The Precap | Michael Kosta on Trump's Nobel Snub, and Proper Protest Attire

Podcast: The Daily Show: Ears Edition
Host: Zach Delanzo
Guest: Michael Costa (this week’s Daily Show host)
Date: October 20, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode of The Precap offers a laid-back, behind-the-scenes chat between Daily Show host Michael Costa and writer Zach Delanzo, previewing stories they’re working on during a "working dark week" (when the show is off-air and writers are preparing, not taping), and recapping recent news with a comedic and critical lens. They riff on stories that might have made the show, discuss the government's ongoing shutdown, Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize ambitions, the Gaza ceasefire, fat phobia in the military, and the contours of proper protest attire. As always, the tone is a mix of irreverent, insightful, and self-deprecating.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Life Behind the Scenes at The Daily Show

• Walter the Dog: The episode opens with banter about Michael’s dog, Walter, and the peculiar affections (and grumpiness) of office pets.
  • Michael jokes about golden retrievers being "sluts" because they'll let anyone pet them, contrasting with Walter's selective affection.
    • "Golden retrievers... they’re really sluts." – Michael Costa (02:04)
  • The writers liken the Daily Show’s reset-every-day mentality to Walter’s unpredictable moods, finding liberation in short memories and the freedom to try out (and then let go of) bad jokes.
    • "Every day you start is a new day." – Zach Delanzo (02:42)

2. Covering a 'Boring' Government Shutdown

• Both discuss the repetitiveness of shutdown coverage and the struggle to mine comedy from a topic everyone’s tired of, including the newscasters themselves.
  • "It’s not really a sexy story." – Michael Costa (04:19)
  • "You know, and they put up a graphic of all the other times..." – Michael Costa (04:23)
• They highlight recent attempts to politicize the shutdown online, e.g., South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s video messages at airports blaming Democrats, and discuss the ethical and legal boundaries (Hatch Act) about politicizing federal roles.
  • "That’s a violation of the Hatch Act, a federal law." – Michael Costa (05:35)

On the Hatch Act

• Michael explains how the law prohibits government officials from engaging in overt political activity in their official roles and laments the lack of enforcement.
  • "We’ve created good boundaries... but enforcing the boundary is another thing." – Michael Costa (32:11)
  • Zach and Michael agree that much of recent government blurring of the law simply tests what political norms can be gotten away with.

3. Trump’s Quest for the Nobel Peace Prize

• Trump’s obsession with winning a Nobel Peace Prize is lampooned as both childish and fundamentally antithetical to the honor’s spirit.
  • "As soon as you want the Nobel Peace Prize, you’re not qualified." – Michael Costa (09:35)
• Discussion of the Gaza ceasefire and whether Trump is owed credit, with both hosts warily conceding the progress but suspecting Trump’s motivations.
  • "You’re almost afraid to say good job, Trump." – Michael Costa (18:07)
  • "He seems like he cared about it, in which case, I'll say it... maybe Ceasefire." – Michael Costa (19:00)
  • "You know what ceasefire I’d love to see him work on next? The political violence ceasefire in the United States." – Michael Costa (19:20)

4. Fat Phobia & Military Optics

• Following news about the Texas National Guard’s deployment to Chicago and subsequent online body shaming of several overweight guardsmen, the hosts riff on the pettiness and toxicity of online perceptions versus actual job merit, and the hypocrisy of self-proclaimed meritocrats.
  • "They live online...if this picture goes up and then the Internet doesn’t (like it), they would respond differently." – Michael Costa (13:41)
  • "There are no other jobs where you’re allowed to be like, hey, the new boss doesn’t like fat people, so you guys will have to go home." – Zach Delanzo (14:57)

5. Media Image Manipulation & Trump’s Vanity

• They laugh about the unflattering TIME magazine cover of Trump and speculate about media trolling, then reflect on where legitimate critique gives way to body shaming, taking aim at their own standards as liberal comedians.
  • "It’s a bit of a neck vagina." – Zach Delanzo (21:26)
  • "I don’t love making fun...let’s make fun of...the character of the person. Let’s make fun of that." – Michael Costa (23:17)

6. Protest Attire and the “No Kings” Rallies — [24:54]

• They plug the upcoming non-partisan "No Kings" protests, emphasizing the anti-monarchy/anti-authoritarian foundation of American democracy, and laugh about possible protest costumes.
  • "I almost want to dress as a king and then have people kinda like beat me up or something." – Michael Costa (27:03)

7. Forecasting News & Sports Segments

• Brief teases of other topics that might have made the show, including the NBA and MLB seasons, the New York City mayoral primary, and the peculiarities of New York politics.
  • "It’s just funny that everyone has an opinion about New York City, but as soon as you tell them that Kansas City sucks, they think you’re, like, an elitist." – Michael Costa (30:00)

8. Daily Show and Tell [31:13]

• Michael’s “show and tell” is the Hatch Act, drawing a parallel between personal boundary-setting and the need for institutional enforcement.
• Zach recommends films (“Cloud” and “One Battle After Another”), compares them to Adam Sandler’s “Punch Drunk Love,” and launches into a conversation about left-wing revolutionary history, both in 1960s America and its cultural aftershocks.
  • "There is so much American history you aren’t taught in public school." – Zach Delanzo (36:28)
• The conversation turns to the Vietnam War, perceptions of history, and confronting America’s historical wrongs after travel experiences (Michael in Vietnam, Zach in Germany).
  • "It’s so terrible that we, like, threw liquid fire on their crops, their homes, their kids. It’s terrible." – Michael Costa (38:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Pigs and Dogs:
  "Golden retrievers... they’re really sluts. Anyone can pet them. Walter, you gotta earn it." — Michael Costa (02:04)
• On Trump and the Nobel:
  "As soon as you want the Nobel Peace Prize, you’re not qualified." — Michael Costa (09:35)
• On Online Culture:
  "They live online... if this picture goes up and then the Internet doesn’t (like it), they would respond differently." — Michael Costa (13:41)
• On Protest Attire:
  "I almost want to dress as a king and then have people kinda like beat me up or something." — Michael Costa (27:03)
• On American History:
  "We’ve created good boundaries... but enforcing the boundary is another thing." — Michael Costa (32:11) "There is so much American history you aren’t taught in public school." — Zach Delanzo (36:28)
• On Travel and Confronting History:
  "It’s so terrible that we, like, threw liquid fire on their crops, their homes, their kids. It’s terrible." — Michael Costa (38:10)

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Timestamp | Segment / Highlight | |------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:00 | Introduction — Office Dogs, Writers’ Room Banter | | 04:04 | The Government Shutdown, Shutdown Media Narratives | | 05:35 | Hatch Act, Politicization of Bureaucracy | | 09:06 | Trump’s Nobel Peace Prize Campaign | | 11:17 | Military Optics: Fat Phobia, Social Media, Meritocracy | | 17:12 | Gaza Ceasefire: Giving Credit, Political Optics | | 21:24 | TIME Cover: Trump’s Vanity, Body Shaming, Liberal Standards | | 24:54 | No Kings Protest—Foundations of American Democracy | | 27:34 | Sports Previews and NYC Mayoral Race Chatter | | 31:13 | The Daily Show and Tell: Hatch Act, Movie Picks, American Political History| | 37:05 | Travel, Vietnam, and facing US history abroad |

Tone & Takeaways

• Tone: Irreverent, sharp, self-aware, cycling between comic riffs and genuine critique.
• Takeaway: The Daily Show team, even on dark weeks, approaches news not just with biting humor but an eye for the absurdities of power, the cultural memes of the day, and the recurring challenges of living up to American ideals—enforcing boundaries, recognizing everyone’s basic dignity (even those body-shamed on social media), and questioning what does or doesn’t make a story “sexy” for late night comedy.

For listeners who missed the episode:
You’ll come away with an insider’s view on how the Daily Show sifts through each week’s news for comic gold, a rundown of some of the biggest headlines (and how they would have been covered), plenty of trademark snark about Trump and American politics, and a measure of heart as the hosts reflect on history, public service, protest, and the challenge of keeping comedy meaningful in chaotic times.