Bulwark Takes: "Trump's SICKENING Press Conference with MBS"

Date: November 19, 2025
Hosts: Andrew Egger & JVL
Guests: None (Key focus on Trump and MBS' statements)

Episode Overview

This episode breaks down the controversial joint press conference between former President Donald Trump and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), focusing on Trump’s astonishing deference and sometimes hostile handling of tough questions. The Bulwark team dissects the implications for U.S.-Saudi relations, presidential norms, and American values, while highlighting the dramatic contrast between how Trump and MBS handle accountability and press scrutiny.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Press Conference Setting and Initial Questions

• Trump welcomed MBS to a gilded version of the Oval Office, setting the stage for a dramatic and surreal encounter.
• The key initial question (01:21) raised two central issues:
  • Trump’s family business dealings in Saudi Arabia and possible conflicts of interest.
  • MBS’ role in the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, a known Washington Post contributor.

Notable Exchange:

• Trump aggressively deflects questions about the family business and MBS’s accountability, instead attacking the reporter’s credibility and character.
• Trump insists, “Fake News. ABC Fake News. One of the worst. One of the worst in the business. But I’ll answer your question...” (01:44)

2. Trump’s Dismissal of Accountability

• Trump claims ignorance and lack of involvement in his family’s international business, while touting his own success and that of his associates.
• On the Khashoggi killing, Trump brushes it off:

  “A lot of people didn’t like that gentleman that you’re talking about. Whether you like him or didn’t like him, things happened, but he [MBS] knew nothing about it. And we can leave it at that.” (01:57)

Bulwark Reaction:

• JVL (03:26):

  “In that room... everything we know about the killing of Jamal Khashoggi suggests that we know pretty strongly that US Intelligence knows pretty strongly that he [MBS] ordered the assassination... The idea that it took place without the knowledge of the guy who runs the show politically in that country, MBS, is laughable… And yet, like you just said, I mean, Trump could have held him to account...”

3. MBS' Polished Response

• MBS, adopting a more statesmanlike tone, addresses U.S. grievances around 9/11 and attempts to reassure the public:

  “I feel painful about, you know, families of 9/11 in America, but, you know, we have to focus on reality... Osama Bin Laden, he used Saudi people... to destroy this relation.” (02:45)

• Commentary: Bulwark notes MBS’s comparatively deft handling of tough questions, in stark contrast with Trump’s defensiveness.

4. Longstanding Geopolitical Pragmatism – but “This is Different”

Andrew (05:22):

• Acknowledges that every U.S. president does business with Saudi Arabia for strategic reasons, regardless of human rights issues.
• Laments: “But it doesn’t have to be this... none of them have done this, is what I’m trying to say.”

JVL (07:11):

• Differentiates Trump’s relationship:

  “Donald Trump likes MBS... because their buds, they’re friends. MBS rolls out the goldest gold carpet...”

5. Flattery, Gold, and Trump’s Authoritarian Envy

• Trump attributes positive economic turns to MBS’s compliments:

  “You actually told me you thought the country was in big trouble... but our country was in trouble. And now we have the hottest country in the world. You said that also. And we do.” (08:09)

• JVL and Andrew ridicule this mutual admiration as shallow and self-serving.

Notable Quote:

• Andrew points out, “We’ve never had an American president who had a clear affinity for dictators the way Trump does...” (08:41)

6. Trump’s Praise for MBS’ Human Rights Record

• Trump remarks:

  “I’m very proud of the job he’s done. What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else. And he’s the crown prince, the future king.” (09:34)

• Bulwark’s Outrage: The hosts underscore the absurdity and falseness of this praise, noting Trump’s unique affection for autocrats and disregard for democratic leaders.

7. The Epstein Files Question – Trump’s Hostility to American Press

• Reporter asks:

  “Mr. President, why wait for Congress to release the Epstein files? Why not just do it now?” (12:10)

• Trump launches a hostile tirade:

  “It’s not the question that I mind. It’s your attitude. I think you are a terrible reporter... you start off with a man who is highly respected, asking him a horrible, insubordinate and just a terrible question...” (12:15)

• He veers into unfounded attacks and conspiracy theories, blaming Democrats and alleging a media hoax.

Bulwark Reflection:

• Andrew:

  “If he knew that Jeffrey Epstein was a pervert, why didn’t he go to the authorities...” (15:23)

• JVL:

  “It’s insane that he cannot manage to keep a tongue in his head, a civil tongue in his head like MBS does... And Trump, I mean, I don’t know, there’s so much stuff, there’s so much stuff here I’m going around in circles...” (14:23)

8. Trump’s Open Threat to Media

• Trump muses about revoking ABC’s broadcast license:

  “I think the license should be taken away from ABC...I think when you come in and when you’re 97% negative to Trump and then Trump wins the election in a landslide, that means obviously your news is not credible and you’re not credible as a reporter. So I’ve answered your question.” (14:21)

• Andrew notes the dangerous precedent, pointing out that such threats would have ended previous presidents’ careers.

9. The Authoritarian Fantasy

• Trump’s final self-aggrandizement:

  “You know, when you think about it, I’m just sitting here. You’re with the future king, a man who’s respected by everybody, a man that doesn’t have to be doing this, really. I don’t have to be doing it either...” (16:46)

• Andrew concludes:

  “That really makes clear the extent to which he desperately wants to be a king. Right. This is his heart’s deepest longing, is that he could be an actual monarch.” (17:19)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• JVL (03:26):
  "The idea that it took place without the knowledge of the guy who runs the show politically in that country, MBS, is laughable and has been laughable for years."
• Andrew (05:22):
  "Every American president since forever has done business with the authoritarians who run Saudi Arabia because they have to... But it doesn’t have to be this, right?"
• Donald Trump (09:34):
  "What he’s done is incredible in terms of human rights and everything else. And he’s the crown prince, the future king."
• Andrew (17:19):
  "That really makes clear the extent to which he desperately wants to be a king. Right. This is his heart’s deepest longing, is that he could be an actual monarch. Good luck, America."

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:46–01:57: Joint press conference opening, Trump’s response on business conflicts and Khashoggi
• 02:45: MBS responds to 9/11 and Khashoggi
• 03:26–07:21: Bulwark analysis: Trump’s defensiveness vs. MBS’ “polish”; realpolitik vs. personal affinity
• 08:09–09:44: Trump relishes MBS’ flattery and gives effusive, false praise on human rights
• 12:10–14:21: Trump lashes out at Epstein files question and threatens ABC’s license
• 16:46–17:19: Trump fantasizes openly about monarchical power

Tone and Takeaway

In their trademark sharp, incredulous, and sometimes darkly humorous tone, Andrew Egger and JVL lay bare the uniquely transactional, sycophantic, and authoritarian-seeming dynamic between Trump and MBS. The episode is a forceful critique of Trump’s open affection for autocrats, his contempt for democratic norms and the press, and the alarming way in which such spectacles warp American expectations of presidential behavior.

Summary by Bulwark Takes Podcast Summarizer