The Bulwark Podcast

Trump cannot enunciate a clear reason for why he's chosen to go to war against Iran, and the administration is not even bothering to coordinate a message that clarifies its objective. While the military campaign appears aimed at regime change, Hegseth denies it is. And instead of speaking directly to Americans, POTUS himself has taken on a Jekyll and Hyde approach to his rationales in a series of private interviews: he's waffled between "freedom," to installing a caretaker regime à la Venezuela, to maybe even revenge. In any event, the United States seems like it's being dog-walked by the Israelis and the Saudis, and the corrupt deals between the Trump family and Gulf Arab states may be a factor. Plus, anti-interventionist JD is in the cuck chair, and a preview of Tuesday's Senate primary in Texas.
Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
show notes

Tim and Sarah on the administration's war messaging

'Bulwark on Sunday' with Bill, Tim, and Mark Hertling

Tickets for our LIVE show in Austin on March 19: TheBulwark.com/Events.

Trump’s head is stuck in the 80s so he may not have noticed that cable is dying. All he can think about is getting his greedy little hands on CNN so he can make them say nice things about him. But independent outlets—like The Bulwark— are changing the media space and are beyond the reach of a corrupted FCC. Nevertheless, our screens are going to be filled with vast quantities of pro-MAGA propaganda. Meanwhile, Mamdani played to Trump’s 80s tabloid obsession to win a favor, which was good, but it was also something that would have the left howling in disgust if Hakeem had done it. Plus, Hegseth is bullying Anthropic because he wants to mass surveil Americans, how states can legally fight back against ICE and the administration’s election meddling, and the irony of cool, edgy, masculine men behaving like women with Mar-a-Lago face.
Amanda Carpenter joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.
show notes

Tim and Andrew on Mamdani's latest White House visit

Friday's "Morning Shots"

The Focus Group Podcast on Apple and YouTube

Protect Democracy's website

Protect Democracy's lawsuit against ICE on behalf of Maine residents

Protect Democracy on the Universal Constitutional Remedies Act

Tim's playlist

Tickets for our LIVE show in Austin on March 19: TheBulwark.com/Events.

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No matter how often Trump tries to change the subject, he keeps getting caught in his own attempted diversions. He blames Somali immigrants for importing bribery, corruption, and lawlessness while he sits behind the resolute desk taking a million dollar bribe to bitch about a new bridge. Or he showcases the US men's hockey team while his lying FBI director gets caught red-handed pretending he just happened to be in Italy when the team was playing. And the more Trump tries to run away from the Epstein case, the more blatant the administration's cover-up becomes. Plus, distancing from the craziest parts of the DSA is part of the anti-authoritarian project, Mamdani and AOC have avoided some of their fan base's worst impulses, Newsom put his name on a number of policies that will dog his ambitions, and the Dems need to reclaim improving public schools as one of their key issues.
The Atlantic’s Jon Chait joins Tim Miller.
show notes

Tim's 'Bulwark Take' on the Epstein records connected to Trump

Jon on the new Michigan-Canada bridge

Jon on the 2028 problems for Gavin

Jon on the corrupt circumstances around Bari at CBS

Tim on David Frum's podcast

Tickets for our LIVE show in Austin on March 19: TheBulwark.com/Events.

For just under two hours, Trump in his State of the Union address lied about the state of the economy, the cost of living, his tariffs, and even his immigration policy—claiming that he favors legal immigration while his armed, masked goons grab and imprison people who followed the law. And if Americans didn’t hear Trump discuss any real policy proposals in speech, it might be because he’s a bit distracted with his quest to capture more media outlets, including his longtime nemesis, CNN. Trump’s attempt to silence dissent has become the signature of his presidency. Plus, the paradoxes and conflicting signals on Iran, the sellout of bipartisan support for Ukraine, Vance finally has a job as VP, and POTUS only allows robotically remixed, Fox fever-dream women in his Cabinet.
Susan Glasser joins Tim Miller.
show notes

Susan's column on the SOTU

Susan on Trump's attacks on free speech

Josh Barro's new pod, "Central Air"

Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE shows in Dallas on March 18 and in Austin on March 19. TheBulwark.com/Events.

Apart from all the lies MAGA is forced to say in defense of Donald Trump, the movement is actually better at political organizing than Democrats. So while the Dems can pull off the massive No Kings rallies, the protests are just one day and the energy can fizzle away. But MAGA is really focused on turning out the vote so they can win. And they got the idea from the big tent campaign tactics that Obama deployed in 2008 and 2012. Plus, some advice on how Dem candidates can turn their communications into a superpower—like stop proposing solutions when voters are mad and just want to vent.

The New Yorker’s Charles Duhigg joins Tim Miller.
show notes

Charles's piece, "What MAGA Can Teach Democrats About Organizing—and Infighting"

Charles's book, "Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection"

Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE shows in Dallas on March 18 and in Austin on March 19. TheBulwark.com/Events.

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