Bulwark Takes

Sam Stein and Will Saletan recap Donald Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ interview, both the edited television version and full transcript, discussing the shutdown, tariffs, inflation, Vladimir Putin, concepts of plans, and of course, Joe Biden.

Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer take on Kash Patel's use of his FBI plane to watch his girlfriend sing the National Anthem at a wrestling match before flying her home to Nashville, with critics, including an ex-FBI agent tracking his flights, pointing out his using the plane for personal reasons amid the shutdown.

Jack Cocchiarella takes on the aftermath of Donald Trump's international trip amid the government shutdown and SNAP benefits halting, returning with no apparent advantages for the US and unclear messaging around China closing in on Taiwan.

Sam Stein takes on the jarring contrast between Trump’s over-the-top Mar-a-Lago Halloween party and a violent ICE arrest in Chicago—two scenes that capture everything wrong with America right now.

Bill Kristol talks with legal scholar Ryan Goodman about how the Trump administration has rejected all congressional oversight over planned military strikes in Venezuela.

Tim Miller takes on how Fox News ran with a totally fake story—racist AI videos pretending to be real “Black women”—and then quietly changed the headline instead of admitting they make a mistake.

Tim Miller and Sam Stein recap the week’s news, from Trump’s remodeling of the Lincoln Bathroom, an extremely troubling DOJ decision, Tim’s annual rage on Daylight Savings, and more.

Arthur Delaney joins Sam Stein to break down what changed, why it matters, and what happens to 22 million households who rely on SNAP every month.In 2018, during the last Trump shutdown, the Trump administration moved fast to make sure SNAP benefits kept flowing, even paying out early to avoid families going hungry. Now, with another shutdown dragging on, millions of Americans are being told the money’s gone and the emergency fund is “too hard” to use.

Tim Miller joins MSNBC’s Deadline: White House to break down the Trump administration’s shocking decision to block emergency SNAP funds — a move that could leave millions without food assistance. Tim explains why this kind of cruelty isn’t just immoral, it’s bad politics.Watch Nicolle on MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house

JVL and Andrew Egger discuss Katie Miller, wife of Stephen Miller and “MAGA mom” podcaster, after her tense on-air exchange with Cenk Uygur on Piers Morgan’s show — where she questioned his citizenship.

Tucker Carlson’s gone full mask-off, giving airtime to white nationalist Nick Fuentes while the Heritage Foundation rushes to defend him. Sam Stein and Will Sommer discuss the latest False Flag.

Bill Kristol and General Mark Hertling discuss the wave of senior military officers forced out under Trump, the redeployment of forces toward Venezuela, and growing signs of unlawful or politically driven military actions that threaten alliances, strategy, and the rule of law.Read Joe Perticone in The Bulwark, "SCOOP: Trump Swaps Decorated Admiral With 33-Year-Old DOGEr": https://www.thebulwark.com/p/scoop-trump-replaces-admiral-office-naval-research-rothenhaus-riley-doge

This one’s for Tim Miller, and he’s on fire. Jeff Landry getting involved with LSU football, sucking up to Trump and so much more! Enjoy this good old Tim Take!Get 30% off your first order from Soul at https://GetSoul.com with promo code BulwarkTakes

Sam Stein talks with Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi about ICE agents going rogue in Illinois, racism stoked by far-right lawmakers, and how Trump’s shutdown is hurting Americans. They also discuss U.S.–China tensions, redistricting wars, and the strange new alliances forming in Congress.

Nancy Mace used to wave the pride flag and support gay marriage, and now she’s tweeting “Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve.” Tim Miller breaks down how Mace’s descent from moderate Republican to culture war crusader mirrors the GOP’s own unraveling, and what it says about where the party is heading next.Get 30% off your first order from Soul at https://GetSoul.com with promo code BulwarkTakes

House Democrats are fighting back in what’s shaping up to be a national redistricting war. Joe Perticone talks with Rep. Suzan DelBene, chair of the DCCC, about how Donald Trump pushed Texas to redraw its congressional map and how states like California, Virginia, Indiana, and New York are now responding.Get 30% off your first order from Soul at https://GetSoul.com with promo code: BulwarkTakes

Tim Miller and Bill Kristol take on the Trump administration’s bizarre new Department of Labor ad campaign — a “white nationalist” throwback full of 1950s imagery — and Tucker Carlson’s disturbing interview with Nick Fuentes, the Holocaust-denying/Stalin-admiring streamer.Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/BULWARKTAKES. #sponsored

Sarah, JVL and Sonny take on Rounders—the ’90s cult poker movie that turned Matt Damon, Ed Norton, and John Malkovich into gambling legends. They debate whether Teddy KGB is secretly the hero, confess real-life Vegas stories, and unpack how online betting is turning America into a nation of addicts.Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/BULWARKTAKES. #sponsored

Sen. Mark Kelly joins Sam Stein to warn that millions of Americans are about to get slammed with health-care hikes on November 1—and predicts Trump will melt down once the outrage hits his own supporters. Kelly also talks about the administration’s secretive military strikes in the Caribbean and what Democrats need to fix before 2026.Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/BULWARKTAKES. #sponsored

JVL and Andrew Egger take on Trump’s bizarre Japan visit — the wandering, the salutes, the confusion — and what it says about a president who no longer seems to know where he is, or what he’s doing.Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/BULWARKTAKES. #sponsored

Tim Miller and JVL take on Donald Trump’s unhinged reaction to the NBA gambling scandal—and what it reveals about his plan to turn the Department of Justice into a weapon for revenge.Get free shipping and 365 day returns with Quince at https://Quince.com/BULWARKTAKES. #sponsored

Tim Miller takes on the contrast of Bernie, AOC, and Zoran Mamdani’s upbeat campaign messaging with Trump’s push to weaponize the DOJ over 2020 “fraud,” and explains why Mamdani’s economic focus matters for New Yorkers and could be inspiring for Democrats.Watch Chris Jansing Reports on MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/chris-jansing-reports

Andrew Egger is joined by Rob Sand to discuss his run for governor of Iowa, Iowa’s economic struggles, and his effort to unite Democrats and disillusioned Trump voters through accountability over partisanship.

Bill Kristol and Michael Wood take on the fears we could be at the end of the republic as we know it.An earlier version of this episode was uploaded with an audio issue. This is the corrected version. Thanks for your patience!

Sam Stein and Will Saletan take on the Republicans break amid Trump's shutdown on Sunday shows as they call out his lack of participation in helping re-open the government, and Scott Bessent fumbles through defending the shutdown and condemning Canada for Ronald Reagan ad.

Tim Miller takes on our “everyone is twelve now” government mentality as the Trump administration posts immature content about former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as Joe Biden’s son Hunter, on the official White House webpage, and using MGMT songs without permission with TikTok edit styles to glorify ICE’s violent attacks on protesters.Watch FYPod with Harry Sisson

Trump’s latest tantrum isn’t about policy, it’s about power, ego, and a Canadian baseball ad. JVL and Tim Miller discuss how Reagan’s anti-tariff words set him off, why his reaction says more about him than trade, and how the world is moving on without him. Plus: Doug Ford, maple syrup shade, and the return of tariffpalooza.

Sam Stein and Will Sommer break down how MAGA media keeps inventing stories of supposed “left-wing violence.” From a GOP event crash that turned out to be Republicans fighting other Republicans to a teenager’s fake kidnapping blamed on “Mexican cartel hitmen,” the right’s obsession with finding liberal villains keeps blowing up in their faces. The two also discuss how online outrage from right-wing influencers can now trigger real government responses, like ICE raids inspired by a single viral video.Go read the False Flag article here:https://www.thebulwark.com/p/maga-media-keeps-thirsting-for-left-wing-violence

Tim Miller joins MSNBC’s Erielle Reshef to take on right-wing infighting as Trump’s favorite Fox host, Pete Hegseth, gets attacked by his own allies—from Pentagon insiders to the Washington Times. Plus, the fallout from Trump’s shutdown and the East Wing demolition that’s starting to look like another corruption scandal in plain sight.Watch Katy Tur reports on MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/msnbc-live-katy-tur

Tim Miller dives into the corporate corruption funding Donald Trump's East Wing demolition to build his new ballroom, with many corporations and executives' ulterior motives for giving money to Trump in plain sight.

Sam Stein and John Avlon discuss the alarming rise of Nazi rhetoric inside MAGA — from leaked texts involving Trump’s nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel and a group of Young Republicans, to the administration’s silence and JD Vance’s attempts to downplay the offensive messages.

The Bulwark hit the streets of D.C. to ask what people think about Trump demolishing the east wing of the White House to build a $250 million gold ballroom.

Tim Miller takes on Fox’s Will Cain after a tweet from his flight sets off an on-air meltdown.

Sam Stein and Andrew Egger take on Donald Trump's betrayal of American cattle ranchers and farmers as he prioritizes economic relief in the multi-billions to Argentina.

With Donald Trump unceremoniously demolishing the East Wing of the White House to build his gigantic ballroom, Sam Stein and Sonny Bunch discuss cinema’s most iconic White House destruction scenes as the reality of the demolition images unfortunately imitate art.Get 40% off your Calm premium subscription at https://Calm.com/BulwarkTakes.

Sarah Longwell and Sam Stein take on Trump’s latest outrage—a $230 million demand that the Justice Department pay him for investigations into his own crimes. They discuss how Trump installed his own lawyers inside DOJ to approve the payout, why it’s one of his most brazen acts of corruption yet, and what it says about the moral rot at the heart of MAGA politics.Get 40% off your Calm premium subscription at https://Calm.com/BulwarkTakes

Tim, Sam and Will take on the wild world of major MAGA pseudoscience phenomenon—from a $40 million “energy healing” recliner empire to a self-proclaimed alien cabal called The Light System. Tucker Carlson, RFK Jr., and James O’Keefe all make cameos in this true story of conspiracies, bath salts, and the dumbest scam yet to come out of the right-wing "wellness movement."Get 40% off your Calm premium subscription at https://Calm.com/BulwarkTakesRead Will's article: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bizarre-healing-tv-screen-tycoon-funding-maga-media-unifyd-eesystem

Tim Miller takes on yet another Republican texting racist and antisemitic rhetoric, with Paul Ingrassia, Trump's nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, having texted several obscene and offensive messages.Read More in Politico: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/20/paul-ingrassia-racist-text-messages-nazi-00613608Read “Anna, Lindsey Halligan Here.” in Lawfare: https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/anna--lindsey-halligan-here

JVL and Andrew Egger take on Curtis Sliwa's incredibly theatrical, straight-to-camera interview performance with Nate Friedman where he thoroughly takes down failed tennis pro billionaire Bill Ackman as he explains his NYC mayoral ambitions.

Miles Bruner spent years working inside Republican politics until he could no longer look away. In this conversation with Sam Stein, he explains what it took to finally say enough, the moral cost of silence, and why stepping away was the only way forward.Read more from Miles: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/my-last-day-as-an-accomplice-of-the-republican-party-miles-bruner

Sam Stein and Lauren Egan talk with Indivisible co-founder Ezra Levin about the massive No Kings 2 protests—more than 7 million Americans in over 2,700 cities—and how Mike Johnson accidentally helped make it happen. Ezra explains what’s driving the movement, why it’s spreading to red America, and what comes next for the fight against Trump’s authoritarianism.

JVL and Andrew Egger take on Trumpworld’s frantic spin after the massive “No Kings” protests — from Soros conspiracies to fake-footage claims to Trump’s “small crowd” delusion.

Jack Cocchiarella takes on Rand Paul’s pathetic display of loyalty to Donald Trump—even after being publicly insulted.

Jack Cocchiarella takes on Donald Trump’s latest disgrace—an AI poop attack on American cities—and calls out the hypocrisy of a man who claims to love America while literally dumping on it.

Sarah Longwell joins Bill Kristol to discuss the success and aftermath of the "No Kings" protests.

Tim Miller takes on Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff’s full MAGA pivot — from “Dreamforce” to “Deportation-as-a-Service.”

The Bulwark is live as Americans rally under the banner “No Kings” — a nationwide protest against authoritarianism and Trump’s bid to crown himself above the law. Join our hosts for real-time coverage, reaction, and analysis.

Sarah Longwell joins Nicolle Wallace on ‘Deadline: Whitehouse’ to take on John Bolton’s indictment, Trump’s continued efforts to target political foes, and what the Young Republicans’ obscene group chat reflects about the current Republican Party.Watch Deadline: White House on MSNBC: https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house

Bill Kristol and General Mark Hertling discuss the sudden early retirement of Admiral Alvin Holsey raising concerns about U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean. Also, the legality and ethics of the attacks, the lack of oversight, and what Hosley’s departure reveals about deepening civil-military tensions within the administration.

JVL and Will Saletan take on Donald Trump’s strange, childlike theology — a worldview where heaven is a reward for “winning” and faith is just another transaction.