Bulwark Takes – "Right-Wing Media Won’t Let Trump De-Escalate Minneapolis"

Date: January 28, 2026
Host: Sam Stein (The Bulwark)
Guest: Will Sommer
Main Focus: The right-wing media’s reaction to Trump administration’s attempt to de-escalate after the Minneapolis incident, and how that shapes the administration’s actions and larger conservative discourse.

Overview

This episode examines the conflict between the Trump administration’s efforts to moderate its response following the killing of protester Alex Preddy in Minneapolis, and the entrenched, uncompromising stance of the right-wing media ecosystem. Host Sam Stein and reporter Will Sommer dissect how MAGA media is fiercely pushing back against any sign of moderation, the bloodthirsty or callous reactions from influential conservative figures, and the broader implications for policymaking and public opinion within Trump’s sphere.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The MAGA Media Backlash Against Moderation

• Background: In the wake of Alex Preddy's murder during ICE protests, signals from the White House suggest a desire for distance and moderation. The administration appears to be reassigning ICE leadership in Minneapolis to tamp down the crisis.
• Right-Wing Media Response:
  • MAGA-aligned commentators and right-wing social media personalities lash out at even minimal attempts to moderate or show restraint.
  • They frame any attempt at compromise as a betrayal and a sign of unacceptable weakness.

Quote:
"They're getting upset over this, like, supposed moderation, because it's like the moderate option is Tom Homan and maybe not Greg Bovino, but they are."
– Will Sommer, [02:30]

• Deeper Dynamic: The media outcry is less about policy details than about a zero-sum, no-compromise worldview that considers any backtracking pure defeat.

2. Zero-Sum Logic and the Outrage Machine

• Politics of Purity: For MAGA media and their followers, any sign of moderating or addressing errors is equated with capitulation to political enemies.
• Pressure on Trump: The insularity of this right-wing feedback loop makes it challenging for any administration policy recalibration without sparking accusations of weakness.

Quote:
"If you were to acknowledge any misstep whatsoever, essentially you're handing victory to the opposition…"
– Sam Stein, [04:06]

3. Bloodthirsty and Empathy-Free Reactions to Protester’s Death

• Megyn Kelly’s Take: Openly expressed lack of sympathy for Alex Preddy and rationalized his killing by stating he interfered in government operations.

Quote:
"I know I'm supposed to feel sorry for Alex Preddy, but I don't... If I felt strongly enough...I would make my objections known by standing there without interfering. Because interfering is where you go south."
– Megyn Kelly (clip), [04:37]

• Sam Stein’s Reaction: He expresses shock at how openly indifferent or hostile these responses are.

Quote:
"To openly say you don't feel sorry that someone was shot to death, you got to have a little bit of, you know, an absence of some. Something in your core for you to say something like that."
– Sam Stein, [05:15]

• Will Sommer’s Analysis: This “crush our enemies” mentality typifies the current “new right.” Moral justifications are flexible depending on sides: “If it’s one of ours, we care; if not, who cares?”

Quote:
"This is really, I think, kind of the vibe of the second Trump administration and this, the broader kind of like the new right that J.D. Vance really represents..."
– Will Sommer, [05:49]

4. Justifying Violence Through Rationalizations

• Greg Kelly’s Defense: Brandished a phone on-air suggesting an ICE agent could have mistaken it for a gun — framing misidentification as sufficient cause for deadly force.

Quote:
"Does that look like a gun? I think it does a little bit. It's a phone. It's black like most phones. That's crazy stuff."
– Greg Kelly (clip), [06:50]

• Sam and Will Respond: They note this is a deflection tactic seen often in right-aligned spaces, deflecting from actual events by shifting focus to hypothetical rationalizations.

5. Right-Wing Echo Chamber and Its Political Effects

• Audience Capture:
  • Influencers face their own pressures not to appear “weak” or “compromising,” lest their audience turn on them.
  • Tim Pool’s internal struggle, voiced publicly, demonstrates this tension.

Quote:
"When these people come out, go, Tim's a bootlicker for defending ICE... It's my boots. It's mine. I voted for them. I'm wearing the boot. I'm stomping on the ground. I ain't licking anybody..."
– Tim Pool (clip), [10:27]

• Implications for Trump:
  • The right-wing media demands maximalist loyalty and policy aggression, creating a comfort zone for the administration that lessens incentives for recalibration.
  • This cocoons the administration from political reality, potentially making them more prone to mistakes.

Quote:
"If he has 35% of the vote, but also, like, a huge chunk of the commentary at the loudest voices instinctively saying, just keep plowing forward, sir. Like, it gives him a comfort that I don't think serves him well politically."
– Sam Stein, [08:23]

6. Media Sycophancy in the White House Press Room

• Example:
  • The first White House press question after the shooting, from a Gateway Pundit reporter, is about supposed hypocrisy involving Ashley Babbitt, ignoring the Minneapolis event’s specifics.

Quote:
"Where was that outrage when Ashley Babbitt, an Air Force veteran, was executed by Capitol Police officer Michael Byrd, who she posed no threat to in the U.S. capitol?"
– Gateway Pundit Reporter question (paraphrased by Will Sommer), [13:42]

• Sam’s Reaction: Finds this dereliction of journalistic duty shocking, calling it "bullshit" and lamenting squandered opportunity for real accountability.

7. Organized Social Media Pressure and the Traveling ‘Outrage Circus’

• Influencer Dynamics:
  • Figures like Nick Sortor leverage their Twitter clout to trigger immediate and intense base reactions — essentially amplifying the base’s most reactionary instincts.
  • Pressure campaigns to “defend Bovino at all costs” and real-time protest footage keep the temperature high.

Quote:
"There is a real ... social media grassroots effort to pressure, I think the administration to keep up the heat of Minneapolis... he can kind of rile up the MAGA base."
– Will Sommer, [15:11]

8. Why This Coverage Matters

• Influence Flows Both Ways:
  • Far-right voices don’t just mirror the base’s anger—they actively steer the administration through audience capture and a mutual feedback loop.
  • These dynamics shape real policy and political maneuvering within Trump’s team.

Quote:
"We're not just monitoring, you know, weirdos and randos on the Internet. These are incredibly influential people. They have huge audiences, and they have a lot of sway over how people in the administration think and act."
– Sam Stein, [16:23]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the New Right's Mentality:
  • "We just want to crush our enemies and we don't care how it happens." – Will Sommer [05:49]
• On Right-Wing Media’s Lack of Compromise:
  • "In for decades, right wing media has said essentially, like the idea of compromise at all...is bad. Like, you should get the maximum of what you can possibly get at every opportunity." – Will Sommer [08:53]
• On Tim Pool’s Justifications:
  • "It's my boots. It's mine. I voted for them. I'm wearing the boot. I'm stomping on the ground. I ain't licking anybody." – Tim Pool [10:27]
• On Why This Media Culture Is Problematic:
  • "It creates this cocoon that can be blinding for the administration..." – Sam Stein [12:12]
• On Press Accountability:
  • "[The Gateway Pundit]...just ruined. I mean, you have a real opportunity and real responsibility and you're using it for that. It's just bullshit." – Sam Stein [15:03]

Important Segment Timestamps

• [01:37] – Episode begins; Background on Trump administration distancing itself from Minneapolis fallout
• [03:23] – Explaining the zero-sum, anti-compromise mentality
• [04:37] – Megyn Kelly’s callous defense of the killing, clip played
• [06:50] – Greg Kelly justifies ICE shooting, brandishes phone as “could be a gun”
• [08:53] – Right-wing media’s influence as an echo chamber for unyielding policy approaches
• [10:27] – Tim Pool rationalizes his position, internalizes accusations of “bootlicking”
• [13:42] – Gateway Pundit’s sycophantic question in White House briefing
• [15:11] – Role of social media influencers in escalating pressure
• [16:23] – Sam Stein on why this right-wing media pressure matters

Episode Takeaway

The episode provides a sharp critique of the right-wing media’s intransigent reaction to any sign of restraint from the Trump administration, especially in the highly charged context of Minnesota’s protests and law enforcement actions. Sam Stein and Will Sommer argue that this media ecosystem doesn’t just echo the base—it actively prevents Trump from moderating, pressures policymakers into maximalist stances, and drowns out opportunity for accountability, debate, or empathy.