Bulwark Takes — Noem Calls Biden a Tyrant, Trump a Savior—For the Same Thing

Host: Sam Stein | Date: August 31, 2025

Episode Overview

In this Labor Day weekend episode, Sam Stein dives into what he describes as the “ridiculous and hilarious” duality of Kristi Noem’s appearances on Sunday political shows. Stein dissects Noem’s dramatic and contradictory statements about the use of federal power—praising Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to Los Angeles, while decrying similar actions by President Biden as tyranny. The episode sharpens its focus on the rhetorical manipulation by politicians and the cynicism underlying law-and-order narratives.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Kristi Noem on Trump’s “Saving” of Los Angeles

• Context: Noem appeared on CBS’s Face the Nation, addressing Trump’s deployment of the National Guard to LA during recent immigration-related protests.

• Noem’s Claim: She asserted LA “would not have been left standing” if Trump hadn’t intervened.

• Sam Stein’s Take: Stein ridicules the absurdity of the claim, highlighting the reality that the protest was minor, covering just “a three or four block radius.”

  “If not for President Trump sending in the Guard, the entire city of Los Angeles, the second most populous city in the country, I think it’s like 500 square miles...It would not have been left standing.” (01:32)

  • Stein double-checked LA’s size: “503 square miles...All of it would have been gone.” (02:10) He dismisses the assertion as “bullshit,” attributing such exaggerations to the effort to “scare people who don’t step foot in these cities.”

2. Exaggeration for Political Effect

• Insight: Stein notes that politicians intentionally stoke fears by painting cities as “dystopian hell holes,” disconnected from reality for people who actually live there.

  “It’s because people who don’t step foot in these cities have a perception...that they are dystopian hell holes that you can’t even walk without being mugged.” (03:04)

3. The Chicago Comparison: Accusing Pritzker of Ego

• Noem’s Argument: She criticized Governor J.B. Pritzker for resisting the use of federal forces in Chicago.

  “If he has one murder in the city of Chicago, he should be calling President Trump and saying, what’s your ideas?” (05:13)

  • Noem claims local officials oppose federal intervention out of ego, not public safety concern.
  • She frames non-cooperation with immigration detainers and resistance to the National Guard as attacks on law and order.

4. Contradictions: Noem’s States’ Rights Flip-Flop

• Stein’s Fact-Checking:
  • Noem, as South Dakota governor, had opposed Biden’s attempts to utilize the National Guard at the border, framing it as a violation of states’ rights.
  • Stein points out the inconsistency: When murder rates increased in South Dakota (18 to 31 homicides, 2023–2024), Noem didn’t “call up Joe Biden” for help as she claims Pritzker should have with Trump.
  • Quote from Noem’s past stance:

    “They were encouraging President Biden to activate our National Guard soldiers so that they would stand down…Recognizing the real threat that was to states rights…made me show up in Texas the next day…” (07:40)

  • Stein summarizes:

    “Noem was vehemently opposed to the idea of President Joe Biden helping out by sending in the National Guard to anything. She called it an affront to states rights.” (07:00)

  • The host highlights the “double standard” of calling Biden a tyrant for similar actions she praises Trump for taking.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On LA’s fate:

  “The city of Los Angeles would have been razed to the ground, just, you know, a heap of ashes…Obviously, this is bullshit.” — Sam Stein (02:10)

• On the nature of urban fearmongering:

  “People who don’t step foot in these cities have a perception…that they are dystopian hell holes.” — Sam Stein (03:04)

• On Noem’s double standard:

  “She called it an affront to states rights. Now she believes that the National Guard should be deputized to go into the cities.” — Sam Stein (08:30)

Important Timestamps

| Timestamp | Segment Description | | ---------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 00:00 | Sam introduces the Noem comments and sets the context (Labor Day, Sunday shows) | | 01:32 | Stein paraphrases Noem’s claim that Trump “saved LA”—incredulity and fact-check | | 02:10 | Stein calls out the absurdity of Noem’s assertion on LA’s supposed destruction | | 03:04 | Discussion of fearmongering and the myth of dangerous cities | | 05:13 | Noem’s CBS comments on Chicago, attacking Pritzker’s “ego” and calling for federal intervention | | 07:00 | Stein unpacks Noem’s conflicting positions as governor and federal official | | 07:40 | Audio clip: Noem arguing National Guard orders under Biden would “take away our state’s rights” | | 08:30 | Stein sums up Noem’s double standard and highlights critiques |

Takeaways

• The episode dissects the hypocrisy and rhetorical gamesmanship of Kristi Noem and, by extension, similar political actors.
• Stein emphasizes how public fear is manipulated for partisan ends, especially relating to law enforcement in urban areas.
• The episode underscores a continuing national discussion about federal versus local authority, states’ rights, and public safety.

Tone:
Sam Stein’s tone remains incredulous, lightly sarcastic, and deeply skeptical, but also direct and fact-driven. He weaves in pointed humor to undercut political absurdities, and centers his critique on the importance of factual reality over partisan narrative.

For further reflection:
Episodes like this reveal how fast-moving narratives can obscure basic consistencies and principles in politics. Moments like these are essential listening for readers trying to parse the line between policy and performative outrage.