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The Bulwark

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.

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The Bulwark Podcast

Only six months ago, the wheels felt like they were coming off of America, and our democracy experiment. But since the Epstein case broke wide open, the wheels started to come off Trump instead. And he's not just lost his way in politics but in the broader culture too—with his despicable words about Rob Reiner, his trying to get Jimmy Kimmel fired, and his pedophile cover-up. At the same time, we are likely stuck with his family grift, which will last for generations. Over on the Democratic side, the left has the momentum but there is room for a McCain-style reform candidate. Meanwhile, JD may be too repellant to win the presidency and the expectations for Mamdani are likely unrealistic. Plus, some love for Oasis, Geese, and Cameron Winter—and some hope that people are longing for something tangible in their music again. People need a rock star. 

John Heilemann joins Tim Miller for the year-end pod.

show notes:

John's "Impolitic" podcast
John's columns at Puck
Tim's 2025 Music Year in Review
Filmmaker Charles Curran's recut of the Melania trailer with Miss Piggy
Shane Gillis on how we got Trump
Tim's playlist

John Heilemann: The Year Is Ending a Lot Better than It Started

The DOJ is releasing random Epstein documents to distract the public, while also intentionally covering the faces of men in images. It's also pulling docs that reveal Trump's name. Epstein's victims think the government's messy release is all designed to protect their not publicly-known perpetrators. Meanwhile, more victims are coming forward to Julie, THE reporter who got the Epstein matter reopened after her investigation of his 2008 deal that no other modern pedophile would ever have received. Ghislaine Maxwell is key to understanding the whole case, Republican donors may be named in the files, and Trump flew on the Epstein plane eight times. 

Julie K. Brown joins Tim Miller.

show notes:

Julie's Substack
Julie's reporting at the Miami Herald
"Perversion of Justice," Julie's investigation into Epstein
The NYT on Epstein's wealth
Robert Draper on MTG's break with Trump, referenced by Tim

Julie K. Brown: Hiding the Truth in the Epstein Files

After a campaign built on the promise that Trump was going to look out for his voters, he started his administration getting sidetracked by DOGE and Musk's phony ideas about saving money. After that petered out, he got distracted by his need to put his name all over the place. In the process, he's totally forgotten to help his people—or even fake trying to help them. Meanwhile, Trump is trapped in a Groundhog Day of his own making on Ukraine-Russia. Plus, his bruising has now moved to his left hand, Melania can't speak English, the DOJ is still working to find the 'real' people who made the rioters descend on the Capitol, the withholding of information in the Epstein case is worse than the redactions, and Dems need to forcefully call out the Medicaid fraud in Minnesota. 

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

show notes:

Monday's "Morning Shots," including what Andrew learned from his extended family
The 12 Days of Christmas, Bulwark style
Addison's piece on America's two Christmases
Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" with Ryan Goodman
 • Phrase Tim and Bill referenced: “Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.”

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Bill Kristol: Trump Has Lost the Plot

The year started with America's tech overlords kissing the ring at Trump's inauguration, and it's ending with the public fed up with the ostentatiously rich—and more distrustful of Silicon Valley than ever, particularly on AI. Plus, Kara's key role in the revelations about the relationship between RFK, Jr. and Olivia Nuzzi, Trump is giving away the store to China and setting back university research and innovation by a generation, the AI advances in healthcare are mind-blowing, media companies are going to accelerate their consolidation, much of the tech oligarchy has daddy issues, JD is like a Cybertruck, "Pluribus" is great, and "KPop Demon Hunters" is golden.

Kara Swisher joins Tim Miller for the holiday weekend pod.

show notes

 • Kara’s podcasts: 
"Pivot," with Scott Galloway" • and 
"On with Kara Swisher"

 • 

 • 
Tim's playlist

 • 

 • 
Tim's Ulimate Christmas Mix
 • 

 • 
"Pluribus"

 • 

 • 
"KPop Demon Hunters" 

 •

Kara Swisher: We're in an 'Eat the Rich' Moment

Six months ago, MAGA world was strutting around with their chests puffed out. But now, many of them are having a blue Christmas over the infighting, the economy, the DOJ's inability to deliver revenge, and Trump's cover-up of child sex traffickers—one of the key things they really cared about. All Trump can think to do is plaster his name on another large object, including most recently a new fleet of warships. Plus, the bourbon shutdown, Bari's getting burned by Canada also airing "60 Minutes," the president could move Ghislaine out of her cushy prison, and Epstein in his alleged letter to Larry Nassar really sounds like "Access Hollywood" Trump. 

Tom Nichols joins Tim Miller.

Show Notes:

 • 
Tom on Trump’s new ‘golden fleet’ of warships

 • 

Navy Secretary John Phelan

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 •

Tom Nichols: The Buzz Has Worn Off

On the Epstein matter, the current DOJ is not just putting its thumb on the scale for Trump. It's his defense team. Make no mistake: The top two officials at the Justice Department are executing Trump's wishes to cover-up the victims' statements and the details about Epstein's 2008 sweetheart deal. It's the president's cover-up, and the mainstream media needs to call it for what it is. And over at CBS's "60 Minutes," Bari Weiss wants Trump to know she's on the administration's side as well. Meanwhile, Vance made clear at AmericaFest that he's cool with literal Nazis in the MAGA coalition as he readies for his 2028 run. Plus, Kushner and Witkoff are still doing Putin's bidding, the governor of Louisiana is adding the (pretend) invasion of Greenland to his portfolio, and Tim reads from the Monday Mailbag.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

show notes

 • 
Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday" with Rep. Ro Khanna on the Epstein files

 • 

 • 
Tim on Gavin Newsom's podcast

 • 

 • 
Lauren on the DNC burying its 2024 autopsy report

 • 

 • 
The LIVE 'Bulwark Take' on the Stefanik crash and burn

 • 

 • 
Part of Bob Dole's '96 Republican convention speech that Tim referenced 

 • 

 • Monday Mailbag email: BulwarkPodcast@Thebulwark.com

 • 

 •

Bill Kristol: This Is Trump's Cover-Up

Of all the images of Trump, the only times he seemed to be authentically smiling in the presence of another person was when he was with Jeffrey Epstein. The two of them had the same interests, and other people in the 80s and 90s assumed they were best friends. Over in MAGA land, a proxy war has broken out among rightwing influencers—like Ben Shapiro, Tucker, and Candace—because the economy and the party are in trouble. Plus, SCOTUS rulings and cryptocurrency have created a public corruption free-for-all, the failed tariffs are masking the shortage of immigrant-built new housing, Trump has illegally added his name to the Kennedy Center, and despite the large military build-up off of Venezuela, the administration seems to be winging it.

David Frum joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

show notes

JVL's 'Triad' on Trump's Venezuela adventure
Catherine's "Receipts" on the impacts of the immigration crackdown on the construction industry
NYT on the friendship between Epstein and Trump
David's most recent podcast episode on crypto
Tim's playlist
Tim's Ultimate Christmas Mix

David Frum: Trump and Epstein Were Best Friends

Trump's power of persuasion is failing him on the affordability issue. He even broke MAGA creed on live TV by calling on Americans to trust the word of foreign leaders—who supposedly claim the U.S. economy is golden—over the pain they're feeling at the supermarket and at the pump. Meanwhile, NYC's mayor-elect seems to be understand the zeitgeist: We are not living in a right v. left political moment, but an insider v. outsider one. Plus, what Dems can learn from Mamdani, why the party needs to move on from its Obama and Bernie factions, and how aid programs like PEPFAR can be resurrected in a new administration.

Former Obama and Mamdani advisor Patrick Gaspard joins Tim Miller. 

show notes

 • 
AOC's and Sen. Smith's NYT piece on social housing that Patrick referenced

 • 

Tim, Andrew, and Will Saletan on Trump's White House address

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Patrick Gaspard: A White House Screamathon

POTUS is firing or censoring the statisticians who collect data on health and climate, as well as the kind of experts who could verify his lofty claims of an A++++ economy. And while Vance says that Trump is really turning things around, job losses are rising from his destructive tariff and immigration policies. Plus, the back story on Palantir and how it's helping to facilitate the administration's authoritarian ambitions. 

Author Mike Steinberger and Catherine Rampell join Tim Miller.

show notes

Tim's 'Bulwark Take' on current China policy
Catherine's newsletter, "Receipts"
Mike's new book, "The Philosopher in the Valley"
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Catherine Rampell and Michael Steinberger: Trump Wants to Cook the Books

The people running the Republican grassroots are nativist populists, and it’s a space where opposition to Israel thrives, along with a heaping serving of antisemitism. Candace’s wild theories about the Charlie Kirk assassination has had a big impact among the young who get their news from TikTok and Instagram. And JD—who is the top-billed speaker at this year’s AmericaFest—is sending signals that he’s absorbing the nativist and anti-Zionist views among right-wing influencers like Tucker. Plus, Susie Wiles dishes on Trump and other top figures, and Stephen Miller’s wife is running a North Korea-style podcast with some of the biggest names in the administration—but with virtually no audience.

Will Sommer joins Tim Miller.

show notes

Will's "False Flag" newsletter
The recent Atlantic piece that Tim referenced
Vanity Fair's interview with Susie Wiles
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Will Sommer: Conspiracy Theorists Are Behind the Wheel in the Republican Party

Democrats are leaning into the 'Republicans are weird and creepy' talking point—a strategy Tim has long advocated for. JD Vance is Exhibit A for this kind of profile, which explains the rumors about Trump possibly replacing him on the ticket. 

Meanwhile, Kamala may have whittled down her veep choices to Shapiro, Kelly, and Walz. Plus, if anyone is going to turn the US into Venezuela, it's Trump, the insurrectionist. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

Bill Kristol: Weird and Extreme

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