Bulwark Takes – Episode Summary

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Date: February 7, 2026
Title: JD Vance Just Got BOOED at the Olympics!
Hosts/Contributors: Tim Miller, Adrian Carrasquillo, Mark (likely Mark McKinnon), plus notable quotes referencing others

Episode Overview

This episode of Bulwark Takes is a fast-paced, incisive discussion diving into the latest news cycle—highlighting the viral moment J.D. Vance, the U.S. Vice President, was loudly booed at the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan. The Bulwark team also explores broader themes around MAGA fragility, the Bad Bunny Super Bowl halftime “controversy,” Republican maneuvering on democracy and elections, and the state of U.S. political culture at home and abroad.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. JD Vance Gets Booed at the Olympics (Main Story)

• Context: During the Parade of Nations at the Milan Winter Olympics, Vice President J.D. Vance and his wife Usha appeared on the Jumbotron—prompting loud, sustained boos from the crowd.
• Significance: The Bulwark crew views the moment as a powerful, symbolic repudiation from the international community of both Vance’s personality and the broader Trump administration’s global standing.
• Media Control: Tim Miller jokes about the Olympics’ strict takedowns of footage of the booing, arguing that such a notable incident belongs to global public discourse:

  “That is wrong. That is fundamentally wrong. We all deserve this. Videos of JD Vance getting booed belong to all of us. It is part of being in the world community. All right? We are the world, and we all deserve to see J.D. Vance getting booed.” — Tim Miller [02:44]

• Humorous Reenactment: Tim and Mark theatrically recreate the boos, leaning hard into mockery:

  “Boo. You suck. Recessed side profile, fat face. Boo. You suck.” — Tim Miller [03:34]

2. The Politics of “Making Losers Great Again”

• Mark’s Skepticism: Mark expresses disbelief at the self-inflicted nature of the administration’s approach—why openly embrace toxicity?

  “I feel like I miss the chapters about making losers great again... The only reason you steal something is if you can't earn it or win it.” — Mark [03:57]

• Tim’s Analysis: The embrace of “winning at any cost,” even through sordid means, is rooted in perceived fragility and an inability to accept loss:

  “You can't accept any loss, and so you sort of lash out for any possible explanation… they're looking for every possible vantage point to prevent that or every possible tactic to prevent that.” — Tim Miller [04:41]

3. Election Interference, Gerrymandering, and Democratic Hardball

• Pushback Matters: The team discusses how Democratic victories in redistricting and hardball politics (e.g., Louise Lucas in Virginia) show that aggressive MAGA tactics can backfire and sometimes inspire effective opposition.

  “Good on her for playing hardball right back. So that has that backfired.” — Tim Miller [05:45]

• Voter Intimidation: Trump/Bannon plans to place masked “thugs” outside voting locations could motivate higher turnout, not less.

4. MAGA’s Goalpost Shifting and Constitutional Red Herrings

• Mark refuses to debate MAGA’s “third term” talk, deeming it unserious and rooted in moving the goalposts—“akin to something I refuse to cover here.”
• Tim mocks the futility:

  “Yeah, I want muscles, but, you know, less time with you.” — Tim Miller [07:23]

5. The Limits of MAGA’s Rule-Breaking

• Institutional Resistance: Stories from Minnesota and Oregon illustrate that there are limits to how far anti-democratic behavior can go—eventually the system pushes back.
• Silver Linings: “...they run into eventually some practical limitations. And I think that is like the smallest of silver linings.” — Tim Miller [08:39]

6. Inappropriate Government “Besties”

• Controversy: The group skewers a government official’s explanation for why the Director of National Intelligence and Attorney General are always together (“we’re inseparable, we’re besties”).
• Incredulity:

  “Her answer is, we're besties. That's why the DNI was in an election office. What?” — Mark [10:37]
  “It's crazy... Director of National Intelligence and the Attorney General shouldn't be sharing calendars and diaries.” — Tim Miller [10:55]

• Lame Duckism: Signs of Trump’s waning influence are emerging, with even some GOP pushback against the administration’s more egregious missteps.

7. Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl & MAGA Fragility

• The “Trigger” Factor: MAGA influencers rage at Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl Halftime gig, fueling alternate, “safe” halftime programming.

  “Take a look at how the mere existence of Bad Bunny, a superstar who doesn't perform in English, has gotten under their very, very, very fragile little thin skin. It's embarrassing…” — Mark [12:43]

• Alternate Halftime: The irony of MAGA’s alternate (Kid Rock) show is highlighted, given Kid Rock’s controversial lyrics:

  “The alternate halftime show being Kid Rock... That's the Christian counter programming. They have, you know, a kind of Epstein pilled, you know, pro sex crime, horrific singer.” — Tim Miller [14:15]

• Adrian Explains Bad Bunny’s Appeal:

  “He’s multi, multiracial, multiethnic. He's open to LGBT issues. He stood up for trans women… Bad Bunny has 87 and a half million listeners per month on Spotify, and Kid Rock has 5 million... It's just clear that it's everything that MAGA and the conservatives don't want to deal with right now and don't want to embrace.” — Adrian Carrasquillo [15:05]

8. The Broader Moment: U.S. Image Abroad and Domestic Tides

• Polling Reality: Trump’s underwater approval (36–37%) is reflected by public responses domestically and abroad.
• NFL as a Barometer: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell now publicly and unapologetically defends progressive artists—a sign of cultural shift:

  “A year ago, we were watching all these institutions folding and just like, giving up to this administration. And now you have the commissioner of the NFL saying, yeah, look, this guy, he knows the moment. Bad Bunny knows the moment.” — Adrian Carrasquillo [17:05]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On JD Vance’s Persona:

  “JD Vance is an unappealing jerk... What is new here is that J.D. vance... has tried to cultivate a Persona of being a smug bully that attacks countries that have sacrificed for us... I'm pleased that J.D. vance got a little bit of that back with Usha at his side.” — Tim Miller [17:55]

• On International Rejection:

  “At the sight of Vance waving miniature American flags from the San Siro grandstand, the crowd booed loudly.” — Mark, quoting USA Today [16:10]

• On MAGA Overreaction:

  “There's always a projection. I mean, Corey Lewandowski called it a poor choice. I mean, he works for someone who made the poorest choice of all to shoot a puppy in the face. Like, who are these people?” — Mark [12:43]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [02:44] – Tim’s plea for universal access to JD Vance booing videos
• [03:27–03:45] – Tim and Mark reenact the Olympic booing
• [10:37] – Mark and Tim lampoon the “we’re besties” defense from the press conference
• [12:43] – Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl, MAGA outrage, and alternate halftime show
• [15:05] – Adrian on Bad Bunny’s cultural significance
• [16:10] – Reading of USA Today’s description of the crowd’s booing
• [17:05] – NFL’s shifting stance and implication for U.S. politics/culture
• [17:55] – Tim’s summary: JD Vance’s unlikeability is as significant as his policies

Conclusion

This Bulwark Takes episode blends wit with sharp political insight, using the viral JD Vance booing as a prism to explore MAGA exhaustion, shifting institutional backbones, and America’s battered reputation at home and abroad. Memorable, sometimes caustic, always candid, the team dishes both the “dessert” (public ridicule) and the substance (democratic resilience) for listeners hungry for more than just hot takes.