Bulwark Takes – Episode Summary

Episode Title: Karoline Leavitt Thinks We’re All Idiots
Date: March 26, 2026
Host(s): JVL, Andrew Egger (with notable quotes from Karoline Leavitt, Trump’s Press Secretary)
Listen time: ~30 minutes (content begins at 01:00)

Episode Overview

This episode of “Bulwark Takes” dives into the latest press conference from Trump administration press secretary Karoline Leavitt, marked by her extreme spin, unwavering deflection of accountability, and the Trump White House’s increasingly surreal messaging amid an ongoing Middle East war and government shutdown. JVL and Andrew Egger meticulously dissect Leavitt's statements—her use of internet-famous phrases, gaslighting about the Iran war’s progress, regime change narratives, and economic fallout—all set against a backdrop of crumbling domestic support and mounting global instability.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Karoline Leavitt’s Gaslighting & Press Conference Performance

• Weaponizing Progressive Language:
  Leavitt bizarrely co-opted the progressive rallying cry “the cruelty is the point” (popularized by Adam Serwer) to blame Democrats for TSA dysfunction during a government shutdown, distorting the phrase’s original meaning.
• Quote:

  “The cruelty is the point… for the Democrats in Congress, the cruelty of this shutdown is the point. Nearly 500 TSA officers have quit since the Democrat shutdown began.”
  (—Karoline Leavitt, 03:34)

• Hosts’ Take:
  JVL calls out the absurdity:

  “[Leavitt] deploys it when talking about TSA lines,” highlighting her detachment from the original, damning context. (03:27)

• Cynical Blame Game:
  The administration’s tactic during the shutdown is to shift all blame to Democrats, even as Republicans and Trump himself undermine this line in public negotiations.
  “It has been pretty substantially undercut by many things the President himself has been saying…” (JVL, 04:16)

2. The State of the Iran War: Hype versus Reality

• Overhyping Military Success:
  Leavitt touts the “decimation” of the Iranian navy in grandiose, ahistorical terms, distracting from ongoing issues.
  • “She had some historical parallel… No navy since 1342 has ever been so decimated… Good for us, I guess.” (JVL, 05:32)
  • Andrew Egger critiques: the White House treats sizzle reels of military strikes as core messaging—“boob bait for Bubba,” not just for the public but reportedly for Trump himself. (06:35–08:59)
• Notable Moment:

  “Donald Trump on a kind of daily basis is getting his war briefings and they are featuring two minute sizzle reels of all the targets that were hit the day before…”
  (Andrew Egger, 07:56)

• Negotiations in Disarray:
  Despite leaks and rejections by Iran of a 15-point U.S. plan, Leavitt insists, against all evidence, that “talks continue…they are productive.”
  • “It’s not a great sign that you’re winning.” (Egger, 11:34)
• Opacity & Contempt:
  The administration’s war messaging is now a closed loop, more dismissive of questions than ever before.

  • “She has kind of the same move… she kind of looks at the reporter who asks about it and is like, like we would clue you in, like we would tell you anything…” (Egger, 11:34)

3. Rhetoric versus Reality on Regime Change

• Shifting Goalposts on Mission:
  Leavitt and Trump downplay earlier calls for regime change, twisting definitions to claim success without any substantial change in Iran’s government.
  • “Her position seems to be, we did regime change … maybe she is trying to lawyer it out.” (JVL, 18:10)

  • “This is a change in the regime because the leaders are all very different than the ones that we started off with…” (Egger, 19:17)

• Deep Dissonance:
  The hosts highlight the mismatch between the White House’s self-congratulatory rhetoric and actual developments, including Iran’s maximalist demands and Israel’s targeted approach.
  • “There is no indication from public reporting that this is anything close to the truth.” (Egger, 21:17)

4. The J.D. Vance and Negotiations Sideshow

• Iran Trolls the White House:
  Reports that Iran wants J.D. Vance to be U.S. negotiator elicit laughs and analogies—Egger likens it to the poisoned chalice handed to Kamala Harris on border policy.
  • “It would be sort of canny for Trump to force JD to carry this water, wouldn't it?” (JVL, 25:23)
  • Egger notes Trump isn’t the type for strategic political shuffling: “It’s never been super obvious to me that Trump has those… particular collection of neurons…” (A, 25:40)
• Political Implications:
  The longer the war drags on, the worse for Vance, who wants an antiwar reputation for 2028 but is cornered by administration policy.

5. Economic Fallout and Spin

• “Temporary Short Term Fluctuation” in Gas Prices:
  Leavitt’s obfuscation is called out:

  “She used a phrase which had clearly been workshopped to talk about gas prices…‘temporary short term fluctuation in gas prices.’” (JVL, 26:27)

  • “Which way is it fluctuating? I’m eager to know.” (Egger, 27:19)
  • “Nothing works. There’s no way to spin gas.” (Egger, 27:26)
• Broader Take:
  The administration’s fallback is to blame Democrats or claim “energy dominance” will return after the war—while ignoring the pain at the pump.

6. Leavitt’s Limitations & The White House Information Bubble

• No Adapting to New Realities:
  The hosts suggest Karoline Leavitt is only effective with strong tailwinds; in crisis, her glib contempt and press-baiting offer diminishing returns.

  “[She’s] good at twisting the knife. ...It is not necessarily clear to me that she has any other speed.” (Egger, 28:52)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Press Strategy:
  “There’s no way to spin gas… the number on the pump goes up and you suffer politically.” (Egger, 27:26)
• On Youth Voters:
  “He’s doing this for you. He’s doing this for young people so that we are no longer threatened by a rogue terrorist regime…” (Leavitt, 15:54)
  • “Do you think the young people…part of me has like the Steve Buscemi clip…‘Hello, fellow young people.’” (JVL, 16:24)
• On Trump War Briefings:
  “I think if they just showed like the normal plain vanilla gun cam…he probably wouldn’t be able to stay engaged.” (JVL, 08:59)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Timestamp | Segment Description | |-----------|------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:00 | Show proper begins: JVL and Egger intro; Leavitt’s “cruelty is the point” moment | | 03:34 | Leavitt blames Democrats for TSA/Shutdown | | 05:32 | Pivot to Iran war: Decimation of Iranian navy claims | | 06:35–09:32| “Sizzle reels” in Trump’s war briefings; war PR messaging | | 10:09 | Negotiation confusion: Leavitt claims talks are ongoing | | 15:21 | Leavitt pitches war as for “the young people” | | 18:10 | Regime change redefined | | 22:26–23:59| Iran floats J.D. Vance as mediator; White House trepidation | | 26:27 | “Temporary short-term fluctuation in gas prices” spin | | 28:52 | Egger on Leavitt’s limits as press secretary |

Final Takeaways

• The Trump administration, through spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, is doubling down on gaslighting and aggressive blame-shifting as the Iran war and shutdown become more unpopular and destabilizing.
• Once-potent rhetorical jabs (“cruelty is the point”) are now hollow, even desperate, and little has been credibly offered to address actual public concerns (economic pain, lack of war authorization, youth voter alienation).
• The Bulwark hosts see this press strategy as depleted, and Leavitt increasingly out of her depth amid mounting American and global costs.