The Bulwark Podcast

Trump is like a dysfunctional 8-year-old whose parents are always in the principal's office arguing that their son is a good boy. The media, CEOs, and Wall Street keep giving him a pass for his behavior while his supporters and apologists explain why he just had to set the school on fire. At the same time, he's empowering ideologues behind the scenes who are dismantling the government and executing their policy wet dreams. Plus, Joni Ernst's Senate tenure has been a sham, Vance tries Mickey Mouse Stalinism on for size, and what's going on with the bruising on Trump's right hand? The public has the right to know about the health of a president. Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes Tom's newsletter installment, "President Homelander" JVL's Thursday 'Triad' Tom calling Trump 'unmanly' and Vance an 'ass****' The film, "The Death of Stalin" Felicia Schwartz's piece on Steve Witkoff Tim's playlist Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events. Toronto is SOLD OUT

The resignations of senior leaders at the CDC is a calamity. People with decades of expertise in infectious disease are leaving the agency because the new director—who Trump just appointed—refused to get on board with RFK's anti-vax crusade, including limiting access to Covid boosters. And Wednesday's violence in Minneapolis may be a sign that the FBI should be keeping its eye on the threats from domestic terror instead of arresting day laborers at Home Depot. Meanwhile, Trump's threat to the Fed's independence could pose a real risk to the stability of the U.S. Plus, more on the shifting attitudes about Israel among Dems, the latest attack on Kyiv is another reminder of how much Putin is mocking Trump, and remembering Katrina 20 years later. Sam Stein and the NYT's Talmon Smith join Tim Miller. show notes Thursday's "Morning Shots" Tim, Sam, and Will Sommer on a MAGA brawl, the “Bulwark Take” Tim mentioned Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events. Toronto is SOLD OUT

A year ago, China was globally isolated and its economy was struggling. But once Trump was back in office pursuing his own personal and political gain, the U.S. brand got tossed in the toilet and the view from Beijing got pretty sweet. Trump has allowed China to buy American microchips that could be used against our own national security interests, he caved on his own trade war with the country, and the divisions he's creating with allies in the West have made China's propaganda job a whole lot easier. Plus, the tragedy in Gaza, the evolving U.S.-Israel relationship, the one powerful way to squeeze Putin's war machine, and re-examining Biden's original plan to run for re-election. Former National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan joins Tim Miller. show notes Sullivan's piece on Gaza for the Israeli news site, Ynet Article about Sullivan's comments at The Atlantic Festival in Sept. 2023 Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events. Toronto is SOLD OUT

Some rando far-right social media suck-up, who Trump rewarded with an appointment to his administration, is pushing mortgage fraud investigations of Adam Schiff, Tish James, and now Fed governor Lisa Cook. Trump claims he's fired Cook based on a tweet—but will any institution stand up to these McCarthy-like campaigns against his political foes? Meanwhile, Bolton is being investigated because he went on TV and called out Trump's lies about his embarrassing Alaska summit. Plus, the administration is abusing official resources by having Guard troops just stand around in D.C., Putin wants to devour Ukraine by any means necessary, and we are finding out what it's like to have a live-streaming presidency. Susan Glasser joins Tim Miller. show notes Susan's most recent column Pam Bondi profile by Ruth Marcus Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events. Toronto is SOLD OUT

Trump and his people have used the summer months to up the despot game—sending armed troops into the streets, taking over the police in D.C., and promising to export the same tactics to even more blue cities. And the attempted deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia to Uganda shows the lengths the administration will go for not submitting to its coercion. At the same time, Vance sounds downright Orwellian on the John Bolton matter, while the White House eyes other major corporations to extort. Plus, Wes Moore punches back, the injustice of the trans military ban, and the emerging signs of a broad Democratic coalition. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Kinzinger on how Trump is undermining the Second Amendment Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' with Col. Bree Fram Mark Hertling on the purging of military and intel leaders Just one of Gov. Moore's recent punchy tweets The book Tim mentioned, "Diary of a Man in Despair" Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events. Toronto is SOLD OUT

The fears of jack-booted thugs and the military in the streets that filled the fever dreams of numerous people on the right since the 90s have come to pass. Not to mention that these are boom times for private prisons, deportation camps, and huge data centers driving up electricity bills. (We're building things, Marc Andreessen!) Meanwhile, The Bulwark was live on the scene for the FBI raid at John Bolton's house—just the latest installment from Team Trump's pursuit of his enemies. Plus, Alex Jones is worried about Trump's cankles, and Gavin is proving to be a good fighter, but other Dems need to get in the game. Also, Gaza, Israel, and the exaggerated power of AIPAC. Tommy Vietor joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes Bulwark LIVE for FBI raid at Bolton's home (Substack) or YouTube Byron Donalds's Cracker Barrel tweet Third Way's blacklisted words Joe Rogan takedown Peter Thiel's antichrist lecture series Tim's playlist THE BULWARK LIVE in Toronto, D.C. and NYC: Thebulwark.com/events

While Trump keeps working hard on his own monetization and glorification—and delivers a Watergate practically every hour—the pro-democracy coalition must stay focused on winning next year's midterm elections. Trump is at the point of no return, Congress is becoming the only institution that can stop him, and holding onto that lever of power is his top priority. Meanwhile, not only did Trump look weak in Alaska, he also looked unpresidential. Plus, a new publication focused on the threats from the post-liberal right and left. Jerusalem Demsas and Garry Kasparov join Tim Miller. show notes Garry's Substack, "The Next Move" Jerusalem's "The Argument" Chess grandmaster Magnus Carlsen slamming the table after losing in June Trump comparing himself to Nixon *** THE BULWARK LIVE in Toronto, D.C. and NYC: Thebulwark.com/events *** Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.

Russia is losing the war in Ukraine. More than 1 million Russian troops have been killed or injured, and it's been estimated that it would take another four years and 2 million more soldiers for Putin to conquer the Donbas region. So no, Ben Shapiro, getting Ukraine to sacrifice the region in return for some kind of security guarantee would not be a "masterstroke" for Trump. Meanwhile, red state governors sending National Guard troops to D.C. are disrupting the lives and families of those troops at back-to-school time—just to please Daddy Trump. Plus, the MAGA socialism around Intel, Dems should advise foreign countries to think twice about doing corrupt deals with Trump, and Hegseth's pull-ups don't cut it in the alpha male world he thinks he's making. Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller. show notes Tim on the Louisiana governor sending the National Guard to D.C. Kinzinger's interview with Jason Riddle Jonathan Martin on Trump giving Putin more time to stall FT on Europeans comparing eastern Ukraine to Florida  *** THE BULWARK LIVE in Toronto, D.C. and NYC: Thebulwark.com/events ***

Back in the day, Trump used to puff up his wealth to get on the Forbes list. Lately though, he doesn't talk about how much money he has, especially now that he and his family have pocketed an estimated $3.4 billion off his time in the White House. The bulk of those billions comes from various crypto-related ventures—and money from foreign nationals and some adjustments at the S.E.C. have helped grease the wheel. At the same time, the Trump Org is making development deals directly with dictators in the Middle East. Meanwhile, his supporters may think they're helping MAGA by buying hats and beer koozies, but their money is all going to Trump. Plus, the European leaders had their flattery game down in the Oval Office on Monday. The New Yorker's David Kirkpatrick joins Tim Miller. show notes David's piece, "The Number: How Much Is Trump Pocketing off the Presidency?” White House photo of the European's flattery game in action Go to https://zbiotics.com/THEBULWARK and use THEBULWARK at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.

Militarizing the nation's capital is not a distraction, and Democrats really need to stop using that term. Trump is trying to seize power, intimidate the public, and foment violence in the streets. And it's a purposeful MAGA marketing campaign—the masked federal thugs often have a camera person with them as they tase and tackle people. This is a fight that is central to the pro-democracy coalition, and it must become a political loser for Trump. Meanwhile, European leaders are now the ones defending liberty, and Trump may be laying the groundwork for an attempted federal takeover of our elections. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Philip Bump's mapping of crime rates in states sending Guard troops to DC  Masked agents NOT patrolling in DC neighborhoods most impacted by crime Bill's 'Bulwark on Sunday' conversation with Eric  Video of a Russian tank with an American flag Bulwark Live in Toronto, DC, NYC at https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events F*%k your khakis and get The Perfect Jean 15% off with the code BULWARK15 at theperfectjean.nyc/BULWARK15 #theperfectjeanpod

While Donald Trump delivers chaos, cruelty, and corruption—and Republicans play the facts-and-hypocrisy don't matter game— Democrats have to do more rallies, more town halls, and more hearings, on and off the Hill. And if Leader Jeffries gets the gavel after the midterms, he promises investigations into Trump's huge pay-to-play scheme and says that Kristi Noem will be one of the first people hauled up to Congress to answer for the unlawful round-ups and disappearances of law-abiding immigrants. Plus, the currently missing Mamdani endorsement, the D.C. takeover, the redistricting showdown, and leaning hard into Epstein.  Rep. Hakeem Jeffries joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes "Bulwark Takes" feed for updates on the Alaska summit Tim's playlist Get 10% Off your entire order & takeadvantage of Ridge’s Annual Sweepstakes by going to https://www.Ridge.com/THEBULWARK #Ridgepod Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BULWARK at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod

At the Alaska summit, Putin will likely be angling for a sequel of the Helsinki meeting, the infamous tête-à-tête in 2018 where Trump got rolled and cajoled. And because Trump refuses to accept that his charisma and imaginary friendship with Vladimir will never be enough to close a ceasefire deal, the best outcome for Ukraine is that Putin makes Trump mad by not helping him land his long-sought peace prize. Meanwhile, Russian intelligence has been busy recruiting assets to commit acts of terror and foment unrest in Western countries. Plus, the role of Europe in standing up to Trump, and a hurled sandwich becomes an act of resistance to the takeover of DC. Michael Weiss joins Tim Miller. show notes Tim and Bill on the wholesale inflation numbers and Trump's BLS pick Video of the sandwich thrower or on Instagram Double agent Kim Philby

Tim Cook groveling to Trump with a golden trophy and a dash of MAGA identity politics is probably a sign that we are not currently living in a healthy free-market economy. But business leaders apparently prefer pathetically sucking up to a president than feeling snubbed by one, like they did with Biden. And despite the sluggish job growth, rising prices, and tariff uncertainty, they also say the economy is absolutely totally better than it was in 2024— because they are heavily invested in the TACO rule. Plus, crypto advice, morality never gets in the way of a solid balance sheet, and a debate over whether Trump is dialing back his masked-men deportation regime. Also, is Sam Altman trying to make ChatGPT addictive? Jason Calacanis joins Tim Miller to shed light on what the business world is thinking right now. Show notes: The "All-In" podcast Latest episode of "The Next Level" Tim's interview with Jason in October "All-In" interview with Vance Learn a new Language and get up to 55% off your subscription at Babbel.com/BULWARK Start your new morning ritual & get up to 43% off your @MUDWTR with code THEBULWARK at mudwtr.com/THEBULWARK #mudwtrpod

Trump keeps creating all these phony crises—an 'invasion' at the border, immigrants in the interior, crime in D.C.—so he can put on a show of force for his white base. He's also declaring fake emergencies on college campuses so he can shake them down, or declaring an economic emergency to impose tariffs. Now, he's looking at a 'quick reaction force' to respond to protests. It's all a naked power grab, and a potential prequel to sending in troops during elections. Plus, Trump wants fabricated economic data, his 15% cut of Nvidia's and AMD's chip sales to China quacks like a bribe, and will "Idiocracy" come alive with a UFC Octagon on the South Lawn? . Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller. show notes Amanda on the shakedown of elite institutions Protect Democracy's 'Democracy Atlas' JVL on making good trouble "Bulwark Take" with Jason Furman on E.J. Antoni Go to Superpower.com to learn more and lock in the special $199 price while it lasts. Live up to your 100-Year potential. #superpowerpod Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/bulwark

Crime is down in D.C., but Trump is using the pretext of an attempted carjacking of "Big Balls," the former 19-year-old DOGE employee, to take over the city's police department and deploy the National Guard. It's a threat to other blue cities, and an ominous sign ahead of 2026 and 2028. Meanwhile, the DOJ has appointed 'a special attorney' and empaneled grand juries to investigate Trump enemies Adam Schiff and Tish James. Plus, it's odd how JD never seems to defend Trump on Epstein, and Putin has already scored a psychological victory by the promise of being welcomed to the United States as an equal—rather than the war criminal he is. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Cathy's piece on the upcoming Alaska summit Bill in "Morning Shots" on how Vance keeps drawing attention to the Epstein matter

There's a direct line between when the Democratic Party got nationalized and when it started getting wiped out in red states. Dems need to embrace heterodoxy in their candidates—running in New York City is not the same as running in Nebraska. And the party has to exorcise itself of people like Andrew Cuomo. Plus, the administration has upped the cruelty quotient by denying retirement benefits to longtime trans members of the Air Force, the FBI gets deployed to advance the Republicans redistricting, and avoiding the scam PACs preying on Democrats. show notes Tim's interview with Andry on Substack or YouTube Lis's book, "Any Given Tuesday" Stanford's Adam Bonica on Mothership Strategies Cook Political Report's 2026 House rankings Tim's playlist Life insurance is never cheaper than it is today. Get the right life insurance for YOU, for LESS, and save more than fifty percent at selectquote.com/bulwark

The United States, through USAID, not only supplied a big chunk of the world's humanitarian aid, it also provided almost all of the logistical support for other aid organizations to deliver relief as well. Now in Sudan, where the state has disintegrated and millions of people are trying to flee anarchy and civil war, virtually no Western organization is there to provide food and shelter. And no American is working on trying to end the conflict. Plus, Tim Cook joins the CEO suck-up to Trump, a top, well-regarded FBI official who was trying to hold the line under Kash has been pushed out, and Putin may be trying to pause Ukraine's punishing air war on Russia—but he's not showing any sign that he wants peace. Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller. show notes Anne's piece on Sudan, “The Most Nihilistic Conflict on Earth” Anne's wildflower garden The NYT on the continuing purge at the FBI Anne's "Autocracy, Inc.," out in paperback Aug. 25 "The Director," book recommendation from Anne For a limited time only, get 60% off your first order PLUS free shipping when you head to Smalls.com/THEBULWARK

Gerrymandering has always been partisan, but what's happening in Texas is straight-up racial politics. Republicans are targeting and trying to disenfranchise black voters while betting that Latino voters will stick with them. And because Trump hasn't had a lot of luck making the furor over Epstein and Ghislaine go away, JD is stepping in to host a totally 100% aboveboard damage control session at his house—with the top officials at the DOJ. Plus, the U.S. had almost zero job growth in May and June, the economy is slowing, and prices are ticking up. Josh Barro and Zerlina Maxwell join Tim Miller. show notes: Tim, Sam, and Will Sommer on the MAGA girl meltdown Zerlina's book, "The End of White Politics" Go to https://zbiotics.com/THEBULWARK and use THEBULWARK at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.

Voters in the seven swing states that elected Trump in 2024 thought he'd make the economy better. His perceived strength on the economy is the cornerstone Jenga piece of the whole Trump Tower. And he keeps making the economy worse. Meanwhile, Democratic voters are highly engaged—but just not with the party, whose brand is struggling. Plus, Republicans are still trying to steal the House, and how a stronger, re-imagined local news media can help restore trust in national news. Chuck Todd joins Tim Miller. show notes Chuck's Sunday Night with Chuck Todd on the Noosphere app The Chuck Toddcast "The Stranger," Chuck's book about Obama

The boss only wants to hear good news: that's the takeaway from Trump's high-profile firing over the weak job numbers. So if a government worker has something bad to report, they now know they'll have to lie to keep their jobs. And this isn't only about key information on the economy—it's also about hurricane forecasts, intel threats, and potential military mishaps. Meanwhile, the Texas redistricting stand-off is fraying the fabric of our democracy. Plus, Fox's own producers think Jeanine Pirro is a reckless maniac, direction from the top was the only way Ghislaine Maxwell could have been moved to a 'Club Fed' prison, and Democrats debate how much to work with Republicans who don't keep their word. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Today's 'Morning Shots' The 'Bulwark Takes' Apple feed Tim on 'Pod Save America' on Friday Some of the victims' testimony from Maxwell's trial Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.