The Bulwark Podcast

Trump is threatening members of Congress with jail and Republican senators may be circling the wagons around his nominees, but we still need to protect ourselves from a nihilistic mindset. Plus, cautious optimism and uncertainty after the fall of Syria's brutal dictatorship. And no, Tulsi: You were wrong. Assad was our enemy. Bill Kristol and Michael Weiss join Tim Miller. Show notes: Tim's Triad...

Trump may have authoritarian aspirations, but he's very bad at governing and managing—four weeks into the transition, he's had two major Ls. Meanwhile, Democrats have to rebuild their connection to voters with local party clubs, and not wait until an election year. Plus, a reverse cancel culture is silencing any conversation about the role that gender and race played in Kamala's loss. And finding...

Kash Patel is making legal threats to try to silence his critics, and Tulsi Gabbard wouldn't even be able to get a security clearance in the regular job market: The parade of incompetence is so bad that Pete Hegseth is being described as the most unqualified Cabinet nominee in American history—and that's before the rape and alcoholism. Plus, Bluesky v Twitter, Russia is running out of military equ...

We're going back to a president who can't be bothered to read his briefing books. So who will be getting in the ear of the man who had the judgment to choose Pete Hegseth in the first place? Plus, blue state governors v Trump, the need for more mid-range housing, the role of women in modern combat, and Tim reads more from the mailbag.  New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill joins Tim Mi...

Russ Vought, Trump's nominee to run the Office of Management and Budget—and a Project 2025 author—believes we are living in a post-constitutional America and that any check on Trump's power would be illegitimate. And what's really scary is that Vought knows how the government works. Meanwhile, jihadi technocrats effortlessly took over Syria's second-largest city because Assad's protectors—Russia a...

Kash Patel, who could potentially run the FBI, is a compulsive liar who can't keep his facts straight about his work experience or even where he was born. Aside from being a player in the attempted coup, even Trump loyalists are alarmed by his devotion to the president-elect. Meanwhile, by pardoning Hunter, Biden is not only putting his family ahead of the public interest, he's also giving a giant...

Pete Hegseth may have a winning Fox & Friends smile, but his desire to shoot protesters, commit war crimes, and purge non-MAGA leaders from the military aligns with Trump's views—and is probably the reason why he was nominated for defense secretary. Plus, Republicans won without offering a middle-class economic agenda, and the ties between the Democrats' loss and the party's busy-body language...

For those living under a gray cloud because of what the American electorate has done, it's time to get to work on changing opinions. People who follow the news and read op-eds may be in a minority, but salient minorities have propelled history. On the 50th anniversary of George Will's tenure at The Washington Post, George joins Tim to discuss the power of criticizing presidents and saying what you...

The danger of Trump's nominees is that the main condition of employment—aside from being on Fox—is their fealty to him, and a willingness to go along with the ideological fervor of Stephen Miller, Russ Vought and JD Vance. Meanwhile, the math may not add up for Tulsi, Sarah McBride shows grace and dignity in response to Nancy Mace, and Trump goes weirdly quiet.   Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. sho...

The country is now paying for the pathologies of the oligarchs and baddies who were stuffed into lockers when they were kids. And let's be honest: A chunk of MAGA doesn't mind the sexual assaults at all—they "put women in their place." Meanwhile, Gaetz's replacement, Pam Bondi, was an active member of the attempted coup, Elon's plan to slash the federal workforce would cut a minuscule part of the...

Because Trump wasn't penalized for trying to steal the 2020 election, our democracy has already been damaged. And he was laying the groundwork to do it again in '24, with the assistance of MAGA's opportunistic election fraud lies. Meanwhile, David Sacks & co would never let Trump run any of their businesses, but they're all in on his Alex Jones-grade lies. Plus, was Kamala done in by not respo...

The incompetent and compromised nominees Trump has assembled at record pace show how little regard he has for the essential functions our government provides. He wants to harness its power for his own ends, in a way that could put Americans and our national security at risk—but he can only do this if Congress is complicit. Meanwhile, the roundly-hated Matt Gaetz is providing cover for the sex abus...

The Democrats focus too much on reaching white college-educated voters, and the threat to democracy was not the right closing message. Plus, Nancy Mace needs to get a life beyond getting MAGA street cred, no one wants to be in the same bathroom with MTG, and Jared Polis may be on to something with the hippie-ish libertarians.  Jen Psaki joins Tim Miller. show notes Gov. Polis tweet about RFK, Jr....

Trump is flooding the zone with unqualified nominees who would destroy government norms and standards and create the kind of chaos that would let him do what he wants—and Senate Republicans may be too afraid of him to put up much resistance. Meanwhile, allies are already seeing the third world-style political decay, beyond the orgies and sexual assaults. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes "...

Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint ground things to a halt in the Senate quite effectively during the Obama era, and Democrats should take a cue from them for Trump's appointments: Demand hearings or hold their own. More broadly, the opposition has to be loud and make a scene, while also staying unified and focused. We are a big country with big ideas, and there are more of us than there are of them.  Amanda...

Trump's appointments—like degenerate Matt Gaetz and Putin stooge Tulsi Gabbard—are about his raw power and his stupid show, but are also a risk to our nation's security and institutions. Plus, America's diploma divide has trapped us in a caste society, where future leaders are being chosen based on how they performed on standardized tests at age 18. David Brooks and Rick Wilson j oin Tim Miller. s...

Republicans have been good at telling a story about the economy and how people should feel about it, and Democrats haven't responded in a sufficiently compelling way. Meanwhile, plucking Pete Hegseth off the Fox & Friends couch to run one of the biggest organizations in the world is a sign of how dumb the next administration will be.  Osita Nwanevu joins Tim Miller. show notes Osita's forthcom...

The worst people believe their worldview has been validated, while the best people are uncertain, scared, and angry. But we have to stay focused on the menace, including the threat to officials Trump may target for revenge—and the immigrants whose cheap and willing labor helped build our economy. Jon Lovett joins Tim Miller for a special crosspost with the "Lovett or Leave It" pod. show notes Spee...

The Trump team is moving quickly to sell out Ukraine, but it's not clear yet whether Putin would settle for taking a quarter of the country—or if he intends to crush it, so he can plant the Russian flag in Kiev. Meanwhile, Elon has been at Mar-a-Lago every day, expanding his oligarch résumé to include helping choose the incoming president's Cabinet and advisors. Plus, key Senate Republicans are al...

It's time to get our opposition organized and develop a narrative about Trump. And one narrative that's likely to emerge is how he betrayed his voters. Plus, did Kamala's interview on "The View" seal her fate?  James Carville joins Tim Miller. show notes Carville documentary, "Winning Is Everything, Stupid" (post-election recut out 11/14)

The Trump trials were a cosmic democratic disaster, and the justice system did not do justice: Trump was not treated in the same way as other people who've stolen classified docs or tried to overthrow the election—and his conviction and indictments made him more qualified in MAGA's eyes. Plus, the Sotomayor/SCOTUS issue, aiding Ukraine before January 20, and avoiding the sound of Trump's voice. Be...

The American people made their choice, and the fight to preserve the global democratic coalition against the global authoritarian movement continues. But maybe letting those voters see unadulterated Trumpism in the White House, without the baby bumpers—at least for a little while—is how we save America. Plus, the price of eggs v fascism, and Trump is going to inherit a great economy and take credi...

Kamala's tailored campaign message and ground game didn't matter. Voters were unhappy with Biden and didn't want a 'regular' politician. They also didn't care about the infrastructure bill or the CHIPS Act—but they do care about demagoguery and grievance.  Sarah and JVL join Tim to take in the pain, but also to chart The Bulwark's next phase: doing everything we can to protect our country, our dem...

Whatever happens tonight, Never Trumpers and voters should be proud that we rose to the challenge of Trump—and that a majority of Americans see through this fraudster. Meanwhile, a vote for Kamala is both a progressive and conservative choice. Plus, the Electoral College is crazy, Megyn is mad at the wrong people, and Tim's final prediction.  David Frum joins Tim Miller. show notes Reagan's closin...

Republicans are crowing about a big turnout of early rural voters and a decrease in African American voters in the cities. But the early vote also features a big gender gap, likely tied to abortion—an issue that was not on the ballot in 2020. And the Trump team has done a terrible job of not taking the air out of the issue. Plus, the Epstein tapes, Trump's lousy last two weeks, and The Bulwark's g...