The Bulwark Podcast

Few states are as red as Iowa, and yet the legendary Iowa pollster Ann Selzer found that Kamala has leapfrogged over Trump to take the lead there. The turnaround is due to women—particularly women 65 and older, who previously tilted toward Trump, but now favor Kamala 63% to 28%. Iowa's new strict abortion law could be a factor.  J. Ann Selzer joins Tim Miller for a special Sunday pod. show notes D...

The WSJ wants readers to think that Trump is too stupid to coup—despite Jack Smith's indictment showing a very clear plan. And for those on the left and right arguing that we survived once before, there are hundreds of thousands of people who would still be alive today if Trump had managed Covid better. Plus, the laughable GOP civility police, Kamala's potential trouble in Michigan, the MAGA ads t...

Trump and his pack of dude-bros are pitting men against women, even inside the home—the current Republican Party is definitely not pro-family or pro-marriage. Plus, Nikki's feelings are hurt, and Elon trucked in door-knockers for Trump who basically worked as indentured servants. How does this Putin-whispering patsy still have government contracts?  Adam Kinzinger joins Tim Miller. show notes Tim'...

The character of the nation is on the line: We have to stop an autocratic minority from imposing its will on the majority of Americans. And no question, Putin has been very easily manipulating Trump and Musk. Plus, Biden talking about garbage, spam polls, pollster herding, and the weakest swing states for Kamala.  Alex Vindman and Lakshya Jain join Tim Miller. show notes: Congressional candidate E...

Kamala Harris sees the world as divided between those who follow the rules and those who break them—and that injustice requires action, not whining. And behind the story of a child of two high-achieving immigrants is a woman who remains loyal, reveres law and order, shows up prepared, and approaches challenges with a 'just the facts' linear style of thinking. Yet, she also maintains a level of ins...

By de-prioritizing The Washington Post in his business empire, Jeff Bezos is showing exactly how a free press gets dismantled. Other corporate titans are also falling in line so they're not on the wrong side of Trump. Meanwhile, with the Klan-like rhetoric at Sunday's rally, MAGA is baring its teeth and showing us that its true essence is about white Christian supremacy. Plus, the Senate races, an...

Trump is corrosive to the soul of our democracy. He's a bigot, an ogre, and an isolationist. And for all the Reagan Republicans on the fence: If Trump gets back in, America won't have a healthy conservative movement again for generations. Plus, Kamala on Israel, and Elon's private foreign policy with Putin—he's working against our national security while helping himself to the treasury of the Unit...

 A whole faction of Red America thinks the judges and tax cuts in the first half of Trump's presidency were the 'real' Trump. But the Jan 6 'burn it all down' guy is the real version—as Tucker's weird parable about a violent and angry dad makes clear. Plus, MAGA's confidence in the election results, Cheney's abortion comments, and the surreal double standard where all the rules apply to Kamala, bu...

Donald Trump doesn't share our values or our norms, and he wants the privilege of being able to shoot down Americans in the street. And former officials who worked in his administration are frightened about what he could do to the country. Meanwhile, all the Hitler talk drowns out any talk about Kamala's proposed policies, which are more popular than people realize. Jeffrey Goldberg and Catherine...

The ex-POTUS has resolved that his route to regain power is creating hate, fear, and anger. Meanwhile, his little fascist from Santa Monica is planning to raid quinceañeras as part of a mass deportation. In contrast, Kamala promises to be a president for everybody—with fights only in the fields of democracy. Plus, Elon's despicable Nick Fuentes-grade ads targeting Jewish and Arab voters, and the M...

Remember those few weeks when Trump ceded the stage to Kamala and didn't do any campaigning? How glorious it was not to have to talk about him. Meanwhile, Kamala, Liz, and Sarah work to seal the deal with undecided voters, Moldova rejects the vote-buying oligarchs, and Lindsey, you're wrong: It's Trump, not Kamala, who's the most radical candidate in modern American history. Mallory McMorrow was r...

The Bulwark kicked off its weekend 'Swing State Swing" in the City of Brotherly Love Thursday before a packed house. George Conway, Sarah Matthews, and Tim talked about psychopaths, narcissists, and how voters need to understand that if Trump didn't even care what happened to his VP on Jan 6, he certainly doesn't care about them. George Conway and Sarah Matthews join Tim Miller.

Since the release of Woodward's "War," Gen. James Mattis has reached out to the journalist to endorse the book's warnings about Trump, and to urge that they not be downplayed. Plus, Kamala's counseling of Zelensky before the invasion of Ukraine, and how Russia really was on the nuclear brink and the Biden team pulled out all the stops to get them to step back. Bob Woodward joins Tim Miller. show n...

Amb. Rice says Trump is a "surrender monkey" who is all about building up Russia and China for his own benefit—and to the detriment of our national security. Meanwhile, his domestic policy is a platform of civil war on his fellow Americans. Plus, Mondaire Jones on one of the most important House races in the country. Amb. Susan Rice and Rep. Mondaire Jones join Tim Miller.

Trump's fitness for office is a central question now more than ever after his bizarre town hall Monday night, where instead of taking questions, he called out songs, bopped, and swayed—for 39 minutes. Plus, Kamala plans a trip into the lion's den on Fox News, Youngkin is utterly shameless, and we risk losing the norms that George Washington established for the U.S. presidency. Tom Nichols joins Ti...

Trump used to be considered an existential threat throughout Silicon Valley, but now the tech world is split between Mark Cuban and Reid Hoffman on one side, and Elon and David Sacks on the latter. Elon & David's All-In Podcast friend "J-Cal" is on the fence. He explains that the Trump side's grievance has to do with Elizabeth Warren, socialism, DEI, the 'self-made' being attacked for being ri...

Trump's authoritarianism has intensified—with his calls for using military force against political opponents, taking away broadcast licenses, and deporting even legal immigrants. Plus, the panic meter, Kamala should make appeals to the Cavuto crowd on tariffs, and it's time to speak your mind on a microphone, Gen. Mattis. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: Bill's interview with Jason Furma...

Barack Obama made a direct appeal to people who don't like Trump, but may end up voting for him anyway. Team Kamala has to keep up the drumbeat: Make clear that Trump has been running a rogue foreign policy out of Mar-a-Lago, that he's campaigning on raw hate, and that he's ready to hand over government power to Elon—who's already getting billions in subsidies. Plus, Trump's depiction of Aurora be...

Voters have a real hunger for something beyond the constant state of pugilism and the weaponizing of every problem. In her closing arguments, Kamala needs to zero in on making Trump the incumbent and herself the person who can turn the page. Plus, MAGA's perpetual dumping on America, Obama's 2004 convention speech, and staying Zen while debating on CNN.  David Axelrod joins Tim Miller. show notes:...

The information ecosystem is getting crazier than ever: The monster Trump created must be fed, even when the lies are too much for some MAGA members of Congress. Meanwhile, the disinfo around storm relief efforts have to be nipped in the bud, and Team Kamala needs to get their sharp elbows out for the final weeks. Plus, how a doc about Carville evolved in real time as he pressed to get Biden to dr...

Trump and Vance are pioneering a form of politics where American power means nothing, everything is bad, and politicians focus on tearing people down—and getting other Americans to do the same. Plus, the challenge of defining freedom, why conservative Jews are giving Trump a pass on his antisemitism, and a good and insightful poll on the presidential race.  Timothy Snyder joins Tim Miller. show no...

Do not sleep on this: The billionaire tech bros are on board with the authoritarian project so they can capture the regulatory state. They are showering Trump with money to win his favor and using Vance to lock in control of the Republican Party. Plus, Kamala unveils her media strategy, and the damage Israel has done to terror groups since Oct. 7 is significant. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show...

The second gentleman says Kamala has really stepped it up for this abbreviated campaign, and is showing the country the most badass version of herself. He also promised that nothing will distract them from focusing on winning the election. Plus, Trump didn't know what hit him in the debate.  Doug Emhoff joins Tim Miller for a very special bonus episode.

Liz Cheney sticks to her values under incredible pressure in an old-fashioned Republican way. And she reminded us that Jan 6 is not in the past—but is directly tied to the threat from a presidency where loyalty is built around a lie. Plus, the politicizing of FEMA, Trump's baiting of the media to fact check, more Megyn derangement syndrome, and the longshoremen and job automation. John Dickerson j...

Jack Smith's filing on Jan 6 reads almost like a novel—with Trump shrugging about Pence having to be evacuated, mocking true believer Sidney Powell, and implicating himself with a damning phone-data footprint. Plus, life as a CNN anchor, the evolution of conservative media, and no, Megyn, Kaitlan is an Alabama girl.  Kaitlan Collins joins Tim Miller.