On Tuesday, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show host-of-the-week Jordan Klepper welcomed actor Paul Dano to the set to promote his new movie, The Wizard of the Kremlin, which is a satirical film on Vladimir Putin’s rise to power. According to both Klepper and Dano, the film also has relevant insights for Trump’s America.
Dano plays the part of Vadim Baranov, who is based on the real-life Vladislav Surkov. Surkov was a Putin advisor up until 2020 who helped shape and define what could be called Putinism and was responsible for, among other things, advising Putin on Ukraine during the original 2014 dismemberment of that country.
That context made Klepper’s attempt to tie Russia to the current political climate at home even more ridiculous. Although he never mentioned Trump explicitly, it was clear who he was talking about, “I mean, you can't help but watch a movie like this and relate it back to what is happening in America. I think it is really curious watching this person who is sort of described as the Rasputin to Vladimir Putin, who goes from being an avant-garde theater director to being this media manipulator. As you are piecing it together, how are you wrapping your head around a real person, how a character can transfer into somebody who essentially becomes, like, an amoral device of the state?”
One obvious way Klepper’s media analogy breaks down is that Putin simply shut it down when reporters started asking uncomfortable questions. Under Trump, the government has not shut down any domestic news organizations, nor has it forcibly taken any over. People who say Trump has forced CBS to bend to his will have not done a thorough job of watching what CBS actually airs.
Nevertheless, Dano replied, “One of the unfortunate things about the character is I don't think he was born, like, seeking that, but that is where his talents were rewarded for it, and I think it is easy for us to follow that path.”
Dano continued:
I mean, I think, so I think in some ways, the film is about complicity. Like, this is where this person was rewarded and given power, so this is what I will do. I was really disturbed by some of the tactics that they instituted to control modern power and modern politics. One of the ones that I—really struck a note with me as an American was this idea of consciously creating chaos because then you need a strong figure in the middle. Years later, now we have heard Steve Bannon use the term, like, ‘muzzle velocity,’ because they are just going to come at you so fast that we can't do anything about it. So, I think that there is a pretty big mirror held up in this film, not just to Russia, but to the world at large.
It is absolutely correct to say that Putin has used chaos—possibly even government-created chaos—to justify a relapse into authoritarianism that revolves around himself. What is not justified is this idea that anything Trump does that liberals don’t like is part of some analogous sinister plan to make Trump president for life.
Here is a transcript for the May 12 show:
Comedy Central The Daily Show
5/12/2026
11:27 PM ET
JORDAN KLEPPER: I mean, you can't help but watch a movie like this and relate it back to what is happening in America. I think it is really curious watching this person who is sort of described as the Rasputin to Vladimir Putin, who goes from being an avant-garde theater director to being this media manipulator. As you are piecing it together, how are you wrapping your head around a real person, how a character can transfer into somebody who essentially becomes, like, an amoral device of the state?
PAUL DANO: Yeah, sure. One of the unfortunate things about the character is I don't think he was born, like, seeking that, but that is where his talents were rewarded for it, and I think it is easy for us to follow that path.
I mean, I think, so I think in some ways, the film is about complicity. Like, this is where this person was rewarded and given power, so this is what I will do. I was really disturbed by some of the tactics that they instituted to control modern power and modern politics. One of the ones that I—really struck a note with me as an American was this idea of consciously creating chaos because then you need a strong figure in the middle. Years later, now we have heard Steve Bannon use the term, like, “muzzle velocity,” because they are just going to come at you so fast that we can't do anything about it. So, I think that there is a pretty big mirror held up in this film, not just to Russia, but to the world at large.
