1 00:00:01,930 --> 00:00:02,929 Bye. 2 00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:37,000 Thank you so much for joining us. It has been a busy week. There were no King's 3 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:40,740 protests around the US and the world. Whatever this was happened. 4 00:00:41,100 --> 00:00:45,660 And the White House tweeted, America will never give up the moon again, which 5 00:00:45,660 --> 00:00:48,020 definitely something I was worried about. 6 00:00:48,360 --> 00:00:52,380 Meanwhile, the Iran war entered its second month. Though Trump tries not to 7 00:00:52,380 --> 00:00:55,340 the word war for reasons he probably shouldn't be saying out loud. 8 00:00:55,840 --> 00:00:59,020 I won't use the word war because they say if you use the word war, that's 9 00:00:59,020 --> 00:01:00,040 not a good thing to do. 10 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:04,599 They don't like the word war because you're supposed to get approval. 11 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:09,940 So I'll use the word military operation, which is really what it is. What? He 12 00:01:09,940 --> 00:01:14,480 really just talks like a six -year -old speaking stream of consciousness to a 13 00:01:14,480 --> 00:01:18,020 stranger. And my mom says I'm not allowed to talk about my penis with 14 00:01:18,020 --> 00:01:22,260 people, even though everybody has one. Well, not her and not my sister, but my 15 00:01:22,260 --> 00:01:25,840 dad and I both have penises. But I can't say that when there are too many people 16 00:01:25,840 --> 00:01:28,680 around, even though everyone knows because they have their own penises, 17 00:01:28,680 --> 00:01:29,680 they don't, but I do. 18 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:33,760 But look, whatever you call this conflict, it has been chaos. Last 19 00:01:33,820 --> 00:01:36,820 Trump threatened to attack Iran's power grid if the Strait of Hormuz wasn't 20 00:01:36,820 --> 00:01:40,180 opened, writing he'd be starting with the biggest power plant first, which 21 00:01:40,180 --> 00:01:45,340 be a war crime if this was a war. But luckily, we now know it isn't. 22 00:01:45,940 --> 00:01:49,560 Then on Monday, he said he'd delay those strikes for five days after very good 23 00:01:49,560 --> 00:01:52,980 and productive conversations with Iran, discussions they've denied took place. 24 00:01:53,370 --> 00:01:57,290 He's since extended the deadline until April 6th, even as Iran continues to 25 00:01:57,290 --> 00:02:01,050 U .S. bases and allies across the region. Almost 2 ,000 Iranians have been 26 00:02:01,050 --> 00:02:04,750 killed, as have at least 13 U .S. service members. And Trump's reportedly 27 00:02:04,750 --> 00:02:08,610 weighing whether to move an additional 10 ,000 troops to the region. It sure 28 00:02:08,610 --> 00:02:13,030 feels like we're in an unnecessary war with no end game. Though the president's 29 00:02:13,030 --> 00:02:17,090 supporters will insist that if you just look at things in the right way, it all 30 00:02:17,090 --> 00:02:18,090 makes sense. 31 00:02:18,390 --> 00:02:20,530 Here's why we went in to Iran. 32 00:02:21,860 --> 00:02:23,060 We had no choice. 33 00:02:23,900 --> 00:02:25,860 The president didn't start a war. 34 00:02:26,720 --> 00:02:29,800 He was trying to stop a war. 35 00:02:30,080 --> 00:02:31,560 Oh, I get it. 36 00:02:31,800 --> 00:02:35,400 Sometimes you have to start a war to stop a war. 37 00:02:35,860 --> 00:02:39,620 It's the same way you have to spend money to make money or fake it till you 38 00:02:39,620 --> 00:02:43,500 it. You know, any of those things that people say when they're in way over 39 00:02:43,500 --> 00:02:47,120 head. And look, there'll clearly be more to say about Iran going forward. But 40 00:02:47,120 --> 00:02:50,200 for now, we're going to dive straight in with our main story this week, which 41 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:51,200 concerns Hungary. 42 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:55,080 A country with over a thousand years of rich history, a proud culture, and 43 00:02:55,080 --> 00:02:59,020 absolutely no chance of you finding it on this map. No chance whatsoever. 44 00:03:00,520 --> 00:03:03,580 No shade to Hungary, by the way. That is all on you. 45 00:03:04,460 --> 00:03:08,360 Hungary's given a lot to the world, from Bela Lugosi to the Rubik's Cube to, of 46 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,560 course, the game Hungry, Hungry Hippos. Yeah, that second Hungary has an A in 47 00:03:12,560 --> 00:03:13,560 it. Always did. 48 00:03:14,110 --> 00:03:15,110 Wild, huh? 49 00:03:15,470 --> 00:03:18,950 It's also brought us one of the Internet's greatest ever memes. 50 00:03:19,550 --> 00:03:24,290 András, a retired electric engineer, was asked to be a model for stock photos 51 00:03:24,290 --> 00:03:29,090 ten years ago. The Internet discovered them and decided that his smile hides a 52 00:03:29,090 --> 00:03:30,090 deep sorrow. 53 00:03:30,310 --> 00:03:32,150 He became Hide the Pain Harold. 54 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:36,840 A flurry of memes followed, and Andras found that his face was the laughing 55 00:03:36,840 --> 00:03:37,900 stock of the internet. 56 00:03:38,460 --> 00:03:43,100 If I wanted to draw a lesson from what happened to me, I would say life throws 57 00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:48,160 all kinds of challenges at you. You have to take it as it comes, try out as many 58 00:03:48,160 --> 00:03:52,020 things as possible, and who knows, you might even become a meme. 59 00:03:52,940 --> 00:03:58,320 Okay, Harold, but I'm not sure you might become a meme is quite as aspirational 60 00:03:58,320 --> 00:03:59,900 as you think, though to be fair... 61 00:04:00,220 --> 00:04:04,180 putting on a brave smile despite inner regret, is kind of this guy's whole 62 00:04:04,180 --> 00:04:05,180 thing. 63 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:08,800 He brings that hide -the -pain energy to all his stock photos, whether he's 64 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:13,860 answering the phone, whisking eggs, painting a wall, reading a patient's x 65 00:04:13,980 --> 00:04:18,500 or riding an exercise bike. Even when he is Santa, and his face is covered by a 66 00:04:18,500 --> 00:04:22,100 hat and a beard, Harold's eyes still manage to hide the pain. 67 00:04:22,460 --> 00:04:25,880 Look at that and tell me that Santa didn't just accidentally run over an elf 68 00:04:25,880 --> 00:04:27,020 hastily hide the body. 69 00:04:27,680 --> 00:04:31,060 Now... The reason I want to talk about Hungary is it's set for elections on 70 00:04:31,060 --> 00:04:34,560 April 12th. Voters there will choose a new national assembly, their parliament, 71 00:04:34,720 --> 00:04:38,820 which in turn will mean either a new prime minister or the re -election of 72 00:04:38,820 --> 00:04:43,100 current one, Viktor Orbán. He's been in office since 2010 with an absolute 73 00:04:43,100 --> 00:04:46,940 majority in Hungary's government for the entire 16 years of his tenure. He's 74 00:04:46,940 --> 00:04:50,540 actually the longest serving current head of government in the EU. 75 00:04:50,820 --> 00:04:55,100 And if you want a quick taste... of what kind of leader Orban's been. Take this 76 00:04:55,100 --> 00:04:59,540 testimonial video that he posted, featuring a real who's who of people 77 00:04:59,540 --> 00:05:04,360 called arseholes on this show, including Netanyahu, Marine Le Pen, Javier Mele, 78 00:05:04,480 --> 00:05:07,200 and a fourth person that I'll let you discover for yourself. 79 00:05:07,760 --> 00:05:12,620 Security cannot be taken for granted. It must be won, and I think Viktor Orban 80 00:05:12,620 --> 00:05:14,160 has all those qualities. 81 00:05:14,380 --> 00:05:17,320 He has the tenacity, the courage, the wisdom. 82 00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,800 To protect this country. It is thanks to leaders like Viktor that the camp of 83 00:05:21,800 --> 00:05:26,220 patriots, defenders of nations, and sovereign people is winning in Europe. 84 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:30,260 I fervently support Prime Minister Orban and the Fidesz party. 85 00:05:30,540 --> 00:05:35,480 And I want to congratulate him and also to encourage all Hungarians to continue 86 00:05:35,480 --> 00:05:39,480 and move forward to protect your great culture and your amazing country. 87 00:05:40,180 --> 00:05:44,180 It's none other than Academy Award -watching actor Rob Schneider. 88 00:05:44,830 --> 00:05:48,590 And that is a pretty weird cameo there. It's like if the Avengers movie starred 89 00:05:48,590 --> 00:05:51,190 three Avengers and also Rob Schneider. 90 00:05:51,850 --> 00:05:55,190 But it's not just those celebrities and also Rob Schneider. 91 00:05:55,550 --> 00:05:59,130 Orban has a close relationship with many conservatives in this country. He's not 92 00:05:59,130 --> 00:06:03,470 only been invited to speak at CPAC, CPAC itself has been holding a satellite 93 00:06:03,470 --> 00:06:07,570 conference in Hungary for the past few years, where numerous US conservatives 94 00:06:07,570 --> 00:06:12,250 have shown up arguing that America really should be taking a lesson from 95 00:06:12,250 --> 00:06:17,130 work. There are many conservative members of Congress who, like me, want 96 00:06:17,130 --> 00:06:19,270 Hungary as a beacon in the West. 97 00:06:19,790 --> 00:06:23,090 Hungary's immigration policy should serve as a model to the United States. 98 00:06:23,290 --> 00:06:27,110 One place where Hungary clearly has led Europe is in reasserting its national 99 00:06:27,110 --> 00:06:30,410 identity, specifically with regard to rejecting mass migration. 100 00:06:30,850 --> 00:06:36,150 Little did I know I would walk into Budapest and basically see all of the 101 00:06:36,150 --> 00:06:38,710 policies that we dream for in Arizona. 102 00:06:39,320 --> 00:06:42,560 Okay, well, first, based on that blouse, I don't think Carrie Lake came from 103 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:44,440 Arizona as much as from 1987. 104 00:06:44,740 --> 00:06:50,620 But also, if you love Budapest so much, please know that you can and should go 105 00:06:50,620 --> 00:06:51,620 live there. 106 00:06:51,900 --> 00:06:56,900 The point is, Republicans love Viktor Orban. He's even been officially 107 00:06:56,900 --> 00:07:00,580 in this upcoming election by Trump, who once praised him like this. 108 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,040 You know, I was very honored as a man. 109 00:07:03,380 --> 00:07:04,440 Viktor Orban. 110 00:07:04,660 --> 00:07:06,560 Did anyone ever hear of him? He's probably... 111 00:07:07,150 --> 00:07:09,810 Like one of the strongest leaders anywhere in the world. 112 00:07:11,090 --> 00:07:14,210 He's the leader of Turkey. 113 00:07:15,490 --> 00:07:16,490 Close, though. 114 00:07:18,210 --> 00:07:23,470 You are thinking of the right planet. In Trump's defence, Hungary and Turkey are 115 00:07:23,470 --> 00:07:26,990 both in the same region, both ruled by an authoritarian, and both words that a 116 00:07:26,990 --> 00:07:31,050 caveman would say while ordering a sandwich. So you can see why his brain 117 00:07:31,050 --> 00:07:35,280 there. And the love fest between Orbán and American conservatives is a two -way 118 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:39,180 street. In fact, just last Saturday, he spoke at the latest CPAC Hungary and 119 00:07:39,180 --> 00:07:43,260 outlined exactly how he sees himself fitting in to a global conservative 120 00:07:43,260 --> 00:07:44,260 movement. 121 00:07:46,340 --> 00:07:51,020 Since President Trump's win, the Western world has become a better place. 122 00:07:51,880 --> 00:07:57,240 Gender propaganda and woke ideology have been pushed back. 123 00:07:57,720 --> 00:08:02,200 People can proudly embrace Christianity as the foundation and sustaining force 124 00:08:02,200 --> 00:08:03,200 of our civilization. 125 00:08:03,540 --> 00:08:08,180 What's happening now is the largest political realignment in Western 126 00:08:08,180 --> 00:08:09,900 civilization in 100 years. 127 00:08:10,180 --> 00:08:14,720 The epicenter of this change is the United States, and its European forward 128 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:15,720 is Hungary. 129 00:08:16,040 --> 00:08:20,740 Wow, there is a lot there. But citing the West's largest political realignment 130 00:08:20,740 --> 00:08:25,700 in 100 years is pretty striking given, you know, what started happening in 131 00:08:25,700 --> 00:08:27,680 Europe around 100 years ago. 132 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:32,500 That's right, Winnie the Pooh was first published. I don't know what you were 133 00:08:32,500 --> 00:08:36,539 thinking about. But you should know, things in Hungary aren't actually going 134 00:08:36,539 --> 00:08:40,799 great. On Orban's watch, it's become one of the poorest countries in the EU. So 135 00:08:40,799 --> 00:08:44,080 it's frankly no surprise that in recent years, there have been plenty of 136 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:46,580 protests against Orban's government like this one. 137 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:55,920 What's up with the zebra? What does the zebra symbolize? 138 00:08:57,260 --> 00:09:02,660 According to the rumors, Orban has an athlete in the countryside where zebras 139 00:09:02,660 --> 00:09:03,579 were spotted. 140 00:09:03,580 --> 00:09:06,580 The sign back there, that's kind of the... 141 00:09:07,320 --> 00:09:13,900 Center of this Hungary is a dictatorship and then I'm being told Oh one G means 142 00:09:13,900 --> 00:09:18,900 Orban is a sperm Orban is a sperm 143 00:09:18,900 --> 00:09:25,820 Which I assume isn't insulting to just mean that he tastes 144 00:09:25,820 --> 00:09:30,500 slightly better when you eat pineapple Also that rumor about zebras being 145 00:09:30,500 --> 00:09:31,500 spotted is amazing. 146 00:09:31,640 --> 00:09:35,000 It's true as all the zebras I've ever seen have been striped 147 00:09:37,870 --> 00:09:38,930 got that guy so good. 148 00:09:39,330 --> 00:09:43,690 This show is your only source for animal puns and jokes about drinking semen in, 149 00:09:43,690 --> 00:09:45,290 frankly, too rapid succession. 150 00:09:46,890 --> 00:09:50,830 Orban's Fidesz party has actually been trailing by double digits in most polls 151 00:09:50,830 --> 00:09:54,910 ahead of this election, but they may well still win anyway. 152 00:09:55,440 --> 00:09:58,760 for reasons that we'll get into later. So, given Hungary's election is just 153 00:09:58,760 --> 00:10:03,240 around the corner, and just how invested in Orban conservatives here clearly 154 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:06,900 are, we thought tonight it might be worth taking a look at Viktor Orban. And 155 00:10:06,900 --> 00:10:10,600 let's start with a little history. I'll skip past the stuff that we all learned 156 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:15,060 in school about Hungary, like how it, say it with me, was part of the Soviet 157 00:10:15,060 --> 00:10:19,880 plot for much of the 20th century, where it operated under a communist 158 00:10:19,880 --> 00:10:21,640 dictatorship. Exactly. 159 00:10:22,140 --> 00:10:23,720 We're all on the same page. 160 00:10:24,330 --> 00:10:28,950 thanks to America's famously thorough and globally curious education system. 161 00:10:29,610 --> 00:10:33,150 But when the communist bloc began to crumble, Orban was in the right place at 162 00:10:33,150 --> 00:10:36,910 the right time. Here he is in 1989 as a 26 -year -old, calling for the 163 00:10:36,910 --> 00:10:40,750 withdrawal of Soviet troops and free Hungarian elections. And while I am no 164 00:10:40,750 --> 00:10:44,210 of Orban's later work, I will admit, he was a late 80s snack. 165 00:10:45,310 --> 00:10:49,730 He's like Mel Gibson there. He's got the hair, the intensity, and the looming 166 00:10:49,730 --> 00:10:52,050 sense that things will eventually take a dark turn. 167 00:10:53,560 --> 00:10:56,700 After the fall of Soviet communism, Orban took part in talks that eventually 168 00:10:56,700 --> 00:11:00,400 to Hungary's democracy. And at the time, he and Fidesz were actually a 169 00:11:00,400 --> 00:11:04,860 relatively liberal youth movement. In fact, early on, only people under 35 170 00:11:04,860 --> 00:11:05,860 even join the party. 171 00:11:06,100 --> 00:11:08,760 Just look at one of their early 90s campaign ads. 172 00:11:19,400 --> 00:11:21,380 Here and something different. 173 00:11:23,339 --> 00:11:24,940 A blank slate. 174 00:11:27,560 --> 00:11:29,580 A new democracy. 175 00:11:31,740 --> 00:11:33,560 A new Hungary. 176 00:11:35,620 --> 00:11:37,380 Vote for Fidesz. 177 00:11:39,160 --> 00:11:45,260 That ad has got everything 90s kids loved. Maps, an orange, 178 00:11:45,540 --> 00:11:48,640 dominoes, and a bunch of guys who look like they're running for the president 179 00:11:48,640 --> 00:11:49,820 a college radio station. 180 00:11:50,570 --> 00:11:54,910 Viktor Orban, Hungarian Anthony Michael Hall, a steakhouse waiter on his smoke 181 00:11:54,910 --> 00:11:57,350 break, and of course, Virgin John Mayer. 182 00:11:57,930 --> 00:12:02,350 Back then, Fidesz campaigned on adopting Western European economic and political 183 00:12:02,350 --> 00:12:06,410 standards and limiting the role of the state and the influence of religion on 184 00:12:06,410 --> 00:12:10,850 public life. But... After Orban was elected to parliament in 1990, he 185 00:12:10,850 --> 00:12:14,290 moving the party to the right. He eventually became Europe's youngest 186 00:12:14,290 --> 00:12:19,270 minister in 1998, only to lose after just one term. And in his years out of 187 00:12:19,270 --> 00:12:24,210 power, he continued moving to the right, amping up nationalist populist rhetoric 188 00:12:24,210 --> 00:12:28,490 and starting to wrap himself in religion. And as he tells it now, he 189 00:12:28,490 --> 00:12:29,850 pretty stark philosophy. 190 00:12:30,310 --> 00:12:35,750 In order to win, it is not enough to know what you are fighting for. 191 00:12:37,200 --> 00:12:41,440 You also have to know how you should fight. 192 00:12:42,200 --> 00:12:46,140 My answer is play by your own rules. 193 00:12:46,420 --> 00:12:51,180 Now, on the surface, play by your own rules is a pretty banal sentiment. It's 194 00:12:51,180 --> 00:12:53,740 the live, laugh, love for people who haven't been divorced yet. 195 00:12:53,940 --> 00:12:58,660 But Hungary soon found out what he meant by that in a political sense. 196 00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:02,720 Because in 2010, after the global financial crisis and the scandal in 197 00:13:02,720 --> 00:13:07,200 ruling party, Orban was swept back into power with a two -thirds supermajority 198 00:13:07,200 --> 00:13:11,160 and immediately began tampering with the rules to make sure he never lost again. 199 00:13:11,420 --> 00:13:14,920 As he put it, we have to win once, but then win big. 200 00:13:15,360 --> 00:13:18,620 Essentially meaning, if he ever gained power, he'd use it to fortify his 201 00:13:18,620 --> 00:13:19,860 position indefinitely. 202 00:13:20,100 --> 00:13:24,760 And we only have to win once is one of the more ominous things to hear from a 203 00:13:24,760 --> 00:13:28,180 leader. It's right up there along with, trust me, you're going to love the Kool 204 00:13:28,180 --> 00:13:32,320 -Aid. Open the gates, Papa, gotta get a closer look at that big old horse. And 205 00:13:32,320 --> 00:13:36,080 no smoking, what is this, a blimp for dorks? Pass me my lighter. 206 00:13:37,050 --> 00:13:40,790 Sure enough, once back in power, Orbán moved swiftly to solidify control. 207 00:13:41,050 --> 00:13:44,370 In his first year in office, the government rushed through hundreds of 208 00:13:44,370 --> 00:13:47,790 and ushered through a brand new constitution that was drafted behind 209 00:13:47,790 --> 00:13:50,550 doors and debated in Parliament for only nine days. 210 00:13:50,890 --> 00:13:53,810 There were also big changes to Hungary's election system, including 211 00:13:53,810 --> 00:13:57,790 gerrymandering maps to stack the odds heavily in Orbán's favour. As a result, 212 00:13:57,790 --> 00:14:03,810 2014, his party won 45 % of the vote, but 91 % of the district. 213 00:14:04,090 --> 00:14:07,530 In fact, thanks to that and other tweaks, independent... observers have 214 00:14:07,530 --> 00:14:11,990 Hungarian elections since then free but not fair, which is an interesting 215 00:14:11,990 --> 00:14:16,310 combination. You are free to vote for anyone you want, whether it's Orbán or 216 00:14:16,310 --> 00:14:18,890 whoever inevitably loses to him. 217 00:14:19,190 --> 00:14:23,390 And while changes like those could theoretically have faced legal 218 00:14:23,550 --> 00:14:27,610 Orbán's also co -opted Hungary's court system, packing it with loyalists and 219 00:14:27,610 --> 00:14:30,630 passing a constitutional amendment that removes the court's power to evaluate 220 00:14:30,630 --> 00:14:32,550 any new constitutional amendment. 221 00:14:32,810 --> 00:14:36,330 And when you take all of that together, As this scholar points out, it was 222 00:14:36,330 --> 00:14:39,910 basically a coup, but a very 21st century one. 223 00:14:40,290 --> 00:14:45,670 We tend to think of a coup, right, as happening with tanks in the streets, you 224 00:14:45,670 --> 00:14:49,790 know, and the military takeover and the announcement on radio that, you know, 225 00:14:49,810 --> 00:14:51,630 all civil liberties have died. 226 00:14:52,330 --> 00:14:54,650 That's not what autocracy looks like anymore. 227 00:14:54,890 --> 00:14:57,730 You don't get phalanxes of tanks. 228 00:14:58,430 --> 00:15:00,210 You get phalanxes of lawyers. 229 00:15:00,630 --> 00:15:02,450 That is chilling, because... 230 00:15:02,760 --> 00:15:05,660 If there is one thing that is scarier than a tank, it is a lawyer. 231 00:15:06,080 --> 00:15:07,080 Believe me. 232 00:15:07,420 --> 00:15:10,520 We have a bunch of them for this show, and they are constantly yelling things 233 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:14,540 like, John, you can't do this, or John, you can't show that, or John, you can't 234 00:15:14,540 --> 00:15:17,760 say with no evidence that Millie Bobby Brown helped plan the 9 -11 attacks. 235 00:15:17,840 --> 00:15:21,820 That's defamation, and we will get sued. So reluctantly, I don't say it. Though 236 00:15:21,820 --> 00:15:23,040 I will say she hasn't denied it. 237 00:15:24,000 --> 00:15:26,780 We admittedly haven't asked, but her silence says something. 238 00:15:27,880 --> 00:15:30,400 But it's not just Orban control of government. 239 00:15:30,960 --> 00:15:34,020 Part of the way he's won over the Hungarian public is through his control 240 00:15:34,020 --> 00:15:37,620 media. After returning to power, his government created a new agency to 241 00:15:37,620 --> 00:15:42,180 heavy fines for coverage that it considered unbalanced or offensive, as 242 00:15:42,180 --> 00:15:47,420 founding a new state media organisation called MTVA, overseeing all public media 243 00:15:47,420 --> 00:15:50,120 across TV, radio and the internet. 244 00:15:50,500 --> 00:15:54,640 Listen to one anonymous employee there explain just how much editorial control 245 00:15:54,640 --> 00:15:55,640 Orbán had. 246 00:15:55,900 --> 00:15:59,480 Every single thing connected to domestic politics is... 247 00:16:00,069 --> 00:16:04,510 restricted. I mean, you can't write anything bad about the government. 248 00:16:06,110 --> 00:16:12,210 For example, if something is politically sensitive, I get instructions. 249 00:16:12,950 --> 00:16:17,890 In some cases, I have the whole ready -made article, so I don't need to do 250 00:16:17,890 --> 00:16:22,950 anything, no editing, just control -C, copy and paste the whole article, 251 00:16:24,190 --> 00:16:26,510 It's unimaginable, to be honest. 252 00:16:27,040 --> 00:16:30,640 Yeah, those conditions clearly aren't ideal for a news outlet. 253 00:16:30,940 --> 00:16:34,440 There is a reason they typically don't give out the bullets before Excellence 254 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:35,440 Control V. 255 00:16:35,960 --> 00:16:39,660 A study of one public TV nightly news show found that over six months there 256 00:16:39,660 --> 00:16:43,920 wasn't a single instance of governing party politicians appearing on screen in 257 00:16:43,920 --> 00:16:49,520 negative light. Literally zero seconds of negative coverage, which should not 258 00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:53,540 possible. Politicians attract negative coverage about everything they do. 259 00:16:53,930 --> 00:16:57,310 whether it's about their offensive fashion faux pas or their court -ordered 260 00:16:57,310 --> 00:17:00,310 liability for sexual abuse, to pick two equivalent examples. 261 00:17:00,930 --> 00:17:05,250 And Orban's reach goes well beyond state media, as his allies bought up tons of 262 00:17:05,250 --> 00:17:09,569 private independent outlets and then centralised many of them under a single 263 00:17:09,569 --> 00:17:14,849 foundation. According to the investigative journalism outlet Adlazo, 264 00:17:15,270 --> 00:17:19,069 allies of the Prime Minister have been buying up numerous Hungarian media 265 00:17:19,069 --> 00:17:22,890 outlets. Men like former Hollywood producer Andy Weiner... 266 00:17:23,099 --> 00:17:27,640 and old -school friend Lawrence Metherosh are among a group of 14 Orban 267 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:33,080 who've collectively bought 11 radio stations, 20 television channels, and 268 00:17:33,080 --> 00:17:35,280 to 500 online and print organisations. 269 00:17:35,920 --> 00:17:40,180 Wow, a far -right leader's friends and allies just buying up all the media 270 00:17:40,180 --> 00:17:43,640 outlets in the country and turning them into conservative sycophants? Can you 271 00:17:43,640 --> 00:17:44,640 imagine that? 272 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:48,580 I sure can't. That's definitely not something I've had recurring nightmares 273 00:17:48,580 --> 00:17:50,020 about for the past month. 274 00:17:51,050 --> 00:17:52,470 And the result of all this... 275 00:17:53,470 --> 00:17:58,170 Orbán's party currently controls roughly 80 % of the media market. And this 276 00:17:58,170 --> 00:18:02,550 level of influence over laws, courts, elections and the media has allowed 277 00:18:02,550 --> 00:18:06,310 to reshape Hungary virtually unchecked on the international level. That's meant 278 00:18:06,310 --> 00:18:10,470 being a constant thorn in the EU side, especially when it comes to dealing with 279 00:18:10,470 --> 00:18:14,290 Russia. Orbán's consistently had the friendliest ties to the Kremlin in the 280 00:18:14,290 --> 00:18:18,550 European Union. In fact, he's long weaponised Hungary's veto power at the 281 00:18:18,550 --> 00:18:22,730 block Russia -related sanctions, tie up financial aid to Ukraine and... 282 00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:24,600 repeatedly stall urgent EU decisions. 283 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,700 And it says something that even a decade ago, this is how the then President of 284 00:18:28,700 --> 00:18:31,280 the European Commission greeted Orban at a summit. 285 00:18:31,940 --> 00:18:33,140 The dictator is coming. 286 00:18:35,520 --> 00:18:36,520 Dictator. 287 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:41,840 It's pretty good. 288 00:18:42,020 --> 00:18:43,020 It's pretty good. 289 00:18:43,240 --> 00:18:48,100 And while I do not condone violence, there are a few scenarios where I think 290 00:18:48,100 --> 00:18:49,300 it's fine to slap someone. 291 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,780 When you're trying to revive them, when you are Cher and you really need Nick 292 00:18:53,780 --> 00:18:57,900 Cage to snap out of it, and of course, whenever you have the chance to hit an 293 00:18:57,900 --> 00:18:59,420 authoritarian in the face. 294 00:19:00,020 --> 00:19:01,960 Meanwhile, domestically... 295 00:19:02,280 --> 00:19:06,060 Organs reshaped Hungary into what's basically a theme park of reactionary 296 00:19:06,060 --> 00:19:09,040 talking points. For instance, he's railed against Europe becoming a mixed 297 00:19:09,040 --> 00:19:12,920 society and opposes allowing asylum seekers into Hungary despite EU and 298 00:19:12,920 --> 00:19:13,920 international laws. 299 00:19:14,240 --> 00:19:17,620 During the migrant and refugee crisis a decade ago, Hungary was accused of 300 00:19:17,620 --> 00:19:22,560 unlawful detention and violence against asylum seekers. And he made a big show 301 00:19:22,560 --> 00:19:26,960 back then of being openly hostile toward them, even going so far as to build an 302 00:19:26,960 --> 00:19:31,000 electrified border fence, which inevitably got this rave review from 303 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:35,240 Carlson. Hungary began building the fence in June of 2015. 304 00:19:35,660 --> 00:19:37,200 By September, it was done. 305 00:19:50,000 --> 00:19:51,000 Pretty? 306 00:19:53,040 --> 00:19:57,560 Look, there are three things you can rely on in this life. Death, taxes, and 307 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:00,620 you build a fence to keep out immigrants, Tucker Carlson is going to 308 00:20:00,620 --> 00:20:01,620 fuck it. 309 00:20:02,190 --> 00:20:06,610 If he really does want to kiss some electrified barbed wire, who am I to 310 00:20:06,610 --> 00:20:08,130 him? Love is love. 311 00:20:08,770 --> 00:20:14,350 But even as migration to Europe has declined, Orbán has continued to 312 00:20:14,350 --> 00:20:17,650 about how, if it weren't for him, Hungary might be forced to accept 313 00:20:17,650 --> 00:20:21,550 refugees, who he has falsely characterized as disease -ridden threats 314 00:20:21,550 --> 00:20:25,850 health, extremist planning terrorist acts, and agents of a plot to replace 315 00:20:25,850 --> 00:20:28,490 native Europeans with foreigners. All while... 316 00:20:28,970 --> 00:20:33,030 reaching for a now familiar scapegoat, suggesting George Soros was 317 00:20:33,030 --> 00:20:36,730 a nefarious plan to overrun Hungary with refugees, and posting billboards and 318 00:20:36,730 --> 00:20:41,150 full -page media ads with the caption, Don't let Soros have the last laugh. 319 00:20:41,390 --> 00:20:42,890 And it wasn't just billboards. 320 00:20:43,230 --> 00:20:47,170 Orban's government also passed a law officially called Stop Soros, that made 321 00:20:47,170 --> 00:20:51,970 illegal to help asylum seekers, even just with their paperwork, and led a 322 00:20:51,970 --> 00:20:55,130 campaign to shut down the Hungarian university that Soros founded. 323 00:20:55,350 --> 00:20:59,650 Though, what is a little strange about Orban's anti -Soros vendetta, is that 324 00:20:59,650 --> 00:21:04,170 back in 1989, he actually received a Soros -funded scholarship to study at 325 00:21:04,170 --> 00:21:07,750 Oxford University, where I presume he majored in irony. 326 00:21:08,940 --> 00:21:12,800 But immigrants in Soros aren't Orbán's only punching bag. His government's also 327 00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:17,360 gone after Hungary's LGBTQ community, something that he bragged about at CPAC. 328 00:21:17,600 --> 00:21:24,180 To sum up, the mother is a woman, the father is a man, and leave our 329 00:21:24,180 --> 00:21:25,180 kids alone. 330 00:21:25,260 --> 00:21:26,219 Full stop. 331 00:21:26,220 --> 00:21:27,220 End of discussion. 332 00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:30,920 We decided we don't need more genders, we need more rangers. 333 00:21:32,540 --> 00:21:35,440 Less drag queens and more Chuck Norris. 334 00:21:35,780 --> 00:21:36,780 What? 335 00:21:37,140 --> 00:21:38,280 That doesn't make... 336 00:21:38,540 --> 00:21:39,359 Any sense? 337 00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:43,300 The number of genders has nothing to do with the number of rangers, and the 338 00:21:43,300 --> 00:21:46,500 number of drag queens has nothing to do with the number of Chuck Norrises, 339 00:21:46,560 --> 00:21:51,140 especially because the most Chuck Norrises you can have is one, and that 340 00:21:51,140 --> 00:21:52,660 went down to zero last week. 341 00:21:52,960 --> 00:21:55,940 And if this is how you are finding that out, surprise! 342 00:21:57,300 --> 00:21:59,000 But it's not just rhetoric. 343 00:21:59,500 --> 00:22:03,420 Orban's government officially redefined family, which meant an effective ban on 344 00:22:03,420 --> 00:22:07,500 adoption by same -sex couples and banned trans people from changing their gender 345 00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:08,479 on their IDs. 346 00:22:08,480 --> 00:22:13,600 In 2021, Hungary even passed a law banning depicting or promoting LGBT plus 347 00:22:13,600 --> 00:22:16,300 content in schools and the media. And if that sounds... 348 00:22:16,680 --> 00:22:20,760 at all familiar to you, it may be because just nine months after that, 349 00:22:20,760 --> 00:22:24,640 Rondesantis signed his version of it, focused on classroom instruction, the so 350 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,340 -called Don't Say Gay law. 351 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:30,360 But perhaps the policy that sums up Orban's obsessions the best, from 352 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:35,120 conservatism to panic over migrants, is his relentless focus on Hungary's low 353 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:35,949 birth rate. 354 00:22:35,950 --> 00:22:39,770 He's tried to increase it by introducing incentives like tax exemptions and 355 00:22:39,770 --> 00:22:44,650 interest -free loans of about $30 ,000 for parents, which then get cancelled if 356 00:22:44,650 --> 00:22:48,950 they have three children. And that's a pretty good deal, but does make giving 357 00:22:48,950 --> 00:22:53,950 kids the talk a little more complicated. Well, when a man and a woman love each 358 00:22:53,950 --> 00:22:57,770 other very much, but also get a sick low -interest loan from the Hungarian 359 00:22:57,770 --> 00:23:00,570 government, that's how babies are made. 360 00:23:01,490 --> 00:23:05,910 Orvons framed the need for Hungarians to procreate as an existential crisis, 361 00:23:06,090 --> 00:23:09,370 because to hear him tell it in this ad that his government posted, the 362 00:23:09,370 --> 00:23:12,670 alternative is for the country to be overrun by migrants. 363 00:23:31,160 --> 00:23:34,920 Okay, obviously that's yet more great replacement fear -mongering, but as for 364 00:23:34,920 --> 00:23:39,720 you can make fish soup from fish, but you can't make fish from fish soup, is 365 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:43,300 that folk wisdom? Or is that just how soup works? 366 00:23:44,220 --> 00:23:48,240 I'm just saying, if your Nana pointed at a bowl of soup and said, you can't make 367 00:23:48,240 --> 00:23:51,680 fish out of that, you'd be looking at retirement home brochures that 368 00:23:52,570 --> 00:23:56,670 Also, for what it's worth, that metaphor cuts both ways, because I've found, 369 00:23:56,750 --> 00:24:01,270 with fish soup as with country, when you add more ingredients, it tends to taste 370 00:24:01,270 --> 00:24:04,790 better. Otherwise, what you have is hot fish water. 371 00:24:05,610 --> 00:24:11,770 But Orban is serious about this. He spent about 5 % of Hungary's GDP on 372 00:24:11,770 --> 00:24:15,610 programmes incentivising families to have kids, but it hasn't worked. 373 00:24:16,060 --> 00:24:19,340 Hungary's fertility rate recently dipped to the lowest in a decade and their 374 00:24:19,340 --> 00:24:20,540 population is still shrinking. 375 00:24:20,780 --> 00:24:25,340 And that might be because people just don't feel optimistic about raising kids 376 00:24:25,340 --> 00:24:29,080 in Orban's Hungary, a place where two -thirds of the citizens describe the 377 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:32,380 national education system as bad, or where even the Conservative Heritage 378 00:24:32,380 --> 00:24:36,080 Foundation has put its government at the bottom of the EU in its rankings of 379 00:24:36,080 --> 00:24:37,079 government integrity. 380 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:42,120 And that is the thing about Viktor Orban. For all the fear -mongering he's 381 00:24:42,200 --> 00:24:45,720 all the fences he's built, and all the laws he's passed to protect... Hungary 382 00:24:45,720 --> 00:24:50,000 from the threat of migrants, gays, and George Soros. He's fundamentally failed 383 00:24:50,000 --> 00:24:52,720 when it comes to the basics of good governance. 384 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,280 Funding for schools and hospitals there has gotten so dire, he had to sign an 385 00:24:56,280 --> 00:24:59,640 executive order to ensure medical facilities were stocked with toilet 386 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:03,540 Although, to hear his health secretary tell it, any complaints that people had 387 00:25:03,540 --> 00:25:05,400 about that were completely unreasonable. 388 00:25:07,400 --> 00:25:11,380 In an operation as big as the Hungarian hospital system, which is 3 million 389 00:25:11,380 --> 00:25:15,970 square meters and has tens of thousands of people visiting every day, I consider 390 00:25:15,970 --> 00:25:19,290 it a mathematical impossibility that there should be toilet paper in all 391 00:25:19,290 --> 00:25:20,930 hospital bathrooms at all times. 392 00:25:21,250 --> 00:25:24,710 To this day, I maintain that this is a mathematical impossibility. 393 00:25:25,190 --> 00:25:31,430 Look, I've heard some bad talking points in the past, but it's mathematically 394 00:25:31,430 --> 00:25:36,530 impossible for our hospitals to have toilet paper is right up there. I'm 395 00:25:36,530 --> 00:25:39,870 only surprised it didn't go on to suggest hospitals just hang a sign in 396 00:25:39,870 --> 00:25:43,310 bathroom reminding people that using their socks is always an option. 397 00:25:44,200 --> 00:25:47,980 And it is not a great sign for Orbán that some of his heaviest -handed 398 00:25:47,980 --> 00:25:51,600 now do seem to be backfiring. Take this story from last summer. 399 00:25:52,140 --> 00:25:57,840 Viktor Orbán's government banned LGBTQ public gatherings in March, including 400 00:25:57,840 --> 00:25:58,840 this one. 401 00:25:59,120 --> 00:26:03,180 But that ban only seems to have galvanized countless Hungarians. 402 00:26:03,540 --> 00:26:07,900 They took part in the parade despite the risk of being identified by the 403 00:26:07,900 --> 00:26:10,620 authorities using facial recognition software. 404 00:26:11,040 --> 00:26:13,580 I object to any restriction of rights. 405 00:26:14,030 --> 00:26:15,910 Everyone should be free to choose a partner. 406 00:26:16,190 --> 00:26:19,990 And I condemn any restrictions that crush freedom of assembly and other 407 00:26:19,990 --> 00:26:22,050 freedoms. And that's why I'm here. 408 00:26:22,250 --> 00:26:25,270 I thought the government would make it impossible for this to happen and that 409 00:26:25,270 --> 00:26:28,270 there wouldn't be many people. It's a fantastic feeling that it's a much 410 00:26:28,270 --> 00:26:29,270 crowd than ever before. 411 00:26:29,690 --> 00:26:30,690 Yeah, that is amazing. 412 00:26:30,790 --> 00:26:33,830 And a pretty colossal backfire from Orba. 413 00:26:34,490 --> 00:26:38,150 After all, if the Rob Schneider movie, The Chosen One, taught us anything, it's 414 00:26:38,150 --> 00:26:42,030 the harder you try to oppress people through fear, the more they'll rise up 415 00:26:42,030 --> 00:26:46,070 against you. Now, full disclosure, I don't know if that's really the moral of 416 00:26:46,070 --> 00:26:46,969 that film. 417 00:26:46,970 --> 00:26:50,750 Like everyone else on Earth, I haven't seen it. But what are you going to do? 418 00:26:50,890 --> 00:26:54,610 Watch it yourself to fact -check me? No fucking way! 419 00:26:55,030 --> 00:26:59,390 So, let's just say that's the message of the film and move on, shall we? 420 00:27:00,150 --> 00:27:04,360 So... What happens next? Well, despite the increasing opposition to Orban in 421 00:27:04,360 --> 00:27:08,200 Hungary, the truth is, in this election, the playing field is still tilted 422 00:27:08,200 --> 00:27:13,460 strongly in his favour. And even if he somehow ends up losing the game that 423 00:27:13,460 --> 00:27:17,260 carefully rigged, it's worth knowing his main opponent, Peter Magyar, isn't 424 00:27:17,260 --> 00:27:20,940 exactly the reformer that you would dream of here. He's a former member of 425 00:27:20,940 --> 00:27:24,960 Fidesz who's railed against Orban's corruption, but still shares plenty of 426 00:27:24,960 --> 00:27:28,620 right -leaning views. And even some Hungarians who say they plan to vote for 427 00:27:28,620 --> 00:27:30,780 him... Don't think thrills about it. 428 00:27:31,100 --> 00:27:33,000 I think more and more people want change. 429 00:27:33,340 --> 00:27:36,520 Mr. Major, he used to be a member of Fidesz. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 430 00:27:36,780 --> 00:27:39,220 Do you worry that he might be too similar? 431 00:27:39,540 --> 00:27:41,140 Four years later, we will see. 432 00:27:42,980 --> 00:27:48,020 To be honest, if there would be a good left -wing party, I would vote for them. 433 00:27:48,120 --> 00:27:49,120 But there is not. 434 00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,280 So I will vote for Major Peter. 435 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:56,360 So he's not completely on your level when it comes to everything. It's not my 436 00:27:56,360 --> 00:27:57,360 taste, exactly. 437 00:27:57,870 --> 00:28:01,350 Yeah, he's clearly not thrilled about voting for Magyar, but he's willing to 438 00:28:01,350 --> 00:28:05,910 push that discomfort down and put on a happy face anyway. If only there were a 439 00:28:05,910 --> 00:28:11,310 Hungarian meme to capture that sentiment perfectly, I guess we'll never know. 440 00:28:11,750 --> 00:28:16,630 The thing is, regardless of what happens on April 12th, Orban's stranglehold on 441 00:28:16,630 --> 00:28:20,830 power should be alarming for us here in the state. Because he has clearly... 442 00:28:21,070 --> 00:28:24,510 being an inspiration to American conservatives, to the point that J .D. 443 00:28:24,510 --> 00:28:29,230 apparently planning to visit Hungary to show support for Orban ahead of their 444 00:28:29,230 --> 00:28:32,830 election. And that is because, for them, Orban is not a cautionary tale. 445 00:28:33,070 --> 00:28:34,170 He is a blueprint. 446 00:28:34,770 --> 00:28:39,330 To put it another way, if Orban is a sperm, think of Trump as the baby, the 447 00:28:39,330 --> 00:28:41,710 sperm. In fact, you know what? Forget that. It's a disgusting image. 448 00:28:42,210 --> 00:28:43,790 Let's reset and try again. 449 00:28:43,990 --> 00:28:47,790 Look, it's not just me sounding the alarm here. People like this Hungarian 450 00:28:47,790 --> 00:28:49,910 politician have been trying to warn us for a while. 451 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,420 You must be familiar with the fact that there are many U .S. conservatives 452 00:28:53,420 --> 00:28:57,900 coming here to learn from Orban's style of governance. 453 00:28:58,120 --> 00:28:59,200 Why do you think that is? 454 00:28:59,800 --> 00:29:02,180 I don't know why that is, but I know that it's dangerous. 455 00:29:02,560 --> 00:29:05,840 You should take care of your democracy, because fortunately enough, you have 456 00:29:05,840 --> 00:29:06,840 your checks and balances. 457 00:29:07,050 --> 00:29:11,550 If somebody is able to switch them off, you would also slide down. This is what 458 00:29:11,550 --> 00:29:15,310 happened to Hungary, and I really hope that your system, the 200 -year -old 459 00:29:15,310 --> 00:29:19,730 American democracy which I admire, is strong enough to withstand any such 460 00:29:19,730 --> 00:29:22,990 threat. Yeah, he's right. The fact is, we are lucky. 461 00:29:23,550 --> 00:29:27,890 to have the checks and balances that we do. But we would do well to watch for 462 00:29:27,890 --> 00:29:31,490 warning signs of what happened in Hungary starting to happen here. You 463 00:29:31,530 --> 00:29:34,690 small things like, I don't know, stacking the courts, or shameless 464 00:29:34,690 --> 00:29:38,990 gerrymandering, or fear -mongering about immigrants, or presidential allies 465 00:29:38,990 --> 00:29:43,190 buying up the media. You know, anything you might spot like that. And look, it 466 00:29:43,190 --> 00:29:44,670 is not a perfect one -to -one. 467 00:29:44,910 --> 00:29:48,050 Orban's takeover was organised and methodical, while Trump had the 468 00:29:48,050 --> 00:29:51,830 span of a coked -up hummingbird with a head injury. But they're not worlds 469 00:29:51,830 --> 00:29:57,240 either. And I'll say, if the right is looking to Orban as a model, the rest of 470 00:29:57,240 --> 00:30:00,840 us could do a lot worse than to look to those Hungarians in the streets for 471 00:30:00,840 --> 00:30:06,760 inspiration. Because everyone who's ever fought for American democracy, failing 472 00:30:06,760 --> 00:30:10,000 to resist authoritarianism would be a huge slap in the face. 473 00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:13,520 And unfortunately, not the undeniably fun kind. 474 00:30:13,980 --> 00:30:15,160 And now, this. 475 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:21,460 And now, some disgusting new ballpark food for baseball's opening day. 476 00:30:22,170 --> 00:30:24,510 The Miami Marlins are serving up the machete. 477 00:30:24,770 --> 00:30:30,830 It's a two -foot -wide tortilla with melted mozzarella, Oaxaca cheese, carne 478 00:30:30,830 --> 00:30:32,870 asada, salsa verde, and cilantro. 479 00:30:33,130 --> 00:30:38,910 Yum! The Schwerbaum Sundae. Funnel cake, fried, strawberry, 480 00:30:39,230 --> 00:30:42,450 uncrustable, covered in fruity cereal and served with ice cream. 481 00:30:42,730 --> 00:30:46,870 This is our double diamond waffle fry with cheese sauce, lardons of bacon, 482 00:30:47,170 --> 00:30:51,550 mushroom, beef short ribs braised in red wine, fontina cheese, and some... 483 00:30:51,560 --> 00:30:56,100 crispy onions. The behemoth bat flip. Two pounds of meat and onions and egg 484 00:30:56,100 --> 00:30:58,460 holy moly. I don't know how you're going to eat it. 485 00:30:58,920 --> 00:31:04,860 But I challenge you. Crab mac and cheese hot dog. The Monster Burger topped with 486 00:31:04,860 --> 00:31:06,460 entire Vienna sausages. 487 00:31:06,820 --> 00:31:10,140 Nachos on a stick. Barbecue brisket on a mac and cheese waffle. 488 00:31:10,540 --> 00:31:12,060 A chow mein burrito. 489 00:31:12,300 --> 00:31:16,660 Hempler's jalapeno cheddar bowl. It's got Hempler's jalapeno cheddar sausage 490 00:31:16,660 --> 00:31:20,500 bites with sauteed peppers and onions on dirty Cajun rice. 491 00:31:20,780 --> 00:31:22,900 It's topped with Cajun cream sauce. 492 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:27,040 You can't tell me if you get that. You're going to be able to stay in your 493 00:31:27,040 --> 00:31:28,040 for nine hours. 494 00:31:30,780 --> 00:31:33,000 You're going to make it two innings, and you're going to be like, I'll see you 495 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:34,000 in an hour. 496 00:31:36,530 --> 00:31:39,230 Moving on. Before we go, a quick word about branding. 497 00:31:39,450 --> 00:31:43,170 In Trump's second term, he's continued his famous love of slapping his name as 498 00:31:43,170 --> 00:31:45,850 base on things. Just this week, we learned he'd be the first ever sitting 499 00:31:45,850 --> 00:31:48,890 president to put his signature on our currency, and that is just the latest 500 00:31:48,890 --> 00:31:53,990 thing he's awkwardly added himself to, from the Donald J. Trump United States 501 00:31:53,990 --> 00:31:58,750 Institute of Peace, which is bold, to the Kennedy Center, which is now called 502 00:31:58,750 --> 00:32:03,050 the Donald J. Trump and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the 503 00:32:03,050 --> 00:32:04,270 Arts, to even this. 504 00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:08,740 The annual National Parks Pass is getting a new look. As you can see, the 505 00:32:08,740 --> 00:32:13,080 America the Beautiful card features a photo of President Donald Trump near an 506 00:32:13,080 --> 00:32:14,580 image of George Washington. 507 00:32:14,920 --> 00:32:16,240 Well, that is not ideal. 508 00:32:16,480 --> 00:32:20,660 You don't expect a National Parks Pass to feature spooky live -action Statler 509 00:32:20,660 --> 00:32:21,660 and Wardorf here. 510 00:32:22,340 --> 00:32:26,760 I get what they're going for by showcasing America's first and final 511 00:32:26,760 --> 00:32:27,760 together, but... 512 00:32:28,010 --> 00:32:33,050 Trump making himself and famed cherry tree enemy George Washington the faces 513 00:32:33,050 --> 00:32:36,770 our national parks is weird for a number of reasons. First, Trump seems to hate 514 00:32:36,770 --> 00:32:41,450 them. He's made steep cuts to the park service, which has now lost 24 % of its 515 00:32:41,450 --> 00:32:42,950 permanent employees. But also... 516 00:32:43,420 --> 00:32:46,800 The parties have previously focused on the natural beauty of the parks, like 517 00:32:46,800 --> 00:32:50,740 this one featuring an image of a redwood forest, this one featuring a frog with 518 00:32:50,740 --> 00:32:55,340 bedroom eyes, and this one featuring a roseate spoonbill, a bird that always 519 00:32:55,340 --> 00:32:57,480 looks like a regular duck attending the Met Gala. 520 00:32:57,940 --> 00:33:01,460 The point is, the parks' parties were about the parks. 521 00:33:02,010 --> 00:33:05,770 And there's actually a lawsuit right now arguing that Trump's face can't be on 522 00:33:05,770 --> 00:33:09,170 there, as federal law requires the main America the Beautiful pass to feature 523 00:33:09,170 --> 00:33:12,950 the winning photo of the National Parks Foundation's annual public lands photo 524 00:33:12,950 --> 00:33:17,350 contest. That is an argument seemingly backed up by the announcement of last 525 00:33:17,350 --> 00:33:21,470 year's winner, which says this photo by Axel Josie will be featured on the 2026 526 00:33:21,470 --> 00:33:25,910 America the Beautiful annual pass, and does not go on to say, unless that is, 527 00:33:25,970 --> 00:33:29,170 the president feels like replacing it with a shot of him getting a prostate 528 00:33:29,170 --> 00:33:30,170 from George Washington. 529 00:33:31,820 --> 00:33:36,780 Now, the winning photo is on the more expensive pass for international 530 00:33:36,920 --> 00:33:40,820 but the cheaper one for US residents now has Trump slapped on it. While that 531 00:33:40,820 --> 00:33:45,360 winning photo is clearly better, if you'll just permit a quick digression 532 00:33:45,460 --> 00:33:49,520 If you look at the runners -up from that contest, I'd argue they both got 533 00:33:49,520 --> 00:33:54,200 robbed, because second place went to this iconic big bird bonking little 534 00:33:54,320 --> 00:33:57,700 and third place was this absolute masterpiece. 535 00:33:58,680 --> 00:34:02,580 A bear moments after the photographer said, now let's take a silly one. 536 00:34:03,560 --> 00:34:08,260 But obviously, any of these three would be a better choice for a pass than this 537 00:34:08,260 --> 00:34:12,080 image that looks like he asked AI, what would Ebenezer Scrooge look like today? 538 00:34:12,400 --> 00:34:16,280 And it's not just me who thinks that. People buying these passes have 539 00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:19,880 been unpleasantly surprised, like this motorcyclist who filmed himself buying a 540 00:34:19,880 --> 00:34:22,600 pass at an entrance booth and then showed his real -time reaction. 541 00:34:23,159 --> 00:34:26,679 Last year, when I bought a park pass, it was like a cool picture of a lizard or 542 00:34:26,679 --> 00:34:30,760 something on it. So I bought this one, and I'm all like, oh, this will be my 543 00:34:30,760 --> 00:34:33,120 park pass for the year. I wonder what cool picture is on it. 544 00:34:33,580 --> 00:34:37,260 And it's fucking George Washington and fucking lizard. 545 00:34:39,460 --> 00:34:45,060 Oh, man, you know, no love or hate towards anyone specifically, but I just 546 00:34:45,060 --> 00:34:46,060 thought this was funny. 547 00:34:46,780 --> 00:34:51,620 And, you know, I would have preferred like a cool scenic nature. 548 00:34:52,580 --> 00:34:53,620 animal or something. 549 00:34:54,500 --> 00:34:55,719 But this is funny too. 550 00:34:56,960 --> 00:35:00,800 Excellent. And kudos to that guy for rolling with what had to be a 551 00:35:00,800 --> 00:35:02,800 disappointment. You think you're going to see a cool lizard? 552 00:35:03,700 --> 00:35:06,400 Only to get Trump instead? That sucks in any context. 553 00:35:06,740 --> 00:35:10,640 If your friend said, hey, come to the garage. I trapped a cool lizard under a 554 00:35:10,640 --> 00:35:13,700 bucket. But it turned out to be Donald Trump instead? 555 00:35:14,060 --> 00:35:15,060 Oh, man. 556 00:35:16,580 --> 00:35:17,580 Oh, man. 557 00:35:18,760 --> 00:35:21,360 I was really looking forward to that lizard. 558 00:35:23,760 --> 00:35:28,080 And it seems there are plenty of park regulars annoyed at having to carry 559 00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:31,380 his face in their pocket, because some have even come up with ways to cover it 560 00:35:31,380 --> 00:35:32,380 up, like this woman. 561 00:35:32,520 --> 00:35:38,160 Really just want to embrace what people are already expressing everywhere, that 562 00:35:38,160 --> 00:35:41,560 they want to see nature on their national parks pass. 563 00:35:41,860 --> 00:35:45,120 Jenny created stickers out of some of her paintings. There's a grizzly bear 564 00:35:45,120 --> 00:35:46,660 sitting here looking at Denali. 565 00:35:46,880 --> 00:35:49,840 The stickers are the dimensions of the America, the beautiful past. 566 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:51,720 The back has... 567 00:35:51,980 --> 00:35:55,440 different segments that come off. So it's broken up into segments so they 568 00:35:55,440 --> 00:35:59,420 leave. And they're designed to be peeled off in different ways. So that when 569 00:35:59,420 --> 00:36:02,980 it's adhered to the front of the pass, you could flip that up and show the 570 00:36:02,980 --> 00:36:03,980 diamond underneath. 571 00:36:04,100 --> 00:36:07,620 Yeah, it's pretty clever. Sometimes you've got to get imaginative when 572 00:36:07,620 --> 00:36:10,760 trying to cover something up or make it more palatable. For her, it was 573 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:14,380 stickers. And for the producers of Snakes on a Plane, it was having Samuel 574 00:36:14,440 --> 00:36:16,940 Jackson retake his lines for a clean version like this. 575 00:36:17,470 --> 00:36:22,110 I have had it with these monkey -fighting snakes on this Monday to 576 00:36:22,450 --> 00:36:25,510 Yeah, it's pretty monkey -fighting smart. 577 00:36:26,390 --> 00:36:30,490 Now, possibly in response to people putting stickers on their passes like 578 00:36:30,570 --> 00:36:35,010 the Department of Interior suddenly updated their rules, explicitly flagging 579 00:36:35,010 --> 00:36:38,570 stickers and other coverings as alterations that could invalidate the 580 00:36:38,570 --> 00:36:40,170 interestingly, stickers of... 581 00:36:40,520 --> 00:36:44,480 never caused an issue before, with one park worker saying, I've personally 582 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:48,900 accepted passes that people put stickers on because they just like stickers, and 583 00:36:48,900 --> 00:36:51,680 it's never been a problem, which seems fair to me. 584 00:36:51,880 --> 00:36:55,840 Other designers are now selling non -sticker -based solutions, like this 585 00:36:55,840 --> 00:37:00,840 that, what do you know, turns out to fit just perfectly over the car. 586 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:04,940 These sleeves are apparently selling pretty well on Etsy and getting reviews 587 00:37:04,940 --> 00:37:08,400 like, this is perfect to obscure that face I do not need to see. 588 00:37:09,050 --> 00:37:12,270 Look, there is something inspiring about seeing people find a way to enjoy their 589 00:37:12,270 --> 00:37:15,490 experience at national parks without having to look at the guy who's actively 590 00:37:15,490 --> 00:37:18,950 trying to ruin them. And if you want to, you can still buy any of the things 591 00:37:18,950 --> 00:37:20,930 that I've shown you tonight. But if for whatever reason... 592 00:37:21,290 --> 00:37:24,830 you want to adorn your past even further, perhaps we can help here, 593 00:37:24,830 --> 00:37:28,490 we've designed some stickers that you can download for free that can cover up 594 00:37:28,490 --> 00:37:32,690 either Trump's face or the entire image. First, we contacted the photographer 595 00:37:32,690 --> 00:37:37,030 who took that excellent bear photo, and they have very kindly let us turn it 596 00:37:37,030 --> 00:37:40,210 into a sticker, which honestly works pretty well on that part. 597 00:37:41,010 --> 00:37:42,750 Now, if you... 598 00:37:43,310 --> 00:37:46,830 I want to respect this year's presidential theme, but would like a 599 00:37:46,830 --> 00:37:50,610 president to do that. We've made stickers of all our wax president's 600 00:37:50,610 --> 00:37:54,930 I've got to say, Jimmy Carter's in particular looks great on there. If you 601 00:37:54,930 --> 00:37:57,130 some wildlife, you can print out a sticker of Mr. 602 00:37:57,490 --> 00:38:01,890 Nutterbutter, or if you, like that motorcyclist, would prefer a cool 603 00:38:01,890 --> 00:38:04,910 not try a sticker of one of our earliest mascots, the Russian space gecko? 604 00:38:04,910 --> 00:38:07,950 Again, they each fit pretty nicely on the past. 605 00:38:08,560 --> 00:38:12,080 Finally, if you would prefer a vista to cover the whole image, how about this 606 00:38:12,080 --> 00:38:15,200 one from when we sent our mascot marshmallow, the polar bear with a 607 00:38:15,200 --> 00:38:19,960 penis, to Alaska to bet on an ice -melting contest? Or, of course, this 608 00:38:19,960 --> 00:38:25,600 rendering of what two wild animals get up to when you simply allow nature to 609 00:38:25,600 --> 00:38:28,560 thrive. I would argue it's the perfect image. 610 00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:32,480 To hold your rights to visit all America's national parks for the next 12 611 00:38:32,480 --> 00:38:36,820 months. All of these stickers to cover Trump's face are available for you at 612 00:38:36,820 --> 00:38:40,060 JohnOliverGivesTrumpHead .com Actually, hold on. No, no, no. 613 00:38:40,620 --> 00:38:43,240 I do not like the way that sounds. 614 00:38:43,720 --> 00:38:47,540 It feels wrong to me because we're giving out multiple heads, aren't we? So 615 00:38:47,540 --> 00:38:51,580 should be JohnOliverGivesTrumpHeads .com That is much better. That is our show. 616 00:38:51,620 --> 00:38:52,680 Thank you so much for watching. 617 00:38:53,120 --> 00:38:57,340 We're off for the next couple of weeks back on April 19th. Good night.