The Secret Podcast

Elon Musk threatened to destroy Trump’s Republican allies. Now he’s spending hundreds of millions to keep them in power. Sarah Longwell and JVL discuss Musk’s humiliating surrender, the billionaires lining up behind Trump, the MAGA smear campaign against James Talarico, and why Trump’s desperate deal with Putin represents a stunning display of American weakness.

Plus, Sarah has some ideas about holding Trump’s wealthy enablers accountable, and JVL has some big news.

Show notes:

* Read JVL’s Triad on Trump’s Russian diesel ploy

* Read Will and Andrew’s False Flag on the MAGA smear campaign that failed to launch

* If you have questions for Tim, Sarah and JVL, send them to [email protected] and they may answer them on an upcoming episode of TNL.

A quick note: The Bulwark’s reporting has exposed the truth behind a vicious MAGA smear campaign against James Talarico. That kind of journalism takes real resources, which is why we rely on our members to keep doing it.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. Upgrade now to watch (or listen) to this episode and join the Secret community in the comments. New shows drop each Friday. Ride with us!

Sarah and JVL break down Jon Ossoff’s Terminator-style destruction of Mike Collins. Seriously: It was so brutal that someone should have stopped the debate.

Then it’s off to:

* The Eric Deters interview on Bulwark Takes that broke our brains.

* Pete Hegseth tugging it at the prospect of a livestreamed execution.

* The Pro-Life movement is practicing its strategic silence.

* Potato discourse.

* And The Golden Girls!

Definitely a top quartile show.

Want that Woke Bill Kristol tee or Good Luck, America merch? Go to The Bulwark Store.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. Upgrade now to watch (or listen) to this episode and join the Secret community in the comments. New shows drop each Friday. Ride with us!

Sarah and JVL are back apart, as God intended. And there’s lots happening:

* The new jobs report is bad!

* Should Democrats try to impeach Pete Hegseth?

* Trump is sending a third aircraft carrier to the Middle East.

* And then there are the two interviews. JD Vance seems to be living in one world while mush-brain Donald Trump is living in another reality.

* Plus: Trump’s DoJ wants to go after the real villains of Watergate: The prosecutors who investigated poor, innocent Richard Nixon.

* Also: JVL needs help picking a so-bad-it’s-awesome family movie.

show notes:

* Want that Woke Bill Kristol tee? Get it at The Bulwark Store.

You asked, we listened!

Bulwark LIVE: Charlotte featuring Pete Buttigieg & The Gang—will be live streamed on Sunday, October 18 starting at 7pm EDT.

Bulwark+ members will be able to tune in from home for this exclusive members-only live streamed event.

COME HANG WITH THE GANG

At Bulwark LIVE we can promise you a night of politics with lots of laughs—and maybe a few tears too. We’ll keep you sane.

If you live in Carolinas or Georgia and want attend one of our Bulwark LIVE: Good Fight Tour stops from Oct 16-20 details and tickets are available at TheBulwark.com/Events.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. Upgrade now to watch (or listen) to this episode and join the Secret community in the comments. New shows drop each Friday. Ride with us!

JVL is already in Ohio. Sarah is about to run to the airport. It’s a wheels-off kind of show. This week:

* The government seems to have lied to a court again.

* JD Vance was the leaker who threatened national security.

* Mary Peltola gets caught in context collapse.

* Trump had compromat on Susan Collins.

* JVL feels guilty about cutting a promo.

And then there’s the big one: The story of the Massachusetts lesbian bar that wasn’t woke enough. It’s a solid B-/B episode!

show notes:

* Donate here to our Benefit for Springfield—funds go to the Haitian Support Center.

* Want that Woke Bill Kristol tee? Get it at The Bulwark Store.

* Sarah’s THANK YOU note to the Bulwark family.

* How to Eat an Elephant debuted at #2 on the NYT best seller list. We knocked Ted Effing Cruz out of the top spot! Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible. Let’s keep the momentum going.

OR!

COME HANG WITH THE GANG—Sarah, Tim, JVL, Sam and friends—during our Bulwark LIVE: Good Fight Tour this October 16-20:

🎤Friday, October 16 at The Senate in Columbia, S.C.—with special guest Bakari Sellers and our very own MAGA expert Will Sommer. Is Columbia ready for the Trio?

🎤Sunday, October 18 at the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte, N.C.—special guest Pete Buttigieg joins the gang with Catherine Rampell and Lauren Eagan.

🎤Tuesday, October 20 at The Eastern in Atlanta, Ga.—Gen. Mark Hertling and the Morning Shots duo—Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol—join the gang for this final stop. Tickets are on sale now through the links above or through TheBulwark.com/Events. At Bulwark LIVE we can promise you a night of fellowship and politics with lots of laughs—and maybe a few tears too. We’ll keep you sane.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. Upgrade now to watch (or listen) to this episode and join the Secret community in the comments. New shows drop each Friday. Ride with us!

Sarah and JVL are together again and JVL is raging.

* The president of the United States accused the Democratic party plotting to assassinate him and . . . everyone just pretends it didn’t happen.

* Diesel prices are going to the moon.

* Trump wants to demolish the Kennedy Center.

* Joe Manchin came back from the grave to endorse Susan Collins.

* And there’s a 90 percent chance that AI doesn’t kill everyone alive.

It’s a short show, but a great show.

Also: Sarah talks about the book tour and what it’s like to feel the love you guys have shown her. Be careful; it gets a little dusty.

Want that Woke Bill Kristol tee? Get it at The Bulwark Store.

How to Eat an Elephant debuted at #2 on the NYT best seller list. We knocked Ted Effing Cruz out of the top spot! Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible.

OR!

COME HANG WITH THE GANG—Sarah, Tim, JVL, Sam and friends—during our Bulwark LIVE: Good Fight Tour this October 16-20:

🎤Friday, October 16 at The Senate in Columbia, S.C.—with special guest Bakari Sellers and our very own MAGA expert Will Sommer. Is Columbia ready for the Trio?

🎤Sunday, October 18 at the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte, N.C.—special guest Pete Buttigieg joins the gang with Catherine Rampell and Lauren Eagan.

🎤Tuesday, October 20 at The Eastern in Atlanta, Ga.—Gen. Mark Hertling and the Morning Shots duo—Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol—join the gang for this final stop. Tickets are on sale now through the links above or through TheBulwark.com/Events. At Bulwark LIVE we can promise you a night of fellowship and politics with lots of laughs—and maybe a few tears too. We’ll keep you sane.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. Upgrade now to watch (or listen) to this episode and join the Secret community in the comments. New shows drop each Friday. Ride with us!

Bill Kristol sat in for Sarah today and JVL wore a little treat for everyone to mark the occasion. In case you’re not watching the video, the surprise is here. It’s amazing and you’re going to want one.

After that unveiling, JVL and Bill talked about JD Vance’s speech, Iran’s devastating attacks on a Saudi pipeline and two oil tankers, and how Trump is both crippling and corrupting the U.S. military.

And then they have a philosophical conversation about terrorism and the liberal order. It’s good stuff.

show notes:

* Just announced: Bulwark LIVE: Benefit for Springfield

We’re heading to Ohio Friday, September 25 to raise awareness and funds for the Haitian community under siege in Springfield. Join Sarah, Tim, JVL, Sam and friends for an evening of politics and fellowship at the Dayton Masonic Center. All profits will be donated to CONFIRM ORG AND LINK HERE

* How to Eat an Elephant is here. Sarah did her part by writing a book on how to get out of this mess, now we need all of you to help make sure this one gets on all the best sellers lists.

OR!

* Woke Bill Kristol merch is here!

COME HANG WITH THE GANG—Sarah, Tim, JVL, Sam and friends—during our Bulwark LIVE: Good Fight Tour this October 16-20:

🎤Friday, October 16 at The Senate in Columbia, S.C.—Will Sommer joins the gang on stage. Is Columbia ready for the Trio?

🎤Sunday, October 18 at the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte, N.C.—special guest Pete Buttigieg joins the gang with Catherine Rampell and Lauren Eagan.

🎤Tuesday, October 20 at The Eastern in Atlanta, Ga.—Gen. Mark Hertling and the Morning Shots duo—Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol—join the gang for this final stop. Tickets are on sale now through the links above or through TheBulwark.com/Events. At Bulwark LIVE we can promise you a night of fellowship and politics with lots of laughs—and maybe a few tears too. We’ll keep you sane.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+.

It’s almost Book Week!

How to Eat an Elephant drops on Tuesday and the Best Friends really want to get it to #1 on the NYT best seller list. To do that, we have to unseat . . . a biography of Clarence Thomas by Ted Effing Cruz.

Don’t let Teddy Cancun and High Life Clarence win. Order a copy of Sarah’s book now. (If you haven’t already, I mean.)

OR!

If you’ve already pre-ordered (THANK YOU!) and would like to get a signed bookplate for your personal copy, fill out this online form today. St. Martin’s Press will mail a signed bookplate to your address after the book is released on September 8 at no additional cost. Sarah signed each one herself. Supplies are limited.

The mission: get the book >> get a signed bookplate from Sarah >> unseat Ted Effing Cruz >> win in November >> eat the elephant >> win in 2028.

Today Sarah and JVL try to figure out who’s worse: John Fetterman or Susan Collins. (Give us your answer in the comments.) Also, the Big Orange Arch is coming. And we chew over Doug Sosnik’s recommendations for the Democratic party. It’s a big show.

show notes:

See Bill Kristol and Doug Sosnik’s conversation here.

COME HANG WITH THE GANG—Sarah, Tim, JVL, Sam and friends—during our Bulwark LIVE: Good Fight Tour this October 16-20:

🎤Friday, October 16 at The Senate in Columbia, S.C.—Will Sommer joins the gang on stage. Is Columbia ready for the Trio?

🎤Sunday, October 18 at the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte, N.C.—special guest Pete Buttigieg joins the gang with Catherine Rampell and Lauren Eagan.

🎤Tuesday, October 20 at The Eastern in Atlanta, Ga.—Gen. Mark Hertling and the Morning Shots duo—Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol—join the gang for this final stop. Tickets are on sale now through the links above or through TheBulwark.com/Events. At Bulwark LIVE we can promise you a night of fellowship and politics with lots of laughs—and maybe a few tears too. We’ll keep you sane.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. Upgrade now to watch (or listen) to this episode and join the Secret community in the comments. New shows drop each Friday. Ride with us!

JVL is out this week, so Tim and Sarah discuss Mark Cuban’s comments that he could run for president as a Republican (and why Tim isn’t buying it), and Sarah’s conversation with the New York Times discussing her book, and what Democratic voters REALLY want right now. They also discuss the race Rob Sand is running for governor in Iowa. Behind the paywall: Kamala Harris’s 2028 strategy, Hasan Piker discourse, and a fun mailbag segment.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. Upgrade now to watch (or listen) to this episode and join the Secret community in the comments. New shows drop each Friday. Ride with us!

Sarah and JVL did a BIG show today. Sample awesome:

* Sen. Darlene Graham says that voters in South Carolina don’t care about Taiwan—they care about boys playing girls sports.

* Spoiler: There are exactly zero (0) boys in South Carolina playing girls sports.

* Top CIA analyst Julia Curlee served Trump, Biden, and then Trump again honorably. Then she was fired because some MAGA influencers discovered she was trans.

* What duty do civil servants owe the country which elected Trump for the second time?

* Is Jon Ossoff the one we’ve been waiting for? Sarah has him in her Big Four. And you’ll never guess who the other three are.

* People hate Data Centers. So where is the juice for Democrats?

* JVL can’t stop/won’t stop beating on tankies and greens.

* And the birth of a new feature: Pickleball talk!

We want to hear from you about any/all of this. Let’s ride.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+.

Sarah, Tim, Sam and JVL are coming to South Carolina, North Carolina, and Atlanta in October for Bulwark LIVE. We’re bringing lots of friends.

Tickets are on sale now!

Our shows have a habit of selling out. Don’t wait to grab your seats.Head to TheBulwark.com/Events

Lots of stuff this week.

(1) There are still balcony seats left for the Best Friends Show in NYC on September 8. Come sell out the 92nd Street Y with us! You can get tickets here.

If we sell this show out, JVL will do something nuts.

(2) Sarah, Tim, Sam and I are coming to South Carolina, North Carolina, and Atlanta in October. We’re bringing friends. Tickets go on sale August 21, but Bulwark+ members get access to an exclusive presale on August 18. Watch your inbox or check Morning Shots on Tuesday for the presale code. More at TheBulwark.com/events.

(3) Then there’s the news:

* Trump is trying to put his name on the Kennedy Center again. Grandpa is so thirsty.

* Karoline Leavitt is taking her talent for baldfaced lying to the private sector. Who will be the lucky news organization to buy the privilege of having her lie to its audience? And what lucky liar will inherit her spot behind the podium?

* JVL loses his mind over the revelation that after DHS agents murdered Alex Pretti, the federal government launched far-reaching investigations against . . . liberal activist groups in Minnesota. This story will take your hate-fire to 11.

* Sarah was always right about the Wisconsin Democratic primary.

* Why don’t progressives say a little prayer of thanksgiving for winning a big race in Minnesota with Peggy Flanagan while not having to defend Francesca Hong? Take the W.

* Also: JVL has some nice things to say about Bernie while Sarah is totally getting there on AOC.

(4) And then there’s the feelings talk. JVL has a lot of them. About Flash and mortality and his gratitude to all of you guys.

(Also: (5) We have news about Rebecca taking us home.)

This isn’t an Instant Classic level show, but it’s a good one. Top quintile for sure. Come to the comments and hang with us there all weekend.

The Secret Podcast with JVL and Sarah is exclusively for members of Bulwark+. To watch or listen to future episodes and join the Secret community in the comments become a Bulwark+ member today. Ride with us.