The Bulwark Podcast

Will Saletan: Trump’s Pee-wee Herman Moment

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump wants you to know that he remembers who the president is. Plus, the asymmetry in the hostage-prisoner exchanges, linking reform of asylum rules ...

Amir Tibon: Terrible Choices for Israel

24 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Hamas triggered the Gaza war—and signed the death warrants of thousands of Palestinians—when it purposefully targeted civilians on 10/7. Israeli j...

We Are Living in a Post-Rational World

22 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A disconnect from reality has descended on the US: Republicans practice fantasy politics day and night, Trump is out to paint Biden as corrupt, and Am...

Karen Tumulty: The Sununu Effect in New Hampshire

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

New Hampshire voters are famously contrarian, and the non-MAGA set is showing up for Haley and Christie ahead of the first-in-the-nation primary. Plus...

Will Saletan: The Annihilation of Truth

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We are in an age where internet randos are beating out reality. Plus, Haley's abortion dance, the cowardice of DeSantis, another Biden panic poll, and...

The Bulwark Live, with Brian Stelter

17 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Fox launched the Big Lie based on a random email from a woman in Minnesota who heard voices in the supermarket. And its viewers wanted to be told that...

Too Crazy for Rudy

16 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

One person we can be certain will not be called as a witness in Georgia: nutty Sidney Powell. Plus, the unsettled Trump trial calendar, one way we may...

Peter Wehner: A Polite Zealot

15 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We may have averted a government shutdown for the moment, but the new speaker of the House believes dinosaurs were on Noah's Ark. Pete Wehner joins Ch...

George Conway: Trump Knows He's a Criminal

14 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deep down, Trump knows the truth, and is running again to stay out jail—just like authoritarian leaders do in other countries. Plus, the new non-MAG...

Will Saletan: Punish the Vermin

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Very powerful and strong Donald Trump is promising his supporters the freedom to go after the people they don't like if he returns to the White House....

Flooding the Zone

10 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Smith's office filed an epic motion this week laying out the central role of Trump's lies in the election subversion case. Meanwhile, the ex-POTU...

A.B. Stoddard: Insane and Surreal

09 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump wants to melt the constitutional order, but NBC didn't bother to ask the also-rans about that at their debate. Meanwhile, Vivek would've embarra...

Greg Lukianoff: The Canceling of the American Mind

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When Gen Z began attending college and demanding protection from speech, the left argued that cancel culture was a myth. But now that the anti-Zionism...

Cassidy Hutchinson: Why I Testified

07 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Next year's election is not a vote for a Democrat or a Republican: It's a vote for the survival of our nation. Cassidy Hutchinson joins Charlie Sykes ...

Will Saletan: Don't Panic

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Recent polls have some Democrats reverting to bed-wetting, Christie calls out the deplorables, and Scalise is an election-denying weasel. Plus, Biden ...

Tim Miller: Trump Keeps Telling Us

03 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump is glorifying insurrectionist prisoners, Bannon-world is using Confederate code words, and Republicans and a lot of the media are just pretendin...

McKay Coppins: The Last Temptation of Mitt Romney

02 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Romney's journey from the party's standard-bearer to its pariah is also a story of the dramatic transformation of the GOP. And his nomination in 2012 ...

Insurrection and Its Consequences

01 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A Colorado case will determine whether Trump should be kept off the ballot there because of that annoying little insurrection issue. Plus, founding fa...

Adam Kinzinger: Renegade

31 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The former congressman says he wasn't always fighting the good fight, and that he feels some responsibility for the GOP's descent into dysfunction—a...

Our Exhausted Politics

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump talked about a new Muslim ban and the media barely covered it. Meanwhile, the House only could choose a pro-coup speaker. The biggest danger to ...

Josh Kraushaar: The Pro-Hamas Left

27 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The vast majority of Democrats support Israel, but a very loud, younger segment on the left is lending its support to the terrorist group Hamas—with...

The Bulwark: Live from New Orleans

26 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sarah, Mona, and Sonny join Tim in The Big Easy to talk about new Speaker Mike Johnson, Biden, Israel, and left-wing antisemitism.

Flipping Is in the Air

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jenna Ellis will not be the last flip in Georgia, former Trump water carrier Michael Cohen testifies about the fudged books, and the confusing case of...

Jonathan Martin: The Antibodies Resisting the Virus

24 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Remnants of the pre-Trump party are hanging on and putting the brakes on MAGA in the House, B-lister lawyer Jenna Ellis shows her deep loyalty to Trum...

The GOP Is a Failed State

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

House Republicans don't have a platform, and in the absence of Trump, they can't pull together. Plus, the anti-Israel left vs Biden, and the fallout f...

John Avlon: Is the Center Finding Its Spine?

20 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Republican threats and bullying have finally gone too far when it comes to Jim Jordan. But what about the red line that has to be crossed for stable g...

A Bad Day for the Kraken

19 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Sidney Powell pleaded guilty and agreed to testify for the state in Georgia—Trump's legal woes just took a turn for the worse. Plus, Jim Jordan's ba...

Ryan Reilly: The Sleuths Who Helped Nab Jan 6 Rioters

18 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ordinary Americans pored through reams of digital evidence to ID hundreds of people who stormed the Capitol. And in the process, the sedition hunters ...

Kara Swisher: Jim Jordan, Legislative Terrorist

17 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jim Jordan spent the weekend bullying moderates, but threatening shame on social media and Fox may not be enough. Plus, narcissistic tech bros and the...

Will Saletan: Don't Forget Who Jim Jordan Is

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jordan was not just another Republican who voted against the election—he was behind the scenes in strategy meetings plotting how to keep the electio...

Tom Nichols: Testing the System 'Til It Breaks

13 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Republicans elevated fringe players who have no interest in governing, and now they don't have enough members to get the House functioning again. ...

An Undue Risk of Conviction

12 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Smith signaled he will be able to prove why Trump held onto the classified documents. Plus, Trump’s claim of presidential immunity, chaos in th...

Susan Glasser: A Superpower in Crisis

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. is knee-deep in the war in Ukraine, and now another potentially enormous war in the Mideast may draw us in. At the same time, military and am...

Steve Inskeep: Kevin Is No Lincoln

10 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lincoln's political skills were a key part of his legacy, but the politics he practiced were not like today's base-oriented version. He didn't demoniz...

Will Saletan: Israel's 9/11

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The attack by Hamas on Israel was barbaric, but the incursion—by land, sea, and air—was also sophisticated. And it was an Israeli intel failure. M...

The GOP’s Rubik’s Cube for Morons

06 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Republicans have been on a trajectory to get a Jim Jordan-style speaker for 11 years, and the Democrats couldn’t have stopped it. Plus, Liz Chen...

The Crazed Slavering Jackal Caucus

05 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Crazed Slavering Jackal Caucus is running the GOP. Plus, Giuliani's drinking may undermine Trump's defense in the Jan 6 case, Fani Willis gets her...

Tim O'Brien: The Hollow Men

04 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin McCarthy aspired to the speakership for his resume, not because of legislative talents. In the end, he was a victim of hubris. And in NYC, Trump...

Dana Milbank: The Chair Was Already Vacant

03 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Kevin McCarthy hasn't been doing much of anything all year as speaker, except lurching from crisis to crisis and leading from behind. Meanwhile, Trump...

Will Saletan: Everybody Hates Matt Gaetz

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The bipartisan loathing of Gaetz is almost a kumbaya moment. Meanwhile, Trump likes to say the US is turning into a third world country, and he's work...

David Frum: The Kraken Is Never Coming

29 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The first impeachment hearing was panned on both sides, while House Republicans keep promising a new unicorn. Plus, the GOP is not going to follow Tru...

A.B. Stoddard: A Completely Pointless Debate

28 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The kids' table debate was a cacophony of speed talking, interruptions, and yelling. Plus, Milley responds to the death threat, more Dems tell Menende...

Trump’s Empire of Fraud

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ex-POTUS has been put out of business in New York, after his fraud was found so overwhelming that no trial was needed. Meanwhile, his lawyers are ...

Will Saletan: The Politics of Atonement

26 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cassidy Hutchinson atones. Bob Menendez refuses. Plus: the government shutdown about nothing. And MAGA’s war on (checks notes) Taylor Swift.  Will ...

Trump Ever After: Live from TribFest

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Olivia Nuzzi, Bret Stephens, and Ben Terris joined Charlie Sykes on stage in Austin over the weekend. While the Dems have Gretchen Whitmer to look for...

Yascha Mounk: The Identity Trap

22 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our democratic order is facing a two-front war. While the immediate crisis may be from the right, the left is presenting its own threats—which only ...

A Raging Bull Elephant

21 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump is trying to intimidate witnesses and jurors in the election case, and Chutkan's only remedy may be to move up the trial date. Plus, Republicans...

Manu Raju: The Hostage Crisis on Capitol Hill

20 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

House Republicans are bickering and calling each other names, while the Matt Gaetz caucus threatens to hold the country hostage with a government shut...

Ruy Teixeira: Biden’s Working Class Blues

19 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The system feels rigged for the millionaires and the billionaires, and the populist red lights are flashing for 2024. Can the Democrats get back to be...

Will Saletan: In Defense of Kristen Welker

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump threw the pro-life movement under the bus in his NBC interview, and essentially pleaded the Fifth on Jan 6.  Plus, Jack Smith wants a gag order...

Anne Applebaum: Musk Buys Russia’s Lies

15 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The billionaire was duped by Russian nuclear propaganda, but he's not the only one in the West who worries about provoking Russia by helping Ukraine. ...

Did the FBI Get a Pass on Jan 6?

14 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Romney's text message to Mitch McConnell renews questions about what law enforcement knew ahead of the attack on the Capitol. Plus, the weak counter-p...

A.B. Stoddard: McCarthy's Month from Hell

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The speaker is trying to sate the MAGA wing with a sham impeachment, and maybe a government shutdown, but it will never be satisfied. Plus, Ignatius s...

James Hohmann: Kevin in a Vise

12 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

McCarthy has caved on an impeachment inquiry so he can hold onto his gavel. Meanwhile, Congress should really be investigating Elon Musk's power as a ...

Will Saletan: Lying Dog-Faced Pony Soldier

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Biden giving a press conference while jet-lagged may not quell rising concerns about his age. Plus, Kamala sticks to the script on abortion, Trump can...

Tim Miller: Down to Clown

08 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Tucker is in some corner of Elon's basement testing to see what he can get away with, while Elon is cozying up with Putin. Plus, Santos' oppo on himse...

Trump Keeps Admitting His Crimes

07 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump did himself no favors talking to Hugh Hewitt, the Proud Boys could've spared themselves a lot of prison time, the Fulton case may move quickly, ...

Adam Kinzinger: Trump Ignited the Proud Boys

06 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Never forget it was Donald Trump telling the Proud Boys to "stand back and stand by" which ultimately set Jan 6 in motion. And now he's retconning tha...

Will Saletan: The Hammer Philosophy of Governing

05 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Republican leaders in Wisconsin sound like they're planning an end-run around democracy, Musk is running with one of the oldest antisemitic tropes in ...

Tim Miller: Heroes and Zeroes of the GOP

01 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How different would things be if other Republicans had stood up to MAGA like the way Kemp did for Fani Willis? Plus, Ted Cruz tried on beer-swilling t...

Justice for Ruby and Shaye

31 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Giuliani is going to pay $$$$ for defaming Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss—and Trump may too, for his financial statements in New York. Meanwhile, ex-PO...

Mike Murphy: The Psychopath vs The Cynic

30 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Does cynical Nikki Haley have the guts to run an edgier campaign? Plus, Vivek's Hermain Cain moment, Iowa's unpredictable caucus voters, and the denia...

2024 Will Be a Train Wreck

29 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

From Trump's court calendar to concerns about Biden's age, we may be underestimating how bad next year could be. Plus, Mark Meadows' dubious claims ab...

Charlie and Will Monday: Vivek’s BS

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The new hotness, Ramaswamy, is serving up a load of bull. Plus, the risks of our political gerontocracy, the mug shot heard 'round the world, and of c...

Tim Miller: We Told You So

25 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We were always going to get this first-of-its-kind presidential portrait. What else would you expect from a con man and a criminal? But this is all be...

A.B. Stoddard: A Pointless Exercise?

24 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At Wednesday's debate, Ramaswamy touched all the MAGA erogenous zones, Haley had a great night while Tim Scott did not, and DeSantis seemed to shrink ...

When the Hammer Comes Down

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Almost nothing concentrates the mind more than an indictment, so expect other minor players in Trumpland—especially in Georgia—to flip on the don....

Tom Nichols: Our Surreal Moment

22 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump's co-defendants don't even dispute what they're accused of doing—they just claim it wasn't illegal. Plus, will the debate penetrate Fox's herm...

Joe Perticone and Mona Charen: Trusting the Chronic Liar over the Pastor

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The base gives Trump higher marks for speaking truth than they give to religious leaders, Vivek will be targeted at the debate,  DeSantis turns on MA...

DeSantis’s WTF Memo

18 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The governor of Florida is being treated like a low-IQ child. Meanwhile, Trump hasn't been treated like the common criminal he is: mugshot him, weigh ...

Thumbprints on a Conspiracy?

17 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Could Trump have been dumb enough to use Twitter DMs for his plot? Plus, the dangers of not fearing the law, the politics of four indictments, and the...

Christopher Miller: The War Came to Us

16 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A one-time Peace Corps volunteer, Chris Miller was posted to Ukraine, fell in love with it, and decided to stay. Now, he's one of the best Ukraine cor...

A.B. Stoddard: All the Ex-President's Conspirators

15 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump has been a low-rent mobster for his entire career, and now he's getting the indictment he deserves. And this time, some of co-conspirator...

Ep.7: The Corruption of Lindsey Graham

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Even with Trump out of the White House, Lindsey Graham says that Trump is the organizing principle of the Republican Party. And everything that the se...

Tim Miller: They're Still Humoring Him

11 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Remember one of the worst quotes in history about just 'humoring' Trump after he lost in '20? Well, he's creating another threatening climate. Plus, T...

Trump Baits the Judge

10 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The ex-POTUS's ugly threats and intimidation against Jack Smith, Fani Willis, and Judge Chutkan will only escalate. Plus, the fake electors are the re...

Will Hurd: Don't Kiss Your Opponent's Butt

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The former Texas congressman says he's running for president because America deserves a sane conservative party—while Trump is running to stay out o...

Jake Tapper: "All the Demons Are Here"

08 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The CNN anchor and author re-visits the 70s with a new thriller, featuring a Murdoch-esque character getting his toehold in American journalism, and E...

Ep. 6: The Corruption of Lindsey Graham

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After the 2020 election, Lindsey Graham had a chance to be free—of Donald Trump, and all the rationalizing he had done for four years. But the senat...

Adam Kinzinger: The Rhetoric Is Getting More Dangerous

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Lindsey Graham says the federal courts in DC are illegitimate, the FBI is being called the Gestapo, and Charlie Kirk is casually talking about an exec...

Trump’s Bogus Defenses

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump defenders are arguing that the charges in the latest indictment infringe on his free speech rights, but using words to carry out crimes is not p...

Susan Glasser: An Offense against Democracy Itself

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Smith has filed a case for the ages. It's not only an indictment of the Big Lie itself, but also of the charlatans who knowingly and consciously ...

Bonus Episode: Listen to the Third Indictment

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A federal grand jury indicted Donald Trump on Tuesday with a series of crimes related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election. The 45-page indict...

David French: Building a Legal Wall around Trump

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trump's high floor of support—the voters who think God sent him to save the country—combined with some of Biden's weaknesses, can put Trump back i...

Ep. 5: The Corruption of Lindsey Graham

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

By the time of the Ukraine scandal and impeachment, Lindsey Graham and other Republicans had grown tired of defending Trump's corrupt behavior. But th...

Bonus Episode: Listen to the Superseding Indictment

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Federal prosecutors have added new charges against Trump in the classified documents case, including his alleged efforts to have security camera foota...

Russell Moore: "Losing Our Religion"

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We are living in a time when an evangelical pastor can literally quote Jesus Christ and a theo-bro will tell him he's weak and woke. How did we get he...

The Power of Whataboutism

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans are going to launch an impeachment inquiry against Biden to divert attention from the crimes of the ex-POTUS, Rudy is an admitted defamer,...

Asa Hutchinson: Why I’m Doing This

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor wants to take the Republican Party in the direction of public service and conservative princip...

The Drama and Reality of 'Oppenheimer'

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The film captures the race against the Nazis to develop the first atomic bomb, and Oppenheimer's genius and torment as well. Mona Charen and Sonny Bun...

Ep. 4: The Corruption of Lindsey Graham

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After the 2018 midterms, Lindsey Graham moved to a new stage of collaboration with Trump. Graham was no longer just protecting him from accountability...

Will Saletan: All for the Fan Service

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The dick pics, RFK, jr,'s testimony, and McCarthy's promise to expunge impeachment records are all for the base. Plus, DeSantis should GTFO of Twitter...

Indictment Day

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Jack Smith will move very quickly on a new indictment, numerous court appearances and trials can be quite disruptive to a presidential campaign, and T...

Miles Taylor: Imagining a Trump 2.0

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Plans are already being drawn up for Trump's revenge plans in a second term, including special counsels to investigate Trump's enemies, a "Sue the Blu...

Tom Nichols: Jack Smith Is Not Screwing Around

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Going after a former president for an attempted coup had seemed like 'mission impossible,' but the special counsel is going big. Meanwhile, Republican...

Ep. 3: The Corruption of Lindsey Graham

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After Trump's first year in office, the power shifted in Washington. Republicans went from humoring Trump to fearing him. Lindsey Graham surrendered t...

Why Are People Still Sticking With Trump After All This?

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cassidy Hutchinson and Sarah Matthews had gumption, while the grown-ass men who were their bosses did not. Plus, the billion $$$ cottage industry arou...

Indictments for All the President's Men?

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Prosecuting Trump for Jan 6 presents novel issues, but that's not the case when it comes to Giuliani, Flynn, and Mark Meadows—and charges may be imm...

Philip Bump: The Self-Disappearing Informant

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

House Republicans keep stepping on rakes when it comes to Hunter Biden: Turns out their 'missing informant' is a fugitive accused of working for the C...

Jay Nordlinger: The Poisonous Nature of Strength Worship

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The masculinity contest in the Republican presidential primary ramps up, Chris Christie keeps dropping truth bombs, and the trans issue is the new wal...