Show Notes
Five days. That’s how long Katie Zachariah lasted as Trump’s White House press secretary before a disastrous debut, questions about her legal credentials, and a wave of West Wing backstabbing brought her tenure to an abrupt end. Former Trump White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews joins Andrew Egger and Judd Legum, whose reporting helped expose Zachariah’s questionable résumé, to explain how it all fell apart, why Trump bears the blame, and what this fiasco reveals about the chaos returning to his White House in the second term. Find your next fall favorites at https://www.quince.com/. Get free shipping on your order and 365-day returns. Now available in Canada and the UK, too. When Quince asks where you heard about them, let them know it was Bulwark Takes.
More from Bulwark Takes
Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) give their takes on Pete Hegseth’s surprise visit to Israel days before Benjamin Netanyahu’s election and amid the possibility of new strikes against Iran. They also discuss the strain of sending a third aircraft carrier strike group to the Middle East and the damage Hegseth’s office caused to a historic globe once used by Dwight Eisenhower. Plus, Trump threatens to withhold compensation for victims of contaminated water at Camp Lejeune if Republicans lose the midterms.
Tim Miller sits down with David Mauricio, the newly minted Jubilee Surrounded star, to break down his viral clashes with MAGA debaters. Mauricio explains why he came out swinging, how Trump’s defenders struggled to answer questions about the president’s corruption, and why one debater’s attempt to question his citizenship backfired. Plus, Mauricio confronts woman who casually admits she was at the Capitol on January 6 while defending a pardoned insurrectionist who later sexually abused children.
Ben Parker and Michael Weiss dissect Steve Witkoff’s praise of Vladimir Putin as a “humanitarian” and JD Vance’s defense of the Trump envoy, exposing the weakness and incompetence behind the administration’s Russia diplomacy. They examine how Trump’s desperation for a deal with Putin is leading to concessions on sanctions, undermining Ukraine, and rewarding Russian aggression. Plus, Michael explains how Russia’s growing cooperation with Iran threatens U.S. interests and why Trump’s approach is putting America’s global standing at risk. This episode is sponsored by the New York Times.
How do democracies fall apart, and why do the people who could stop it so often look the other way? CNN’s Dana Bash joins Sarah Longwell to examine the elections that changed history, including the fatal miscalculation that helped bring Hitler to power and its disturbing echoes in Trump’s Republican Party. They also explore how a handful of votes might have prevented Trump’s rise, why Democrats need to learn how to win, and which 2026 races could change American politics for generations. This episode is sponsored by the New York Times. Get Dana Bash’s new book, The Elections That Changed the World: Fifteen Pivotal Moments That Shaped How We Live, co-written with David Fisher: https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-elections-that-changed-the-world-fifteen-pivotal-moments-that-shaped-how-we-live-dana-bash/bcc71c1baa846304
Jonathan Cohn sits down with Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to discuss his admiration for Barack Obama, the shortcomings of the Obama presidency, and the lessons he hopes to carry into the Senate. El-Sayed explains why he believes Obama made it possible for people like him to run for office, where he thinks Obama fell short on health care and other issues, and why Democrats need to stop assuming Republicans will negotiate in good faith. Plus, El-Sayed discusses standing up to Trump, why he believes Americans are less divided than they think, and his philosophy of fighting bullies without becoming one himself. This video is sponsored by The New York Times.