The Bulwark Podcast
Episodes
Special Indictment Podcast: Adam Kinzinger, Mona Charen, Will Saletan
31 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trump faces a 34-count indictment in New York and more charges may be on the way. But will it hurt him politically, or propel him to the GOP nominatio...
Tim Miller: DeSantis Whiffs on Disney
30 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
"Tiny D" thought he'd puff up his chest to go after Mickey Mouse — only to get outflanked. Plus, loony GOP state legislators, Wisconsin's $45 millio...
Ruy Teixeira: More Tough Love for Democrats
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
While Republicans frequently overdo it on cultural issues, Democrats still are vulnerable on race, gender, and drag queen story hour. They need to sto...
Judge Michael Luttig: A Betrayal of America
28 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trump's incitement of Jan 6 and his call to terminate the constitution were treason-like. And the Republicans who won't renounce him have betrayed the...
Will Saletan: The Purest Distillation of Trump
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Down in Waco, Trump was on double duty: Blowing up the DeSantis' campaign on the launch pad, and clearing up any ambiguity about who he really is. Wil...
Tim Miller: Ron DeSantis Is Scott Walker
24 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
DeSantis gets over his skis on Ukraine, 'Don't Say Gay' escalates, and it's not racist to criticize the CCP. Plus, the crowd that warns of death and d...
Shelby Talcott: DeSantis Sticks His Toe in the Water
23 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ron DeSantis threw a couple of very small rocks at Trump this week, and he's angling to get to the right of Trump on Covid, and perhaps on abortion as...
Michael Steele: Trump Punked Everybody
22 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Using a page from his well-worn playbook, Trump framed the narrative about the Manhattan grand jury case on his terms. Plus, the white boy frat party ...
Dana Milbank: It’s the Trump Show Again
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Republican Party had been showing signs it was beginning to move on from Trump, but now it's wrapping itself around him once again — because att...
Susan Glasser: Trump 2024 Is Scarier than Trump 2020
20 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trump's rhetoric is more apocalyptic and more confrontational, and the party still can't renounce its addiction to the man. This is Trump without guar...
Tim Miller: Be Alarmed
17 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trump is crystal clear that he wants retribution against the people who wouldn't let him remain in office — and he'll pull us out of NATO too. Plus,...
Philip Bump: The Baby Boom Generation Is Winding Down
16 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
America has long responded to the needs of Baby Boomers, and the generation reshaped the country as it grew older. But now, its grip on the direction ...
Tom Nichols: Our Fatal Complacency
15 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pence warned us about the threat to our democracy, and we shrugged. Plus, Bethany Mandel can't define woke, Fox can't keep its talking points straight...
James Hohmann: DeSantis Joins the Surrender Caucus
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ron DeSantis chose to pander to Tucker Carlson on Ukraine and shows himself as unserious on one of the biggest issues of our time. Plus, socialism for...
Will Saletan: Pence’s Profile in Half-Courage
13 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Pence is trying win over the DC press corps but still refuses to do his part to hold Trump accountable for January 6. Plus, the new too-big-to-fa...
Tim Miller: Be Happy, Make Babies
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
People not having kids because of climate change anxiety are not thinking about a future with Josh Hawley having 100 babies. Plus, sad CPAC, the least...
Adrienne LaFrance: The New Anarchy
09 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The largest threat of extremist violence right now is coming from the rightwing. But 100 years ago, it came from the left. History can teach us about ...
Matt Gertz: Tucker's Trump Derangement Syndrome
08 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tucker has been dining out on how much the media supposedly despises Donald Trump — when by his own admission, he hates Trump with a passion. And hi...
Tucker’s Latest Lies
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Tucker's attempting to white-wash Jan 6, Trump and DeSantis have a thing against prosecutors, Kari says we'll have world peace again with Trump capitu...
Amb. John Bolton: I Thought Trump Would Be Disciplined
06 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
John Bolton thought he could create a coherent foreign policy for Trump, but now sees he was naive. Plus, Charlie Sykes asks Bolton about his early de...
Rick Wilson: Why Would MAGA Want Trump-Lite?
03 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The base wants the sugar, the fat, and the salt — not someone afraid to say how they're different from Trump. Plus, DeSantis doesn't want to face th...
Mehdi Hasan: How to Win Any Argument
02 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Master interlocutor Mehdi Hasan says come to a debate prepared — bring receipts and know the other side's best argument better than they do. And Dem...
Jennifer Senior: How Old Are You in Your Head?
01 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
People over 40 tend to see themselves as about 20% younger than their actual age. Is it because aging is seen as bad — or because they're optimistic...
My Conversation With Paul Ryan
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The former Speaker of the House tells Charlie Sykes a Reagan 2.0 candidate would have a shot in '24. He also discusses his relationship with McCarthy,...
Will Saletan: Dilbert, Free Speech, and Racism
27 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Scott Adams has the right to carry on about white victimhood, and newspapers have the free speech right to drop him. Plus, after the Ohio train wreck,...
Tim Miller: Here's Why You Need to Shut Up
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Georgia jury forewoman needs to stop talking, Norma Desmond took a break from Mar-a-Lago, Charlie and Tim disagree on Roald Dahl, and DeSantis lec...
Brian Rosenwald: Fox Is Afraid of Its Audience
23 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Fox isn't news, and it isn't propaganda. It's about getting the biggest audience it can, to make the most money it possibly can. And Tucker Carlson an...
Bill Lueders: Wisconsin's High Stakes Supreme Court Race
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With abortion and election integrity on the line, Democrats got the opponent they wanted for the most consequential election of 2023. Plus, Joe Biden ...
Will Sommer: The Power of QAnon
21 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Conspiracy theories had been gaining ground in the GOP before Trump, but after he became conspiracy-theorist-in chief, many of his fans dove into cons...
Biden’s Kyiv Moment
20 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Biden went to an active war zone, Lindsey Graham shows his old McCain-sidekick self, DeSantis weighs in on Ukraine, the Michigan GOP disconnects from ...
David Frum: The GOP’s Obnoxiousness Problem
17 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The text messages in the Dominion case show that Fox was intentionally pushing lies about 2020 — lies that led to violence. And Trump is one step aw...
Ben Wittes: Jack Smith at Ramming Speed
16 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Mike Pence is erasing his own profile in courage by trying to resist special counsel Jack Smith's subpoena, a Mar-a-Lago document prosecution is still...
Michael Kranish: The Trump/Kushner/Saudi Vortex
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In early 2021, both Kushner and Trump needed a game plan for making money. MBS — who both men had helped to consolidate power and literally get away...
Damon Linker: How Not to Fight Wokeness
14 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Even people who aren't racist and aren't anti-trans can get rubbed the wrong way by the heavy-handed puritanical approach of the woke movement. Plus, ...
Will Saletan: The Weekend of the UFOs
13 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is flying above us? Is it more than sky garbage? Meanwhile, the House GOP radar is against whatever Joe Biden does. Plus, Trump's opinions about ...
Tim Miller: It Was Dumber than You Might Have Imagined
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The weaponization committee hearing was an embarrassing bust. Plus, James O'Keefe's love of musicals, the karma of calling DeSantis a groomer — and ...
Tom Nichols: The Kook Bench
09 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The drunken heckling caucus around Marjorie Taylor Greene is not out of control — it did exactly what its voters sent them to do. And Tucker Carlson...
A.B. Stoddard: Dark Brandon Rising
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Biden's shrewd State of the Union address played rope-a-dope with Republicans, and he relished the scrum. Plus, Trump goes classic and pulls the groom...
Mark Hertling: What My Oath Means
07 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The balloon set off a performance theater among members of Congress that was unbecoming of their rank and office, Lt. Gen Mark Hertling tells Charlie ...
Will Saletan: Popping the Red Balloon
06 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It wouldn't have mattered how Biden had handled the balloon — Republicans would have said he was weak. Plus, the art of donning an AR-15 pin to trig...
Tim Miller: Never Should Mean Never
03 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Too many normies STILL won't say "Never Trump," but Paul Ryan may be coming around. Plus, Kari keeps pretending to be governor, Hugh Hewitt is leg-hum...
Elie Honig: Is Trump Untouchable?
02 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Merrick Garland likes to say that no one is above the law, but the DOJ's own guidelines make it clear that some people are more equal than others. And...
Charlie Savage: The Real Witch Hunt?
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trump has longed complained about a deep state plot to smear him with the Russia investigation, but the Durham probe of that investigation comes off a...
Julian Zelizer and Kevin Kruse: History Is Under Assault
31 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
History became more politicized in the Trump era and the conservative media ecosystem has helped amplify untruths. Princeton's Kevin Kruse and Julian ...
Will Saletan: Policing the Police
30 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Training and diversity are not enough — cops who break the law must be prosecuted. Plus, the normalization of political violence around Jan 6 and th...
Tim Miller: Deep Inside Tucker Carlson's Navel
27 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Republicans are so out of touch, their public brand is in trouble. Plus, MTG is Queen of the GOP, Schlapp is too sleazy for Gaetz, and party types are...
Michael Weiss: A Watershed Moment for Ukraine
26 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It took a lot of arm-twisting, but the West has finally committed to arming Ukraine with battle tanks — not only to boost its defenses, but also to ...
Jonathan Alter: How the Documents Hurt Biden
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Biden has been seen as scandal-free, but his classified docs case may cost him a big political asset: the benefit of the doubt. Plus, Trump's map in t...
David Weigel: MAGA v MAGA
24 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Republicans may have underperformed in the midterms, but the RNC chair fight is not about changing the party's direction. For the base, it's about out...
Will Saletan: It's In Your Nature to Destroy Yourselves
23 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The pro-life movement, undaunted by the midterms, is pushing for more restrictions— and the political backlash will be severe. Plus, give Ukraine th...
Catherine Rampell: Psychotic Feral Cats with Machetes
20 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Republicans are back to extortion and holding the debt ceiling hostage after adding $4.7 trillion to the deficit during the Trump years — and that w...
Michael Schmidt: "I Didn't Know They Made People Like That"
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Before John Kelly became chief of staff, he thought the chaos at the White House was due to the people around Trump. Instead, each day was about get...
Bill Kristol: Glimmers of Hope
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The shift in attitudes about defense and foreign policy in Germany has been dramatic since the war in Ukraine began. Plus, will ripping off a dying do...
David French: Our Religious Freedoms Are Not Hanging by a Thread
17 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
New York Times-bound David French tells Charlie Sykes how he re-thought same-sex marriage, how he felt he was living in a bubble, and how religious li...
Will Saletan: Performative Garbage
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
RonAnon Johnson wanted to get beat up on "Meet the Press" — so he could weaponize it. Plus, the active moving backward from MLK's dream, Trump gets ...
Michael Steele: Slapping Matt Schlapp
13 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Former RNC Chair Michael Steele had a front-row seat for the start of the ugly transformation at CPAC. Racist rhetoric has now been normalized, and th...
Adam Kinzinger: Detoxing from Congress
12 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Watching from a distance, former Rep. Kinzinger tells Charlie Sykes that House moderates have a lot of power they're not willing to use, while the Fre...
Aaron Blake: Kevin McCarthy Is Keeping a Secret
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Without his secret pact, Kevin McCarthy likely would not be Speaker. Now, the American public — and members of Congress — are in the dark about th...
Olivia Nuzzi: Has Trump Become Norma Desmond?
10 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Trump rarely leaves his 'weird' smelling, moldy mansion, he seems bored and tired, and D-List MAGA are his main loyalists now. Plus, Olivia and Charli...
Will Saletan: Expect More Hostage-Taking in the House
09 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
McCarthy paid the ransom, Bannon is openly supporting violence in Brazil, and even normie Republicans are prepared to put the US economy at risk. Plus...
A.B. Stoddard: A Desperate Man
06 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The hijackers have the energy in the House, Biden is quietly succeeding, no-mentum Trump's biggest fear is being ignored, DeSantis is a closet wimp, a...
Nick Confessore: The Theater of Elise Stefanik
05 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Rep. Elise Stefanik was a star pupil and the future of the GOP — now she's joined the kids in the back of the class, whose only role in Congress is ...
John Avlon: The Bomb Throwers Just Don't Care
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
McCarthy thought he could appease the kamikaze caucus with cash and playing along with Stop the Steal — surprise, they'd rather ruin everything if t...
Tom Nichols: Of Course They All Hate Each Other
03 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The House Republican caucus is a jackal pack, with George Santos — the poster boy for our era of grift — along for the ride. Plus, 2023 is startin...
Andrew Weissmann: The DOJ and Trump's Attempted Coup
02 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The clock is ticking down on whether to bring charges against Trump for what was essentially a "simple" scheme — a president wanted to stay in power...
Susan Glasser and Peter Baker: Trump's Hostile Takeover of the Government
30 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
During his four years in office, Trump kept testing the weaknesses in our Constitutional system — and January 6 was the culmination of his war on th...
Maggie Haberman: Trump Is Damaged and He Causes Damage to Others
29 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Donald Trump is the product of an exacting and brutal father who undermined him in private, and his damaged childhood has impacted him ever since. In ...
Jennifer Senior: Steve Bannon Is an Asymmetric Threat
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Steve Bannon is a card-carrying member of the coastal elite, but he's trying to light a bonfire under American democracy. An intelligent, well-read ma...