a feeling. So when you
can tap into, you know, the language that reflects someone's feelings,
you got them. You got them, and Democrats just haven't
learned how to get them.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Yeah, it's just that simple, I feel you. It's the
sanitize language they use. It's just talking in circles. They
just do word salads to us, and it feels like
we get nothing from them. Meanwhile, Republicans can come out
and be like these Mexicans, am I right, and they'll
be like, yeahs, I totally feel.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
It, and as wild right, everybody wants border security. It's
not like Democrats don't want security. Everybody wants border security.
They just want it. They want documented immigrants, right, Like
it's really that simple. They want it. They want to
be able to know who's coming in this country, why
they're here, where they're at. All of that. We know
that both parties, you know, say that's what they want,
(07:01):
but one party, the Republicans, will say build the wall, right,
and the Democrats are like, no, don't build the wall.
But it's like, why are you saying that. You know
that there needs to be some type of border security,
whether it's a wall, whether it's a fence, whatever it is,
you know it needs to be some type of border security.
(07:24):
You just want it to be in a humane way,
and you want to be able to treat these you know,
individuals coming across the border like people. But it's like yo,
they lose they lose. They lose the fight, and I
want to and they both do this to each other.
I'm not even going to say it's just Democrats. They
both lose the fight because they're too busy warring about
who's going to get the credit for closing the border
(07:47):
or not closing but getting the border under control as
opposed you know, they're worried about getting getting the credit
as opposed to just you know, doing something for the people.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well, and I mean, I have not no listening. I'm
not no Biden caper, no nothing. I'm just a black
man in America. But what was it? What just happened?
Trump basically told the Republicans, Yeah, Biden is about to
do some immigration reform at the border.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Don't do it.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Don't do it, absolut wait until I do it. So
even you know, And maybe that's a better messaging from
Biden being him being like, hey, I've tried to bring
some more control at the border. But Trump is telling
his own people to stop me. He could be absolutely
better on letting people know I try to do.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
A Biden should have said, what I thought you wanted
to build the wall, I'm trying to help you finish
building the wall. Let's build the wall.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Biden starts saying, build the wall.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I'm serious, I'm trying to help you build the wall. Listen,
Let's build the wall, because all build a wall is
is symbolism for we need to get the border under control.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yeah, but then we got to watch it because you
know then be like also Kids in Cages, which is
just a metaphor for.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
The kids in cages was around since President Obama. So
it's like everybody needs to stop trying to politicize things
and actually try to get things done for the American people.
And the things you are getting done, you just got
to know how to message correctly the folks absolutely, or
even the things you want to get done, you got
to know how to message correctly to folks. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
No, that's optics and messaging is literally ninety nine point
nine percent of battle. But speaking of we were talking
about Trump and the GOP, but I want to talk
about Trump appealing to black voters and his messaging to
black voters. In the piece, we talk about how some
black voters lean towards Trump because they appreciate when someone
sounds authentic, even when they're lying. Do you think Trump's
(09:30):
authenticity or bravado. Is that more appealing to people than
actual policy.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
I don't know, and I don't believe that, you know,
black people are leaning towards Donald Trump. I think all
those poll numbers are overstated. I think what you might
be getting right now is just a natural, you know,
frustration that a lot of black people feel around this
time of year. And by the way, I don't even
know nobody who's been polled. You have been pulled.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
No, I've never been polled. I've never no one's asked
me a single question on my pology. Not even get
polled here when I got hired, Like.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
You's what I'm saying, So, who are these black people
that they talking to? I don't see. I think the
last number I saw was like twenty two percent of
black people.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
That is always, that is always whenever you see Republican
numbers for black people, just know it is ascwed. It's
a right way to saying, take is not it is fake.
Black people support Democrats and over we're the most consistent
voting block for Democrats, and it's like, hands down every
single year. So it's almost it's almost, uh, it's really
patronized when people to act like black people are. We're
(10:30):
becoming the reason why Trump or any Republicans are going
to win when it's white women and white men.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
That's right. I don't even know why they keep trying
to push Trump on us. It's like, nah, bro, that's
you all, nigga, don't do that like that, Like Donald
Trump is the Frankenstein monster of white supremacy, Like that's y'all.
Like they ain't got nothing to do with us, okay,
Like everything that y'all are experiencing with Donald Trump is
what happens when privilege goals unchecked. Like, I ain't got
(10:55):
nothing to do with us. I don't know why even
try to keep pushing Trump Trump Trump on black people today? No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Well speaking, I think that goes directly to point out
a question I was going to ask, how does black
Republicans messaging to black people work for you? Because I'm
gonna say I know what the piece is about, like
how Republicans messaging is a little bit better, but personally,
I think Black Republicans messaging is god awful.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yeah, it's different, right, because I think one thing that
people are making a distinction with is you know what
a conservative is and what this new Maga shit is
and there's a difference. And you know the Republicans who
are just allowing MAGA to take over their party and
they're allowing you know, MAGA to become what the Republican
Party is. It's like, man, y'all are losing a lot
(11:39):
of you know, real conservative values for this extreme you know,
right wing shit. And it's and then you know, Republicans
on the flip side will say, all the Democrats lost
us because they got people that are too far left.
So I think what you need right now is for
people to just come back in the center, like you
need more moderates on both parties because when I hear
(12:01):
I've heard black conservatives talk throughout the years. I know
plenty of black conservatives. I know mad black conservatives before
this Maga stuff. They didn't sound as ridiculous, you know,
back then as they do now because most of them
just do that because of the economy. It's all financial. Literally, Republicans,
most Republicans I know period.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I'm one hundred percent with you all. My my uncles
who are being Republican, they just they money. They just
like money that they like Trump Trump said, Trump stand
on business. I'm like half of his businesses are bankrupt.
He ain't standing on not too many. But that's my uncles.
They they are attracted to literally what you do money.
That's it's a conservative thing.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
By the way. Uh, everybody is attracted. I don't want
to say it's not even about being attracted to Trump
once again. People will they'll forget what you said, they'll
forget what you did. They just remember how you made
them feel. People felt like there was more money in
their pockets when Trump was in office, because it's what
people forget. It was a pandemic here. It was motherfucking COVID.
(13:05):
It took millions of people to die for you to
get that stimulus check. And that's what it took. It took.
It took millions of people to die in an economy
to shut down for you to get those PPP loans
and whatever other small business loans you was getting. But
nobody cares to what we were just talking about about
the racism with the border. Nobody cares because they only
care about how they personally feel. So they got that
(13:27):
check that said, oh, Donald Trump on it, and it
was some extra money, and they got that twice. These
pp P loans I'm from Monst Corner, South Carolina. You
know how many people I know who got PPP loans,
who got trailers now, who were able to get some
renovations done on.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Their house, not even there's no everybody I know, everybody
I know, millennials, gen Z struggling there. It is no
John Mark is terrible. Everybody I know. They got those
little checks. It was the first time I've ever seen
in my friend's life, like a light in their eyes.
Yea freedom like they were like, I've never been happier
(14:02):
than the moments I was getting those checks. And I
didn't have to. You know, people were saying it was free,
like they were just giving out free money, you didn't
have to.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
But people died for that money. Yeah. And by the way,
that's the only way that's going to happen for you again,
is if there's another pandemic and we don't want that.
And I'm gonna tell you something else. Democrats have a
very elitist attitude when it comes to those stimulus checks.
I've talked to so many you know, left leaning liberals,
Democrats who are in media, and I'm not gonna say
any of the these, but they've said things to me like,
(14:32):
if you can be moved by a fifteen hundred dollars
check or twelve hundred dollars check, whatever it was, then
I don't want to fucking talk to you no way.
And I remember telling that person you are out of
touch with what's going on in the hood, My brother,
you are out of touch with what's going on in
our communities. Man. These people are strug gull leging it.
And you've been rich too long. Yeah, if you hit
(14:53):
fifteen hundred dollars, ain't gonna change somebody's.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Dating, life changing money, life changing. Y. Somebody to give
somebody two hundred dollars right now?
Speaker 2 (15:02):
The light?
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Just watch the joy fifteen hundred right and.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
And guess what you know? How uh, you know how
ridiculous you have to be to ignore what you're seeing
in front of your eyes. And what I mean by
that is you're saying that that those stimulus checks couldn't
be that effective. But people still talking about him four
years later.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Yo.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
You know who knew how? You know who knew how
impactful they were going to be? Donald Trump? That's why
he put his name on him. That's why he put
his name on him.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
And I know that I know that's facts because when
I was thirteen, I think I was thirteen eleven, George
Bush dropped, he dropped some check, but Bushbucks br I
remember that only coming I didn't get a single down
for my mama. My mama went so happy.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Ash I knew nothing. By the way, I knew nothing
about politics. I wasn't even concerned about politics. But I
remember in the hood when everybody was getting Bushbucks for
the same reason you just said, because everybody, my daddy,
my aunt's uncle, everybody was like, yo, we just got
I think it was like eleven hundred, twelve dollars somebody,
I don't think it was. That might be like seven hundred.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
That is so, I thought it was like three hundred.
I thought.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
I don't even know. I don't even know if it
was in the thousands. I just remember everybody was so
excited that they was getting them bush Bucks.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I remember Mama fixed the alternator on her Mustang, and
I ignored all the ship that all the races was
talking about. You know what I'm saying, just completely. I
was like, yeah, y'all right, no, no, I'm able to
ride to school now. I gotta ride to school now.
Y'all gonna say whatever.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
The fuck y'all want. I had a whole because of
bush Bucks. I said that President Biden needed to hold
like a big town hall, and he needs to have,
of course his vice president with him, but he should
have all his like all the sarrogates that people actually appreciate, right,
like the Governor Shapiro's, right, the Wes Moors. I would
(16:46):
even have Congress women like Jasmine Crockett and AOC that
would make it a big spectacle. And I would say, look, man,
I know, I know that the American people are hurting
right now. I want to give you all a little
something for your gas and your groceries. So we're about
to go to Congress and ask to pass this bill
to get all of y'all another stemmy, another stimulus check
twelve out, whatever it is. Make it a big, big, big,
(17:09):
big spectacle, because you know they're gonna turn it down.
So when they turn it down, you make big noise
about it. We tried to give y'all more money, but
the Republicans in Congress won't vote for it. But we
want to give y'all more.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Next time Biden come up there to say you ain't black.
You gotta drop that, you gotta drop that into it.
But that's that's messaging. No, that's marketing. And Biden, you know,
we got an old ass president. I feel like old
people like to give away money. That should be every
time I go to my grandma house, I'm bad. I'm
getting money.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
So like with them, with the Weathers, with the Worthers originals, exactly,
she pepples.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
She pulling the twenty out of titty, and she's making
me get some. Right. See, we're gonna take a quick break.
We'll be right back. We're back with Charlottage and the
God right now. Your voice is an important voice, specifically
(18:06):
for black people. Democrats Republicans, they like to use you,
as I think, like a I don't want to say
a litmus test for what black people are thinking, but
they they use you to go for where when they
want to hear what black people are thinking. And I
noticed that whenever you criticize Democrats, Republicans love to pick
it up and frame it in a way that makes
(18:27):
it seems like you're pro Trump. How do you feel
about trying about trying to navigate this current landscape while
criticizing the Democrats without being used as a mouthpiece for
the Republican Party. It's however they want to frame it
on their end.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
How do you feel. I talk about that in the
book Get Out as a die line, But I mean,
what you said is absolutely true. But it's honestly nothing
you can do about that, because I don't even get
mad at the right for doing what the right does.
I know the right has a narrative, and their narrative
right now is that black people are supporting Trump, like
you know people are. The black people are leaving the
Democratic Party to support Donald Trump, which I which I
(19:03):
believe is very overstated. So anything that pushes that narrative
they're gonna run with. So if I go on a
TV program, whether it's The View, whether it's This Week ABC,
and I can say Donald Trump is a democracy, I
can say Donald Trump let an attempt to cool his country.
I can say, you know, Donald Trump wanted to determinate
the constitutional the results of an election. I say this
(19:24):
everywhere I go. There's no place I go where I
don't say that vert batim.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I saw you say it on Gutfield or one of them.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Yes, and I'm gonna get to that. But I can
say that and then somebody will say, well, what about Biden, Well,
Biden's uninspiring candidate with no main character energy. Fox News
is gonna take that and run that over and over.
And when I was here on the Daily Show and
I said Joe Biden need to step down, I didn't
say nothing that David Axelrod didn't say. I didn't say
nothing that you know, millions of other Democrats haven't at
(19:52):
least thought about, are said out loud things.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Everybody is thinking absolut that's right.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
If he if they're not a winnable ticket, which we
don't know if they are this time around, but if
we don't think they're a winnable ticket, the stakes are
too high to play, so maybe he should step down.
I said that here. Fox News will take that run
with it one hundred miles pour. Then what the left does,
instead of actually going to watch everything I said in
this totality and taking what they need to push their narrative,
(20:21):
they respond to Fox News narrative. And then all these
freaking digital dickheads on social media start attacking me because
of the headlines that Fox News is putting out there.
But I'm saying everything you need about Trump as well,
and I'm posing questions that we should at least have
a discussion about, saying, then should at least have a
discussion is the Biden Harris a winnable ticket? Is Biden
(20:44):
the best bet you know for November? And by the way,
the only reason I even bought that up was because
Joe Biden himself said he thinks it's about fifty other
people who can beat Donald Trump in the Democratic Party.
So if that's the case, where they at?
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Where does that where they at?
Speaker 2 (21:02):
So there's there's really nothing you can do about it.
The only thing I would encourage, you know, left media
to do is push the narratives that you need to
push out, because all you're doing is amplifying propaganda. You're
taking what Fox News is saying, amplifying, you know, amplifying it.
And now everybody's like Charlamagne supports Donald Trump. I never
(21:22):
said that. I went on the View and Sonny said
to me, you know, this is not the time to
sit out. I never said I was sitting out of
an election. I never said that. I just said I'm
not telling people who to vote for.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Yeah, it seems like if you criticize the Democratic Party
that automatically makes you pro Trump, which is like the
basic like third gradest politics. But you have a unique
ability that seems you seem to unbothered.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
I don't give a fuck that got hip hop.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
It feels like it just goes straight.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
I've had way worse things said about me. Please, anything
I care about.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
That fucking birdman came up cool exactly.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Also, I know the truth, and it's not like the
truth is not out there. That's why the public be confused,
because the public is like what Charlamagne ain't never said
the supporting nor Trump like you go look in my comments,
equal opportunity hate from both bots. I got Republican bots
telling me to get democratic dick out of my mouth,
(22:21):
and I got Democrat bots telling me a Democrat bots
saying this is the type of rhetoric that's gonna get
Donald Trump elected. That yo, and by the way, let
me tell how let me tell how scoop it. The
Democrat bots are at least the Republican bots if I
post something about Trump, like the other day I posted
about Project two thousand and twenty five, which is something
else I always talk about. Right, all the Republican bots
(22:44):
democratic shill you work for Joe Biden. How does it fit?
Get off your knees, over and over and over and over.
The Democrats I can post about, I can post, I
can post that I love Rhapsodies new album, and it'll
be Democrat bots in there. This is the type of
rhetoric that's gonna get Donald Trump elected. They're not even
they don't even know how to they don't even know
to use their box, right. That's how bad. It's just,
(23:07):
that's how bad their messaging is. They don't even know
how to use their box.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
But to your point about what you said about Gutfeld earlier,
I went on Fox News and said the same exact
things that I've been saying about Donald Trump everywhere else,
and that's when it goes viral. It was fun. That's
when finally the left media is like Wow. I watched
one YouTube video because I love YouTube reaction videos. I
(23:33):
love when people like react to things. I watched this
one person on YouTube say, I guess we're gonna have
to start callings Charlamagne, charlamage and a broken clock. He's
the broken clock is right twice a day because he
because he went on gut Failed and I don't know,
I don't know what's changing his tune. I don't know
if his if his Cistangela Rye because they so close,
or I don't know if it's because of the backlash
(23:53):
he gets on Twitter. But he went on. Nan said
Trump is a threat to democrasis. I'm like, I've always
said that, you idiots.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Just what's the rest of my other segment?
Speaker 2 (24:01):
That's it. You can't pull up one in of you
one conversation where I have not said that.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Well, we live in headline age. We live in the
age of you know, I'm scrolling. I'm not about to
watch this whole thing.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
That's a chapter in my book as well. What chapter
is headlines? Headlines is chapter twenty.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Okay, So now we talked about this piece. I mentioned
earlier in the podcast that it was based off of
a chapter in your book chapter I believe it was
chapter seven.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, Language of Politics, Dad, chapter seven.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
So the book obviously go get it everywhere we're gonna
get honest or diye line. There was a chapter in
it that really stuck out to me, and really, I
see how we're very much similar. You're a fan of
Aaron McGruder.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Oh, it's my guy, and a great friend.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
That I found that out by reading the chapter in
the book about is a chapter I don't want to
spoil too much called Aaron McGruder lends his pen to
your book for a while, and it's very pointant. You know,
you miss Aaron mcgruder's perspective on just everything and how
was that relationship?
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Like how is how is how coole?
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Is that to have Aaron McGruder.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I think that Aaron for a lot of black men.
It's kind of like what jay Z is to a
lot of black men if you're a certain age, like
what Dave Chappelle is, you know, because there's certain people
that speak for us at any given moment and really
hit on that head what we're feeling, what we're thinking,
(25:25):
the things that we're saying. And when we see these
things in you know, you know mainstream America, you're like, WHOA,
And I think Aaron is that when it comes when
it comes with the Boone Docks. You know, The Bone
Docks is a great comic script that he used to write.
You know, he has graphic novels, but you know a
lot of people know it because of the cartoon that
was on Adult Sweat first three seasons that Aaron did
(25:46):
fantastic fourth season garbage because Aaron has nothing to do
with it. But yeah, me and him connected years ago
just because I had a friend named April Bombay and
April knew him, and I was like, nobody knows him.
He's a recluser. You don't even know. He might not
even be real, right like, so she was like, no,
I know. So she gave me his email. She asked
if I asked him if I could get the email.
(26:07):
I don't even think he knew I was, but she
was like, yeah, he cool, You're cool, and so I
sent him an email. This was literally eighteen years ago, bro,
literally like this had to be like oh seven. And
I just told him I was a fan, like I'm
a big fan. I got all the graphic novels, you know,
I like the Boondocks cartoon, the scripts. I just appreciate
your POV and stuff. And he hit me back and
(26:27):
was just like thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
The fuck people answer emails, what the fuck?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
This was oh seven, that's all we had. And so
you know I said about I met him. I met
him once and then we kept in touch. But then
like about six seven years ago, I don't even know
if it was that long, maybe five I got to
look and see. But he reached out to me because
he was getting the Boondocks. He wanted get the boone
Docks restarted, and so he gave me. He had these
comic scripts that he was writing. He was back writing
(26:51):
the actual scripts, and he was like, how do I
get these out? And so I was like, yo, let
me just put them on Instagram. And that's literally what
I did. I just put I put his scripts on
Instagram went crazy viral. Then another thing we did, we
had Gary who does the voice of Uncle Rugas. We
had Gary, I interviewed Uncle Ruckus on Breakfast Club as
(27:14):
Uncle Yeah, and so it was trending. It was literally trending.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Everything looked like Uncle rutgis in the makeup when he
put the.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Oh, we didn't even do that. We just didn't over
the phone.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I've seen him. I've seen him when he puts the
full makeup on. He looks exactly. He was gonna make
a movie, Uncle Us, Uncle.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Rug the movie. We just did it over the phone,
and it was trending and everything and a little did
I know Aaron was doing that because he was shopping
the Boondocks again and they were about to reboot it,
and they did with HBO Max and Aaron made me
a consultant producer on it. He didn't have to do that,
you know. He made me a consultant producer on it.
And the new season was phenomenal. I mean, the fact
(27:50):
that HBO or whoever couldn't get that right is insane
to me. But a lot of things happened, like John
Willisbuon passed away. Who who does the voice of Grandpa? Yeah,
but it was when I said, was incredible. No, no, no, no.
Because here's the thing about Aaron, and that's why I
wanted to include him in the book. He's one of
the most brilliant political minds that we have on this planet.
(28:11):
But it's something about and I've asked him this question.
It's something about people who do satire where they're able
to see the future. They have a level of clara voyance.
When I tell you every single thing that we've seen
in politics since two thousand and sixteen, I'm talking about
everything from the insurrection, you know, to what Trump's doing
(28:33):
with the Supreme Court. Aaron told me all of that
was gonna happen. I'm talking about literally I remember when
the insurrection happened that day, he was like, are you
seeing this shit? I told you he literally called it.
So if he had the cartoon, you would have saw that.
And that's what the new season was about.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
The Alabama Boat bra There's so many moments that was.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Uncle Ruckus was a fascist, was a fascist leader who
became mayor of Woodcrest, and it was a Trump disciple. Yes, no,
y'all have no idea. You have no idea because it
was supposed to be a movie. It was supposed to
(29:13):
be HBO was supposed to do a movie, and then
the series was supposed to come after the movie, and
you know, for whatever reason, things just you know, couldn't
get on the same page. But I just wanted, you know,
Aaron's voice in the book because you know, me and
him talk all the time and these are things that, uh,
you know, we talk about, and I was just like, man, yo,
forget me talking about what we talk about. Just you know,
(29:33):
won't you get in like like like sit down and
let's map this out for the book. And you know,
that's that's what we ended up doing. And I'll say
this though, that's you're gonna hear a lot from Aaron
mcgru you know, like if if it's if it's one
thing that I'm going to make sure of is that
you know, you know, Aaron mar you know, POV gets
(29:56):
out there and in a lot of different ways. You know,
I had him as an executive producer my My My
talk show here on Comedy Central, and yeah, he's just
he's just like I said, he's one of the most
brilliant political minds that you know, we've we've got on
this planet, you know, right now. And they're not just
political minds, just a just a just very in tune
about society and and human nature.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
That's what That's one of the book is great and
the one thing that left me finishing reading Aaron's words.
I don't know if why every time I feel I
watch something of Aaron McGruder, but I always walk away
being like, I gotta keep my eye, I gotta keep
a herder around white people.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Every time. That's real. That's real. He's brilliant man. And
the listen, I'm gonna tell you something else about Aaron.
The ideas that.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
He has.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
For TV shows, for movies would change cinema.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Dude, the Uncle Ruckus idea alone. I just that was
that's exactly what you do for right now. I feel
like he's our south Park.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
He's I love south Park, but I love Boondocks even more.
To Ja Crocker was on the show, she referenced Uncle Ruckus.
I just think, like that's what like cultural cultural forever.
Think about all the things that have happened over the
last few years, and everybody goes back to Boondock's episodes.
I'm telling you, man, Aaron, we throw that word around
a lot. Genius. Aaron mcgruda is a genius archetypes.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Growing up, when I was reading common strips, I saw
I was like, I'm Hughey and Riley and just growing
you got about season?
Speaker 2 (31:35):
People forget about season because he wasn't.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah, I forgot.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
I completely forgot what about season? But but like I said,
it's not the last you go to hear Aaron. He's
he's brilliant, man like and and like there's nothing. I
get the privilege of being able to talk to him
a lot. So I know his POV on a lot
of things. You know what I'm saying that is a
I know his POV on a lot of things, And
(31:59):
there's a lot of things that you know, we talk
about that. I'm like, oh, man, that you know. Yeah,
he's gonna be easy. You'll see.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
It's not gonna be It's not gonna be long either.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
You walk into a fan fan, I'm like, hey, like
you just telling me the premise of that. Literally, my
cheeks are smiling just you know, when you just hear
something like damn, I can't stop smiling. That's so funny.
That's but yeah, no, Well, thank you for giving Aaron
that platform. In the book Get Honest or Dielined by
Charlemagne to God, y'all please please please go check it out.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Always a pleasure, always a pleasure with you man, you can.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
That's That's been it. Thank you for listening to The
Daily Show Ears edition. We'll see you next time.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by
searching The Daily Show wherever you get your podcasts. Watch
The Daily Show week nights at eleven ten Central on
Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus
Paramount Podcasts
You're listening to Comedy Central. Hello, and welcome to the
Daily Show Ears edition. This is Ashton Walmack. I am
a writer for the Daily Show, and we are back
in the podcast studio with none other than Charlemagne and
(00:21):
the guy. Welcome as brother a chilling, chilling. I want
to talk to you about this piece we've been working on. Biden,
fuck him up.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Let's do it, Let's do it.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
This piece is very fun. I'm always interested in the
ideas that you come in to bring. Last time we
talked about DEI. This time we're talking about your in
my opinion piece about the Democrats messaging to voters.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Before Democrats even worry about explaining their side of an issue,
they need to learn something more basic, how to talk
like real people. Yeah, and I'm sure that possible. Yeah,
and I'm sure that possible, because you know who's good
at it talking not ask Republicans. The Biden administration shucks
(01:03):
said communists, they're Marxists, they're radical left Democrats.
Speaker 1 (01:07):
The sick people. There were riots burning down the country
over George Floyd. And I'm really sick and tired of
the bullshit annex I have to deal with constantly.
Speaker 2 (01:17):
You see that you see that Congress could pay off
the whole deficit by giving Marjorie Taylor Green. That's where jar.
Speaker 1 (01:24):
Yeah, to tell me, what was the inspiration for the
peace What about their communication is not getting to Charlottage.
Speaker 2 (01:30):
The inspiration for the piece was the fact that Democrats
suck in messaging, the fact that they don't talk like
normal people talk. And it's not about dumbing down like
I saw somebody say that. Somebody say that. They was like,
why do they have to dumb down? It's not about
dumbing down. You could be the smartest person in the world,
the most intellectual person in the world, if you don't
know how to message what you know, what's the point
of having all that intelligence. Part of being intelligent is
(01:51):
being a great communicator and saying what it is that
you know in a way that people can understand.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Make the message palpable to the people so we can
actually agree.
Speaker 2 (02:00):
With That's right. And I think for the past year
what we've really been seeing when you have a person
like a Donald Trump, you know, with all of the
criminal charges, with the four years we saw him in
the White House, we saw him leading an attempt to
cool his country. He says things that he wanted to
terminate the constitution to overthrow resultment election. We've seen him
(02:20):
do all of this wild stuff, but yet he still
could possibly win in November. That means that President Biden
in his administration, whatever they're doing, they're not messaging to
the people in a way that the people can understand
and know. Okay, this is who we should absolutely ride
(02:43):
with in November. Trump's more sincere about his lives and
Democrats are about the truth. And I can tell you,
I can tell you simple ways of why they're messaging
is better. You know, they can say the boarder is
fucked up, we got to close the border. People are
coming into this country under documented things aren't safe, right,
(03:03):
and people will hear that, like the people in communities
will hear that, but more more and more importantly ask
they'll feel it. I tell people got mad at me
back in January because I was doing an interviewing somebody,
U dude for Fox News. Joseph asked me. The Fox
News digital guy asked me, do I think the border
is gonna be a problem come November? And I said yes.
(03:23):
And the reason I said yes, it's because I'm talking
to people and people are telling me, like whether it's
activists in Chicago and they're like, you know, we hate
that these migrants are coming over here and getting resources
that you know, homeless people here have never gotten. Are
poor people on the South Side have never gotten. I'm
talking to people here in New York and they're telling
me about how, you know, their neighborhoods are unsafe because
they're being over run by gangs that are coming in,
(03:46):
you know, from from from from the border, and like,
I'm like, wow, are when Mayor Eric Adams closed the
school down for a day and made all the kids
do remote learning while he housed the migrants fortnight, ul
like that pisses people off, Like you know how many
people who were calling the radio station mad about that.
And I'm telling you real conversations that I had with people,
(04:07):
not just on the radio, but people telling me in
my eyes, looking me in my eyes in tears, wanting
me to say something about what's going on in their neighborhoods.
Are listening to these activists in Chicago when they're telling
me what's going on. So when I repeat that, the left,
MSNBC says, I'm spreading maga messaging. You know what I mean? Meanwhile,
I'm just talking about them. I'm just saying what the
(04:29):
people are saying. But guess what, you know who had
been saying that Republicans.
Speaker 1 (04:33):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (04:35):
Yeah, So when Republicans were doing things like putting you know,
the migrants on the buses and on the planes and
sending them to the sanctuary cities, and then now you
got people in these sanctuary cities like the mayor Caatas,
and they're like, Yo, no more, we can't do it,
send them back, YadA.
Speaker 1 (04:51):
YadA, YadA.
Speaker 2 (04:52):
When you got Vice President Kamalahara saying, Yo, don't come
over here no more. You got President Biden saying don't
come over here. So when stuff like that happens, it
makes it seem Likeservatives had it right the whole time.
That's just good messaging.
Speaker 1 (05:04):
No, no, now, I hear you on that. I want
to say, I hear you say, Democrats they're ignoring the crisis.
Conservatives they say that, but they also add the racism
part in it. That's like, how can you take the
Republicans message at its whole value. Yes, they're talking about
a problem like the border crisis, but they're also dragging
in what feels like racism into it. How do you
(05:24):
separate that?
Speaker 2 (05:25):
You're absolutely right, But you don't, And I'll tell you
why you don't, Because everybody gets what they want from
whatever message you're delivering. All they're saying is something needs
to be done at the border. That's it. So everybody
will have their own different reasons as to why they
think something should be done at the border. Yes, there's
a lot of you know, Republicans who are just rooted
(05:47):
in racism when it comes to it. But most people
that I know, I'm not even talking about this Conservatives'.
People that I know that are feeling the brunt of
what's happening at the border right now are people who
you know, feel like migrants are getting more resources that
they've never gotten and because they feel like their communities
are unsafe. So people forget what you did, they'll forget
(06:07):
what you said, Ashton, They'll never forget how you made
them feel. So it's just a feeling. So when you
can tap into, you know, the language that reflects someone's feelings,
you got them. You got them, and Democrats just haven't
learned how to get them.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
Yeah, it's just that simple, I feel you. It's the
sanitize language they use. It's just talking in circles. They
just do word salads to us, and it feels like
we get nothing from them. Meanwhile, Republicans can come out
and be like these Mexicans, am I right, and they'll
be like, yeahs, I totally feel.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
It, and as wild right, everybody wants border security. It's
not like Democrats don't want security. Everybody wants border security.
They just want it. They want documented immigrants, right, Like
it's really that simple. They want it. They want to
be able to know who's coming in this country, why
they're here, where they're at. All of that. We know
that both parties, you know, say that's what they want,
(07:01):
but one party, the Republicans, will say build the wall, right,
and the Democrats are like, no, don't build the wall.
But it's like, why are you saying that. You know
that there needs to be some type of border security,
whether it's a wall, whether it's a fence, whatever it is,
you know it needs to be some type of border security.
(07:24):
You just want it to be in a humane way,
and you want to be able to treat these you know,
individuals coming across the border like people. But it's like yo,
they lose they lose. They lose the fight, and I
want to and they both do this to each other.
I'm not even going to say it's just Democrats. They
both lose the fight because they're too busy warring about
who's going to get the credit for closing the border
(07:47):
or not closing but getting the border under control as
opposed you know, they're worried about getting getting the credit
as opposed to just you know, doing something for the people.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Well, and I mean, I have not no listening. I'm
not no Biden caper, no nothing. I'm just a black
man in America. But what was it? What just happened?
Trump basically told the Republicans, Yeah, Biden is about to
do some immigration reform at the border.
Speaker 2 (08:10):
Don't do it.
Speaker 1 (08:11):
Don't do it, absolut wait until I do it. So
even you know, And maybe that's a better messaging from
Biden being him being like, hey, I've tried to bring
some more control at the border. But Trump is telling
his own people to stop me. He could be absolutely
better on letting people know I try to do.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
A Biden should have said, what I thought you wanted
to build the wall, I'm trying to help you finish
building the wall. Let's build the wall.
Speaker 1 (08:33):
Biden starts saying, build the wall.
Speaker 2 (08:35):
I'm serious, I'm trying to help you build the wall. Listen,
Let's build the wall, because all build a wall is
is symbolism for we need to get the border under control.
Speaker 1 (08:44):
Yeah, but then we got to watch it because you
know then be like also Kids in Cages, which is
just a metaphor for.
Speaker 2 (08:49):
The kids in cages was around since President Obama. So
it's like everybody needs to stop trying to politicize things
and actually try to get things done for the American people.
And the things you are getting done, you just got
to know how to message correctly the folks absolutely, or
even the things you want to get done, you got
to know how to message correctly to folks. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
No, that's optics and messaging is literally ninety nine point
nine percent of battle. But speaking of we were talking
about Trump and the GOP, but I want to talk
about Trump appealing to black voters and his messaging to
black voters. In the piece, we talk about how some
black voters lean towards Trump because they appreciate when someone
sounds authentic, even when they're lying. Do you think Trump's
(09:30):
authenticity or bravado. Is that more appealing to people than
actual policy.
Speaker 2 (09:34):
I don't know, and I don't believe that, you know,
black people are leaning towards Donald Trump. I think all
those poll numbers are overstated. I think what you might
be getting right now is just a natural, you know,
frustration that a lot of black people feel around this
time of year. And by the way, I don't even
know nobody who's been polled. You have been pulled.
Speaker 1 (09:54):
No, I've never been polled. I've never no one's asked
me a single question on my pology. Not even get
polled here when I got hired, Like.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
You's what I'm saying, So, who are these black people
that they talking to? I don't see. I think the
last number I saw was like twenty two percent of
black people.
Speaker 1 (10:07):
That is always, that is always whenever you see Republican
numbers for black people, just know it is ascwed. It's
a right way to saying, take is not it is fake.
Black people support Democrats and over we're the most consistent
voting block for Democrats, and it's like, hands down every
single year. So it's almost it's almost, uh, it's really
patronized when people to act like black people are. We're
(10:30):
becoming the reason why Trump or any Republicans are going
to win when it's white women and white men.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
That's right. I don't even know why they keep trying
to push Trump on us. It's like, nah, bro, that's
you all, nigga, don't do that like that, Like Donald
Trump is the Frankenstein monster of white supremacy, Like that's y'all.
Like they ain't got nothing to do with us, okay,
Like everything that y'all are experiencing with Donald Trump is
what happens when privilege goals unchecked. Like, I ain't got
(10:55):
nothing to do with us. I don't know why even
try to keep pushing Trump Trump Trump on black people today? No, no, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 1 (11:01):
Well speaking, I think that goes directly to point out
a question I was going to ask, how does black
Republicans messaging to black people work for you? Because I'm
gonna say I know what the piece is about, like
how Republicans messaging is a little bit better, but personally,
I think Black Republicans messaging is god awful.
Speaker 2 (11:18):
Yeah, it's different, right, because I think one thing that
people are making a distinction with is you know what
a conservative is and what this new Maga shit is
and there's a difference. And you know the Republicans who
are just allowing MAGA to take over their party and
they're allowing you know, MAGA to become what the Republican
Party is. It's like, man, y'all are losing a lot
(11:39):
of you know, real conservative values for this extreme you know,
right wing shit. And it's and then you know, Republicans
on the flip side will say, all the Democrats lost
us because they got people that are too far left.
So I think what you need right now is for
people to just come back in the center, like you
need more moderates on both parties because when I hear
(12:01):
I've heard black conservatives talk throughout the years. I know
plenty of black conservatives. I know mad black conservatives before
this Maga stuff. They didn't sound as ridiculous, you know,
back then as they do now because most of them
just do that because of the economy. It's all financial. Literally, Republicans,
most Republicans I know period.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I'm one hundred percent with you all. My my uncles
who are being Republican, they just they money. They just
like money that they like Trump Trump said, Trump stand
on business. I'm like half of his businesses are bankrupt.
He ain't standing on not too many. But that's my uncles.
They they are attracted to literally what you do money.
That's it's a conservative thing.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
By the way. Uh, everybody is attracted. I don't want
to say it's not even about being attracted to Trump
once again. People will they'll forget what you said, they'll
forget what you did. They just remember how you made
them feel. People felt like there was more money in
their pockets when Trump was in office, because it's what
people forget. It was a pandemic here. It was motherfucking COVID.
(13:05):
It took millions of people to die for you to
get that stimulus check. And that's what it took. It took.
It took millions of people to die in an economy
to shut down for you to get those PPP loans
and whatever other small business loans you was getting. But
nobody cares to what we were just talking about about
the racism with the border. Nobody cares because they only
care about how they personally feel. So they got that
(13:27):
check that said, oh, Donald Trump on it, and it
was some extra money, and they got that twice. These
pp P loans I'm from Monst Corner, South Carolina. You
know how many people I know who got PPP loans,
who got trailers now, who were able to get some
renovations done on.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Their house, not even there's no everybody I know, everybody
I know, millennials, gen Z struggling there. It is no
John Mark is terrible. Everybody I know. They got those
little checks. It was the first time I've ever seen
in my friend's life, like a light in their eyes.
Yea freedom like they were like, I've never been happier
(14:02):
than the moments I was getting those checks. And I
didn't have to. You know, people were saying it was free,
like they were just giving out free money, you didn't
have to.
Speaker 2 (14:09):
But people died for that money. Yeah. And by the way,
that's the only way that's going to happen for you again,
is if there's another pandemic and we don't want that.
And I'm gonna tell you something else. Democrats have a
very elitist attitude when it comes to those stimulus checks.
I've talked to so many you know, left leaning liberals,
Democrats who are in media, and I'm not gonna say
any of the these, but they've said things to me like,
(14:32):
if you can be moved by a fifteen hundred dollars
check or twelve hundred dollars check, whatever it was, then
I don't want to fucking talk to you no way.
And I remember telling that person you are out of
touch with what's going on in the hood, My brother,
you are out of touch with what's going on in
our communities. Man. These people are strug gull leging it.
And you've been rich too long. Yeah, if you hit
(14:53):
fifteen hundred dollars, ain't gonna change somebody's.
Speaker 1 (14:55):
Dating, life changing money, life changing. Y. Somebody to give
somebody two hundred dollars right now?
Speaker 2 (15:02):
The light?
Speaker 1 (15:03):
Just watch the joy fifteen hundred right and.
Speaker 2 (15:06):
And guess what you know? How uh, you know how
ridiculous you have to be to ignore what you're seeing
in front of your eyes. And what I mean by
that is you're saying that that those stimulus checks couldn't
be that effective. But people still talking about him four
years later.
Speaker 1 (15:20):
Yo.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
You know who knew how? You know who knew how
impactful they were going to be? Donald Trump? That's why
he put his name on him. That's why he put
his name on him.
Speaker 1 (15:28):
And I know that I know that's facts because when
I was thirteen, I think I was thirteen eleven, George
Bush dropped, he dropped some check, but Bushbucks br I
remember that only coming I didn't get a single down
for my mama. My mama went so happy.
Speaker 2 (15:42):
Ash I knew nothing. By the way, I knew nothing
about politics. I wasn't even concerned about politics. But I
remember in the hood when everybody was getting Bushbucks for
the same reason you just said, because everybody, my daddy,
my aunt's uncle, everybody was like, yo, we just got
I think it was like eleven hundred, twelve dollars somebody,
I don't think it was. That might be like seven hundred.
Speaker 1 (16:02):
That is so, I thought it was like three hundred.
I thought.
Speaker 2 (16:05):
I don't even know. I don't even know if it
was in the thousands. I just remember everybody was so
excited that they was getting them bush Bucks.
Speaker 1 (16:12):
I remember Mama fixed the alternator on her Mustang, and
I ignored all the ship that all the races was
talking about. You know what I'm saying, just completely. I
was like, yeah, y'all right, no, no, I'm able to
ride to school now. I gotta ride to school now.
Y'all gonna say whatever.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
The fuck y'all want. I had a whole because of
bush Bucks. I said that President Biden needed to hold
like a big town hall, and he needs to have,
of course his vice president with him, but he should
have all his like all the sarrogates that people actually appreciate, right,
like the Governor Shapiro's, right, the Wes Moors. I would
(16:46):
even have Congress women like Jasmine Crockett and AOC that
would make it a big spectacle. And I would say, look, man,
I know, I know that the American people are hurting
right now. I want to give you all a little
something for your gas and your groceries. So we're about
to go to Congress and ask to pass this bill
to get all of y'all another stemmy, another stimulus check
twelve out, whatever it is. Make it a big, big, big,
(17:09):
big spectacle, because you know they're gonna turn it down.
So when they turn it down, you make big noise
about it. We tried to give y'all more money, but
the Republicans in Congress won't vote for it. But we
want to give y'all more.
Speaker 1 (17:24):
Next time Biden come up there to say you ain't black.
You gotta drop that, you gotta drop that into it.
But that's that's messaging. No, that's marketing. And Biden, you know,
we got an old ass president. I feel like old
people like to give away money. That should be every
time I go to my grandma house, I'm bad. I'm
getting money.
Speaker 2 (17:40):
So like with them, with the Weathers, with the Worthers originals, exactly,
she pepples.
Speaker 1 (17:45):
She pulling the twenty out of titty, and she's making
me get some. Right. See, we're gonna take a quick break.
We'll be right back. We're back with Charlottage and the
God right now. Your voice is an important voice, specifically
(18:06):
for black people. Democrats Republicans, they like to use you,
as I think, like a I don't want to say
a litmus test for what black people are thinking, but
they they use you to go for where when they
want to hear what black people are thinking. And I
noticed that whenever you criticize Democrats, Republicans love to pick
it up and frame it in a way that makes
(18:27):
it seems like you're pro Trump. How do you feel
about trying about trying to navigate this current landscape while
criticizing the Democrats without being used as a mouthpiece for
the Republican Party. It's however they want to frame it
on their end.
Speaker 2 (18:41):
How do you feel. I talk about that in the
book Get Out as a die line, But I mean,
what you said is absolutely true. But it's honestly nothing
you can do about that, because I don't even get
mad at the right for doing what the right does.
I know the right has a narrative, and their narrative
right now is that black people are supporting Trump, like
you know people are. The black people are leaving the
Democratic Party to support Donald Trump, which I which I
(19:03):
believe is very overstated. So anything that pushes that narrative
they're gonna run with. So if I go on a
TV program, whether it's The View, whether it's This Week ABC,
and I can say Donald Trump is a democracy, I
can say Donald Trump let an attempt to cool his country.
I can say, you know, Donald Trump wanted to determinate
the constitutional the results of an election. I say this
(19:24):
everywhere I go. There's no place I go where I
don't say that vert batim.
Speaker 1 (19:28):
I saw you say it on Gutfield or one of them.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
Yes, and I'm gonna get to that. But I can
say that and then somebody will say, well, what about Biden, Well,
Biden's uninspiring candidate with no main character energy. Fox News
is gonna take that and run that over and over.
And when I was here on the Daily Show and
I said Joe Biden need to step down, I didn't
say nothing that David Axelrod didn't say. I didn't say
nothing that you know, millions of other Democrats haven't at
(19:52):
least thought about, are said out loud things.
Speaker 1 (19:55):
Everybody is thinking absolut that's right.
Speaker 2 (19:59):
If he if they're not a winnable ticket, which we
don't know if they are this time around, but if
we don't think they're a winnable ticket, the stakes are
too high to play, so maybe he should step down.
I said that here. Fox News will take that run
with it one hundred miles pour. Then what the left does,
instead of actually going to watch everything I said in
this totality and taking what they need to push their narrative,
(20:21):
they respond to Fox News narrative. And then all these
freaking digital dickheads on social media start attacking me because
of the headlines that Fox News is putting out there.
But I'm saying everything you need about Trump as well,
and I'm posing questions that we should at least have
a discussion about, saying, then should at least have a
discussion is the Biden Harris a winnable ticket? Is Biden
(20:44):
the best bet you know for November? And by the way,
the only reason I even bought that up was because
Joe Biden himself said he thinks it's about fifty other
people who can beat Donald Trump in the Democratic Party.
So if that's the case, where they at?
Speaker 1 (21:00):
Where does that where they at?
Speaker 2 (21:02):
So there's there's really nothing you can do about it.
The only thing I would encourage, you know, left media
to do is push the narratives that you need to
push out, because all you're doing is amplifying propaganda. You're
taking what Fox News is saying, amplifying, you know, amplifying it.
And now everybody's like Charlamagne supports Donald Trump. I never
(21:22):
said that. I went on the View and Sonny said
to me, you know, this is not the time to
sit out. I never said I was sitting out of
an election. I never said that. I just said I'm
not telling people who to vote for.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Yeah, it seems like if you criticize the Democratic Party
that automatically makes you pro Trump, which is like the
basic like third gradest politics. But you have a unique
ability that seems you seem to unbothered.
Speaker 2 (21:44):
I don't give a fuck that got hip hop.
Speaker 1 (21:48):
It feels like it just goes straight.
Speaker 2 (21:50):
I've had way worse things said about me. Please, anything
I care about.
Speaker 1 (21:55):
That fucking birdman came up cool exactly.
Speaker 2 (21:59):
Also, I know the truth, and it's not like the
truth is not out there. That's why the public be confused,
because the public is like what Charlamagne ain't never said
the supporting nor Trump like you go look in my comments,
equal opportunity hate from both bots. I got Republican bots
telling me to get democratic dick out of my mouth,
(22:21):
and I got Democrat bots telling me a Democrat bots
saying this is the type of rhetoric that's gonna get
Donald Trump elected. That yo, and by the way, let
me tell how let me tell how scoop it. The
Democrat bots are at least the Republican bots if I
post something about Trump, like the other day I posted
about Project two thousand and twenty five, which is something
else I always talk about. Right, all the Republican bots
(22:44):
democratic shill you work for Joe Biden. How does it fit?
Get off your knees, over and over and over and over.
The Democrats I can post about, I can post, I
can post that I love Rhapsodies new album, and it'll
be Democrat bots in there. This is the type of
rhetoric that's gonna get Donald Trump elected. They're not even
they don't even know how to they don't even know
to use their box, right. That's how bad. It's just,
(23:07):
that's how bad their messaging is. They don't even know
how to use their box.
Speaker 1 (23:10):
Right.
Speaker 2 (23:11):
But to your point about what you said about Gutfeld earlier,
I went on Fox News and said the same exact
things that I've been saying about Donald Trump everywhere else,
and that's when it goes viral. It was fun. That's
when finally the left media is like Wow. I watched
one YouTube video because I love YouTube reaction videos. I
(23:33):
love when people like react to things. I watched this
one person on YouTube say, I guess we're gonna have
to start callings Charlamagne, charlamage and a broken clock. He's
the broken clock is right twice a day because he
because he went on gut Failed and I don't know,
I don't know what's changing his tune. I don't know
if his if his Cistangela Rye because they so close,
or I don't know if it's because of the backlash
(23:53):
he gets on Twitter. But he went on. Nan said
Trump is a threat to democrasis. I'm like, I've always
said that, you idiots.
Speaker 1 (23:59):
Just what's the rest of my other segment?
Speaker 2 (24:01):
That's it. You can't pull up one in of you
one conversation where I have not said that.
Speaker 1 (24:06):
Well, we live in headline age. We live in the
age of you know, I'm scrolling. I'm not about to
watch this whole thing.
Speaker 2 (24:10):
That's a chapter in my book as well. What chapter
is headlines? Headlines is chapter twenty.
Speaker 1 (24:15):
Okay, So now we talked about this piece. I mentioned
earlier in the podcast that it was based off of
a chapter in your book chapter I believe it was
chapter seven.
Speaker 2 (24:24):
Yeah, Language of Politics, Dad, chapter seven.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
So the book obviously go get it everywhere we're gonna
get honest or diye line. There was a chapter in
it that really stuck out to me, and really, I
see how we're very much similar. You're a fan of
Aaron McGruder.
Speaker 2 (24:40):
Oh, it's my guy, and a great friend.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
That I found that out by reading the chapter in
the book about is a chapter I don't want to
spoil too much called Aaron McGruder lends his pen to
your book for a while, and it's very pointant. You know,
you miss Aaron mcgruder's perspective on just everything and how
was that relationship?
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Like how is how is how coole?
Speaker 1 (25:00):
Is that to have Aaron McGruder.
Speaker 2 (25:02):
I think that Aaron for a lot of black men.
It's kind of like what jay Z is to a
lot of black men if you're a certain age, like
what Dave Chappelle is, you know, because there's certain people
that speak for us at any given moment and really
hit on that head what we're feeling, what we're thinking,
(25:25):
the things that we're saying. And when we see these
things in you know, you know mainstream America, you're like, WHOA,
And I think Aaron is that when it comes when
it comes with the Boone Docks. You know, The Bone
Docks is a great comic script that he used to write.
You know, he has graphic novels, but you know a
lot of people know it because of the cartoon that
was on Adult Sweat first three seasons that Aaron did
(25:46):
fantastic fourth season garbage because Aaron has nothing to do
with it. But yeah, me and him connected years ago
just because I had a friend named April Bombay and
April knew him, and I was like, nobody knows him.
He's a recluser. You don't even know. He might not
even be real, right like, so she was like, no,
I know. So she gave me his email. She asked
if I asked him if I could get the email.
(26:07):
I don't even think he knew I was, but she
was like, yeah, he cool, You're cool, and so I
sent him an email. This was literally eighteen years ago, bro,
literally like this had to be like oh seven. And
I just told him I was a fan, like I'm
a big fan. I got all the graphic novels, you know,
I like the Boondocks cartoon, the scripts. I just appreciate
your POV and stuff. And he hit me back and
(26:27):
was just like thank you.
Speaker 1 (26:28):
The fuck people answer emails, what the fuck?
Speaker 2 (26:30):
This was oh seven, that's all we had. And so
you know I said about I met him. I met
him once and then we kept in touch. But then
like about six seven years ago, I don't even know
if it was that long, maybe five I got to
look and see. But he reached out to me because
he was getting the Boondocks. He wanted get the boone
Docks restarted, and so he gave me. He had these
comic scripts that he was writing. He was back writing
(26:51):
the actual scripts, and he was like, how do I
get these out? And so I was like, yo, let
me just put them on Instagram. And that's literally what
I did. I just put I put his scripts on
Instagram went crazy viral. Then another thing we did, we
had Gary who does the voice of Uncle Rugas. We
had Gary, I interviewed Uncle Ruckus on Breakfast Club as
(27:14):
Uncle Yeah, and so it was trending. It was literally trending.
Speaker 1 (27:18):
Everything looked like Uncle rutgis in the makeup when he
put the.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
Oh, we didn't even do that. We just didn't over
the phone.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
I've seen him. I've seen him when he puts the
full makeup on. He looks exactly. He was gonna make
a movie, Uncle Us, Uncle.
Speaker 2 (27:28):
Rug the movie. We just did it over the phone,
and it was trending and everything and a little did
I know Aaron was doing that because he was shopping
the Boondocks again and they were about to reboot it,
and they did with HBO Max and Aaron made me
a consultant producer on it. He didn't have to do that,
you know. He made me a consultant producer on it.
And the new season was phenomenal. I mean, the fact
(27:50):
that HBO or whoever couldn't get that right is insane
to me. But a lot of things happened, like John
Willisbuon passed away. Who who does the voice of Grandpa? Yeah,
but it was when I said, was incredible. No, no, no, no.
Because here's the thing about Aaron, and that's why I
wanted to include him in the book. He's one of
the most brilliant political minds that we have on this planet.
(28:11):
But it's something about and I've asked him this question.
It's something about people who do satire where they're able
to see the future. They have a level of clara voyance.
When I tell you every single thing that we've seen
in politics since two thousand and sixteen, I'm talking about
everything from the insurrection, you know, to what Trump's doing
(28:33):
with the Supreme Court. Aaron told me all of that
was gonna happen. I'm talking about literally I remember when
the insurrection happened that day, he was like, are you
seeing this shit? I told you he literally called it.
So if he had the cartoon, you would have saw that.
And that's what the new season was about.
Speaker 1 (28:49):
The Alabama Boat bra There's so many moments that was.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Uncle Ruckus was a fascist, was a fascist leader who
became mayor of Woodcrest, and it was a Trump disciple. Yes, no,
y'all have no idea. You have no idea because it
was supposed to be a movie. It was supposed to
(29:13):
be HBO was supposed to do a movie, and then
the series was supposed to come after the movie, and
you know, for whatever reason, things just you know, couldn't
get on the same page. But I just wanted, you know,
Aaron's voice in the book because you know, me and
him talk all the time and these are things that, uh,
you know, we talk about, and I was just like, man, yo,
forget me talking about what we talk about. Just you know,
(29:33):
won't you get in like like like sit down and
let's map this out for the book. And you know,
that's that's what we ended up doing. And I'll say
this though, that's you're gonna hear a lot from Aaron
mcgru you know, like if if it's if it's one
thing that I'm going to make sure of is that
you know, you know, Aaron mar you know, POV gets
(29:56):
out there and in a lot of different ways. You know,
I had him as an executive producer my My My
talk show here on Comedy Central, and yeah, he's just
he's just like I said, he's one of the most
brilliant political minds that you know, we've we've got on
this planet, you know, right now. And they're not just
political minds, just a just a just very in tune
about society and and human nature.
Speaker 1 (30:18):
That's what That's one of the book is great and
the one thing that left me finishing reading Aaron's words.
I don't know if why every time I feel I
watch something of Aaron McGruder, but I always walk away
being like, I gotta keep my eye, I gotta keep
a herder around white people.
Speaker 2 (30:38):
Every time. That's real. That's real. He's brilliant man. And
the listen, I'm gonna tell you something else about Aaron.
The ideas that.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
He has.
Speaker 2 (30:52):
For TV shows, for movies would change cinema.
Speaker 1 (30:59):
Dude, the Uncle Ruckus idea alone. I just that was
that's exactly what you do for right now. I feel
like he's our south Park.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
He's I love south Park, but I love Boondocks even more.
To Ja Crocker was on the show, she referenced Uncle Ruckus.
I just think, like that's what like cultural cultural forever.
Think about all the things that have happened over the
last few years, and everybody goes back to Boondock's episodes.
I'm telling you, man, Aaron, we throw that word around
a lot. Genius. Aaron mcgruda is a genius archetypes.
Speaker 1 (31:28):
Growing up, when I was reading common strips, I saw
I was like, I'm Hughey and Riley and just growing
you got about season?
Speaker 2 (31:35):
People forget about season because he wasn't.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
Yeah, I forgot.
Speaker 2 (31:38):
I completely forgot what about season? But but like I said,
it's not the last you go to hear Aaron. He's
he's brilliant, man like and and like there's nothing. I
get the privilege of being able to talk to him
a lot. So I know his POV on a lot
of things. You know what I'm saying that is a
I know his POV on a lot of things, And
(31:59):
there's a lot of things that you know, we talk
about that. I'm like, oh, man, that you know. Yeah,
he's gonna be easy. You'll see.
Speaker 1 (32:07):
I'm excited.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
It's not gonna be It's not gonna be long either.
Speaker 1 (32:09):
You walk into a fan fan, I'm like, hey, like
you just telling me the premise of that. Literally, my
cheeks are smiling just you know, when you just hear
something like damn, I can't stop smiling. That's so funny.
That's but yeah, no, Well, thank you for giving Aaron
that platform. In the book Get Honest or Dielined by
Charlemagne to God, y'all please please please go check it out.
Speaker 2 (32:27):
Always a pleasure, always a pleasure with you man, you can.
Speaker 1 (32:30):
That's That's been it. Thank you for listening to The
Daily Show Ears edition. We'll see you next time.
Speaker 2 (32:35):
Explore more shows from the Daily Show podcast universe by
searching The Daily Show wherever you get your podcasts. Watch
The Daily Show week nights at eleven ten Central on
Comedy Central, and stream full episodes anytime on Paramount plus
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