The Daily Show's Jordan Klepper Takes on Next-Gen MAGA and the Manosphere

On with Kara Swisher

New York Magazine

News Commentary, News, Society & Culture

4.2 • 2.2K Ratings

🗓️ 15 May 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Few people have as much knowledge of the MAGAsphere as Jordan Klepper, co-host and correspondent for The Daily Show. Klepper has been covering President Trump and his supporters since the 2016 presidential campaign, from rallies across the country to the steps of the Capitol building on January 6, 2021. One difference that he — and others — have noted between Trump 1.0 and 2.0 is the growing number of young people, especially young men, who are now in the Republican fold. Kara talks to Klepper about his upcoming special, The Daily Show Presents: Jordan Klepper Fingers the Pulse: MAGA: The Next Generation, and what he learned about young conservatives on his tour of college campuses, UFC events, and Spring Break beaches. They discuss "manosphere" influencers such as Charlie Kirk, Andrew Tate, and Joe Rogan, which progressive voices (like Hasan Piker) might break through, and whether Hollywood and comedy are veering to the right. Questions? Comments? Email us at [email protected] or find us on Instagram, TikTok, and Bluesky @onwithkaraswisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You are the fourth daily show host I've interviewed.
0:03.7	I have a thing for you, people.
0:05.2	Collect the whole set. Congratulations.
0:07.2	I will, yes, exactly.
0:07.8	I'm a little offended. I'm this low on the totem pole.
0:10.4	But if you had to choose one, if you had to pick one, your favorite...
0:12.8	Oh, Jesse, obviously.
0:14.0	Okay, fair enough.
0:14.9	Come on. I'm a lesbian. I have to pick the girl. Girl.
0:31.7	Hi, everyone from New York Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
0:34.3	This is On with Carol Swisher, and I'm Kara Swisher.
0:39.1	My guest today is the Daily Show's co-host and correspondent Jordan Klepper.
0:46.4	Klepper started on the Daily Show in 2014, and he covered President Trump's 2016 presidential campaign from the trail into the White House.
0:53.7	After a brief stint on his own late-late show, the opposition in which he played right-wing pundit in kind of an Alex Jones Info-Wore spoof.
0:58.5	Klepper came back to The Daily Show as a correspondent in 2019 just in time to finger the pulse of Trump's 2020 re-election campaign.
1:01.1	Klepper went to Trump rallies across the country following MAGA supporters from parking lots
1:04.7	in Midwestern towns all the way to the steps the Capitol building on January 6, 2021,
1:09.7	and then he got the hell out of there.
1:12.1	Since 2023, Clepper has been part of the rotating roster of these daily show hosts,
1:16.5	manning the desk alongside John Stewart. But when Trump decided to run again, Clepper was the
1:21.0	obvious choice to go back in the field, reuniting with his old MAGA friends.
1:24.9	I really like Jordan Klepper. He makes me laugh. I'm a big fan. I like when he
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from New York Magazine, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of New York Magazine and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.