Bill Kristol: The MAGA Elites Are Such Frauds

JD originally made a name for himself as an economic populist but now spends all his time lying and ignoring the woes of the white working class. Stephen Miller is far more interested in authoritarianism than the American worker. And the biggest MAGA warrior of all, Steve Bannon, was downright smitten with Jeffrey Epstein. Meanwhile, the Trump administration is busy trying to hide the identities of other co-conspirators in the Epstein documents. Plus, the CBP has no business being deployed on the streets of American cities, Tulsi wants foreign election interference, the good news in a Texas special election result, Trump is flailing at another business—the Kennedy Center—and Bad Bunny previews his message for the Super Bowl Halftime show.Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.show notes Monday's "Morning Shots" Bannon's "interview" with EpsteinLearn a new Language and get up to 55% off your subscription at Babbel.com/BULWARK

In the wake of the massive winter storm, the power is still out in some places, trees are down, and the death toll continues to rise. And where is FEMA? Don’t pester Trump about it because he is very busy going after political opponents like Don Lemon, re-litigating once again his 2020 loss in Georgia, and keeping up his terror campaign in Minnesota in hopes of invoking the Insurrection Act. Plus, he’s got a side hustle orchestrating the payment of $10 billion in taxpayer money to him and his family. Meanwhile, there’s a pretty stinky smell of corruption around the new Fed chair pick, Lindsey Graham wants in on the grift, and where are all the bros who just had to vote for Trump because of Biden’s supposed reign of cancel culture?Michael Steele joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.show notes Michael's show, "The Weeknight" Tim and Andrew on the FBI raid at the Georgia elections office Follow "Bulwark Takes" for our weekend coverage Tickets for our Bulwark LIVE show in Minneapolis Tim's playlist

Trump has decidedly built a white supremacist army within the government. And this was always the risk when the Department of Homeland Security was created after 9-11. Influential people warned at the time that our norms would not protect us against someone who was determined to violate them using DHS. At the same time, white people are putting themselves on the line in a way that is reminiscent of the abolitionists. Plus, some often overlooked elements of the Civil Rights Movement, Jared Kushner’s offensive and absurd vision for a “New Gaza,” and the destruction of a jewel of journalism that was CBS.Snag the hoodie that will bring you comfort for life, the American Giant Classic Full Zip. Go to https://www.american-giant.com and get 20% off your first order with promo code BULWARK. Thanks to American Giant for sponsoring the show! show notes Ta-Nehisi's most recent piece in Vanity Fair The CBS interview with Ta-Nehisi referenced in the show Tickets for the live show in Minnesota go on sale Friday

The mass deportation operation was supposed to be about the manly men pulling out all the stops in defense of Western civilization, which they claim is being brought down by brown and black immigrants. But it is the multi-racial, multi-faith people of Minneapolis who are fighting—at the risk of their own lives—for the cause of community, neighborhoodism, and social cohesion. And that is not the same social cohesion of JD Vance, who thinks white people need to live next door to other white people. Meanwhile, MAGA’s dreams that Trump had flipped Hispanic voters sure doesn’t seem to be the case in the Rio Grande Valley, where people are feeling disrespected by ICE and not free to be themselves. Plus, the current state of Second Amendment politics, and some much-needed ridicule of Stephen Miller.The Atlantic's Adam Serwer and Texas-15 congressional candidate Bobby Pulido join Tim Miller.show notes Adam's piece in The Atlantic Adam’s book, “The Cruelty Is the Point”  Bobby's campaign web site Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to joindeleteme.com/BULWARK and use promo code BULWARK at checkout.

The deployment of dangerous, untrained, and violent federal agents on the streets of Minneapolis met its match in a massive, organized, nonviolent resistance that truly showed what democracy looks like. And though the ostensible immigration enforcement operation is not over, the administration thought the tough guys would easily prevail. But Gov. Walz says the real strength was with the ordinary and decent Minnesotans who stood their ground to continue protesting and documenting the agents’ behavior. Plus, was it the neocons or the white nationalists that most shaped Tucker’s views? And how much does JD owe his career to Tucker? The New Yorker's Jason Zengerle and Gov. Tim Walz join Tim Miller.show notes: Jason's new book, "Hated by All the Right People: Tucker Carlson and the Unraveling of the Conservative Mind" Tim's 'Take' with reporter Ben Terris about Trump's health claims To get 6 bottles of wine for $39.99, head to NakedWines.com/THEBULWARK and use code THEBULWARK for both the code AND PASSWORD.

The Trump administration’s version of the Stasi murdered Alex Pretti in cold blood because he was exercising his First Amendment right to peacefully assemble and his Second Amendment right to carry a licensed firearm. But in MAGA land, those rights only apply to the people on their side, not all Americans. The few Republicans who are starting to feel queasy about menacing agents running around our cities should also recognize that they are complicit in the killings of Pretti and Renee Good because they funded them. As for the Dems, they should be considering maximalist demands—like ending the occupation of the Twin Cities—since the serial liars in the administration are acting like they’re above the law. Plus, Tim Cook and the other CEOs who helped fund the golden ballroom or showed up to the “Melania” screening Saturday night are also complicit.Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.show notes Follow "Bulwark Takes" for breaking news and weekend coverage Monday's "Morning Shots" For a limited time, save up to $300 on the Tovala smart oven when you order meals 6+ times, by visiting Tovala.com/BULWARK and using code BULWARK.

Trump is taking billion dollar bribes for his ‘Board of Peace,’ where he can pretend he’ll be the head of a new world order in partnership with Putin. He’s also looking for his next foreign policy adventure since he didn’t get any mileage with Greenland or Iran. And he’s acting like socialist-fascist Juan Perón—taking stakes in U.S. companies while continuing to sic the American gestapo on the Twin Cities. Meanwhile, a handful of House Dems took a bad vote to fund DHS. Plus, the latest in the annals of unlikeable JD, Gavin’s trolling of MAGA has served him well, Trump is no friend to the domestic auto industry, CEOs are so short-sighted, and Kash Patel is a total clown.Mike Murphy joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.show notes Andrew's reporting on DHS's lies in Minnesota Tim's 'Take' on JD's press conference in Minneapolis More on Mike's polling on the potential CA wealth tax measure "Hacks on Tap" podcast Jonathan Chait on the problems with Newsom's record The NYT on Kash Patel Tim's playlist

Donald Trump is so enamored with Vladimir Putin he doesn't even know the Russian leader is regularly making fun of him in ways that can’t easily be translated. Trump is also running the White House like it's the Kremlin, with backdoor deals, quick enrichment schemes, nefarious activities, and cronies calling the shots—while people in official positions, like Marco, are just fig leaves. It’s the exact kind of political world where Putin flourishes. And his operation against the United States continues apace. Plus, the backstory on the proposed Venezuela-Ukraine swap, Trump's TACO on Greenland, Canada and Europe have had enough of the U.S. and buying American, Western allies don’t trust Vance’s dependence on tech bros, and hello: Ozempic is a Danish drug.The one and only Fiona Hill joins Tim Miller.show notes Fiona's memoir, " There Is Nothing for You Here: Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century" Fiona's book, "Mr. Putin: The Operative in the Kremlin" David Frum's interview with Fiona

In his rambling mess of a speech at Davos, Trump confused Iceland and Greenland, and demonstrated that he doesn't understand how NATO works. The infamous draft-dodger also seemed to call Truman and Eisenhower "stupid" for not just taking Greenland after WWII. Nevertheless, his threat to somehow get the island is undermining our international rules-based order. Plus, the secret, imperfect alliance in Congress that is blocking anti-trans legislation, the growing Dem opposition to the DHS funding bill, and the need to fight the trust deficit in the country —and the anger-tainment that is driving it.Delaware's Rep. Sarah McBride joins Tim Miller.show notes Sam's, JVL's and Andrew's reaction to the Davos speech McBride's column in Delaware's News Journal Get 20% off when you go to trustandwill.com/BULWARK

The Republican Party may be deeply unpopular, but the Democratic Party is even more so. The Dems' brand is weak despite the success of the off-year elections in 2025. To have a shot at winning back the Senate in the midterms, and the White House in 2028, the most successful Dems will be the ones who run against the status quo of their own party. In the meantime, Dems should be aggressively holding Republicans responsible for the tariffs, the threat against Greenland, and the terrorizing of Minnesotans— because they're not stopping the administration. Plus, cowardly CEOs, how to use A.I. as a political issue, and Trump & co's efforts to silence Americans. Veteran strategist David Plouffe joins Tim Miller.show notes Plouffe's NYT piece Tim's interview with Ryan Grim, the recent lefty guest Tim referenced Upgrade your wallet today! Get 10% Off @Ridge with code THEBULWARK at https://www.Ridge.com/THEBULWARK #Ridgepod NOBL gives you real travel peace of mind — security, design, and convenience all in one. Head to NOBLTravel.com for 46% off your entire order! #NOBL #ad