Bulwark Takes – Episode Summary

Episode: Trump Wanders in Circles During Japan Visit
Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: JVL & Andrew Egger

Episode Overview

This episode of Bulwark Takes features JVL and Andrew Egger discussing President Trump's recent and awkward state visit to Japan. The hosts react to viral footage of Trump appearing lost during a reception with Prime Minister Sanay Takaichi, using the moment to comment on presidential fitness, U.S.–Japan relations, and the oddities of modern American politics. The conversation moves between bemused commentary on Trump's behavior and sharp geopolitical observations in classic Bulwark fashion.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump's Confused State Visit in Japan

• [00:00 – 01:00]
  • JVL introduces the episode by referencing the now-viral video of President Trump lost and confused during a formal procession in Japan.
  • “Dude, I don't know. It's not an Amber alert. What's the alert they put out for old folks who go missing from the old folks home? Because the president is very old and very confused. Andrew.” (JVL, 00:07)
• Andrew admits to never having heard of a "Silver Alert."

Video Breakdown and Trump's Demeanor

• [00:27 – 02:24]
  • The hosts narrate Trump’s labored procession, noting his hunched shoulders, aimless wandering, and odd, half-hearted salutes.
  • JVL: “They're like rushing to keep him up and keep grandpa going... And he. The whole thing is wild. Absolutely wild.” (00:48)
  • He compares the scene to “Il Duce mixed with grandpa Abe Simpson. I'm cold and there are wolves outside.” (01:23)
  • JVL also notes that the President’s salute during the Japanese rendition of the Star Spangled Banner seems “off,” evoking an image of awkward, performative patriotism.

2. Media Double Standards & Age Concerns

• [03:30 – 04:03]

  • JVL points out how media scrutiny about the president’s age was relentless during previous administrations, suggesting less focus on Trump’s age-related confusion now.
  • “I don't think I feel like I hear a lot of that from the mainstream media with Trump... Maybe they're different rules for different people.” (JVL, 03:31)

• Andrew reflects on how difficult it is to disentangle Trump’s confusion from his usual persona:

  • “It's very difficult to pick apart what's happening because he's old versus what's happening because he is Trump and has now sort of succeeded... in surrounding himself with people who only give him information he wants to hear.” (Andrew, 04:08)

3. Trump’s Leadership Style & Detachment

• [04:03 – 06:14]
  • Andrew discusses Trump’s tendency to create his own reality, shielded from inconvenient facts by his inner circle.
  • Anecdote about executive orders: “He’ll sign it, he'll be like, this is the executive order where if you burn the American flag, you get a year in jail. The executive order doesn't say anything like that. But, you know, it's. It's. It's just fine.” (Andrew, 04:39)
  • On Trump’s approach to saluting foreign troops: “For Donald Trump, you know, what's the point of a troop? The point of a troop is to, like, pay him honor and pay him obedience. And whether that's their troop or our troop, it's all basically the same thing...” (Andrew, 05:46)

4. Japan’s Ultranationalist Prime Minister & Shifting Alliances

• [07:43 – 10:24]
  • JVL introduces Prime Minister Sanay Takaichi as an “ultra conservative”, likening her to a “Japanese version of Trump.”
  • He recounts some of Takaichi's controversial stances, including revisionist views on WWII.
  • “Maybe because the Japanese people aren't white. It's fine with saying the Japanese are the bad guys...” (JVL, 08:10)
• Andrew analyzes why WWII revisionism is different for Japan than for Germany in U.S. far-right circles, noting, “It's a lot harder to construct that argument, you know, for Japan, which just very obviously was like a first mover aggressor in World War II...” (Andrew, 08:48)

Japanese Self-Defense and Strategic Realignment

• Takaichi’s push to amend Japan’s pacifist constitution is highlighted as a response to Donald Trump’s unreliable foreign policy.
  • JVL: “That leads her into the place of understanding that America is no longer a reliable ally in the region. And so Japan's got to chart their own course, which is really interesting.” (JVL, 09:10)
• Andrew underscores how these shifts make for “a whole bunch of stuff that would be like geopolitical new things and new wrinkles and new angles... a lot less fun to have to grapple with in real time.” (Andrew, 10:31)

5. Trade Tensions & Economic Consequences

• [10:31 – 11:35]
  • Andrew and JVL touch on U.S.–Japan tariff tensions, noting that even among ideological allies, Trump’s protectionism creates friction.
  • “Some of these conservative leaders still want to be able to trade pretty, pretty openly with the United States. And Donald Trump is not hugely into that...” (Andrew, 11:17)

6. Satirical Reflection: The “Lost in Translation” Moment

• [11:35 – 13:05]

  • JVL jokingly pitches a “Lost in Translation” remake starring Trump wandering the hotel hallways in Japan.

  • “It would be amazing to just be able to, like, get inside the prime minister's head in all of this... her job is to just get through these Trump interactions, do the best she can, butter him up the best she can...” (Andrew, 11:56)

  • On the exhaustion of world leaders dealing with an unpredictable, “doddering old man” President:

    • “And then you meet him and he's a doddering old man who's just lost, and you have to, like, take him by the elbow, and you're bowing and scraping while also just trying to manage this ancient, decrepit, festering piece of lard. It's amazing.” (JVL, 13:05)

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• JVL, on Trump's confusion: “The president is very old and very confused.” (00:10)
• Andrew, on being lost abroad: “I too know what it is like to be an American with no idea what he's doing abroad. No where to walk, who to salute, which flags to stop for, which troops to acknowledge.” (02:33)
• JVL, satirizing US media: “How many New York Times stories did we have about the difficulties the President's age. And I don't think I feel like I hear a lot of that from the mainstream media with Trump.” (03:35)
• Andrew, on Trump’s reality-bending leadership: “He is drifting outside of reality and outside of the fact-based universe for several different reasons.” (04:15)
• JVL, characterizing Takaichi’s worldview: “Maybe because the Japanese people aren't white. It's fine with saying the Japanese are the bad guys.” (08:10)
• Andrew, deadpan geopolitical fiction: “It's a whole bunch of stuff that would be like geopolitical new things and new wrinkles and new angles, all of which would be very interesting to contemplate in some sort of alternate historical fiction and which are a lot less fun to have to grapple with in real time...” (10:31)
• JVL, on global leadership frustration: “… manage this ancient, decrepit, festering piece of lard. It’s amazing.” (13:05)

Timestamps for Core Segments

• [00:00] – Opening, Silver Alert joke, reference to viral Trump video.
• [00:27-02:24] – Play-by-play of Trump’s confused procession and salute.
• [03:30-04:03] – Media double standard on presidential age.
• [04:03-06:14] – Trump’s leadership style and detachment from reality.
• [07:43-10:24] – Japanese Prime Minister’s politics, WWII revisionism, and shifting alliances.
• [10:31-11:35] – Trade tensions and tariffs.
• [11:35-13:05] – Satirical reflection on Trump as “Lost in Translation” and the global challenge of managing an erratic president.

Closing

The episode concludes with the hosts reflecting—half amused, half exasperated—on what it now means for allies and adversaries alike to interact with the United States under Trump's leadership. JVL sums up the moment with weary sarcasm: “Good luck, America.” (13:10)