Bulwark Takes — America Is About to Betray a Brave Man

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host: Tim Miller
Date: December 16, 2025

Episode Overview

In this impassioned episode, Tim Miller from The Bulwark highlights the impending deportation of Henguan, a Chinese whistleblower who exposed grave abuses against Uyghur Muslims in China. Miller explores the case’s deep moral and geopolitical implications, situating it within the broader context of America’s waning commitment to offering safe haven to dissidents and to competing effectively with the Chinese regime on the global stage. The discussion covers the failures of current American policy regarding China, both in human rights and strategic terms, and includes a rapid-fire review of recent, troubling headlines related to the U.S.–China relationship.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Story of Henguan: A Human Rights Crisis

(01:00–07:00)

• Who is Henguan?

  • A Chinese citizen and whistleblower, Henguan took the risk of traveling to Xinjiang in 2020 to document and film China’s secretive detention centers for Uyghur Muslims.
  • This footage became rare but vital evidence of China’s human rights abuses.

• Seeking Asylum in the U.S.

  • In 2021, Henguan fled to the U.S. and applied for asylum, following a long American tradition: “...people fleeing communist countries, political dissidents... could find safe haven and safe refuge here.” (Tim Miller, 03:08)
  • Detained by ICE in August 2025, his fate is now in limbo amid public outcry.

• The U.S. Decision to Deport

  • Initial plans to send him back to China were dropped after pressure, but authorities now plan to deport him to Uganda—where he has no connections and is likely at risk of being sent back to China due to close China-Uganda ties.
  • “It's more than likely that for such a highly sensitive person like Mr. Gwon, that Uganda would send him back to China.” (Tim Miller quoting lawyer from NYT, 05:15)

• Moral and Strategic Failure

  • Miller calls this a “horrific human rights abuse” and a “massive rake step and self-own” in America’s global competition with China.

2. America’s Betrayal of Core Values

(03:30–08:00)

• Failure to Uphold the American Narrative

  • The U.S. won the Cold War partly because the world viewed it as a bastion of freedom—a credibility now at risk.
  • “...the victory in the Cold War was... a narrative one. Like, in the end, people saw and believed that the US model... was a winning one, not the model... of repression and economic scarcity.” (Tim Miller, 04:12)

• Current Contradictions

  • Deporting whistleblowers directly undermines the U.S. legacy of harboring dissidents, making America appear less committed to its own ideals on the world stage.

3. Broader U.S.–China Competition: America Is Losing Ground

(08:00–14:00)

• Trump’s Weakness on China

  • Miller asserts that Donald Trump’s stance has been among the “most pliant and prostrate” of any U.S. president facing a great-power competitor.
  • He lists policy failures which have undermined America’s position globally and strengthened China's hand.

• Strategic Blunders

  • The U.S. is seen as unreliable after:
    • Trade wars pushing allies to re-engage with China (“Trade wars... created a lot of countries deciding that China is more reliable.” — Tim Miller, 09:35)
    • Cuts to aid, ceding influence in the Global South.
    • Sending dissidents to partners of China.

• Specific Incidents

  • AI Chips for Soybeans
    • U.S. gives China access to advanced tech in exchange for agricultural promises not being kept: “We are giving China the most access to the most powerful AI chips in exchange for some soybeans. That is the deal. And we haven't even got the soybeans yet.” (Tim Miller, 10:44)
  • Lax Intelligence and Domestic Policy
    • U.S. fails to stop Chinese espionage effectively, referencing an article about the FBI being distracted as Chinese spies grow more aggressive.
  • Immigration Contradictions
    • Increasing student visas for Chinese nationals, despite otherwise restrictive policies, is seen as tone-deaf.
    • “...the only people we're letting into the country are white South Africans... and we're now like making, you know, prioritizing student visas for Chinese, for the Chinese people.” (Tim Miller, 12:35)
  • Other “Cell-Owns”
    • Pardoning Chinese criminals with Trump business links.
    • Allowing Chinese billionaires to leverage American birthright citizenship via surrogacy.
    • Neglecting attempts to root out CCP spies in the U.S.

4. The Big Picture: A Losing Narrative

(14:00–16:00)

• A Reversal of the Cold War Dynamic

  • “In the Cold War, people were looking at the options and saying, look at the American model and how successful it is... Now... they're seeing an American model that is erratic and closed... and at least a Chinese model... that's reliable.” (Tim Miller, 15:10)

• A Grim Warning

  • Miller warns of the prospects of a world ordered by the CCP: “If the future of the world is a future that the CCP wants, I think that's a very dark place indeed.” (Tim Miller, 15:55)

• Call to Action

  • “I hope and pray that somehow we can intervene on behalf of Henguan and protect him, because somebody that was showing a lot of bravery and courage... should be able to find a safe haven somewhere in this world...” (Tim Miller, 16:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “What is the US for if not for welcoming people that were political dissidents in other countries, were whistleblowing, were providing evidence of the horrific human rights abuses in those countries and when to come to the US for freedom?”
  — Tim Miller (03:30)
• “This is simultaneously a horrific human rights abuse that we are inflicting on this whistleblower, and also just a massive rake step and self-own in the global competition against China.”
  — Tim Miller (05:52)
• “We are deporting Chinese whistleblowers. We are allowing Chinese billionaires to buy American wombs... We are increasing the number of Chinese students... pardoning Chinese criminals... trading the Chinese our advanced AI chips in exchange for beans. A hill of beans... We are doing a worse job than ever at identifying CCP spies inside our country. This is an F.”
  — Tim Miller (14:35)
• “Now a lot of people looking on the road, they're seeing the inverse. They're seeing an American model that is erratic and closed and closed minded and shrinking and like, they're seeing at least a Chinese model that might have Harvard human rights abuses, and it does, but they're at least a reliable partner.” — Tim Miller (15:10)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:00–07:00 — The story of Henguan and the asylum crisis
• 07:00–09:45 — America’s eroding moral narrative and global message
• 09:45–14:35 — Rapid-fire failures in Trump-era U.S.–China policy (trade, intelligence, immigration, and more)
• 14:35–16:24 — Broader implications, warnings, and a final call to action

Summary Takeaway

Tim Miller delivers a blistering critique of America’s impending deportation of a Chinese whistleblower and argues that U.S. policy is failing both moral and strategic tests. The episode links the human tragedy of Henguan to a wider pattern of American retreat and incompetence in confronting China’s global challenge, illuminating what’s at stake: not just one man’s life, but America’s soul and standing among nations.