The Bulwark Daily

While Trump won the first time as an anti-status-quo hero, the low-trust podcast cranks like Rogan and Tim Dillon who put him back in the White House now see him as the establishment. And they’re making Trump own the economy, the security state of masked marauders and bombing campaigns—and his close ties to the tech companies. The Democrats have not had a better moment to run against the status quo since 2008. Meanwhile, the insidious anti-semitism from Candace and Tucker has reached insane levels. Plus, the accusations that Schumer was behind the cavers, the filibuster already favors Republicans, and the risks and rewards of candidates pursuing a high-attention strategy.

Chris Hayes joins Tim Miller.

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The very online crowd is very upset, but Dems did fight like Republicans. This was a longer shutdown than anything the Tea Party pulled and real pain was being caused. And Democrats have now made the cost of healthcare front and center—while Republicans keep showing that they are the party of billionaires, Mar-a-Lago soirées, and golden ballrooms. Plus, President Al Capone pardoned all the people who tried to help him steal the 2020 election, pro-democracy Americans must stay united against the evil of the administration’s deportation policy, and the effort to keep POTUS in a bubble backfired big time Sunday night at the Commanders’ stadium.

Will Saletan joins Tim Miller.

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Our economy may be in the early days of stagflation, Democrats are winning the shutdown fight, and Republicans aren't getting help from the tariff king—who is just sticking his fingers in his ears and lying about the price of Thanksgiving dinner going down. Maybe it's time for the Dems to declare victory and let them reopen the government. Plus, Jeanine Pirro's complete humiliation over the sandwich guy case, and Rep. Jared Golden's retirement is a bracing reminder that Democrats must keep recruiting moderate candidates who can win in red districts.

Jessica Tarlov joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

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Trump took it on the chin in Tuesday's elections, SCOTUS sounds skeptical about his tariffs, and his plan to 'gerry-rig' the midterms looks like it is slipping away—but he is still the most powerful president since FDR. And murmurs about a lame duck may prompt him to take even more extreme actions. Plus, the still infuriating inability to hold Trump accountable for trying to steal the 2020 election, and the long-term damage he has done to the DOJ.

Carol Leonnig and JVL join Tim Miller.

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JVL's Wednesday Triad on Hispanic voters and 2028 

The huge Democratic wins in Virginia, New Jersey, NYC, and California spoke loud and clear—and make Trump’s 2024 supposed ‘landslide’ margin of 1.5% look even more wimpy. Trump is not delivering on his economic promises and the backlash was across the board. Voters are also rejecting the overreach of Stephen Miller’s nativist immigration policy, particularly Latino voters. One of the biggest impacts from Tuesday’s elections is that redistricting suddenly looks like it favors the Dems. Plus, what Mamdani could teach Democrats, and the bad place the Republicans put the party in by focusing on Trump’s random obsessions instead of talking about the concerns of voters.

Semafor’s Dave Weigel joins Tim Miller.
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Dave's book, "The Show That Never Ends: The Rise and Fall of Prog Rock"

With Trump slashing SNAP benefits, Gov. Beshear is asking the people of Kentucky to look out for their neighbors so they don't go hungry—since the administration won't. Meanwhile, Trump's tariffs are hammering farmers in the Bluegrass State at the same time Republicans are sabotaging rural healthcare. And reporting from Chicago, Moran finds his hometown still full of tough, independent people who won't be pushed around. True to form: Moms, bystanders, and priests are standing up to immigration agents while Trump tries to flex the full force of his authoritarian ambitions. Plus, Norah O'Donnell did not stand up for the truth, and the legacy and patriotism of Dick Cheney.

Gov. Andy Beshear and Terry Moran join Tim Miller.

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CBS News heavily edited its ‘60 Minutes’ interview with Trump, not only removing his lies about 2020, but also conveniently cutting the part about how the news show paid him off for his bogus lawsuit over a Kamala interview last year. That payoff may well have been how the one-time legendary news network landed a 90-minute interview with Trump to begin with. Meanwhile, the ‘peace’ president is conducting an illegal war in the Caribbean, and also happens to know nothing about the crypto magnate he just pardoned—even though he’s funneling billions to the Trump family’s crypto venture. Plus, Dems are definitely united in wanting the party to show some cojones, Republicans are trying some rage bait against Mamdani, and the ‘strong’ president who won a ‘big’ mandate has not been invited to campaign the night before tomorrow’s elections.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

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It’s hard to find a better example of seizing the means of production than our government seizing an equity stake in a company—which Trump keeps doing over and over again. And what do the diehard Republican capitalists have to say about all this socializing of the private sector? Nothing, of course. But they definitely were up in arms over Bill Kristol saying he’d probably vote for Mamdani if he still lived in NYC, and that voting for Cuomo was ridiculous. Plus, the crypto-based bribery of Trump and his family is flourishing, SNAP cuts and Head Start closures will have a big impact on rural areas, businesses have been trying to find ways to lower their tariff burden since Trump won last November, and the potential ties between recent layoffs and the AI arms race.

The Bulwark’s Catherine Rampell joins Tim Miller for the Halloween weekend pod. 
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Tim's playlist

Tim's Halloween playlist

President Trump meets with Xi Jinping and agrees to an embarrassingly one-sided trade deal, as the “China Hawks” in the administration cower. Meantime, the government shutdown moves to a more painful phase, with funding for SNAP expiring on Nov. 1. Former Sen. Heidi Heitkamp joins Tim to discuss how the chaos from Trump’s trade wars has already hurt farmers, how Democrats should play their next moves on the shutdown, and her surprising support for Mamdani/Platner style candidates.

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From the jump, the administration has been all about the memes, owning the libs, and pissing people off. But Abby says she wants Trump’s supporters to have a chance to share their points of view on her show—and be challenged in real time. Meanwhile, during the weirdest shutdown ever, Republicans are at risk on SNAP and Obamacare subsidies. And policing the Caribbean and the Pacific to commit summary executions is not America First. Plus, the roots of Bernie Sanders’s populist campaigns were planted by Jesse Jackson’s runs for the presidency in ‘84 and ‘88. But Trump too also echoes Jackson as a political figure—through their use of celebrity, personality, and similar outsider populist messaging.

Abby Phillip joins Tim Miller.

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Abby's book, "A Dream Deferred: Jesse Jackson and the Fight for Black Political Power"

CNN's NewsNight with Abby Phillip

Tim and Bill on Trump creepiest propaganda yet