DiscoverThe Bulwark Podcast
The Bulwark Podcast
Claim Ownership

The Bulwark Podcast

Author: The Bulwark

Subscribed: 19,254Played: 1,617,888
Share

Description

Tim Miller and guests discuss the latest political news for the flagship podcast of the Never Trump movement and the reality-based community. Every weekday we provide insightful analysis, political hot-takes, an unabashed defense of liberal democracy and long-form interviews that cut through the "both-sides" BS. Plus a few laughs to help you wash down the crazy.

Bulwark+ members can get a totally ad-free version of the show delivered right to their favorite podcast player.
500 Episodes
Reverse
While Elon claims he's storming the government to cut waste, he's also getting himself a big fat check for $400 million from the State Department for Tesla armored vehicles—though administration officials are now trying to hide the grift because the Trump glow does not extend to the weird dude. Meanwhile, McConnell may have voted against confirming RFK Jr, but he's the one who drew up the blueprint for breaking the rules. Plus, the asymmetry in passion between MAGA and the resistance, and Alex's new podcast looks at how people are being affected by the policies and promises of Trumpism. MSNBC’s Alex Wagner join Tim.  show notes Trumpland with Alex Wagner Dave Weigel's piece that Tim referenced Axios piece that was mentioned
If Republican senators had any shred of dignity left, they'd demand that Kash Patel answer why he brazenly lied under oath to them about the purge of agents at the FBI. Credible sources have come forward to say he was directing the whole thing. Meanwhile, Trump has leveled the playing field so companies doing business overseas can do all the bribing they want. Plus, our modern "boy problem," our genetic wiring to not be loners, and finding a way out of our polarization by seeing we have an obligation to respect and care for other people.  Carol Leonnig and Bob Putnam join Tim Miller  show notes Bob's "Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community" The documentary about Bob, "Join or Die" Bob's co-written book, "The Upswing: How America Came Together a Century Ago and How We Can Do It Again"
The Democratic Party was made for different times, when rules were followed. But to preserve the basic power of Congress, and to prove that the Constitution is worth the paper it's printed on, the troublemakers in the Dem caucus have to get busy fighting over tariffs and a looming budget deal. Besides, Trump's strongest hand is performative outbursts—making threats and pretending he got something in return. Plus, Elon is giving away America's greatness, the EU should call Trump's bluff, and the Democrats should quit chasing donations from the social media companies that broke our democracy. Former congressman Tom Malinowski joins Tim Miller. show notes: Tom's Bulwark piece on how the Democrats should fight
The new administration has been routinely breaking the law, including on Friday when it announced it was cutting funding for universities doing medical research, specifically in violation of legislation passed by Congress last year. And over the weekend, Trump, Musk, and Vance signaled a willingness to ignore court orders—a federal judge on Monday declared that the White House was doing just that in response to his order lifting a freeze on grant spending. Meanwhile, Trump designated himself the Supreme Leader over the Kennedy Center, and canned the national archivist perhaps because the agency happened to notice he was hoarding classified documents. Plus, at a time when we could use some decent role models, Jalen Hurts showed what it's like to win without being petty and consumed by grievance. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes JVL's Triad newsletter on how the Dems can win the USAID fight
Partly because of the courts and partly because the White House keeps stepping on rakes or trying to break everything, the Dems who were too chill about Trump pre- and post-election have fully moved into 'threat to the Republic' mode. Meanwhile, angry bureaucrats, particularly at the FBI, are digging in. But don't be sanguine because the administration is still trying to take a wrecking ball to the civil service— anything that goes wrong that involves the government though (like that measles outbreak in Texas) they're going to own from here on out. Plus, Trump's dirty energy policy, the challenge of getting his tax cuts through Congress, and Kanye goes all in on Hitler. Ezra Klein joins Tim on the weekend pod. show notes Ezra's forthcoming book with Derek Thompson, "Abundance" Ezra's show on YouTube Measles Outbreak Mounts Among Children in One of Texas’ Least Vaccinated Counties Tim's playlist
After the dumbest member of the Senate, Tommy Tuberville, was able to block military promotions for months during the Biden administration, Dems should not back down from slowing the roll of Kash and the other remaining abominable nominees. Meanwhile, more federal workers are going to have to speak up—lawsuits don't make good visuals. The nation needs to see the faces of the men and women who are our public servants. Plus, Elon's poll numbers slip, Trump's Gaza gambit is BS, and who is the new DNC Chair, Ken Martin? Michael Steele joins Tim Miller.
With Elon's 20-something operatives running the Treasury Department, it's hard not to feel that we've been severed from reality and a better Earth someplace else. Ben Stiller talks with Tim about metaphysics, avoiding politics in public, and advocating for the millions of people displaced around the world.  Plus, the origin story of Severance, Adam Scott, John Turturro, and whether the show is a metaphor for life itself. Also, Tim gives a pop quiz, Ben shares his love for the Knicks, and both ponder why there aren't good comedies anymore.  Ben Stiller joins Tim Miller. show notes: Watch Severance The Albert Brooks film, 'Real Life.' Trailer for "Real Life' Ben's New York Times interview Video of one of Musk's engineers/operatives
If the Chinese hacked the U.S. government the way private citizen Elon has, it would be a major act of cyber warfare. And since Elon is a government contractor, he's now in a position to make policy calls that benefit his own companies and hurt his competitors—following the Russian oligarch model. We are in a completely lawless realm, and this is likely to continue until he is stopped. Meanwhile, government employees are being forced to choose between conforming or protecting the public. Plus, Elon is also sabotaging America's soft power and influence in Africa while he and the other tech overlords plot how to derail Europe's effort to regulate them. Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller. show notes Wired article on the young, inexperienced engineers helping Elon Anne's 2020 piece about complicity (gifted) Josh Marshall's piece about Elon's operative *already* rewriting code at the Treasury Department Book Anne mentioned, "The Captive Mind" Anne's piece, "Europe's Elon Musk Problem" (gifted) 
The president of the United States is putting his Jan 6 accomplices in charge of the Justice Department and the FBI, and clearing out any officials who would be willing to investigate the administration. It's anti-democratic, it's a coup, and it's allowing Elon and his 20-something DOGE buddies to act with impunity as they illegally access classified information and the Treasury's payment system. Meanwhile, the White House can't even get its messaging straight on the tariffs as they sabotage our relationship with allies in the process. Plus, the ethnic scapegoating continues and the Dems at the DNC go all Portlandia when they need to be fighting the aspiring authoritarians.  Will Saletan and Scott Lincicome join Tim Miller. show notes Tim's interview with J.J. McCullough on Canada's retaliatory tariffs
While Republican senators worked to protect Kash Patel from answering some ver-wee hard questions at his confirmation hearing, not one of them had the audacity to suggest that he is the best person to lead the FBI. Meanwhile, the new administration is clearing out some of the most seasoned and effective veterans at the bureau who will be needed during a crisis. Plus, Elon is trying to get our private financial records at the Treasury Department, and Paramount is so worried that mean Mr. Trump would block a merger deal that it's ready to settle his frivolous, written-in-crayon lawsuit against "60 Minutes." Also, Tim makes an earnest plea to Sen. Bill Cassidy from the heart of New Orleans.  Andrew Weissmann joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes Weissmann's and Mary McCord's podcast, "Main Justice" Weissmann's Substack page Tim's playlist
Republican senators don't care that Trump's nominees are lying—like Kash pretending he didn't know a Nazi-adjacent podcaster whose show he's been on eight times—because the confirmation process to them is all a game and truth is irrelevant. And nominees are also mad-flipping on their signatures issues: RFK, Jr. on vaccines, Tulsi on Edward Snowden, and Kash on the Jan 6 cop beaters. Meanwhile, RFK knows embarrassingly little about the programs he'd be administering, Democrats should try combat on for size, and the Fox hosts/reality show stars turned in quite a performance after the first plane crash in 16 years.  Tommy Vietor joins Tim Miller.
Trump is trying to seize powers he doesn't have—like unilaterally rewriting laws and deciding on his own how he wants to spend money Congress appropriated for a particular purpose. Will the Supreme Court stop him? And if it rules against him, will he obey the court's orders? Plus, the money angle behind RFK, Jr.'s conspiracies, and Elon's attempt at a mass buyout is not about making the government leaner and meaner. He's trying to replace good, smart people with lackeys and flunkies, like Tucker Carlson's son. Mona Charen joins Tim Miller. Mona Charen joins Tim Miller. show notes Mona's piece on RFK and his anti-vax damage in Samoa Bulwark piece on Trump's high-speed power grab Adrian Carrasquillo's newsletter on Trump turning schools into immigration battlegrounds 
The directives putting a pause on federal grants and the firing of career DOJ prosecutors is about trying to make the entirety of the federal government the tool of the man occupying the presidency. And it's all illegal and unconstitutional. Meanwhile, Trump is exactly the kind of broken sociopath who can dominate the war for attention—the defining resource of our time. Plus, a rundown on DeepSeek, the new Chinese AI model, and why Bitcoin fans aren't more angry about the worthless, scammy Trump and Melania coins.  Chris Hayes and Alex Kantrowitz join Tim Miller. show notes Chris's new book, “The Siren's Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource." Undercover video of Russ Vought on Project 2025, from August 2024 Alex's "Big Technology" on Substack Alex's "Big Technology" podcast
Gullible Republicans have really been proving what they're made of recently, including Susan Collins, who claims Trump wants to root out corruption, even though his whole life has been a fraud—the water, the university, and "The Apprentice," just for starters. Meanwhile, the presidents of Mexico and Colombia are showing that they're not going to bend over in service of Trump's vanity. Plus, JD's Johnny-come-lately Catholicism, and the tech titans's clash with DEI may be helping the US lose the lead in AI.  Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: Colombian President Gustavo Petro's statement on Twitter (hit translate post) Timothée Chalamet on SNL
Trump launched his first week back in office signaling to loyal followers that they are free to break the law on his behalf, while telling political opponents—including John Bolton and Mike Pompeo—that he'll put their lives at risk. Meanwhile, an office full of white faces is not evidence of a meritocracy, a shortage of VA nurses or prosecutors at the DOJ is not government efficiency, and Putin is different from the man he was during Trump's first term. Plus, the dangers of the word "invasion" in the immigration context. David French joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod. show notes: John Mulaney's 'horse in the hospital' skit Tweet from Dan Crenshaw that Tim referenced David's latest newsletter (gifted) Tim's playlist
Emotionally-stunted video game boys, who are also government contractors and/or quasi government officials, are fighting on Twitter, a POTUS who went all the way to SCOTUS to get immunity for presidents now would like the last president investigated, and America's premiere scientific research institution, the NIH, can't tell us about the bird flu—a widespread and potentially deadly virus that could mutate into a human pandemic. Meanwhile, the assault on immigration has stepped up, with raids now permitted at churches and schools. And DHS is targeting anyone who can be deported, regardless of whether or not they're a security threat.  Adrian Carrasquillo and Sam Stein join Tim Miller. show notes https://x.com/arelisrhdz/status/1881397640849678362
All those CEOs cartwheeled down to Mar-a-Lago and then dutifully lined up at Trump's inauguration because they were fed up with social justice warriors and labor having more power—even if their bottom lines were never harmed in the process. Now, they want their next adrenaline rush and more government money without any pesky regulations hampering their highfalutin space-exploration dreams. But they may just pine for those DEI training sessions after the coming populist economic backlash. Stephanie Ruhle joins Tim Miller.
Trump tried to pencil out literal words in the Constitution and then freed 1,500 violent insurrectionists—while the media attempted to normalize it all. Meanwhile, much attention is being paid to Elon's salute, and not enough to the facts that he has an office at the White House, he's a government contractor, and paid a quarter of a billion dollars to get Trump elected. Plus, other Trump executive orders were pissy and petty, the 80s can no longer be called the decade of greed after Monday's Hunger Games vibe, and the Democrats are going to have a hard time resisting a risky 'eat the rich' path. Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller. show notes  Tom's piece from Monday on the police responding to Jan 6 Tweets about the price of eggs v attending the inauguration, which Tom referenced LAST DAY: Make The Bulwark your home for coverage of Trump 2.0. Get 2 months FREE on an annual subscription of Bulwark+ now for exclusive content, ad-free commentary and more:
Trump wants us to believe that nothing matters, so we'll brush off all his corruption and grifting as though everybody does it. That's what aspiring authoritarians always do, including the guy who didn't place his hand on a Bible when he was sworn in today. Meanwhile, Trump just launched probably the biggest scam in the history of the presidency with his memecoin—ordinary people will lose real money, nothing like the small-ball amounts he scoops up with his shoes, mugs, and digital baseball cards. Plus, Biden's pardons, Trump's Day One executive orders, and seizing the means of content production with TikTok. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: Mark Hertling on the challenges of executing "shock and awe" TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY: TODAY AND TOMORROW ONLY: Make The Bulwark your home for coverage of Trump 2.0. Get 2 months FREE on an annual subscription of Bulwark+ now for exclusive content, ad-free commentary and more. https://www.thebulwark.com/subscribe
Trump governed as a wartime president against blue America, so expect him to keep stirring up culture battles—but the Dems have to avoid getting drawn into them. Kamala and the party were undone in '24 by looking like they cared more about niche issues than putting food on the table. Meanwhile, Biden has left Trump a lot of room to consolidate a bigger coalition than he's ever had. Plus, for Republicans shrugging off climate change and threatening to withhold fire aid to California, here's a news flash: extreme weather is coming to a neighborhood near you.  Ron Brownstein joins Tim Miller for the weekend  show notes Ron's piece on 'late regime' presidencies Ron's interviews with Kamala's advisers Tim's interview with Rep. Jim Himes The book Ron referenced, "The Politics Presidents Make" Tim's playlist
loading
Comments (1186)

Diana Julia Karides

Love Alex, but I think she'll need more than 100 Days!!!!

Feb 13th
Reply

Jonathan Wolf

I don't think a republican official has told the truth and a senate confirmation hearing in decades! only say what Democrats want to hear and then throw it out the window!

Feb 10th
Reply (1)

Obsessive Podcast Fan

stepping on rakes. sad that our hope is on the kakistocracy stepping on rakes, but they're doing just that and I'm glad for it.

Feb 8th
Reply (1)

Tiger (NoahArkwright)

Ezra Klein is only marginally better than MAGA fascists - he's a privileged neoliberal apologist who can go fuck himself. Cant stand this guy.

Feb 8th
Reply (10)

michael gilman

Ezra there was a terrorist attack that Bush didn't catch and he was stronger than ever after it what are you talking about you Ivory Tower blockhead.

Feb 7th
Reply

michael gilman

Gee Ezra it's so cool wow, you said the driz effect whew that'll fix everything

Feb 7th
Reply

michael gilman

not a good strategy. but will they do it anyway? who said they are strategically smart? they're driven to advance the agenda of a cult leader. strategy? does it matter? if what's broken can't be fixed and what's put in its place is a totalitarian structure that just squashes opposition from the people whether they were aware of the problem earlier or just woke up to it is that genius, does that strategy make any difference once the secret police are making arrests and Congress is dissolved?

Feb 7th
Reply

michael gilman

I will be happy if I prove to be wrong. but in the first 5 minutes or so I hear Klein saying as though it's a good thing that musk's minions are only allowed to read not write in and if that has been upheld somehow. you really believe them? you don't have the ability to imagine they will lie and do what the hell they want anyway? come on man as Joey would say

Feb 7th
Reply (1)

Jonathan Wolf

hey Tom, please start to verbally refer to the dept of gov efficient as dodgy, as in doing a dodgy deed. cuz man they sure do seem dodgy! thanks hope to hear this new pronunciation of DOGE ! thank you loyal listener Jonathan wolf Chester County Pennsylvania

Feb 4th
Reply

michael gilman

Cute former Republicans analyzing, soberly. Really? The play is to get the military under his control and use it. Ignore SCOTUS at will. What if the 2026 midterms need to be suspended by Trump's order - as an "official act?" Tough luck, huh?

Jan 26th
Reply

Elizabeth H

This conversation overlooks or ignores the huge wave of Kamala-inspired voter registration and the equal number of votes. There was voter suppression (Russian-sourced bomb threats) and misdelivered democratic votes. And impossible all-swing state Trump wins. Just too many questions about vote totals….something is just not right. Full arenas for Kamala and draining rallies for Trump. Doesn’t add up.

Jan 23rd
Reply (1)

Elizabeth H

Te earlier episodes about election tallies and Kamala support, please acknowledge the blue wave of voter registration….no way did those votes disappear or voters stay home. Plus Musk and T**** boasted about stealing PA votes and Musk admitted to working in all swing states. Dems did not all stay home.

Jan 23rd
Reply

The Amazing A

maybe worst bulwark pod ever. no need for over exuberant same Ole yelling about what we all know. inform and stretch our minds, pls don't have this guest on again.

Jan 21st
Reply

MrD

$100 Registration Bonus Eksklusibo sa jet!

Jan 16th
Reply

dobrowin88

Maging Miyembro ng daddy at Makatanggap ng $100 Agad!

Jan 16th
Reply

MrQQ

Magsimula sa fresh: Makakuha ng $100 Welcome Bonus!

Jan 16th
Reply

dobrowin88

sherbet Registration Bonus: Libreng $100 Para sa Mga Bagong User!

Jan 15th
Reply

dobrowin88

Magparehistro sa supernova at Makakuha ng $100 Bonus Kaagad!

Jan 15th
Reply

dobrowin88

Magparehistro sa supernova at Makakuha ng $100 Bonus Kaagad!

Jan 15th
Reply

dobrowin88

Sumali sa jazz Ngayon at Kumuha ng $100 Welcome Bonus!

Jan 14th
Reply