Trump’s New Conspiracy Is So Dumb, He Must Think You Are Too

Summary

Bulwark Takes: Detailed Summary of "Trump’s New Conspiracy Is So Dumb, He Must Think You Are Too"

Episode Information:

• Title: Trump’s New Conspiracy Is So Dumb, He Must Think You Are Too
• Host/Author: The Bulwark
• Release Date: July 25, 2025

---

Introduction

In this episode of Bulwark Takes, host Will Saletan delves into former President Donald Trump's latest conspiracy theory. Moving beyond his well-known claims about the 2020 election being stolen, Trump introduces a new narrative implicating former President Barack Obama and others in election rigging schemes spanning both the 2016 and 2020 elections.

---

Trump’s Old Conspiracy Theory: The 2020 Election Was Rigged

Will Saletan begins by recapping Trump's persistent allegations regarding the 2020 election:

• July 1, 2025:

  Donald Trump: "Election in 2020 was rigged. Millions and millions of votes." (00:47)

• July 3, 2025:

  Donald Trump: "They cheated and rigged the election." (00:50)

• July 6, 2025:

  Donald Trump: "The election was totally rigged." (00:55)

• Recent Week:

  Donald Trump: "I ran again, I got cheated. They rigged the election." (01:01)

Saletan points out the futility of these claims, referencing former Attorney General Bill Barr’s stance during Trump's first term:

• Bill Barr:

  "I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bullsh." (01:16)

Saletan emphasizes that Trump's narrative about the 2020 election has been thoroughly debunked, undermining its credibility.

---

Introducing Trump's New Conspiracy Theory: The 2016 Election Rigged by Obama

Saletan transitions to Trump's new conspiracy theory targeting the 2016 election:

• Trump at a Reception:

  Donald Trump: "She has all the documents. She has everything that you need. And she found out that Barack Hussein Obama led a group of people and they cheated in the elections, and. And they cheated without question." (01:44)

Saletan highlights the absurdity of this claim, noting that Obama was not the Democratic candidate in 2020 and had left office four years prior. This raises questions about Trump's actual intent and the viability of his theory.

• Trump:

  "Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader. Hillary Clinton was right there with him, and so was sleepy Joe Biden, and so were the rest of them. Comey Clapper, the whole group. And they tried to rig an election, and they got caught. And then they did rig the election in 2020, and." (02:33)

Saletan questions the timeline and logic, as rigging the 2016 election after it occurred defies practicality.

---

Analyzing the Claims: The Gabbard Connection

Saletan examines the foundation of Trump's new conspiracy, which supposedly relies on documents released by Tulsi Gabbard:

• Tulsi Gabbard on Sean Hannity:

  "President Trump had already won, correct?" (03:28)

  "This treasonous conspiracy was directed by President Obama just weeks before he was due to leave office, after President Trump had already gotten elected." (03:41)

Gabbard's statements are scrutinized to reveal contradictions:

• The conspiracy allegedly took place after the 2016 election, contradicting Trump's claim that Obama’s group tried to rig that election before it happened. Saletan points out this inconsistency, highlighting the implausibility of the timeline.

---

Linking to Jeffrey Epstein and Conspiracy Diversion

Saletan posits that Trump's shift to such a far-fetched conspiracy could be an attempt to divert attention from other scandals, specifically the Epstein files:

• Trump Responding to Epstein Files Inquiry:

  "I don't really follow that too much. It's. It's sort of a witch hunt, just a continuation of the witch hunt. The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold. Tulsi Gabbard." (05:03)

Saletan interprets this as Trump maneuvering to shift focus away from the Epstein case by promoting an untenable conspiracy theory involving Obama. Furthermore, during the same reception, Trump advises congressional Republicans on handling tough questions:

• Advice to Republicans:

  "And you should mention that every time they give you a question that's not appropriate, just say, oh, by the way, Obama cheated on the election." (05:41)

---

Conclusion: Assessing Trump's Credibility

In wrapping up, Saletan expresses skepticism about Trump's motivations and the plausibility of his narratives:

"I don't know how much Trump knew about Epstein or whether he had anything to do with the sexual abuse. And I don't know if Trump is trying to cover it up, but I do know that when somebody is so desperate to change the subject that they try to sell you a conspiracy theory that requires time travel, they probably got something to hide." (05:49)

Saletan concludes that Trump's erratic shift to an implausible conspiracy theory likely indicates an attempt to obscure more serious issues, casting doubt on his integrity and the truthfulness of his claims.

---

Key Takeaways:

• Persistence of Debunked Claims: Trump's repeated allegations about the 2020 election being stolen continue to lack credible evidence.
• Introduction of a New, Implausible Conspiracy: Shifting focus to Obama and the 2016 election presents a narrative that defies logical timelines and factual accuracy.
• Potential Diversion Tactics: The move may serve as a strategy to distract from other controversies, such as the Epstein files.
• Critical Analysis Underscores Lack of Credibility: The episode emphasizes that Trump's new theory is unfounded and likely serves ulterior motives.

This comprehensive analysis by Will Saletan provides listeners with a clear understanding of the evolution and implications of Trump's conspiracy theories, reinforcing the necessity of scrutinizing such claims critically.

Transcript

[Will Saletan]

Hey, it's Will Saletan from the Bulwark. Today I want to fill you in on Donald Trump's new conspiracy theory. So we've all heard Trump's old conspiracy theory about the 2020 election, that it was, you know, rigged and stolen. But now Trump has a new theory. Those dirty cheaters, the Democrats, they've also tried to steal the 2016 election. In fact, here's the plot twist. They tried to steal the 2016 election after it had already happened. Whoa. I know. You're thinking, how could they do that? So let's find out. Okay, so here's Trump's usual theory, which he repeats all the time. Here he is on July 1, the.

[Donald Trump]

Election in 2020 was rigged. Millions and millions of votes.

[Will Saletan]

And then on July 3rd, and then.

[Donald Trump]

They cheated and rigged the election.

[Will Saletan]

And then on July 6, the election was totally rigged. And then again last week, that's why.

[Donald Trump]

I ran again, I got cheated. They rigged the election.

[Will Saletan]

Okay, so the problem with this theory is that it's been totally debunked. My favorite quote on this comes from Trump's own attorney General in his first term, Bill Barr.

[Donald Trump]

I made it clear I did not agree with the idea of saying the election was stolen and putting out this stuff, which I told the president was bullsh.

[Will Saletan]

Right. So everybody knows Trump's story about 2020 is bullshit, but this week he came up with his new theory. Here's Trump at a reception with Congressional Republicans on Tuesday night. He's talking about documents that were just released by Tulsi Gabbard, who is the Director of National Intelligence.

[Donald Trump]

She has all the documents. She has everything that you need. And she found out that Barack Hussein Obama led a group of people and they cheated in the elections, and. And they cheated without question.

[Will Saletan]

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Obama, remember, the old theory was that Joe Biden did the cheating because he was the Democratic candidate in 2020. Obama was totally out of the picture in 2020. He hadn't been president for four years. Does Trump really mean that the guy doing the cheating was Obama?

[Donald Trump]

Obama cheated on the election. Remember this? Obama cheated on. And we have it cold, hard.

[Will Saletan]

What is Trump talking about? He can't be talking about 2016, can he?

[Donald Trump]

Barack Hussein Obama is the ringleader. Hillary Clinton was right there with him, and so was sleepy Joe Biden, and so were the rest of them. Comey Clapper, the whole group. And they tried to rig an election, and they got caught. And then they did rig the election in 2020, and.

[Will Saletan]

Huh. So Trump says they did rig the election. In 2020. But before that, they tried to rig the previous election, which was 2016. And Trump says the evidence for this conspiracy in 2016 is the documents released by Gabbard, which supposedly, but not really, prove that Obama manufactured intelligence to frame Russia for interfering in the election. So when exactly did this happen? Here's what Gabbard told Sean Hannity on Friday.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

And the very next day after they pulled that document, President Obama called a National Security Council cabinet meeting to discuss how Russia interfered with the election. Again, this is the first.

[Will Saletan]

This is December 9th.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

President Trump had already won, correct?

[Will Saletan]

Wait a minute. Trump had already won.

[Tulsi Gabbard]

This treasonous conspiracy was directed by President Obama just weeks before he was due to leave office, after President Trump had already gotten elected.

[Will Saletan]

Okay, so according to Gabbard, this conspiracy happened after the election. But Trump says it was a conspiracy to rig the election. Remember, he says they tried to rig the election and then they got caught, and then they did rig the 2020 election. So what's going on here is Gabbard cooked up a story about Obama manufacturing intelligence, and Trump is so dumb or so indifferent to reality that he's trying to twist that story into his favorite shtick, which is about a rigged election. And Trump doesn't care that in his version of the story, to rig that election, Obama would have had to travel backward through time. Why would Trump tell such a ridiculous story? The answer is Jeffrey Epstein. Check out what Trump said on Tuesday when a reporter asked about the Epstein files.

[Donald Trump]

I don't really follow that too much. It's. It's sort of a witch hunt, just a continuation of the witch hunt. The witch hunt that you should be talking about is they caught President Obama absolutely cold. Tulsi Gabbard.

[Will Saletan]

Ah, there you go. Trump is trying to change the subject from his cover up of the Epstein files to this wacky theory about 2016. In fact, at the reception on Tuesday night, Trump told congressional Republicans that when they get asked about the Epstein files, they should pivot to his conspiracy theory about Obama.

[Donald Trump]

And you should mention that every time they give you a question that's not appropriate, just say, oh, by the way, Obama cheated on the election.

[Will Saletan]

Look, I don't know how much Trump knew about Epstein or whether he had anything to do with the sexual abuse. And I don't know if Trump is trying to cover it up, but I do know that when somebody is so desperate to change the subject that they try to sell you a conspiracy theory that requires time travel, they probably got something to hide. See you next time.

[Grainger Advertisement]

If you work as a manufacturing facilities engineer. Installing a new piece of equipment can be as complex as the machinery itself. From prep work to alignment and testing, it's your team's job to put it all together. That's why it's good to have Grainger on your side. With industrial grade products and next day delivery, Grainger helps ensure you have everything you need close at hand through every step of the installation. Call 1-800-GRAINGER clickgrainger.com or just stop by Grainger for the ones who get it done.