The Bulwark Podcast

Susan Rice and Mondaire Jones: The Dictator Hugger

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Tom Nichols: He's Bait for the 25th Amendment

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ca...

BONUS EPISODE with Jason Calacanis: The Civil War in Silicon Valley

15 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 on...

Bill Kristol: He's Not Hiding the Authoritarianism Anymore

14 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump's authoritarianism has intensified—with his calls for using military force against political opponents, taking away broadcast licenses, and de...

Susan Glasser and Jared Polis: Shaking Up the Holdouts

11 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

David Axelrod: Change Agent

10 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Voters have a real hunger for something beyond the constant state of pugilism and the weaponizing of every problem. In her closing arguments, Kamala n...

James Carville: We Just Have to Win

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 o...

Timothy Snyder: The Politics of Impotence

08 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump and Vance are pioneering a form of politics where American power means nothing, everything is bad, and politicians focus on tearing people down—...

Bill Kristol: The Musk of it All

07 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 showeri...

BONUS EPISODE with Doug Emhoff: We Have a Mission

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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...

John Dickerson: Hero Story

04 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Kaitlan Collins: Still Surreal

03 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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,...

Jim Messina and Michael Weiss: Midwestern Nice

02 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Harris campaign clearly opted not to send out an attack dog in last night's debate. While JD Vance helped the reputation of the Yale debate club, ...

Lis Smith: Go After the Weird Angle

01 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

JD Vance may be a good debater, but his creepy obsession with lady parts could put him on defense. Meanwhile, Kamala seems to embrace a more robust me...

Bill Kristol: Prepping A Closing Message

30 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While the Trump campaign is opting for trans panic, Kamala really needs to remind people to be alarmed about the disaster possibilities with Trump. Pl...

Amanda Carpenter: Get With the Program, Already

27 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If Mitt Romney and Mike Pence really want to have influence over a future GOP, then they need to join the Cheneys in what may be the greatest cross-pa...

Pete Buttigieg and A.B. Stoddard: Talk Is Cheap

26 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump likes to promise a manufacturing renaissance as though one isn't going on right now. But we also had a manufacturing recession when he was in of...

Dana Milbank: Fools on the Hill

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The current Congress is the most do-nothingest since 1861—when the Union was falling apart right before the Civil War. Speaker Mike Johnson is compl...

Michael Medved: America Is No Accident

24 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Longtime conservative talk show host Michael Medved believes America was chosen for a special mission—Republicans used to understand that, but now i...

Bill Kristol: Trump's Just A Huckster at Heart

23 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Melania is selling Christmas ornaments, while Trump is offering up 99.9% silver coins—the vibe feels more like a going out of business sale than hea...

Peter Hamby: Living the Racist Porn Message Board Life

20 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Mark Robinson thinks so much about porn, he wouldn't have enough head space or time to do the job of being North Carolina's governor. Meanwhile, the "...

Sam Stein and Susanne Craig: Look Beyond the Polls

19 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We're swimming in polling data, but we should also consider that Kamala has more money and a superior ground game. On the other hand though, she doesn...

Tom Nichols: The Cat Was in the Basement

18 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

JD Vance thought he had confirmation of his Haitian migrant conspiracy when a Springfield, OH resident filed a police report about her missing cat. Bu...

Amy Walter: A 50-50 Race

17 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The presidential race is essentially tied, with movement on the margins that may not be picked up in polling. So prepare for a lot of mood swings in t...

Bill Kristol: Fanning the Flames

16 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

MAGA is trying to take political advantage of what was apparently a second assassination attempt on Trump, but it's not the Democrats who routinely en...

Jeffrey Goldberg: Trump Doesn't Believe in America

13 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The former president doesn't think our country is exceptional, and the political press won't hold him to any standard because it has zero expectations...

Mark McKinnon: Taking Back the Freedom Agenda

12 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

While Republicans paint a vision of America as a dystopian hellscape, Kamala is helping herself to the sunny optimism of Reagan and the Bushes. Plus, ...

S.E. Cupp: A Sucker and a Loser

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala laid trap after trap during the debate, and because he's so impulsive, Trump walked into every single one. And while he seethed, she was the no...

Symone Sanders Townsend and Olivia Nuzzi: Kamala v the Weirdo

10 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump and Kamala are meeting for the first time at tonight's debate, because in 2021, he took his ball, went home, and skipped the inauguration. Seven...

Bill Kristol and Colin Allred: What's So Hard about This, Pres. Bush?

09 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is not a close call, Bush 43: Follow your vice president's lead and say you're voting for Kamala. Meanwhile, stay alarmed that this is a close ra...

Live from Dallas

06 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Before a packed house in D-Town, Tim Miller and Adam Kinzinger covered it all, from Trump's incoherent muttering about childcare to his graveside came...

David Frum: Villains and Monsters

05 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After the decade we've been living through, we will remember the people like Liz Cheney, who have made the choices that really matter. Meanwhile, will...

Neera Tanden and Heidi Heitkamp: Trump Playing the Media, Again

04 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The media still haven't figured out how to cover Trump, so they don't scrutinize even his most shocking statements—like when he claimed he had the r...

Brian Schatz and Mona Charen: Democrats Don't Trust Happiness

03 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala is showing that she's good at politics by uniting the party's coalition and making appeals to the center. But many Democrats can't help themsel...

Bill Kristol: Stay on Offense

02 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala looks to have a very narrow lead in the polls, but she needs to do more to drive Trump down—a good target would be his announcement that he's...

Margaret Hoover: Kamala, the Real Apprentice

30 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Harris has been watching and learning about the ways of Washington, and she keeps sticking the landing like a gymnast. Meanwhile, Trump is desperately...

Adam Kinzinger: Trump Is Q

29 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Policy differences pale in comparison to maintaining self-governance and restoring sanity in the country—high time for the anti-Trumpers to endorse ...

D.L. Hughley: Kamala Is the Main Character

28 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The pundit class keeps talking about how Trump hasn't figured out how to respond to Kamala—but she already knows how to deal with him. And the man w...

Mark Leibovich: The Democrats' Rumor Mill

27 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rumors have surfaced about Joe feeling sad and resentful about the re-energized party. At the same time, Kamala seems happy to share the limelight wit...

Bill Kristol: Do Something

26 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some of the people best suited to make the case against Trump are the jilted Cabinet members and others who worked with him—doing the right thing is...

A.B. Stoddard: Only in America

23 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala delivered a real work of art—a perfect American story filled with love of country, democracy, family, and the pursuit of big dreams. She also...

Al Franken: Mind Your Own Damn Business

22 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The former senator from Minnesota recounts his early fandom for Tim Walz and how he won an unlikely congressional race in 2006. Plus, Kamala finding h...

Jon Favreau: Understanding the Assignment

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michelle Obama killed it last night, and did the job that every speaker at the Democratic convention should be doing: persuading the undecided to vote...

Beto O'Rourke: Air of Authenticity

20 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala's genuine smile and Walz's empathetic version of manhood is coming through loud and clear—and may explain the joy that is coursing through th...

Bill Kristol and Michael Weiss: It's Showtime

19 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala's first month as a presidential candidate before the Democratic convention has gone exceedingly well—she's been controlling the narrative, in...

Brian Beutler: Vibe Shift

16 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Swapping out Biden for Kamala has been such a big mood boost that consumer confidence among Dems and independents is suddenly surging. Meanwhile, Trum...

Dean Phillips and Mikie Sherrill: The Right Call

15 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two Democratic members of Congress who called on Biden to pass the torch join Tim Miller today. Both Rep. Dean Phillips and Rep. Mikie Sherrill said i...

Brian Tyler Cohen and Carol Leonnig: Go Inside the Bubble

14 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The anti-MAGA world should keep going on right-wing media platforms, and maybe embarrass their hosts in the process—like Buttigieg on Fox, and Tim o...

Amanda Carpenter: Trump's Traumatic Month

13 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump may be holed up at Mar-a-Lago because he's afraid of another attempt on his life. Meanwhile, he keeps trying to take away Kamala's identity. Plu...

Bill Kristol and Christopher Cadelago: Increasingly Unhinged

12 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Biden's departure from the race has put Trump in a real funk. He's in denial about Kamala's crowds, he's publicly pining the loss of his preferred riv...

Nate Silver: Underdog Story

09 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala is now the star of a story involving a woman called into duty at a moment of crisis with a sitcom dad as a running mate—and Trump can see the...

Adam Kinzinger: MAGA Hates America

08 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump and his supporters don't like America as it currently exists, and their veep pick JD Vance is like the U.S.-hating Code Pink, but in a suit.  ...

Peter Callaghan and Isaac Stanley-Becker: Veep Peeks

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tim talks to a local Minnesota reporter to get the low-down on Tim Walz's recent political history, including where he falls on the progressive-to-mod...

Adam Schiff and Michael Steele: A Stabilizing Force

06 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Walz is a great foil for Kamala's West Coast vibe: He looks like he'll fix your car, then grab an Arby's sandwich before he goes duck hunting. And...

Bill Kristol: Kama-Momentum

05 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Recent polls are showing some pretty significant movement to Harris, and she hasn't even had to play defense yet—though at some point she's going to...

George Conway: Crazy in a Bad Way

02 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump checks all the boxes of a person with narcissistic personality disorder, but the mainstream press goes out of its way not to cover his ap...

Dan Pfeiffer: A Scared and Seething Trump

01 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We are witnessing a man who thought he was cruising to a landslide who's now afraid he doesn't know how to talk about Kamala—or how to beat her. Plu...

Fred Trump and Will Saletan: An Alpha Emerges

31 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sure sounds like kind words and affection were in short supply in the Trump household in Queens. Perhaps if Donald had been hugged a little more, Amer...

Tom Nichols: Drama Queens About Everything

30 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Republican men used to be stoic and quiet technocrats, but now they're screechy and freaky. Meanwhile, Kamala Harris has a whole crop of strong, silen...

Bill Kristol: Weird and Extreme

29 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

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 thi...

Jennifer Palmieri: The Making of the First Woman President

26 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Women candidates get asked different questions than male candidates—that's just a fact. Kamala has a whole team around her ready to handle queries a...

A.B. Stoddard: Focus Only on Winning

25 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Nancy Pelosi has amassed power through persuasion, and she had the nerve to push a sitting president off the ticket because she prioritized victory. M...

Rick Perlstein: The Alternative Is Apocalyptic

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The modern conservative movement has a built-in ratcheting-up mechanism, so that even when Republicans win, they act like they're losing and the count...

Sam Stein and Ron Brownstein: Now We're Talking

23 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We may have been conditioned to just accept candidates who share their meandering thoughts or end sentences with 'anyway.' But Kamala Harris is delive...

James Carville: Kamala-Gras

22 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's now the Kamala Harris parade, and James Carville has grabbed his whistle and baton for the march. The veteran strategist shares some campaign adv...

Bill Kristol: Biden Drops Out of Race

21 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

After banging the drum for quite a while, Bill Kristol and Tim Miller got their wish, and the political world is scrambling for the 106-day sprint to ...

S.E. Cupp: Grieving the Insanity

19 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans wanted a 'do no harm' convention, but it was too corporate and lacked any joie de vivre. And then they ended the affair with grievance, fa...

Adam Kinzinger: Everything Is on the Line

18 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans are tamping down the crazy and the weird at the convention—like no election fraud, no abortion ban talk, and no vaccines—to present th...

Jeff Sharlet and Joe Perticone: The Confidence of a Bully

17 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump's shark/electrocution anecdote was not a sign of deterioration. Trump is actually getting better at communicating a solid message in a carnivale...

Alyssa Farah Griffin: National Unity Is Not Where the GOP Is

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

J.D. Vance is an incredibly polarizing figure, and his addition to the ticket signals a complete realignment of the Republican Party. Plus, he gave th...

Bill Kristol: Not Resigned to a Trump Presidency

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We begin with a rejection of the fatalist rhetoric from the left. It may be an uphill battle, but the pro-democracy forces have to keep our morale up ...

Sam Stein: Violence Is Not the Answer

14 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this bonus episode following the assassination attempt on Trump, The Bulwark's managing editor Sam Stein joins Tim Miller to discuss the precarious...

Amanda Carpenter: A Life or Death Bet

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Not having dementia is not enough to change the dynamic. Biden needs a proactive message against Trump. Meanwhile, you don't have to play 'Connect the...

David French: Trump Tries To Run Away from the Christian Nationalists

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Inviting "populist slut hero" Amber Rose to speak at the Republican convention and adjusting the platform on abortion—Trump is trying to distance hi...

Ezra Klein: A Path to Defeat

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Top Democrats say they don't see a way for Biden to win, and some are resigning themselves to being the resistance against Trump, despite the threat h...

Bakari Sellers and Elaina Plott Calabro: The Case for Riding with Biden

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This is not a moment for a politician's origin story or soaring oratory. Some think that means dancing with the one that brung ya. But maybe it’s a ...

Bill Kristol: The Joe Biden Survival Plan

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It would have been nice if Biden had gone on Morning Joe the day after the debate instead of waiting 11 days. But he still is not providing a forward-...

Annie Lowrey: The Worst Best Economy

05 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Housing prices, the cost of insurance, and sticker shock at the supermarket are still stressing Americans out even while the economy is booming. Annie...

Clint Smith: A Reckoning with History

04 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Author, poet, and native New Orleanian Clint Smith grew up in the city that was the heart of the domestic slave trade, but realized his understanding ...

Jon Lovett: Unprecedented Times

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The quiet coming from the White House sure suggests that the people around the president don't think Joe at his best can overcome Joe at his worst. Jo...

Ben Wittes and Steven Shepard: He Is Still a Criminal

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

No matter how much the Supreme Court pretends that the words 'high crimes and misdemeanors' are not explicitly in the Constitution, Donald Trump is st...

Tom Nichols: Political Malpractice

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

All Americans who love this country and hate Donald Trump deserve answers about Thursday's abysmal performance—and how we are going to move forward....

Sarah Longwell, Jonathan V. Last, and Jonathan Martin: A Disaster

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Secret Pod makes an emergency appearance to work through last night's terrible performance by Biden and to urge the Democratic Party to do the res...

Kate Bedingfield and Marc Caputo: Debate Day

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former White House comms director Kate Bedingfield serves up some keen insights into Poppa Joe—he is a night person, he regularly seeks out Jill's o...

Stuart Stevens: I think Joe Biden Has Been A Great President

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

So many of the people who worked around POTUS 44 think no one will ever be as good as Obama, but Stuart Stevens argues that Democrats need to make the...

Symone Sanders-Townsend: Don't Say We Didn't Warn You

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Project 2025 sounds mundane, but it would institutionalize Trumpism, eliminate the Department of Education, mass deport 11 million people, and turn th...

Jared Polis and Bill Kristol: Live from Denver

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gov. Jared Polis says Biden should focus on what he'll do for the American people in his campaign, rather than getting caught up in the crazy of Trump...

Jane Coaston: He's So Not a Badass

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump is not drawing support from black voters because of his criminality—that's just MAGA's bigotry of low expectations. Meanwhile, he's now promis...

Adam Kinzinger: Bat**** Crazy

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Felon 45 didn't even really like being president and no one is taking his ludicrous tariff plan seriously—but Republicans can't stop tripping over e...

George Packer: Phoenix, the Most American City

19 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Phoenix is a microcosm of the big issues in the election and the country generally, including political extremism, climate change, and the border. But...

Lauren Windsor and Ben Wittes: A Deep Rot

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Justice Alito and his wife seem to have some pretty deep and dark feelings about the people they dislike. Tim Miller also asks Lauren Windsor about th...

Will Saletan: Nonstop Shamelessness

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump visited an African American church in Detroit and the pews were filled with white people; Republicans keep flooding social media with cropped vi...

Jonathan V. Last and Ben Raderstorf: Retribution Agenda

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans had a tête-à-tête with Trump to remind him how, if he wins, he should extend the tax cuts before he gets tied up with punishing all his...

Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer: The Inside Story of the Fall of Roe

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A coalition of Christian lawyers, activists, and politicians methodically and secretly took down Roe, and in the process, outsmarted Democrats who bel...

Jennifer Senior: Secrets and Lies

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Pulitzer-Prize winning Jen Senior joins Tim Miller for a free-form conversation about jail-bound, faux martyr Steve Bannon, the debilitating reality o...

Bill Kristol: Tuberville's Policy Is the Same as Trump's

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tommy Tuberville's know-nothing appeasement of Putin lines up exactly with where the ex-POTUS is—Biden should be making Trumpworld squirm over that ...

Mike Madrid: The Latino Century

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Young Latinos are a giant emerging voter bloc with populist leanings—who also favor tougher border security. If Trump was to win reelection, it woul...

Adam Kinzinger: The New Axis Power Alliance

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

This D-Day is a good reminder that the growing nationalist movement across the globe aims to undermine the alliance between free and democratic countr...

Will Saletan and McKay Coppins: Fear and Loathing

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump and MAGA, with all their banana republic claims, are not being America First—they're being anti-American, and renouncing the country they live...

Ritchie Torres and Ben Smith: Pride and Priors

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Rep. Ritchie Torres joins Tim Miller to discuss how to win working-class voters, his Dickensian upbringing, and Israel under the microscope of 24-hour...