Bulwark Takes: “If Vance Calls the Truth ‘Incitement,’ Then We’re Guilty As Charged.”

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host: The Bulwark (Will Saletan)
Date: September 26, 2025

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode, hosted by Will Saletan, delivers an urgent analysis of how the Trump administration—particularly Vice President J.D. Vance—is escalating its assault on dissent and freedom of speech. Saletan highlights how labeling criticism as "incitement" is becoming a tool to intimidate, remove, or prosecute those who call out authoritarianism and fascism in the government. The episode unpacks a series of chilling statements by Vance, recent events involving Jimmy Kimmel and media pressure, and the administration's wider aims to silence opposition, especially through manipulation of legal interpretations around incitement.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Escalating Authoritarianism and Government Overreach

• [00:30] Will Saletan sets the stage by outlining the Trump administration's recent abuses, including defying court orders and using the military domestically:

  "The Trump administration has defied court orders. It is sending troops into cities against the will of local and state officials."

• He recounts a sham indictment of former FBI director Jim Comey and contextualizes it as part of a broader, authoritarian campaign.

2. Criminalizing Speech About Authoritarianism

• Saletan warns:

  "They are trying to criminalize anyone who points out that they are authoritarian." [01:54]

• He then plays clips of Vice President J.D. Vance accusing the left of inciting violence simply for naming authoritarianism.

3. Vance’s Rhetoric on Speech and Incitement

• After a shooter attacked a government building in Dallas, Vance blamed not just the perpetrator but critics of the administration, charging that calling the government "authoritarian" or "fascist" is what leads to violence.
  • J.D. Vance [02:03]:

    "When Democrats like Gavin Newsom ... say that these people are part of an authoritarian government ... what they're doing is encouraging crazy people to go and commit violence."

• Vance argues that even asserting the government is fascist or holding the right responsible for violence is itself “incitement.”
  • J.D. Vance [02:46]:

    "A reasonable response to fascism, to Nazism would be violence, right? So what they're saying effectively is that you should engage in violence because the regime...are so bad."

4. Media & Targeting of Jimmy Kimmel

• Vance falsely claims that Jimmy Kimmel accused right-wing America of killing Charlie Kirk. He also asserts there was no coordinated effort to suspend Kimmel—contradicted by government pressure revealed in statements by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr.
  • J.D. Vance [03:26]:

    "You accused them of killing Charlie Kirk. ... you're actually apologizing for his murder. You're encouraging more of that violence to happen."

  • Will Saletan [03:54]:

    "Vance is lying about Kimmel. Kimmel did not accuse right wing America of killing Charlie Kirk."

• Saletan points out the orchestration—after Carr’s veiled threat, ABC suspended Kimmel.
  • Brendan Carr [05:51]:

    "We can do this the easy way or the hard way. ...there’s going to be additional work for the FCC ahead."

  • Will Saletan [06:29]:

    "This was totally the administration using the power of government to intimidate a network into taking somebody off the air."

5. Broader Crackdown on Dissent

• Vance suggests broadcast licenses and federal funding for universities could be at stake if “incitement” occurs.
  • J.D. Vance [07:23]:

    "If you are using federal dollars to incite violence against conservatives, you're not going to get those federal dollars anymore."

  • J.D. Vance [07:50]:

    "We really have to dismantle the entire network of left wing violence in this country."

6. Stretching the Definition of ‘Incitement’

• Saletan argues that Vance is weaponizing the legal definition of incitement to silence political opponents, violating First Amendment norms.
  • J.D. Vance [08:41]:

    "But the First Amendment does not protect imminent incitements to violence."

  • Will Saletan [08:54]:

    "Vance and the rest of these goons in the Trump administration are, are stretching the definition of incitement to criminalize dissent."

7. Hypocrisy on Rhetoric: Trump’s Incendiary Language

• Trump, at Kirk’s memorial:
  • Trump (quoted by Brendan Carr, [09:16]):

    "He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent."

• Vance dismisses this as a joke, highlighting the double standard.
  • J.D. Vance [09:30]:

    "Well, I think the President was joking ... highlight how hard it is for us to forgive our enemies."

• Saletan’s commentary:

  "So the comedian is serious. But the President is just kidding."

8. Direct Targeting of Individuals and Donors

• Trump named George Soros and Reid Hoffman as people to be targeted by this new paradigm.
• Implication: The administration is building a justification to prosecute or otherwise punish dissenters and funders of the opposition.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Will Saletan [01:54]:

  "They are trying to criminalize anyone who points out that they are authoritarian."

• J.D. Vance [02:46]:

  "So what they're saying effectively is that you should engage in violence because the regime...are so bad."

• Will Saletan [03:54]:

  "Vance is lying about Kimmel."

• Brendan Carr [05:51]:

  "We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

• J.D. Vance [07:50]:

  "We really have to dismantle the entire network of left wing violence in this country."

• Will Saletan [08:54]:

  "Vance and the rest of these goons in the Trump administration are, are stretching the definition of incitement to criminalize dissent."

• Trump (quoted) [09:16]:

  "He did not hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponent."

• J.D. Vance [09:30]:

  "The President was joking ... highlight how hard it is for us to forgive our enemies."

• Will Saletan [10:09]:

  "That is authoritarian. Donald Trump and JD Vance are imposing authoritarian government in the United States."

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:30] – Introduction: Trump administration’s recent authoritarian moves
• [01:54] – Saletan warns of criminalizing criticism as “incitement”
• [02:03 – 02:46] – Vance’s statements tying left-wing criticism to violence
• [03:26 – 05:05] – The Jimmy Kimmel controversy and government/media pressure
• [05:51 - 06:29] – FCC Chairman Carr’s pressure on ABC regarding Kimmel
• [07:23 – 07:50] – Vance on using federal funds to punish “incitement”
• [08:41 – 08:54] – Vance: “First Amendment does not protect imminent incitements to violence”
• [09:16 – 09:48] – Trump’s rhetoric at Kirk memorial, Vance’s defense
• [10:09] – Saletan’s closing statement on authoritarianism and criminalizing dissent

Summary

Will Saletan delivers a fiery exposé of the Trump administration’s push to define criticism as criminal incitement, highlighting Vice President J.D. Vance’s deliberate conflation of dissent with violence. The episode methodically dissects how the administration is leaning on media companies, universities, and donors to stamp out opposition, all while maintaining a hypocritical and selective attitude toward incendiary rhetoric from their own side. Saletan’s warning is clear: If calling out authoritarianism is incitement, “then we’re guilty as charged”—and civilization’s foundational right to speak truth to power is under dire threat.