<description>&lt;div&gt;Of all the images of Trump, the only times he seemed to be authentically smiling in the presence of another person was when he was with Jeffrey Epstein. The two of them had the same interests, and other people in the 80s and 90s assumed they were best friends. Over in MAGA land, a proxy war has broken out among rightwing influencers—like Ben Shapiro, Tucker, and Candace—because the economy and the party are in trouble. Plus, SCOTUS rulings and cryptocurrency have created a public corruption free-for-all, the failed tariffs are masking the shortage of immigrant-built new housing, Trump has illegally added his name to the Kennedy Center, and despite the large military build-up off of Venezuela, the administration seems to be winging it.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;David Frum&lt;/strong&gt; joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/trump-is-an-idiot-spoiling-for-war?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;JVL's 'Triad' on Trump's Venezuela adventure&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/trump-is-walloping-construction-businesses?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Catherine's "Receipts" on the impacts of the immigration crackdown on the construction industry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/18/us/jeffrey-epstein-donald-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.908.iNlY.Q-LtrdCGDc45&amp;amp;smid=url-share"&gt;NYT on the friendship between Epstein and Trump&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/11/cryptocurrency-economy-financial-crisis/684960/?gift=AO0MhSsTDaHgiP_RxFGfBwbwK1nJSUNg-3hj9dYe7mM&amp;amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;amp;utm_medium=social&amp;amp;utm_campaign=share"&gt;David's most recent podcast episode on crypto&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dApY6YT48kTh6j9xFDQch"&gt;Tim's playlist&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5qPRdDI7BcJI5fAgcGHBli?si=aKFWdCEQQGavOQyJCmuNoQ&amp;amp;pi=0Hlq5AsNToS0_%20--"&gt;Tim's Ultimate Christmas Mix&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
</description>

Of all the images of Trump, the only times he seemed to be authentically smiling in the presence of another person was when he was with Jeffrey Epstein. The two of them had the same interests, and other people in the 80s and 90s assumed they were best friends. Over in MAGA land, a proxy war has broken out among rightwing influencers—like Ben Shapiro, Tucker, and Candace—because the economy and the party are in trouble.

David Frum: Trump and Epstein Were Best Friends

<description>&lt;div&gt;Trump's power of persuasion is failing him on the affordability issue. He even broke MAGA creed on live TV by calling on Americans to trust the word of foreign leaders—who supposedly claim the U.S. economy is golden—over the pain they're feeling at the supermarket and at the pump. Meanwhile, NYC's mayor-elect seems to be understand the zeitgeist: We are not living in a right v. left political moment, but an insider v. outsider one. Plus, what Dems can learn from Mamdani, why the party needs to move on from its Obama and Bernie factions, and how aid programs like PEPFAR can be resurrected in a new administration.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Former Obama and Mamdani advisor&lt;strong&gt; Patrick Gaspard &lt;/strong&gt;joins Tim Miller.&lt;strong&gt; &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/18/opinion/aoc-tina-smith-housing.html?unlocked_article_code=1.9k8.xqv6.A_-h8BU1QlvV&amp;amp;smid=url-share"&gt;AOC's and Sen. Smith's NYT piece on social housing that Patrick referenced&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/tim-miller-andrew-egger-and-will?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Tim, Andrew, and Will Saletan on Trump's White House address&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at &lt;a href="https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARK"&gt;https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARK&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;br&gt;
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&lt;li&gt;Get 20% off your DeleteMe plan when you go to &lt;a href="http://joindeleteme.com/BULWARK"&gt;joindeleteme.com/BULWARK&lt;/a&gt; and use&lt;br&gt;
promo code BULWARK at checkout.&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
</description>

Trump's power of persuasion is failing him on the affordability issue. He even broke MAGA creed on live TV by calling on Americans to trust the word of foreign leaders—who supposedly claim the U.S. economy is golden—over the pain they're feeling at the supermarket and at the pump. 

Patrick Gaspard: A White House Screamathon

<description>&lt;div&gt;POTUS is firing or censoring the statisticians who collect data on health and climate, as well as the kind of experts who could verify his lofty claims of an A++++ economy. And while Vance says that Trump is really turning things around, job losses are rising from his destructive tariff and immigration policies. Plus, the back story on Palantir and how it's helping to facilitate the administration's authoritarian ambitions. &lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
Author &lt;strong&gt;Mike Steinberger &lt;/strong&gt;and &lt;strong&gt;Catherine Rampell&lt;/strong&gt; join Tim Miller.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://youtu.be/DhIIvBSBQhA?si=Vp2HlYUFLk0lvBzo"&gt;Tim's 'Bulwark Take' on current China policy&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/s/receipts"&gt;Catherine's newsletter, "Receipts"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Philosopher-in-the-Valley/Michael-Steinberger/9781668012956"&gt;Mike's new book, "The Philosopher in the Valley"&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;For a limited time only, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to &lt;a href="http://smalls.com/THEBULWARK"&gt;Smalls.com/THEBULWARK&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
</description>

POTUS is firing or censoring the statisticians who collect data on health and climate, as well as the kind of experts who could verify his lofty claims of an A++++ economy. And while Vance says that Trump is really turning things around, job losses are rising from his destructive tariff and immigration policies.

Catherine Rampell and Michael Steinberger: Trump Wants to Cook the Books

<description>&lt;div&gt;The people running the Republican grassroots are nativist populists, and it’s a space where opposition to Israel thrives, along with a heaping serving of antisemitism. Candace’s wild theories about the Charlie Kirk assassination has had a big impact among the young who get their news from TikTok and Instagram. And JD—who is the top-billed speaker at this year’s AmericaFest—is sending signals that he’s absorbing the nativist and anti-Zionist views among right-wing influencers like Tucker. Plus, Susie Wiles dishes on Trump and other top figures, and Stephen Miller’s wife is running a North Korea-style podcast with some of the biggest names in the administration—but with virtually no audience.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Will Sommer &lt;/strong&gt;joins Tim Miller.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thebulwark.com/s/false-flag"&gt;Will's "False Flag" newsletter&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2025/12/american-anti-semitism-youth/685261/?gift=AO0MhSsTDaHgiP_RxFGfByrxQb5bzs4PVDyY3JCev1s&amp;amp;utm_source=copy-link&amp;amp;utm_medium=social&amp;amp;utm_campaign=share"&gt;The recent &lt;em&gt;Atlantic &lt;/em&gt;piece that Tim referenced&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/story/trump-susie-wiles-interview-exclusive-part-1?srsltid=AfmBOor0sFymIqOCNhedbJCTici1O1mK0IVXYjQpgSDshUA_ECySx0i2"&gt;Vanity Fair's interview with Susie Wiles&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Exclusive $35 off Carver Mat at &lt;a href="https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARK"&gt;https://on.auraframes.com/BULWARK&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;br&gt;
Promo Code BULWARK&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
</description>

The people running the Republican grassroots are nativist populists, and it’s a space where opposition to Israel thrives, along with a heaping serving of antisemitism. Candace’s wild theories about the Charlie Kirk assassination has had a big impact among the young who get their news from TikTok and Instagram.

Will Sommer: Conspiracy Theorists Are Behind the Wheel in the Republican Party

<description>&lt;div&gt;From the shooting at Brown University, to the Oct. 7-style slaughter in Australia, and the shocking murder of Rob Reiner and his wife—it’s been one blow after another. But leave it to Trump to seize the moment to remind Americans what a disgusting human being he is. Meanwhile, social media algorithms keep pushing people to antisemitic content, and Kash is going to have to quit with the live-tweeting during FBI investigations. Plus, the MAGA crackup continues, Trump sounds like he’s losing his fight fight fight spirit, DOGE cuts hit red America, Dems should invest in campaigns in Iowa and Kansas, and Tim reads from the mailbag.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;strong&gt;Bill Kristol &lt;/strong&gt;joins Tim Miller.&lt;br&gt;
&lt;br&gt;
&lt;em&gt;show notes&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/rob-reiner-1947-2025?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Sonny's tribute to Reiner's remarkable work as a director&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/shock-horror-tragedy-syndey-bondi-brown-providence-shooting-reiner?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&amp;amp;utm_medium=web"&gt;Monday's "Morning Shots," including a contribution from Hannah in Providence&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://x.com/BulwarkOnline/status/2000670803902251445?s=20"&gt;Trump defending his grotesque comment &lt;br&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;
&lt;a href="https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/12/15/doge-cuts-donald-trump-montana-00681695"&gt;Politico on the DOGE cuts in Trump country&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br&gt;

&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;li&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.axios.com/2025/12/14/kamala-harris-president-2028"&gt;Axios on how Kamala may run again&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
&lt;div&gt;&lt;br&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;
&lt;ul&gt;
&lt;li&gt;Get $35 off your first box of wild-caught, sustainable seafood—delivered right to your door. Go to: &lt;a href="https://www.wildalaskan.com/BULWARK"&gt;https://www.wildalaskan.com/BULWARK&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/li&gt;
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&lt;/li&gt;
&lt;/ul&gt;
</description>

From the shooting at Brown University, to the Oct. 7-style slaughter in Australia, and the shocking murder of Rob Reiner and his wife—it’s been one blow after another. But leave it to Trump to seize the moment to remind Americans what a disgusting human being he is. 

Bill Kristol: A Weekend of Tragedy

<div>Tim Miller and guests discuss the latest political news for the flagship podcast of the Never Trump movement and the reality-based community. Every weekday we provide insightful analysis, political hot-takes, an unabashed defense of liberal democracy and long-form interviews that cut through the "both-sides" BS. Plus a few laughs to help you wash down the crazy.<br>
<br>
Bulwark+ members can get a totally ad-free version of the show delivered right to their favorite podcast player.</div>


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