Bulwark Takes: "Tim Calls Out Megyn Kelly’s Dangerous Attempt to Exploit and Divide"

Podcast: Bulwark Takes
Host: Tim Miller
Date: September 21, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tim Miller provides a pointed critique of Megyn Kelly’s recent social media commentary surrounding the Tom Homan bribery scandal. He unpacks a heated Twitter exchange between himself and Kelly, arguing that her reaction exposes not just a personal disregard for public corruption among Trump associates, but also a broader, dangerous trend on the right: an intentional effort to divide Americans and undermine trust in institutions. Miller analyzes the rhetorical tactics Kelly uses to incite grievance and group blame, and urges listeners to resist this descent into tribalistic, zero-sum politics.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Setting the Stage: The Twitter Feud and Its Context

• Tim’s Framing: Miller acknowledges that most online feuds have limited public relevance, but asserts that Kelly’s reaction to the Homan bribery story reveals a disturbing ideological shift on the right.
• Quote: “Not because I think you care about the blow by blow of my feud with Megyn Kelly, but because the arguments that she is making are extremely alarming and they're psychotic.” (00:39)

2. The Tom Homan Bribery Scandal (01:45–04:10)

• Details of the scandal: Tom Homan, a high-ranking Trump administration official, was caught on tape accepting a $50,000 cash bribe.
• Tim’s Reaction: He stresses that public corruption should be universally condemned, regardless of ideology.
• Quote: “You don't want to live in a kleptocracy. You don't want to live in a country where people in charge of law and order… act so brazenly illegally, you think would be unacceptable in any situation. Not in this administration of mob bosses.” (02:08)

3. Megyn Kelly’s Response: Blunt Partisanship

• Kelly’s Reaction: She publicly declared, “We do not care. Don’t bother. Real Tom Homan, he’s a national treasure.”
• Tim’s Take: Miller reads this as not just personal loyalty to Homan or Trump, but a willingness to excuse any behavior for the sake of waging a cultural war.
• Quote: “She doesn't care if they cheat. She doesn't care if they break the law... As long as you're wearing the MAGA hat, Megyn Kelly thinks you can act with impunity.” (03:30)

4. Kelly’s Long-Winded Twitter Reply (04:40–07:45)

• Content of Kelly’s Reply: Miller reads excerpts from her lengthy post, where she lists grievances against the Justice Department, law enforcement, and the media—blaming “you” (i.e., Miller and broadly, political opponents) for a range of alleged wrongs.
• Pronoun Manipulation: Kelly uses collective pronouns like “we” and “you” in a way Miller argues is designed to stoke team-based antagonism.
• Quote: “We don’t trust you. We don’t trust the work of your president’s DOJ. We don’t trust the work of your president’s FBI.” (06:15, quoting Kelly)

5. Danger of Collective Blame and Division (07:45–16:00)

• Tim’s Criticism: He pushes back against the notion of shared, group responsibility for individual acts—citing Kelly’s invocation of “one of yours killed Charlie” after the assassination of conservative figure Charlie Kirk.
• Miller warns that this team-based blame game is corrosive, likening it to far-left rhetoric (“ACAB” – “All Cops Are Bad”), but now turned against the FBI and DOJ.
• Quote: “Any wrongdoing against any MAGA person is the responsibility of any non MAGA person. And I reject that altogether.” (10:12)

6. Specifics on the Charlie Kirk Assassination Claims (12:00–14:00)

• Miller clarifies that he did not mock or condone the tragedy, pushing back forcefully on Kelly’s group-blame framing.
• He analyzes the actual facts of the case, emphasizing individual rather than collective responsibility.
• Quote: “A deranged young man killed Charlie and it’s his responsibility. And I didn’t laugh at their pain. The opposite, actually.” (13:25)

7. Exposing the Underlying Agenda (16:00–21:00)

• Miller argues that Kelly and others are intentionally seeking to accelerate a sense of civil conflict, demanding total loyalty and portraying all non-MAGA Americans as enemies.
• He critiques her refusal to engage with good-faith debate and tendency to paint all opponents with the broadest possible brush.
• Quote: “This is the ethos of a cult… What she’s trying to do is undermine trust. Say that anybody you know that is not part of MAGA… can’t be trusted in any way.” (17:59)

8. A Call for Liberal Democratic Responsibility (21:00–23:00)

• Miller stresses the need to judge people as individuals, warning that the right’s approach is reminiscent of fascism, not democracy.
• He invokes a George W. Bush quote: “Too often we judge other groups by their worst example and ours by our best intentions.”
• Quote: “That is the view of fascism. That is not the view of liberal democracy. That is not a Christian view.” (22:30)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Corruption:
  • "You don't want to live in a kleptocracy... that person would act so brazenly illegally, you think would be unacceptable in any situation." (02:08)
• On Kelly’s Bluntness:
  • “She’s just extremely blunt about that. My colleague Sam Stein posted that it does raise an interesting question: If there is a limiting principle to that?” (03:49)
• On Group-Blame Manipulation:
  • “Violence is in play, right? Like any act of violence, any wrongdoing against any MAGA person is the responsibility of any non MAGA person. And I reject that altogether.” (10:12)
• On Individual Accountability:
  • “Charlie’s assassin is accountable for his actions. I’m accountable for mine. You’re accountable for yours. That’s how things work in a liberal democracy.” (18:40)
• On the Dangers of Division:
  • “Rather than trying to condemn half the country based on the behavior of any person... I want to be judged for mine, and I think Megyn Kelly needs to be judged for hers.” (23:01)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 00:00–01:45: Introduction & context of the Twitter feud
• 01:45–04:10: Summary of the Tom Homan bribery scandal
• 04:10–07:45: Megyn Kelly’s reaction and Miller’s first replies
• 07:45–12:00: Breakdown of Kelly’s pronoun use & team-based antagonism
• 12:00–14:00: Debunking Kelly’s claims about the Charlie Kirk assassination
• 14:00–21:00: The dangers of collective blame and erosion of trust
• 21:00–23:00: Miller’s closing arguments and call for individual, liberal accountability

Tone & Style

Miller’s delivery blends exasperation with moral urgency, laced with sardonic humor (“like Canterbury Tales in length”, referring to Kelly’s tweet at 04:51). He speaks directly, invoking both principle and personal feeling, and urging listeners to resist the zero-sum, us-vs-them calculus promoted by MAGA influencers.

Summary

This episode is a searing, personal analysis of partisanship gone toxic. Miller uses his clash with Megyn Kelly as a case study in how right-wing commentators excuse serious wrongdoing and manipulate language to inflame grievances, foster mistrust, and assign collective guilt. He makes a passionate appeal for a return to truth-seeking, individual accountability, and the rejection of cultish, “shirts vs. skins” tribalism. For listeners anxious about America’s political trajectory, the episode offers both a sharp diagnosis of the problem and a plea for engagement rooted in real democratic values.