Ryan Holiday: Life Is Too Short to Be a Bootlicker

Members of the administration, like Stephen Miller, who spend hours every day kissing Trump’s ass look so pathetic—but since the time of the ancients, courtiers have gone to great lengths to degrade themselves before the vain and vindictive. And one lesson for the ages is to not compromise with an extortionist: it will only lead to more extortion and more pressure because the extortionist wants everything. Meanwhile, Elon’s brain is broken, Peter Thiel spends too much time at dinner parties, Trump’s media diet allows no time for presidential reflection, and authoritarians can be seductive. Plus, Tim sees the redistricting fight looking better for Democrats, and argues that the best way to shut down the talk of a decrepit Trump running in ‘28 is to make sure the Dems win the House in 2026. Ryan Holiday joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.  show notes Ryan's new book, "Wisdom Takes Work"  Ryan's book, "Conspiracy: Peter Thiel, Hulk Hogan, Gawker, and the Anatomy of Intrigue" Tim and JVL's interview with Ryan about being a dad The Daily Stoic Podcast Tim's playlist

The convicted felon was legitimately prosecuted for hoarding classified docs at Mar-a-Lago. And he was justifiably investigated over the numerous contacts he and his associates had with Russian nationals during 2016. But Trump feels he has endured so much pain and suffering from all the probing that he's owed a quarter of a billion dollars in damages from hard-working American taxpayers. Meanwhile, his hired tool of revenge, Lindsey Halligan, is hard at work pursuing really weak cases against Comey and Tish James when she's not sending mean girl texts.   Lawfare's Anna Bower and Ben Wittes join Tim Miller. show notes Anna on her Signal chat with Lindsey Halligan Lawfare's Molly Roberts on the weak case against James Ben's Substack

One of the promises of this country has been the freedom to walk down the street without being harassed by the government. But even being an American citizen isn't stopping ICE agents from grabbing people with passports or IDs—and detaining them for hours. At the same time, many of the thugs and sadists who want to do the grabbing and snatching are pathetically failing basic physical fitness tests. Plus, JD is painfully unfunny, Republicans calling Democrats 'terrorists' has real world consequences, and Dems need more normal people running for office—but they should save the wild card candidates for long shot races. Jon Favreau joins Tim Miller. show notes Pod Save America interview with Graham Platner The Atlantic on "ICE’s ‘Athletically Allergic’ Recruits" Tickets for Crooked Con in DC in November Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to: https://www.wildalaskan.com/BULWARK.

Putin’s friend in the White House may be back in his safe space with his kindred spirit in Moscow, but Trump is finding that he has limited leverage on Ukraine to end the war on Putin’s terms. He wants so badly to be crowned the ‘Prince of Peace,’ but he has no vim and vigor to get there—and Zelensky actually said “No” to Trump. Meanwhile, the Gaza ceasefire looks precarious. Plus, former press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on stepping away from the two-party system, the lingering anger over how Trump was allowed to win, and the fallout from emphasizing Biden’s legacy at the expense of Kamala’s ‘24 campaign. Karine Jean-Pierre and Michael Weiss join Tim Miller. show notes Michael’s Substack “Foreign Office” Story from “The Insider,” “Our people poisoned Navalny” WSJ article on Havana Syndrome Karine Jean-Pierre's book Start your new morning ritual & get up to 43% off your @MUDWTR with code THEBULWARK at mudwtr.com/THEBULWARK! #mudwtrpod Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to www.joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.

Nearly seven million Americans peacefully took to the streets out of their love for this country, and Trump in response acted out like a toddler obsessed with his own poop. Indeed, our commander-in-chief really does have more affinity for the Sharia law dictators in the sand kingdoms than he does for Saturday’s true patriots. This may be the moment when the Dems and its allies take the patriotism banner back from Republicans. Plus, the lengths the administration went to imprison immigrants in El Salvador, the Dem base wants a fight over the shutdown, and Trump keeps serving up reasons why the Trump/Russia conspiracy has survived for so long. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes Miles Bruner's Bulwark piece on leaving the GOP Jon Cohn on the Americans caught in the shutdown vice The FT on the volatile Trump-Zelensky meeting last week Bill and Sarah on a successful "No Kings" The Post on the El Salvador prison deal Go to https://zbiotics.com/THEBULWARK and use THEBULWARK at checkout for 15% off any first time orders of ZBiotics probiotics.

The administration under sticky fingers Trump is now pretending it cares about the sanctity of classified documents, while it seems that Marco Rubio is the one pushing for regime change in Venezuela. In California, the redistricting ballot measure has been seen as one of the most significant battles in the November election, but the Supreme Court may end up disrupting the Dem’s effort to retake the House next year. Plus, Democrats are winning the under-covered shutdown fight, but why is Schumer meddling in the Maine and Michigan Senate primary fights? And the right-wingers complaining about Bad Bunny are such nerd losers. Peter Hamby joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.  show notes Peter's piece on the CA redistricting measure Ben Wittes's Lawfare on the Bolton indictment Book rec from Peter: "Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here" Peter's pod, "The Powers That Be: Daily" Nate Cohn on the SCOTUS case that could hand Republicans the House Tim's playlist

The U.S. has been a model for other aspiring democracies since 1776. At the same time, the idea of America as the leader of the democratic world has also had a unifying effect at home. It’s what has kept this diverse country of many faiths and ethnicities together, and it has been our national identity. But with Trump actively undermining those ideals, what will we be unified around? Plus, the potential new whites-favored refugee policy, Trump’s psychological comfort to the Russian war effort, Hegseth got himself a state media press room at the Pentagon, JD is totally cool with lots of Nazi talk—and could the administration be trying to start a war in Venezuela so it can expand its militaristic crackdown on the streets here? Anne Applebaum joins Tim Miller. show notes Anne's new piece, "The Beacon of Democracy Goes Dark" Anne on the Nobel Peace Prize winner "Ukraine’s Plan to Starve the Russian War Machine," by Anne Ian McEwan's "What We Know" — second recommendation this week! F*%k your khakis and get The Perfect Jean 15% off with the code BULWARK15 at theperfectjean.nyc/BULWARK15 #theperfectjeanpod

Republicans in Congress know that what they’re doing is deeply unpopular—on healthcare, supporting troops in the streets, and on redistricting. That’s why they’re basically in hiding, plotting new ways to try to shift the narrative. But because they’ve given their Constitutional power away to Trump & company, unelected officials in the administration are now making the taxing and spending decisions. Meanwhile, Trump has another monument in the works. Plus, Democrats and the Senate race in Maine, another military strike in the Caribbean, and MTG may be a bellwether of MAGA’s future. Heather Cox Richardson joins Tim Miller. show notes Heather on Trump's proposed arch that would disrupt the Lincoln Memorial Heather on how Congressional Republicans have abdicated their power

After a court temporarily blocked the deployment of Guard troops in Illinois, ICE agents began ramping up their operations around Chicagoland. They are now demanding that residents produce their papers—particularly if they have brown skin. Officers stand outside churches holding Spanish-language Mass or they go into tourist areas to confront people, including U.S. Citizens. If someone doesn’t have an ID with them, they’ll be detained. The power-hungry officials around Trump, including Stephen Miller, are likely behind the enhanced menacing. Meanwhile in Israel, the resilience of the surviving hostages—after a sustained campaign of deprivation—is worthy of celebration. Plus, the Hamas executions of Gazans, our American pharoah’s comfort with Middle East strongmen, and even Newsmax says the new Pentagon press rules are a bridge too far. Gov. JB Pritzker and The Atlantic‘s Frank Foer join Tim Miller. show notes Sam's 'Bulwark Take' with former Amb. Dan Shapiro Frank's book, "World Without Mind: The Existential Threat of Big Tech" Ian McEwan's "What We Can Know," referenced by Frank Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code THEBULWARK at https://www.Ridge.com/THEBULWARK #Ridgepod

Peaceful protesters in Chicago and Portland have been so clever and effective at ridiculing the masked Stasi agents in their cities that the political momentum for putting troops on the street feels like it’s petering out. And while Republicans keep smearing this weekend’s No Kings day as about hating America, the real ‘Hate America’ side is the one calling patriots ‘terrorists’ because they intend to exercise their First Amendment rights. Meanwhile, the Comey and Tish James indictments are all about Trump’s mental illness and narcissism. Plus, the joy and the sadness around the release of the hostages, the Dems look to be winning the shutdown fight despite their messaging, and it may take a generation before the Justice Department is restored to its rightful role of ensuring the rule of law.  Former Trump attorney Ty Cobb and Bill Kristol join Tim Miller. show notes Lauren on Dems and protesters mocking Trump Monday's "Morning Shots" When Bill was hit with a pie