The Bulwark Podcast

The Democrats focus too much on reaching white college-educated voters, and the threat to democracy was not the right closing message.

Trump is flooding the zone with nominees who would destroy government norms and standards and create the kind of chaos that would let him do what he wants.

Ted Cruz and Jim DeMint ground things to a halt in the Senate quite effectively during the Obama era, and Democrats should take a cue from them for Trump's appointments: Demand hearings or hold their own.

Trump's appointments—like degenerate Matt Gaetz and Putin stooge Tulsi Gabbard—are about his raw power and his stupid show, but are also a risk to our nation's security and institutions.

Republicans have been good at telling a story about the economy and how people should feel about it, and Democrats haven't responded in a sufficiently compelling way.

The worst people believe their worldview has been validated, while the best people are uncertain, scared, and angry.

The Trump team is moving quickly to sell out Ukraine, but it's not clear yet whether Putin would settle for taking a quarter of the country—or if he intends to crush it, so he can plant the Russian flag in Kiev.

It's time to get our opposition organized and develop a narrative about Trump. And one narrative that's likely to emerge is how he betrayed his voters.

The Trump trials were a cosmic democratic disaster, and the justice system did not do justice: Trump was not treated in the same way as other people who've stolen classified docs or tried to overthrow the election—and his conviction and indictments made him more qualified in MAGA's eyes.

The American people made their choice, and the fight to preserve the global democratic coalition against the global authoritarian movement continues.

Kamala's tailored campaign message and ground game didn't matter.

Whatever happens tonight, Never Trumpers and voters should be proud that we rose to the challenge of Trump—and that a majority of Americans see through this fraudster.

Republicans are crowing about a big turnout of early rural voters and a decrease in African American voters in the cities.

Few states are as red as Iowa, and yet the legendary Iowa pollster Ann Selzer found that Kamala has leapfrogged over Trump to take the lead there.

The WSJ wants readers to think that Trump is too stupid to coup—despite Jack Smith's indictment showing a very clear plan.

Trump and his pack of dude-bros are pitting men against women, even inside the home—the current Republican Party is definitely not pro-family or pro-marriage.

The character of the nation is on the line: We have to stop an autocratic minority from imposing its will on the majority of Americans.

Kamala Harris sees the world as divided between those who follow the rules and those who break them—and that injustice requires action, not whining.

By de-prioritizing The Washington Post in his business empire, Jeff Bezos is showing exactly how a free press gets dismantled.

Trump is corrosive to the soul of our democracy. He's a bigot, an ogre, and an isolationist.

A whole faction of Red America thinks the judges and tax cuts in the first half of Trump's presidency were the 'real' Trump.

Donald Trump doesn't share our values or our norms, and he wants the privilege of being able to shoot down Americans in the street.

The ex-POTUS has resolved that his route to regain power is creating hate, fear, and anger.

Remember those few weeks when Trump ceded the stage to Kamala and didn't do any campaigning? How glorious it was not to have to talk about him.

The Bulwark kicked off its weekend 'Swing State Swing" in the City of Brotherly Love Thursday before a packed house.

Since the release of Woodward's "War," Gen. James Mattis has reached out to the journalist to endorse the book's warnings about Trump, and to urge that they not be downplayed.

Amb. Rice says Trump is a "surrender monkey" who is all about building up and benefitting Russia and China for his own benefit—and to the detriment of our national security.

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 called out songs, bopped, and swayed—for 39 minutes.

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 one side, and Elon and David Sacks on the latter.

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

Barack Obama made a direct appeal to people who don't like Trump, but may end up voting for him anyway.

Voters have a real hunger for something beyond the constant state of pugilism and the weaponizing of every problem.

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 of Congress.

Trump and Vance are pioneering a form of politics where American power means nothing, everything is bad, and politicians focus on tearing people down—and getting other Americans to do the same.

Do not sleep on this: The billionaire tech bros are on board with the authoritarian project so they can capture the regulatory state.

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.

Liz Cheney sticks to her values under incredible pressure in an old-fashioned Republican way.

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, and implicating himself with a damning phone-data footprint.

The Harris campaign clearly opted not to send out an attack dog in last night's debate.

JD Vance may be a good debater, but his creepy obsession with lady parts could put him on defense.

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

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-partisan movement in history.

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 office—and that was before Covid.

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

Longtime conservative talk show host Michael Medved believes America was chosen for a special mission—Republicans used to understand that, but now it's the Democrats who are carrying on the patriotic, 'morning in America' idea.

Melania is selling Christmas ornaments, and Trump is offering up 99.9% silver coins—the vibe feels more like a going out of business sale than heading back to the White House.

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.

We're swimming in polling data, but we should also consider that Kamala has more money and a superior ground game.

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

The presidential race is essentially tied, with movement on the margins that may not be picked up in polling.

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 encourage violence.

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 of him.

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

Kamala laid trap after trap during the debate, and because he's so impulsive, Trump walked into every single one.

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.

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

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 camera-mugging.

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

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 right to interfere in the '20 election.

Kamala is showing that she's good at politics by uniting the party's coalition and making appeals to the center.

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 voting against protecting abortion rights in Florida.

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

Policy differences pale in comparison to maintaining self-governance and restoring sanity in the country—high time for the anti-Trumpers to endorse the candidate who's not posting crap like a 17-year-old in his parents' basement.

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.

Rumors have surfaced about Joe feeling sad and resentful about the re-energized party.

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 never the wrong thing.

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

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

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 for Kamala.

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 the Democratic Party.

Kamala's first month as a presidential candidate before the Democratic convention has gone exceedingly well—she's been controlling the narrative, infuriating people like Ben Shapiro, and Trump can't get her pretty face out of his head.

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

Two Democratic members of Congress who called on Biden to pass the torch join Tim Miller today.

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 on Tomi Lahren's show.

Trump may be holed up at Mar-a-Lago because he's afraid of another attempt on his life.

Biden's departure from the race has put Trump in a real funk.

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 danger.

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.

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-moderate spectrum—as well as his weak spots from his tenure as governor, like the 2020 riots in Minneapolis.

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.

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.

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 apparent pathologies—and ends up normalizing them.

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.

Sure sounds like kind words and affection were in short supply in the Trump household in Queens.

Republican men used to be stoic and quiet technocrats, but now they're screechy and freaky.

Democrats are leaning into the 'Republicans are weird and creepy' talking point—a strategy Tim has long advocated for.

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 about her ambition and the racist and sexist attacks.

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

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 country is on the verge of collapse.

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

It's now the Kamala Harris parade, and James Carville has grabbed his whistle and baton for the march.

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 the election— with Trump now officially the oldest presidential nominee in history.

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, fasci Tucker, and 96 minutes of weird incoherence from Trump.

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 their dangerous agenda in a non-threatening way.

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

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

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 and be creative.

In this bonus episode following the assassination attempt on Trump, The Bulwark's managing editor Sam Stein joins Tim Miller to discuss the precarious moment we are in, how to dial back the temperature, and how both parties should respond to the violence.

Not having dementia is not enough to change the dynamic. Biden needs a proactive message against Trump.