Bill Kristol: Authoritarian Takeover

The Bulwark Podcast

The Bulwark

News, Society & Culture, Politics, News Commentary

4.6 • 11.6K Ratings

🗓️ 18 August 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Militarizing the nation's capital is not a distraction, and Democrats really need to stop using that term. Trump is trying to seize power, intimidate the public, and foment violence in the streets. And it's a purposeful MAGA marketing campaign—the masked federal thugs often have a camera person with them as they tase and tackle people. This is a fight that is central to the pro-democracy coalition, and it must become a political loser for Trump. Meanwhile, European leaders are now the ones defending liberty, and Trump may be laying the groundwork for an attempted federal takeover of our elections.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.

show notes

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Building a coffee business?
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0:25.0	That's right, Mounties, Tim Hortons, maple syrup.
0:28.4	Might have some Seagram 7 on stage.
0:31.2	We can have no fear of mass military police, you know, tackling us and asking for our passports.
0:41.1	And most importantly, we get to support our friends up north as they combat Trump's stupid trade war. I'm ready to start singing, Oh, Canada right now.
0:46.7	I'm so excited to do it. I've got Sarah Longwell with me and Canada's favorite, Sam Stein.
0:52.2	We're going to be there in September. For those of you that aren't up for stamping the passport, I get it. You can catch me, Sarah, and JV.L. in D.L. in D.C. and New York in October as well. To get first dibs on tickets, sign out to become a Bullwark Plus member. You get access to a ticket presale. And that's going to go live tomorrow on Tuesday. And you get all the other benefits of being a Bollard Plus member. You get the secret podcast on Friday. How are you surviving without the secret podcast? So come on, become a Blerc Plus member, get access to the pre-sale, and you'll be able to come hang out with us in Toronto, New York, or D.C. Do you aren't a member?
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1:30.1	There'll be tickets available on Wednesday,
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1:36.9	It's thebubourc.com slash events.
1:38.4	Up next, it's Monday.
1:53.6	So we got Bill Crystal. Hello and welcome to the Bullwark podcast.
1:55.2	I'm your host Tim Miller.
1:56.1	It is Monday.
1:57.8	And even though he's on vacation,
1:59.8	we've got editor at Large Bill Crystal.
2:01.8	He could not stay away from you guys.
2:07.8	He is at the beach, and you might hear the, what did Melania call it in the letter?
2:14.1	The melodious laughter of children behind you, behind you as we talk.
	...

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