Podcast Summary: Bulwark Takes — "Bill and Tim Couldn’t Wait Until Monday"

Host: Bill Kristol, Tim Miller
Date: February 22, 2026

Episode Overview

This special Sunday edition brings together Bill Kristol and Tim Miller for a timely and candid discussion on three central issues: the ongoing ICE operations in Minnesota and their social impact, a puzzling Trump hospital ship announcement for Greenland, and the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Drawing on their direct experiences in Minneapolis and recent reporting, Bill and Tim reflect on activism, community resilience, and the pitfalls of performative politics in the Trump era.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Aftermath of ICE Operations in Minnesota

• First Impressions & Personal Reflections

  • Bill and Tim open by reflecting on their recent trip to Minneapolis after the high-profile ICE raids and the mass mobilization of the local community.
  • Bill: "It was so, I think striking for both of us and moving and interesting..." [01:53]

• False Sense of Victory?

  • Tim recounts his initial feeling that the community had achieved a “valedictory” victory after ICE backed down from mass raids, only to find out that tactics had simply changed, not ceased.
  • Notable Quote: "They have not retreated, but just retrenched a little bit and changed their tactics..." — Tim [04:38]

• Persistence of Federal Pressure

  • Bill notes the continued presence of ICE and ongoing deportation efforts, which now avoid flashy mass roundups but rely on subtler, targeted operations, especially in suburbs and among less organized populations.
  • Bill: "It’s not over there. God knows nationally, it’s full steam ahead on deportation and mass deportation." [05:40]

• Community Trauma & Memorials

  • They describe visiting memorials for Renee Good and Preddy, citizens killed during the raids, and highlight the impact of official misinformation about their deaths and the neighborhoods involved.
  • Tim: "The enraging part of the whole thing was like...the premise that this was necessary because of some killer immigrants. Like, both of these were safe neighborhoods." [07:10]
  • Bill: "There’s no official designation...very striking. People coming out and tidying up...somebody was killed because of fabricated lies." [08:35]

• Democratic Leadership

  • Praise for Minnesota's Governor Tim Walz and Senator Tina Smith for strong public leadership during the crisis, in contrast to typical critiques of Democratic timidity.
  • Tim: "She [Tina Smith] is more fired up than I’ve ever seen her—probably because they see what the time it is..." [10:16]

2. Media & Political Response: Frustrations with 'Bothsidesism'

• Bill recounts a panel exchange with ex-Governor Pat McCrory, pushing back against the “both sides are to blame” narrative prevalent even among anti-Trump Republicans.
• Notable Quote: "[McCrory] still has Republican-ish talking points...a kind of plague on both your houses." — Bill [12:26]
• They criticize the tendency to normalize extreme events as just more partisan fighting—“It is a, you know, it’s an unlawful federal siege on a city.” — Tim [15:42]

3. Grassroots Resistance and Civic Action

• Relief & Protection Efforts

  • Extensive mutual aid: local residents, including those with no activist background, organize rides and food for immigrant families, use Signal chains for coordination, and physically accompany children to school to evade ICE snatches.
  • Bill: "Middle class people my age...volunteering to do the kinds of things you’re talking about...who’s ever heard of such a thing in this country really?" [16:36]

• Confrontation Without Violence

  • Tim highlights the courage and restraint among activists, often older citizens, who document ICE actions and impede operations without resorting to violence, despite provocation.
  • Notable Quote: "Is that impeding? You know what I mean, we can quibble...but it’s certainly confronting and I think they showed a lot of bravery there." — Tim [18:23]

• Revival of Community Spirit

  • Discussion of how crisis spurred civic engagement, challenging the assumption of declining social capital.
  • Bill: "We might...have seen a kind of revival of it or just a flourishing of it almost under very difficult circumstances in Minnesota." [21:51]
  • “I’m going to coach in a basketball league after this. So...we have a league still.” — Tim [23:21]

4. The Trump/Greenland Hospital Ship Fiasco

• Trump’s Misleading Social Media Announcement
  • Trump tweets about sending a hospital ship from Louisiana to Greenland, but facts don’t add up: hospital ships are in for maintenance; Greenland’s need is fabricated, and Louisiana’s governor has no real authority here.
  • Tim: "Why is the governor of Louisiana involved at all in this?...even if it were real, that still is kind of an affront to the whole basic principle..." [25:20]
• Broader Significance
  • Bill and Tim see the episode as emblematic Trumpism: performative, wasteful, untruthful, and alien to any real America First logic.
  • Bill: "...performative bullshit. I mean, just even Maga thinks that’s great. Hey, that’s great, he’s sending a hospital ship from San Diego to Greenland." [29:38]

5. Ukraine War: Four-Year Anniversary Reflections

• The Stalemate and Dwindling Support

  • Marking four years since the all-out Russian invasion, Bill and Tim lament the U.S. Republican retreat on Ukraine aid and the media’s numbness to the ongoing conflict.
  • Tim: "It is amazing and I have to force myself actively to keep paying attention to it...There’s just this Groundhog Day element." [32:45]
  • Bill: "[It’s a] particularly disgraceful...case of total and thorough abdication of responsibility and even of decency by the Congressional Republicans." [35:01]

• American Pride Despite Politics

  • Tim lightens the mood with a hockey victory and a moving story about Asian American Olympic figure skater Alyssa Liu’s family history, emblematic of American ideals.
  • Tim: "We watched it all together. Alyssa Liu, you know, and her father was a dissident Chinese dissident fleeing China, that was something that gave us pride..." [36:37]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "They have not retreated, but just retrenched a little bit and changed their tactics..." — Tim Miller [04:38]
• "It’s not over there. God knows nationally, it’s full steam ahead on deportation and mass deportation." — Bill Kristol [05:40]
• "The premise that this was necessary because of some killer immigrants—like, both of these were safe neighborhoods." — Tim Miller [07:10]
• "This is a, you know, it’s an unlawful federal siege on a city." — Tim Miller [15:42]
• "Who’s ever heard of such a thing in this country really...except the civil rights movement in the 60s." — Bill Kristol [16:36]
• "Is that impeding?...but it’s certainly confronting and I think they showed a lot of bravery there." — Tim Miller [18:23]
• "We might...have seen a kind of revival of it or just a flourishing of it almost under very difficult circumstances in Minnesota." — Bill Kristol [21:51]
• "Why is the governor of Louisiana involved at all in this?...even if it were real, that still is kind of an affront to the whole basic principle..." — Tim Miller [25:20]
• "...such a lie. It is so insane and such a waste of money actually. And such a performative bullshit." — Bill Kristol [29:38]
• "[It’s a] particularly disgraceful...abdication of responsibility and even of decency by the Congressional Republicans." — Bill Kristol [35:01]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Reflections on Minneapolis & ICE Tactics: 01:29–10:59
• Memorial Visits & Community Trauma: 06:13–09:36
• Democratic Leadership & Political Response: 09:36–13:44
• Grassroots Resistance Stories: 14:59–22:18
• Civic Engagement & Social Capital: 20:36–23:29
• Trump’s Hospital Ship Announcement: 24:05–32:18
• Ukraine Invasion Anniversary & Republican Abdication: 32:20–35:38
• American Pride, Olympics, and Closing Reflections: 35:38–36:52

Closing

The episode is a sweeping, sometimes raw, exploration of trauma and resilience in the Trump era—delivering trenchant observations on civic courage, the shifting tactics of power, and the tension between performative politics and genuine leadership. Despite bleak headlines, Bill and Tim end on notes of pride and hope, spotlighting the everyday Americans and Minnesotans rising to meet extraordinary times.