Democrats Hope for a Midterm Blowout as Trump Embraces Asses and Islamophobia | The Daily Show

What this episode is about

A critique of the 2026 midterm landscape, highlighting Democrats’ hopes for a strong turnout while Trump’s rhetoric intensifies, including overt Islamophobia and dog whistles, suggesting a more blatant and divisive political climate. It notes shifts in messaging from both parties and the perceived health of American democracy amid rising polarization.

Key takeaways

• Trump’s rhetoric now feels less about clever edges and more about blunt tribal theater, signaling a base shift.
• The 'ass talk' moment fuels in-room laughter but erodes outside-the-room plausibility, widening both sides’ disconnects.
• Islamophobia-as-performance has plateaued; his core still responds, but swing voters may now tune out the punchline.
• Clips vs. crowds reveal a memetic gap: big crowds boost energy, but clipped soundbites dampen perceived legitimacy.
• Visuals matter: a dwindling 'wall' of supporters hints at aging momentum and potential need for new branding.

Who speaks in this episode?

• Jordan Klepper (Host) · 10 min speaking
• Michael Kosta (Guest) · 9 min speaking
• Ronny Chieng (Host) · 9 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 5:00: Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng, The Daily Show, Alaska
2. 5:00 – 10:00: Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Texas (location)
3. 10:00 – 15:00: Jordan Klepper, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Georgia
4. 15:00 – 20:00: Jordan Klepper, Alaska, Ronny Chieng, Texas (location)
5. 20:00 – 25:00: Dan Sullivan, Alaska, Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper
6. 25:00 – 30:00: Ronny Chieng, Jordan Klepper, Michael Kosta, The Daily Show
7. 30:00 – 34:27: Jordan Klepper, The Daily Show, Ronny Chieng, Kurt Vonnegut

Notable quotes from "Democrats Hope for a Midterm Blowout as Trump Embraces Asses and Islamophobia | The Daily Show"

• I'm Jordan Klepper, and with me are my partners in hosting The Daily Show this week, just to help me out, can you introduce yourselves, guys?

  about Jordan Klepper · at 0:30

• Even the Democrats right now with what's happening in Alaska, with the whole Dan and Dan situation, it's just so blatant.

  about Alaska · at 1:32

• MICHAEL KOSTA: I just am blown away that his actions have caused such an increase in diesel prices, not my gasoline, rural America's gasoline.

  about Michael Kosta · at 7:10

• Those gas prices, somebody-- somebody has an effect over that. RONNY CHIENG: Right.

  about Ronny Chieng · at 8:48

• I feel like Ossoff has become this-- I think so many people on the left are seeing him in with presidential ambitions, in a way that he has that slickness, that JFK vibe.

  about Georgia · at 13:58

• When I saw El-Sayed talk, I was oh, of course, this is the natural evolution of football player, jock, who went to Oxford, is a medical doctor-- Ripped.

  about Michigan · at 15:42

• And so there's there's the incumbent, Dan Sullivan, who's running as a Republican.

  about Dan Sullivan · at 21:19

• For me, I see it as a, I'm not up in arms about it, but it does, it does feel dirty and immoral to me.

  about Elon Musk · at 23:22

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Jordan Klepper — Person · Host · 22 mentions · first at 0:30
  Primary episode host; leads the midterm discussion and frames topics throughout the episode.
• Ronny Chieng — Person · Co-host · 22 mentions · first at 0:45
  One of the rotating hosts for the week; contributes analysis and commentary on midterm narratives and specific races.
• Michael Kosta — Person · Co-host · 9 mentions · first at 0:38
  Rotating host during the week; offers comedic and political observations, participates in race-by-race analysis and the Daily Show & Tell segment.
• Dan Sullivan — Person · Referenced candidate / election controversy · 6 mentions · first at 1:33
  Central to a discussed Alaska midterm controversy where multiple candidates with the same/similar name create legal and ethical confusion; used as example of 'shady' politicking.
• Elon Musk — Person · Referenced public figure / influencer · 2 mentions · first at 9:46
  Mentioned as a major influencer in elections due to money and control over social platforms (described as owning the algorithm and funding political advertising).
• Kurt Vonnegut — Person · Referenced author · 3 mentions · first at 30:14
  Mentioned in the 'Daily Show & Tell' segment as a recommended author; his works are used to frame perspectives on America and politics.
  I'm going to Indianapolis in a couple of weeks to do an event at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum.
• Nathan Fielder — Person · Referenced creator / recommended media subject · 2 mentions · first at 32:51
  Guest's recommendation in the Daily Show & Tell: hosts recommend his project (documentary/series) 'I See Everything' / 'You Can See Everything' as a must-watch.
  I watched it yesterday in the late morning.
• Barack Obama — Person · Referenced public figure / trope · 1 mention · first at 3:29
  Referenced as a longstanding trope used by Trump (hosts note Trump often mentions 'Barack Hussein Obama').
  Islamophobia and some of that-- - He was Islamophobic before. - Yeah.
• Gordon Lightfoot — Person · Referenced musician (cultural reference) · 1 mention · first at 29:44
  Mentioned as the songwriter who wrote about the Edmund Fitzgerald; used to connect cultural memory to the book recommendation.
  You know-- people that are watching at home, you do know the song Gordon Lightfoot sang about the Edmund Fitzgerald.
• John U. Bacon — Person · Referenced author (source of recommendation) · 1 mention · first at 29:28
  Author of the recommended book about the Edmund Fitzgerald; cited by a host as a worthwhile read unrelated to politics.
  I just read this great book by John U. Bacon about it.

Books & papers

• Breakfast of Champions — Book · Referenced work / recommendation · 1 mention · first at 30:25
  Mentioned in the Daily Show & Tell segment as a book Jordan (or a host) rereads; used as an example of Vonnegut's perspective on America.
  There's so much about his perspective on the world, and politics, and America that you realize it's almost as if, an alien dropped down and then just so cleanly and precisely can articulate, our foibles and our bullshit-- always.

Places & events

• Alaska — Place · Key battleground state / case study · 8 mentions · first at 1:33
  Used as a prominent example due to the 'Dan' controversy and legal pre-suit actions tied to election certification; central to conversation about shady politicking.
• Texas (location) — Place · Key battleground state (case study) mentioned as a location in context · 3 mentions · first at 8:30
  Represents a geographic location used as a case study in the discussion of midterm dynamics rather than a separate political entity; retains location subcategory with explicit context
  Whether it, like-- so much of American politics has just been about rah, rah, my team, as opposed to there are people who still can affect your life.
• Georgia — Place · Battleground state (case study) · 2 mentions · first at 13:39
  Discussed in the context of the Senate/house races (Ossoff vs. Collins) and national implications; used to assess candidate quality and electability.
• Michigan — Place · Battleground state (case study) · 2 mentions · first at 13:39
  Mentioned as one of the high-stakes races and in relation to candidate evolution and voter concerns; also tied to personal references (hosts from Michigan).
• Edmond Fitzgerald — Place · Topic in recommendation segment · 1 mention · first at 29:16
  Referenced in the Daily Show & Tell: Michael Kosta recommends a book about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Great Lakes ship) — used as an off-topic, humanizing recommendation.
  I just read this great book by John U. Bacon about it.
• Indianapolis — Place · Event location · 1 mention · first at 30:12
  Referenced as the city where a host will do an event at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum.
  I'm going to Indianapolis in a couple of weeks to do an event at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum.
• Kurt Vonnegut Museum — Place · Event venue / cultural location · 1 mention · first at 30:14
  Mentioned as the location where a host will appear (Jordan or other host visiting) and ties into the Vonnegut book recommendation.
  I'm going to Indianapolis in a couple of weeks to do an event at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum.
• Albuquerque — Place · Referenced location (minor) · 1 mention
  Mentioned briefly (likely as a passing geographic reference); not central to episode topics.

Media & podcasts

• The Daily Show — Media · Program (show hosting context) · 6 mentions · first at 0:33
  The program producing the episode; hosts and rotating anchors referenced as hosting The Daily Show for the week.
  I'm Jordan Klepper, and with me are my partners in hosting The Daily Show this week, just to help me out, can you introduce yourselves, guys?
• I See Everything — Media · Recommended media product · 1 mention · first at 32:54
  Referenced as Nathan Fielder's recent project; strongly recommended in the Daily Show & Tell segment as compelling viewing.
  I just watched the Nathan Fielder thing.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:00 Well, it looks wonderful. I'm glad this is here. Between two ferns. Between two ferns. It's not what it is. It's not what it is. But they did have the best aesthetic. That's what that show is known for. What a-- what an impeccable aesthetic. They nailed it. [AUDIO LOGO] Hello, and welcome to the midterm precap. It is here. Voting day is tomorrow. We're going to get into what's been going on with the 2026 midterm elections. Pick our top stories from this very, very normal campaign, and confirm that American democracy is healthy.

0:30 I'm Jordan Klepper, and with me are my partners in hosting The Daily Show this week, just to help me out, can you introduce yourselves, guys? I'm Michael Kosta, I'll be hosting Wednesday. Yeah, I'm Jordan Klepper, hosting Thursday. Why do we do it this way? No, I'm, oh, oh, I'm Ronny Chieng. I'm doing Tuesday. Yeah, we [BLEEP] that up. It's out of order. Anyway, I'm Ronny Chieng, I'm hosting Tuesday. Yeah. Can I just share my initial thoughts? I find it very interesting that Trump clearly has to instigate his base right now.

1:06 But I also find it interesting that I don't think he's doing it the same way he used to in the past. It feels worse. The ass talk. Mm-hmm. The Islamophobia, it's so overt right now, I almost wonder if he has lost touch of his base. There's-- there's an element of how dark it's gotten. Yeah. And there's no more, there's no more artistry to the shadiness of this-- That's a-- that's a more eloquent way to put it. Right. I feel like American politics has always been shady. Even the Democrats right now with what's happening in Alaska, with the whole Dan and Dan situation, like, it's just so blatant.

1:38 It's like, we're just going to find another guy named Dan. We're going to try to shift it this way. Islamophobia, the dog whistles are just whistles. - Yeah, they're whistles. - Yeah. Yeah. It's like, you-- you used to be-- there was-- Yeah. --you used to be savvy with it. You'd sneak it in there. - Wow. But instead-- I'm going to disagree with you guys, because I feel like this doesn't surprise me at all. I like it was always like this within the Trump era. So this, I don't know. I don't feel it's worse or, you know, I don't.

2:00 Like, Islamophobia and some of that-- - He was Islamophobic before. - Yeah. I don't feel like it's particularly worse. I mean, I accept there's a-- there's an argument to make that he's lost the center right a little bit more. Yes. So now, to your point, he's going more right right, maybe. But I feel like the zaniness, everyone's like, isn't zany-- Trump zany now, and blah blah. I'm like, I don't know. He feels just as zany to me. But maybe I'm, you know. The ass stuff, I don't even really want to talk about, because it's been covered by everybody.

2:26 But it feels like he thinks he's doing a fun bit. But I'm thinking, as someone who does interact with a lot of different Americans, I don't think his base likes that stuff. I don't think his base is like, oh, I love it when the president riffs on that guy's ass. I don't get it. I think he is-- I think you are right, but I think he's-- he's playing to just that room in a way that might not be helping him here. Right. And he is, he is, we've-- we've talked about on the show about him being like a stand-up comic. Yeah.

2:55 And it does feel like that-- that road show for Trump has been so stale for so long. Yeah. He's done the same material, that the ass thing was, I think, an organic old guy reference-- Yeah. --of like, oh, this-- this tough guy. Like, old guys love talking about football players. He falls out, he gets ass, people laugh at it, and then he just keeps workshopping it because it gets attention. And I do think it is funny in the room. But-- but outside of those-- those 3,000 people, it looks just completely-- Yeah, it does well in the room, but when you see it clipped out later, you're like, I don't get what we're doing here.

3:28 Right. But he has played, he's always the first to mention Barack Hussein Obama. That's-- that's one of his old tropes. That's old trope, yeah. So I guess you're right in the sense that the Islamophobic stuff, that's-- he's been playing that for age. - Yeah. I've been doing the other thing. Whenever I mention Trump now, I always tell everyone he's 80 years old. I just do that. Trump, he's 80. Trump, he's 80 years old. Donald Trump, he's 80. I feel like the whole country needs to be reminded that he's an 80-year-old old man.

3:54 Mm-hmm. Yes, yes. In great shape. Great shape, 80 years old. Well, that is the one thing. He's great for 80. For 80, he's great. You gotta give him. And I will tell you, I did, I was on the road for 10 straight days this month, and it almost broke me. This guy's been on the road for a month! He's supposedly presidenting, and then flying to Ohio. Mississippi, Mississippi! Jesus Christ! That's a connection. He must be on Adderall. It's Adderall, right? Well, and I think he's Adderall, and attention. Like, attention from his base, who cheers when he talks about ass. - Yeah.

4:25 You see these clips. And yet mentally, he is so 80 and he is all over the map, like he's often been over the map. But I do, there's-- there's times where I'm like, he looks so happy and with it, in a way, a guy who's been on the road for that long at that age, he's going to live to 130. Well, what do you make of the wall behind him, a wall of people? - Oh, yeah. What do you make of that, they always seem to be having a great time, you know. With-- there's always one or two protesters, but I mean, in general. And it's young people, too.

4:52 They cast it really well. But that-- that quality of wall that has dropped. - Oh, you think so? - I think so. - Like, how so? - Visually. Oh. I mean, it is, to me, and maybe this is my elitism coming through, it feels like we have downgraded a little bit. - Their paper in the house. - Possibly. Oh, interesting. - I think so. I mean, I know when I go to rallies, the-- the front row Joes get special access and are ushered to certain places so that they're seen. And I think you have-- - It's like a Vegas nightclub. - It is.

5:23 - It is. - I think it is, right? It is. I think they're having a hard time filling the seats. And so they paper the house to get more people in there. And I think those are people, I think most of them are still Trump fans. I don't think they're like necessarily paid supporters. Right. No, yes, I don't think they're paid. - Or Trump curious. - Trump curious. But they're like, hey, we're going to give you the hats. You want to stand back there, go for it. They're like, hell yeah. They do a nice, they do a nice casting job of, does-- does-- does this feel longer, this election than-- than than previous years?

5:52 You mean midterms specifically? Yes. Like, I feel like, I mean, CNN, every time you turn it on, it is countdown to the election. I mean, they're having like, all candidates on right now. But I wouldn't say it feels longer. To me, it does feel more important than the others, but that also, I buy into that. I want this election, you know. I think it's fair to say this one is longer, only because it feels like the issues that are at play for these midterms have been discussed for like a year and a half now, which is the war stuff, the affordability stuff.

6:23 So we've been hearing about these issues for over a year now, and it feeds directly into the election. So it feels like we've been having this campaign for a long time. But it's just, it is important, it is important. I've been in watching the news, checking in each morning to see what are we going to talk about on the show and what have you. And the amount of time now spent just on polling numbers is remarkable. You're like, oh, there is no news that is happening anymore. Just poll numbers. There is news that is happening, but not being covered anymore.

6:49 And that has felt inexhaustible, or exhaustible. It-- it's exhausting. It's exhausting. I know that word. - [LAUGHING] That-- that is the one, I think, we'll edit in for the statement there. Well, you want to get into what the specifics of this midterm then, right now? - Yeah. - Sure. So what has-- for you guys, what has-- what has struck you as, like, the big, overall narrative or story of this election? MICHAEL KOSTA: I mean, I just am blown away that his actions have caused such an increase in diesel prices, not my gasoline, rural America's gasoline.

7:26 It blows me away that he would self-sabotage himself in that regard. I would love to see the numbers on who voted for Kamala Harris that has ever pumped diesel into anything. It feels like the smartest thing he could do would be not raise diesel prices. JORDAN KLEPPER: Yeah. Right. The thing that struck me, I think, is the most obvious thing is that it's a big blue wave. It's a big blue wave. Although-- You think it's gonna to happen? I mean, traditionally, the midterms have gone the other way, anyway. So everyone's going to say this is a referendum on Trump.

7:58 But I think, just the way, you know, historically, the way midterms work, they vote against the incumbents. So it could have been anybody. And the-- the wave would be in the other direction. But it is a wave. It seems-- you can't deny it. I mean, I don't know if the-- if it's-- if the wave is going to hit. But the wave is there, in terms of polling numbers and the momentum. So, you know, that's-- it's a pretty obvious-- that that's the obvious analysis. JORDAN KLEPPER: I mean, I-- I will say the-- the money in this election is wild.

8:23 Mm-hmm. And we will see what the effect of that money is. And money is always in American politics. But, like, Texas in particular, the larger question, I think this-- this election is bringing up is how much people really care about what government can do for you. Right. Whether it, like-- so much of American politics has just been about rah, rah, my team, as opposed to like, there are people who still can affect your life. Those gas prices, somebody-- somebody has an effect over that. RONNY CHIENG: Right. And you're like-- and people are deporting people in your life, people you know.

8:56 Your community is affected by these things. Does that matter? I don't fucking know. I don't know. But I do think you look at places like Texas, and they've spent so much freaking money to-- to create a boogeyman out of Talarico and out of the non-binary God shit. And-- and you're like, oh, well, you see people who are up in arms about comments made six years ago about trans people in sports. That's not happening at all in Texas. And then you look at it. And one man has spent half a billion dollars. And he owns the algorithm.

9:29 Right. And-- and you're like, how-- that is-- that's a crazy amount of power. And he has certain issues. 1, he wants to make a ton of money in Texas. And 2, he has his own-- his own issues about the LGBTQ and-- Culture war. --and culture war stuff. And you're like-- and with half a billion dollars-- You're talking about Elon Musk. - Elon Musk. - Yeah, yeah, yeah. With half a billion dollars and owning the algorithm, you can pump whatever you want in front of so many people's face. And does that-- does that affect things?

9:54 I think it does. And I think we're going to see how much it affects things. I wish I could steal this. But somebody said there are less trans athletes in the NCAA than there are men accused of rape on the Cornell campus. And I was like-- because it is true. There's, like, six trans athletes. The fact that that has ever even been a front-page topic-- Right, right, micro minority. --that you can-- you know, yes. It's like-- and that's where I think it is gas. Like, I just think it's the one time where you pull up to this thing that affects your life, and you think about government for a second.

10:30 JORDAN KLEPPER: Right. Well, on that point-- this is-- what do you guys think of this theory of mind, that-- that the real world moves a lot slower than the internet than we think, right? And So we've been in this Trump bubble on the internet for essentially 10 years now. And-- and you could say, because of that, we were ahead of the game, in terms of being like, this guy's not going to be a good president. [LAUGHING] RONNY CHIENG: But the rest of America was just slow to get there. MICHAEL KOSTA: Yeah, you're right.

10:54 They're not as read-- they're not as well read. They're not as connected. And good for them, by the way, or whatever they're doing. Yeah, exactly. And so I'm just saying that this blue wave is almost like-- like, they're almost like, oh, yeah, he's not that good-- and something that we-- we realized 10 years ago, only because we are-- you know, this is kind of our job. JORDAN KLEPPER: I think not that plugged in. In talking to people on the road, I was-- I was surprised. I know people in my community who are progressives after this last Trump election-- - In Brooklyn? - In Brooklyn.

11:18 People in Brooklyn-- People in Brooklyn, who have chore coats. And by the way, I live, like, three minutes from Jordan. Yeah, in your community. In my community, specifically the Brooklyn community, like, this past election, a lot of people have unplugged, because they felt overwhelmed by Donald Trump and-- and are not as up on the day-to-day machinations of American politics. And yet, I think, in-- on the right, even in the Trump community, they're unplugged, as well. They're still echoing things from five or six years ago and not-- not watching The Daily Show-- but not even plugged into what's happening on Newsmax all of the time.

11:52 And so it'll be curious to see, with this election-- I'm talking-- no, no, I'm talking about the center of-- the center-- so the extremes. I think they've been unplugged. Right. That's what I'm saying. The center is unplugged. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Part of the privilege of being American-- RONNY CHIENG: Is to not give-- For so many years is not having to care or be plugged in. JORDAN KLEPPER: Yeah. And that is a very interesting question-- is when-- you know, my friends say, oh, we don't really pay attention to politics.

12:20 And I always think, well, when-- when do you start? When does it-- when does that person cross over? Because we pay attention. JORDAN KLEPPER: Yeah. - Fuck, too much, way too much. - Unfortunately, we go-- - We get paid to do it. - We get paid to do it. That's true. It helps. Yeah, yeah. [LAUGHING] I should think about it that way. RONNY CHIENG: Yes. I should think about it that way. I'm getting paid to pay attention But it's shit. That's what universal basic income basically is. It's like, if you-- we'll give you a little bit of cash.

12:41 - Just watch-- - You got to pay attention. Reuters-- you have to read Reuters. OK, that is the one rule. That is the thing, man. I-- when I'm with people that don't get paid to pay attention to politics, their-- their information now is this. RONNY CHIENG: Yes. And everyone should have to listen to or watch, like, a general news channel. Because you sometimes see things that you wouldn't pick. That's pretty funny. That's pretty funny. If you want universal health care, you need to watch PBS. It's very funny. You watch seven minutes of a national-- - Every day. - Every day.

13:09 And you might see a story that you don't care about. And that's the point. - That's the point. - Yes. And if you engage in something that's on one of the fringes, you have to make up for it by watching even more AP. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, you are allowed to fringe. Yeah, fringe. You're allowed to have Sour Patch Kids for dinner. JORDAN KLEPPER: Uh-huh. But you also have to have some broccoli every once in awhile. JORDAN KLEPPER: Yeah, eat your vegetables, kids. MICHAEL KOSTA: Eat your vegetables. What do you think about some of these other races?

13:31 Because I find the-- You mean Indians or what races? These other races. Asian, Indians, Arabs. You know, we got Georgia, Texas, Michigan, Alaska-- fascinating-- Ohio. I find Ohio very fascinating because it's the governor. Ramaswamy, I just find a fascinating character. Well, let's go through this. MICHAEL KOSTA: Let's go through it. Yeah, let's go through what we-- we skip if we don't have anything. Georgia, do we care about this, Ossoff versus Collins? Any thoughts? I feel like Ossoff has become this-- I think so many people on the left are seeing him in with presidential ambitions, in a way that he has that slickness, that JFK vibe.

14:10 In a good way or bad way? I think in a good way for the left. I think they're looking for Buttigieg 2.0. And Ossoff feels like that, like just, like, somebody who-- It's a easier last name to say and spell. It really is, right? I think exuding competency is sexy on the left. And Ossoff, I think, has, like, stood up to that. So it doesn't seem to me that that's going to be much of a race, which is probably wild in Georgia, that that's not being talked about as much. I can't tell you much about that race. I can tell you, Talarico, Texas, is fascinating.

14:40 He answers so well. Someone says, are you trying to flip it blue? And he says, I'm trying to represent every Texan, whether they're blue, red, or independent. And it's just like, yes. Just that's what I want my politicians to say. And actually believe. And also, I feel like Talarico is almost the Darwinian evolution of what American politics, hopefully, becomes because it's like this guy, who-- of course, it'll be Talarico. This Darwinian process cuts out all the people, eventually. And then what you need is, like, what-- he's like a Christian pastor, educated, reasonable guy, who has sensible solutions and is not hateful.

15:20 And it's like you-- almost unimpingable, unless you call him gay. Like, you can't really say anything about him that's, you know, bad, I think, so they have to find something, like, oh, he's gay or he's whatever, mental health issues. So I just feel like, oh, this is the natural evolution. And so I think the candidates, I'm actually-- I don't mind, you know, moving on to the next guy, Michigan. I think same thing. When I saw El-Sayed talk, I was like, oh, of course, this is the natural evolution of football player, jock, who went to Oxford, is a medical doctor-- Ripped.

15:52 He's got that alpha male that, like, the right, has somehow-- Co-opted. Yeah, it is a natural evolution. It feels like the candidates are getting better. Life found a way. Life found a way in MAGA. Life found a way to figure it out. I have been doubting that as of late. I think there is-- I think the right has some really terrible candidates. True. I think Ken Paxton is awful. And I think there's a lot of characters in the left, who have evolved and become open in their positions. But I think the left, perhaps, is putting too many things-- what is it, too many apples in the basket?

16:31 What do they put in their basket? I think there's a lot of times-- Depends what you're shopping for. Exactly. Well, I think the left candidates, I think they're hanging a lot on the quality of the left's candidates. And I wonder if they're gonna stand the test of time. I do think it's curious. I think Talarico has had to spend so much time fending off the craziness of Paxton. But Paxton is one of the worst candidates Texas could possibly ever imagine with his corruption scandals, his strangeness. Even Trump doesn't want to stump for him.

17:00 His strangeness. And so it's really curious. I wonder if the left has the bench of people that can create this wave. And they might. But I do think a lot of it has to do with the right having such bad candidates this season. Sure. But I mean, back to this thing, like, you-- so what is the alternative here? If you're saying that the left is running people based on quality? But what's the alternative. I think they-- I mean, I think everybody's trying to run based on quality. But I do you-- I think Beto O'Rourke might have been a stronger candidate than Talarico? - Really?

17:32 OK. Interesting. I think was maybe a sharper political operative at the time. I think Talarico has had to play defense for most of this and unfair defense. It's curious to see El-Sayed. I do think El-Sayed-- Likability, though. What do you think, just going back to The Texas thing, Talarico and the other guy? Beto? I mean, that's hard. I mean, I think-- RONNY CHIENG: 50/50? Well, I do think Texas-- again, I think Paxton is such a bad candidate. I think Cornyn would have walked away with this thing if he was the candidate there in Texas.

18:02 Yeah, but that's-- I factored that into the Darwinian evolution, how bad the candidates are on the other side. That evolves into Talarico, who's like, I'm literally one of the good guys, you know what I mean? So that's why this is competitive. Yes. So I just feel like you have to take into account-- you're kind of saying that, like, they're only marginally winning because of how bad the candidates are. But I guess-- maybe it's even the governor races that I'm looking at. Like, the story in Alaska with Peltola, who is cheating to try to beat Sullivan, and Amy Acton versus Ramaswamy is becoming more so-- it's because Ramaswamy is, like, flushing this whole thing away.

18:42 What has he done lately with this ad? Has he backed off it? There was an ad that came out that is just-- it's like one of those YouTube calm ads that literally says, relax. We all need to pay attention. He hasn't apologized. That was his response? There's an ad that's just like, guys, we can all relax, chill out. I love these guys. It's my classic tactic. It'll be like, I'll tell people-- I'll tell them that-- I'll basically troll them and say that they're being too sensitive. And then when they get angry, I'm like, see?

19:14 So this is what-- he's just going like-- he's, like, making people angry? He's like, guys, just calm down. What are you so angry about? It's the oldest trick in the book. Do you think that works? Do you think something like that works? Yeah, marginally. It doesn't completely not work. But it's up to people not take the bait if you're angry at him to be like, you're the one who started. He's kind of doing-- Acton is ahead in the polls, right? JORDAN KLEPPER: I think so. And did she stay ahead? Did the numbers stay the same.

19:47 Actually, I just-- Ramaswamy got a lot of attention for this. I just read the numbers. We were just talking about it yesterday. Apparently the numbers were like, most people are unchanged. I think in the end, Ramaswamy was already way down. And it sounded like the last time I heard-- It was a last ditch effort. Last ditch effort. And it sounded like 2% of people switched from Ramaswamy to Acton, went away from him. And 1% maybe switched towards. And then the rest have been like, we already decided. We already figured it out.

20:17 All it really did was destroy his reputation as being a moral actor in this and lost-- RONNY CHIENG: One point. - --like, lost a point. One net point. Just go back. We kind of skipped over this Alaska thing because we assume everyone listening knows what we're talking about. But can you please explain this Dan Sullivan thing because it's actually really funny. It's also awesome that they think that that is what you do to work. And by the way, it might. It might. No, please, tell them what-- I mean, if-- - This broke yesterday? - This broke, yes.

20:44 Or, excuse me. This is Monday. This broke last week on the show? You see what I did there? - Last week-- That's a show biz trick. Honestly, we covered it on the show, on Wednesday's show when I was hosting, and we were prepping in the morning, because Trump, the Trump administration or the Justice Department pre-sued. - Pre-sued. - Pre-sued. Yeah-- - Pre-crime. They-- they precrime, they were pre-January 6 the election being stolen. And then they said, hey, they're trying to steal the election. If it's close, we can't certify these results, because there are two Dan Sullivans running.

21:18 Right. And so there's there's the incumbent, Dan Sullivan, who's running as a Republican. And-- and there's this other fringy, fringier candidate also named Dan Sullivan, who is running. - Daniel J. Sullivan - Yes. - Right. - Yes. And so, but the Alaska courts already looked at this and said, we see this. We will put incumbent on the ballot and it's good. And then as we were prepping the story, we were like, oh, it breaks that it is true that the Democrats put money behind this. Went out looking to find another Dan Sullivan to sully this whole situation, which is not necessarily illegal, but it is shady AF.

21:53 And-- - Yeah. You know what's shady AF? Alaska's shady AF. I don't find this, obviously anyone would say like, OK, that's my team or whatever. I didn't find this particularly offensive in the sense that it was just like, I don't know, I guess you could always say this, but I it feels like a little bit of dirty politicking, but. Yeah, it's, obviously, it's not 100% clean, but I just, as a-- as a US election history nerd, I'm like, yeah this it's kind of this, you know. - Kind of romantic. Yeah. Someone would throw this shit in, you kinda, it cost you nothing.

22:26 You just throw it in there. Ow, ow. You throw it in there. And then, like-- By the way, looking at Ronny's arm from this angle has been awful. It's my Halloween costume. Going as-- Oh, a knife attack. Yeah, yeah, I mean, what's the difference between supporting the exact same name candidate and what Ramaswamy did with the ad? Now, to me, that's a huge difference. One of them is like-- but is it both just politicking? No. To me, the Dan Sullivan thing is more cheekier. It feels cheekier to me. Yeah. Like, you know, here we go.

22:59 Just going to try and get 0.01 votes and it's going to work, and it's going to annoy people and-- you know. Is it a-- is that a huge faux pas? Is-- is that a huge moral outcry that they did that? I think, I mean, there is a history of those things. I think it just came out also, Cornel West took a bunch of dark money from Elon Musk to try to sully the vote. I mean, I think there is a history of these things happening. For me, I see it as a, I'm not up in arms about it, but it does, it does feel dirty and immoral to me.

23:29 And also stupid. I think from the Democrats, it's like, oh, what a-- what a childish thing to do that I know has happened before. I mean, I think this entire election is all about money and weird ways to persuade people. But whether it's getting like pushing lies, owning the algorithms, finding other Dans, and quite frankly, I think the effect of finding other Dans feel like there's a 14-year-old in Alaska who got some money and was like, I know a way to get 1% of the vote. You're like, that feels like, it feels like not worth the risk.

24:00 I don't know. This is not me on some wokety woke team whatever thing. I just think it's quaint and cute and I'm-- I'm down. I'm like, yeah, do it. You know that book-- If Republicans did that, I'd be down. I'd be like, yeah, just go do it. Find another name. You know-- you know that book The Comedians by Kliph Nesteroff? Yeah. It's about, like, the history of comedy. In vaudeville days, someone would work on and create a really good comedy act, and another comedian would steal the act, move locations, and change like one letter of the name.

24:29 And then that person would get bigger and more famous than the original act. So that's what's happening here with guys named Dan Sullivan. I-- I do have a suggestion. Well, kind of too late for this, but they should, some-- some person should just legally change their name to Donald J. Trump and run on the ballot. He probably gets some votes. I mean, he'd get-- I think he'd do all right. Yeah, yeah. You know, we've sat here and we've chatted and it's been wonderful. But one thing that scares me, is all of our chit chat is predicated on the fact that we believe these votes will be tallied and counted in an honest and respectful way.

25:05 And I do worry. Trump has already pre-sued Alaska. He sent that stupid hard drive to LA, where it's like, you know, literally, it was a piece of paper written that said if you don't open this, we're going to sue you in 48 hours. I just want and hope that this election is fair, and we know he's going to tie it up in the courts no matter what happens. Mm-hmm. And that, the fact that I'm questioning democracy, means he's already fucking won a little bit. Well, yeah. I think there will already be a story. We won't get all the information and the numbers in that night, and that, in and of itself, will become a story and a way in which to not believe the results.

25:44 And then the next day, we'll wake up and Nicki Minaj will be the press secretary. And will tell us the election was stolen and that will be the America that we deserve. Good. I mean, comedians-- comedians get the audiences they deserve, and we get the candidates that we deserve. And candidates get the voters they deserve, I guess. Yeah, yeah. Which is, I guess we all deserve multiple Dan Sullivans on the ballot. - Right, right. We all, everybody gets a Dan. Right. Two years of a lame duck Trump, if that happens, I get worried.

26:14 I-- will they try to impeach? Probably. You know, that's another conversation. Probably. But he might be more, he might be a rabid animal backed into a corner and go even harder. I don't know. Yeah. That's many steps away from what we're talking about. Yeah. Yeah, I do think he also thrives on having a bad guy. And I think this midterm has showed you, like, the counterpunch of-- - He's a great counterpuncher. - Like you-- - Excellent. --like, they are, this whole midterms is about the fear of like, of-- of-- of Islam, of communists.

26:41 And you're like, but you control every lever of government. Exactly. Why are we talking about communism? Come here, buddy. You should be running on hope and what you've created, as opposed to all of the bad guys. And so I think that's sort of his sweet spot, if that's where he finds himself. Yeah. Yeah, he's like a better away game-- Yeah. --crappy hockey rink player than like when he's at home with his home team and the beautiful slick ice. He doesn't really know how to do it that well. Yeah, yeah. Any other predictions?

27:12 We think things, you think this stuff would get tied up in the courts? Look, it's not just going to be like [CLAPPING] that's it. - No. - Blue wave. I don't think so. And I think the-- I don't know. It's-- it's so hard to get a sense of actually what Americans are going to do. It does feel like having lived through enough of these, that I do think the projections of a blue wave, I think, are probably overstated. MICHAEL KOSTA: Yeah. Really? Wow, OK. I do think-- Right now, so everyone is kind of-- all these blue wave stuff that we just discussed, they're kind of up by three to four points-- within a margin of error, but that's still a healthy lead, other than Acton, who's up by 12, so that's over essentially, I think.

27:50 And then-- so meaning the numbers are not 50/50. It's like up by 3 or 4-- JORDAN KLEPPER: Right. --so in terms of blue wave. I think it's going to be close. And who knows. Who knows what it will look like. I do think no matter what, it will be challenged and be fought over for days. And I think in and of that is a win for the Trump administration. Yeah, yeah. But in the end, it doesn't-- like, we want-- this wasn't a vote. This election is not an election on Donald Trump anyway, so we expected him to stay in office and still do his Trump stuff, do you know what I mean?

28:21 So even if the blue wave happens or doesn't happen, and it ends up in court, it's almost like that's where we are right now anyway. So it's not like we're worse off, I don't think. I think your comment is sticking with me about how so much of the country that doesn't pay attention to this is kind of a little bit behind-- RONNY CHIENG: Yeah. --the current moment, and I think that is right. I do think most of the country has figured out at this point that this guy is corrupt and plays the game the way that he does. Or at the very least not a great president, everybody will say.

28:55 And that will be reflected in this election, in my opinion. RONNY CHIENG: Yes, yes. - Time will tell. MICHAEL KOSTA: Time will tell. I actually hope the Democrats lose, but OK. This is something we call "The Daily Show and Tell." So what's something you've watched, read, or listen to lately that's been on your mind? And I'll start, because this time of year, November's coming up. And we were talking with Jordan earlier, a fellow Michigander, the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, 29 men, 1973, 5? I don't know. Big iron ore ship, Lake Superior.

29:27 It sunk in November. I just read this great book by John U. Bacon about it. It was really fun to read something that wasn't about any of this shit. RONNY CHIENG: Yeah. It was really sad, but it was also-- I learned a lot about Great Lakes shipping. Anybody else? - I love it. Am I turning into my grandfather? Yes, you are. You just said three sentences that were-- Get ready for a Gordon Lightfoot reference. It's going to happen in a minute, and I respect it. You know-- people that are watching at home, you do know the song Gordon Lightfoot sang about the Edmund Fitzgerald.

29:53 You don't even know what I'm talking about, but you will know once you know. So that was a fun, long book on one subject. My brain felt healthy. Oh, go, yeah, yeah, yeah. I felt smarter after. Wow. Great. RONNY CHIENG: Yeah. He's-- John Bacon is a great writer-- Great writer. --has written amazing books. Two thumbs up there. I'm going to jump on the book train. I'm going to Indianapolis in a couple of weeks to do an event at the Kurt Vonnegut Museum. Oh. - Oh, cool. - Love Kurt Vonnegut. RONNY CHIENG: Super cool. And it made me jump.

30:20 I always dust out some Vonneguts every few years. I've read most of them, and it's fun to go back and reread them. And I've been reading Breakfast of Champions again. OK. It's great. There's so much about his perspective on the world, and politics, and America that you realize it's almost as if, like, an alien dropped down and then just so cleanly and precisely can articulate, like, our foibles and our bullshit-- always a good touchstone to get a perspective on what is wrong with this gosh-darn strange country of ours.

30:53 And when an author simplifies it perfectly, that is the magic of an author, of a writer. - Yes. - Wow. You just said the thing in four words that I've been trying to mull over for months. JORDAN KLEPPER: Yes. - I love that. He has a couple ones-- Man Without a Country, a few other books that he was writing about the Iraq war. Actually, one of my favorite Vonnegut memories was watching him with Jon on The Daily Show. Yes, yes, yes. Like, a few months, I think, before he passed, one of his last public appearances, he came on the show, and he talked.

31:24 He was talking about some of his essays, and it was remarkable. I think I'd ever seen-- at that point, I had never seen him talk, and so it was amazing to hear him talk about this. But you are right. Like, there's a genius in some of those literary folks who are able just-- like a great comic, to succinctly find a moment and a perspective. Like Trump. Like Trump. If you're too scared to-- if it's a little daunting to get into a book-- Yeah, books are tough for people now. --Kurt Vonnegut, he has a book I read that was his college speeches.

31:52 JORDAN KLEPPER: Yes. So colleges would always ask him to give the graduation speech. And there's a book of just his speeches. And it's like if you feel a little daunted by getting into a whole book, it's almost like short essays from Kurt Vonnegut of, like-- - It's the clip version. - Clip version. - Yes. - Yeah. Also, if you're feeling that it's daunting to read a book, I would encourage you that's exactly why you should read a book. Yes, just read. One time I went to a guided meditation, and I said to them, but some days I don't have time to do meditation.

32:21 And that guy said, if you said that to the Buddha, he would say then that means you should meditate twice. Ha, ha, ha, pretty much. So yeah, the reading thing, you're right. You're right. And you don't have to read Kurt Vonnegut. You don't have to read Charles Dickens. - You can read a romance novel. - Go read Tom Clancy. Read whatever. Read a newspaper article. Read something. Yeah, read something. Wait, do you have a rec? I was going to wreck that Kurt Vonnegut thing, but I usually rec a book here. But I just watched-- I'll break the pattern right now, and I'll recommend a movie, a documentary.

32:51 I just watched the Nathan Fielder thing. Don't spoil it. Don't-- RONNY CHIENG: I See Everything. - I'm a day away. I'm a day. I got tickets for tomorrow. I think it's called I See Everything? You Can See Everything. You Can See Everything. I watched it yesterday in the late morning. It's a three-hour thing-- flies by. JORDAN KLEPPER: I bet. - Watch it. That's three hours. It's three hours, but it flies by. I have two kids. I'm gonna see this in, like, three years on an airplane. It's the only-- I promise you watch it.

33:16 And don't watch it, like, going to bed. Watch it fully alert. Yeah, give it your energy. You don't even need me to sell it. Once you start watching it, you can't take your eyes off it. MICHAEL KOSTA: Love it. - It's very cool. It's very cool. It's like if A24 did a reality TV show. Don't you love when just-- art does that? RONNY CHIENG: Yes. Yes. - I just love it. Good job, Nathan Fielder. RONNY CHIENG: Great job. Congratulations. MICHAEL KOSTA: Yeah. Well, that's all the time we have for the "Midterm Precap." You're just going to have to watch to see what happens.

33:44 - Yeah. - Yep. I'm Jordan Klepper. You can catch me on Thursday. Michael Kosta you can check on-- Wednesday. And Ronny Chieng you can check on-- On Tuesday. That's right, hosting The Daily Show all week on Comedy Central. Jon Stewart is going to be on Monday. That might have already happened, though. - That's true. - OK. Oh, he's hosting right now. Oh, shit, I need to go. Oh, god, Jon's on right now. Check it out. It's on Comedy Central, Paramount Plus, YouTube, and right here in podcast form on The Daily Show: Ears Edition.

34:09 Go out there and vote. Don't be afraid to vote. If you feel like it. Oh, come on. [THEME MUSIC]

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "Democrats Hope for a Midterm Blowout as Trump Embraces Asses and Islamophobia | The Daily Show"?

Jordan Klepper (Host), Michael Kosta (Guest), Ronny Chieng (Host).

What is "Democrats Hope for a Midterm Blowout as Trump Embraces Asses and Islamophobia | The Daily Show" about?

A critique of the 2026 midterm landscape, highlighting Democrats’ hopes for a strong turnout while Trump’s rhetoric intensifies, including overt Islamophobia and dog whistles, suggesting a more blatant and divisive political climate. It notes shifts in messaging from both parties and the perceived health of American democracy amid rising polarization.

What is mentioned in this The Daily Show episode?

21 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Jordan Klepper, The Daily Show, Ronny Chieng, Michael Kosta, Alaska, Texas (location). Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "Democrats Hope for a Midterm Blowout as Trump Embraces Asses and Islamophobia | The Daily Show"?

The episode runs 34 min; the transcript is about 7,123 words in 68 timestamped sections.

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