Podcast Summary: Bulwark Takes

Episode: Right-Wing Figures Revolt Over Trump’s Genocide Threat

Date: April 7, 2026
Hosts: Sam Stein (A), Will Sommer (B)
Format: News commentary and analysis

Overview

In this episode, Sam Stein and Will Sommer dissect the extraordinary backlash from prominent right-wing figures to former President Donald Trump’s incendiary social media post suggesting the annihilation of Iran's civilization. The conversation spotlights reactions across the conservative spectrum—including from figures like Tucker Carlson, Alex Jones, Candace Owens, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Megyn Kelly—while grappling with the potential consequences within the broader MAGA community and for U.S. democracy. The tone is urgent, grim, and critical, with hosts expressing anxiety over the state of American politics and the normalization of extremist rhetoric.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Trump’s Provocative Statement and the Unprecedented Backlash

• Main Event: Trump posts on social media, "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again," implying a decisive military strike against Iran.
  • [00:00] Sam Stein: "We say this because early this morning, Trump, Donald Trump bleeded. A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again ... this is scary, obviously..."
• Significance: The openly genocidal rhetoric is a rare, shocking moment even for a former president, prompting discussion about whether the U.S. is shifting toward theocracy or authoritarianism.

2. Tucker Carlson’s on-air Revolt

• Background: Tucker had previously defended or rationalized Trump, claiming he'd been misled or tricked (e.g., by Israel).
  • [01:14] Will Sommer: "Tucker's been kind of walking his way up to finally criticizing Trump...then on Monday night, he came out with this video where...he starts arguing that Trump is the Antichrist."
• Clip Played [02:39]:
  • Tucker Carlson: "But to mock other people's faith is to mock the idea of faith itself, and we should never mock that."
• Discussion: While the "Antichrist" rhetoric is dismissed as extreme, both hosts agree Tucker’s argument about religious respect is compelling—especially in the face of war justified by theological language.
  • [03:24] Sam Stein: "I found his argument compelling...if you're going to face an entire religion...you are not acting as a normal, constitutional American president..."

3. Calls for Resistance Within Government

• Tucker’s Call to Action [07:19]:
  • Tucker Carlson: "If you work in the White House or in the US Military, now is time to say no, absolutely not, and say it directly to the President."
• Analysis: Stein underscores how previous dissenters (like Joe Kent) faced retaliation, highlighting the personal and professional risks for officials considering speaking out.
  • [07:56] Sam Stein: "...they went and they, they targeted six senators, Democrats, for the crime of saying you don't have to obey unlawful orders..."

4. Alex Jones’s Unexpected Criticism

• [09:11] Alex Jones: "A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. That is the definition of genocide...But this new Trump...the last eight months is a disaster."
• Analysis: Despite years as a staunch Trump supporter, Jones brands the plan “genocidal.” Sommer sees this as consistent with Jones’s conspiratorial but oddly “humanistic” preoccupations.
  • [11:28] Will Sommer: "...for all his flaws, I think [destroying civilization] kind of strikes at the center of the Alex Jones ethos."

5. Other Right-Wing Figures Break Ranks

• Candace Owens & Marjorie Taylor Greene:
  • Owens: Calls Trump a "genocidal lunatic," urges use of the 25th Amendment.
  • Greene: "25th amendment! Exclamation point, exclamation point, exclamation point," labels the action "evil and madness."
• Reflection: The hosts can’t recall a left-wing equivalent of so many major figures breaking ranks so publicly.
  • [12:54] Sam Stein: "...what would be the parallel be like if, during the Obama years, Jon Stewart was just saying...get him out of office...but like, I don't know, 25th Amendment remotely close."

6. MAGA Base and The Limits of Backlash

• Polling and Anecdotes:
  • MAGA voters seem largely undeterred, despite elite media figures dissenting.
  • Merch stores closing and other signs may signal grassroots disillusionment, but many still default to “Anyone but Democrats.”
• [14:23] Megyn Kelly (Clip):
  • "Trump could drop a nuke. And I still vote Republican over those people because they want to avenue voter in some ways, I really am. But honestly, they, what they want to do is nuke our own country..."
• Stein’s Response: "It's not even remotely on the same ledger. Nuke a civilization or, like, be kind to transgender athletes. Gotta choose, you know."
• Sommer's Take:
  • Media power among right-wing figures is more significant than on the left; their support or resistance has more potential to sway opinion.

7. The "Madman Theory" and Escalation Risks

• Conservative Responses:
  • Some claim it’s just a bluff (echoes of Trump’s previous "madman theory" with North Korea).
  • [15:34] Will Sommer: "This is madman theory...he doesn't want to lose face...it just seems like it's going to keep escalating."
• Consequences Already Unfolding:
  • [16:02] Stein: "Thousands of people in Iran are dead. The oil markets are spiked. The economic ripple effects are profound. We've burned every alliance...threatening to leave NATO..."

8. Uncertainty, Anxiety, and the Search for Political Signals

• Media Tropes:
  • Hosts joke about the need to return to “diner interviews” to gauge grassroots MAGA sentiment in the face of such extreme rhetoric.
• Emotional Tone:
  • Both hosts express shared dread, liken the tension to previous national crises but with a much darker outlook this time.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s Rhetoric:

  • "[00:00] A: ...the wiping of the civilization of Iran off the map day..."
  • "[09:11] D (Alex Jones): ...That is the definition of genocide. Not a war, not a defensive war, but a literal bombardment..."

• On Religious Mockery:

  • "[02:39] C (Tucker Carlson): ...to mock other people's faith is to mock the idea of faith itself, and we should never mock that."
  • "[03:24] A: ...this is not what the country is founded on, that you have to respect the ability and the right of someone to practice their own religion, not mock it or wage war in it."

• On Right-Wing Figures Calling for Resistance or Removal:

  • "[11:45] A: ...Candace Owens, of course, saying 25th Amendment needs to be invoked. She calls Trump a genocidal lunatic. Marjorie Sherlock green also saying 25th amendment...She called it evil and madness."

• On Blind Partisanship:

  • "[14:23] E (Megyn Kelly): Trump could drop a nuke. And I still vote Republican over those people because they want to avenue voter in some ways, I really am. But honestly, they, what they want to do is nuke our own country..."

• On Consequences:

  • "[16:02] A: ...Thousands of people in Iran are dead. The oil markets are spiked. The economic ripple effects are profound..."

Key Timestamps

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |--------------------|---------------------------------------------------------------------|--------------| | Opening Recap | Trump's apocalyptic post and its implications | 00:00–01:14 | | Tucker's Critique | Carlson’s break with Trump: Antichrist, faith, religious war | 01:14–02:36 | | Tucker Audio Clip | No decent person mocks faith; implication of war over religion | 02:39–03:24 | | Reaction Analysis | Importance and rarity of such criticism from within the right | 03:24–06:15 | | "Make or Break" | Tucker's call for institutional resistance, resignations | 07:19–07:56 | | Alex Jones Clip | Jones’s dramatic denunciation of "genocide" | 09:11–09:55 | | Other Figures | Candace Owens, Marjorie Taylor Greene call for 25th Amendment | 11:45–12:54 | | Megyn Kelly Clip | Loyalists rationalize even the worst actions | 14:23–14:43 | | War Consequences | Consequences of escalation, fraying alliances, economic impact | 16:02–17:18 | | Closing Reflection | Anxiety, uncertainty, and the need for old-school reporting | 17:18–end |

Conclusion

This episode of Bulwark Takes offers a sobering look at the fractures emerging in the right-wing media landscape amidst Donald Trump’s most extreme rhetoric yet. Notable conservative voices, once staunchly loyal, are now expressing profound alarm—even invoking the 25th Amendment. However, as the hosts note, MAGA base loyalty remains resilient, and it’s unclear whether elite dissent will lead to meaningful political change. The episode closes on an anxious, raw note, with the hosts sharing their unease about what awaits the nation next.