Jay Inslee says Boeing blackmailed Washington state in Daily Show interview

"These corporations put a gun to your ribs, ‘You’re going to lose 20,000 jobs unless you give us a tax break.’" —Gov. Jay Inslee

When Jay Inslee strode into frame for his interview with Trevor Noah on The Daily Show — red tie, blue suit, football player good looks, light lisp — we assumed he’d talk climate change / windmills / solar.

You know, the usual.

But then Trevor Noah asked about Boeing and Inslee perked up.

“You gave Boeing, I think it was an $8 billion tax credit,” Noah said. “Why did you give them a tax break, and why do you think some companies should receive a tax break, if at all?”

“Well, they shouldn’t,” Inslee replied. “Look, if you’ve ever been mugged, you understand what it feels like —”

“Yes I have,” Noah said.

“You’re not happy about that,” Inslee said.

“Not at all,” Noah said.

“I was not happy about the Boeing situation,” Inslee continued. “These corporations put a gun to your ribs, ‘You’re going to lose 20,000 jobs unless you give us a tax break.’

“That is why I’m adamant to stop that kind of behavior.”

“So you propose stopping it everywhere?” Noah said.

“Indeed, indeed,” Inslee said. “No local community should be blackmailed by any corporation.”

Noah also alluded to Amazon and Microsoft, saying that critics say some tech companies in Washington state have gotten too big and should be broken up.

“I do believe we need to reign in a considerable amount of corporate practices,” Inslee said.

Watch the interview (you may need to refresh this page for video):