Why Does This Keep Happening to Republicans?

Summary

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Bulwark Takes – Why Does This Keep Happening to Republicans?

Date: May 23, 2026
Host/Panel: Tim Miller, Will Sommer, and Unidentified Bulwark Contributors
Episode Topic: A raucous, live dissection of recent right-wing chaos – from Trump’s January 6th slush fund and MAGA grift, to odd podcast alliances, feuding internet personalities, and strange compounds.

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Episode Overview

This episode brings together Tim Miller, Will Sommer, and others for The Bulwark’s signature “trio” roundtable, diving into the ever-escalating eccentricities, feuds, and self-destructive patterns plaguing the modern Republican Party—especially its far-right corners. The conversation is brisk, irreverent, and keenly focused on the politics, personalities, and grifts underpinning the latest headlines. Will Sommer—who “lives in a weird part of the world” and is described as the foremost reporter on right-wing internet culture—shares first-hand insights and deep dives into the oddest stories currently gripping MAGA circles.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The January 6th Slush Fund – Chaos and Greed

[03:13]

• Will Sommer explains how right-wing online communities are reacting to the news of a proposed $1.776 billion Trump “settlement” fund relating to January 6th—sparking internal fights over who deserves payouts.
• Absurd claims coming from rioters and MAGA celebrities:
  • The "lectern guy" wants more money for his infamy
  • Mike Lindell is seeking $400 million
  • Lesser-known participants making wild, multimillion-dollar claims
• The community is reportedly roiled by distrust and infighting, with former allies turning on each other for the biggest chunk of the payout.
• Sommer shares the bizarre story of January 6th rioters attempting to establish a “compound” at an old Virginia senior citizen home to serve as a J6 group/content house.

"It was this old giant senior citizens complex, and they took it over... going to be a home for January 6 people... wandering dimly lit halls. It was like the back rooms."
– Will Sommer [05:00]

• Lawyering up for the grift:
  • Peter Tickton (Trump’s high school friend) and Mark McCloskey (of “guns on the lawn” fame) positioned themselves as legal champions for J6ers.
    • McCloskey abandoned the effort, but returned immediately when the fund was announced.
  • Lawyers appear to be eyeing a 30% cut, their motivations questioned.

"I didn't know there was a cancer you could heal if you think you have a chance to get some money."
– Peter Tickton, as relayed by Will Sommer [07:13]

• Congressional or administrative obstacles loom, but the “outrageousness” of funneling taxpayer money to insurrectionists has the hosts torn between anger and a kind of dark amusement:

"They're stealing your money and giving it to fucking insurrectionists. It's white MAGA reparations... There's a simplicity to that story I like."
– Tim Miller [09:02]

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2. Odd Partnerships: Candace Owens x Hunter Biden

[10:09]

• Discussion turns to the shock, confusion, and spectacle surrounding Hunter Biden’s guest slot on Candace Owens’ podcast.
• Sommer offers context: Hunter, formerly associated with lefty podcasters, has bafflingly pivoted to appearing with a right-wing provocateur.

"Hunter Biden... loves the infamy. He's kind of like a clout shark... but I don't understand why he went from this lefty podcast guy to Candace Owens..."
– Will Sommer [12:05]

• The panel debates the optics and effect:
  • Some see Hunter as oddly sympathetic when frank about his troubled past
  • Others argue it’s broadly unhelpful and not constructive engagement—he’s simply airing grievances and attacking Democrats

"All the hookers say he was super nice... great hooker reviews. There's something to be said for that."
– Tim Miller [13:01]

• Owens’ motivation is clear—attention, controversy, and centering herself in the culture war.

"She loves attention, like of any kind. And, you know, it puts her at the center of things as she always wants to be."
– Will Sommer [14:49]

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3. Tucker Carlson vs. Nick Fuentes – Fed Accusations and Feuding Extremists

[15:08]

• The trio covers a brewing feud between Tucker Carlson and ultranationalist Nick Fuentes, both accusing the other of being a federal agent (“fed”)—the ultimate insult in MAGA world.
• Fuentes’ mockery of Tucker (adopting a “folksy” persona) resonates with the panel:

"Tucker is fucking fake. Tucker is a total phony... It's important... because we don't want Tucker Carlson to be the 2028 nominee."
– Tim Miller [16:59]

• Discussion of “Groyper” culture, internal drama, and how fringe leaders often deeply resent their own followers.

"These are not very optically pleasing people... he destroys these guys' lives because he just hates his fans so much."
– Will Sommer [18:40]

• Example: A devotee was hounded offline for “wrong shoes.”

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4. Cults, Compounds, and the Manosphere – The Owen Benjamin & “BearTaria” Saga

[19:19]

• Will Sommmer's deep dive: Owen Benjamin, a failed comedian turned anti-Semitic manosphere influencer, has amassed a cultish following (“the Bears”) who are building rural compounds dubbed “BearTaria.”

"They've been building compounds across the United States. And they call them Bear Taria. So it's like, you know, bear utopia."
– Will Sommer [20:43]

• Fan dynamics:
  • “The Bears” take on animal nicknames and donate money/effort for the promise of utopian refuge, but mostly end up building for Owen, with questionable construction results.
  • Many followers are isolated men—divorces are common; one ex-wife tells of her husband presenting Owen with a “tribute of gold coins.”
• BearTaria is the subject of a troubled documentary trilogy and local controversy, especially in Idaho.
• Audience and panel amusement at the sheer strangeness and personal toll of such internet subcultures.

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5. Local Flavor: Carl DeMaio and GOP Intrigue in San Diego

[25:17]

• A brief update on San Diego’s flamboyant GOP gadfly Carl DeMaio, once embroiled in a “rent boy imbroglio.”
• DeMaio runs rival Republican slates and faces opposition from party officials; stories about past “classic grabbing” incidents prompt laughter and bewilderment.

"If you are a gay, frumpy Republican in San Diego, the options aren't great, you know, so you might have to go for a little burglar twink."
– Tim Miller [27:24]

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On January 6th Grift:
  "Are they gonna get their fucking money? I think, yeah, I think so."
  – Tim Miller [07:34]

• On the sheer dysfunction of right-wing movement figures:
  "It's so outrageous, though, that… let him do it. Isn't this part of the stove touching?"
  – Tim Miller [09:26]

• On Hunter Biden’s Public Persona:
  "All the hookers say he was super nice... There's something to be said for that."
  – Tim Miller [13:01]

• On Nick Fuentes and the Groypers:
  "He destroys these guys' lives because he just hates his fans so much."
  – Will Sommer [18:40]

• On the proliferation of absurd internet subcultures:
  "He does these live streams… They see themselves as, like, they're disaffected men and they need a place to be macho, and Bertaria is that place."
  – Will Sommer [23:45]

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Engaging, Memorable Exchanges

• Opening Banter:
  • Tim Miller, relinquishing hosting duties and joking about blood alcohol debates and audience cheers [01:28–02:21]
• “MAGAreparations” Rant:
  • Miller’s angry, darkly funny summary of how outrageous the insurrectionist fund is [09:01]
• BearTaria Deep Dive:
  • Descriptions of failed compounds, “tribute” gold coins, and ruined marriages for the sake of internet fame [20:43–24:49]
• Closing Applause for Will Sommer:
  • Recognition for his willingness to immerse in “the absolute gutters of the Internet… and he does it for you.” [27:52]

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Important Timestamps

• January 6th Fund & Community Grift: [03:13] – [10:09]
• Candace Owens x Hunter Biden Odd Couple: [10:09] – [14:58]
• Tucker Carlson vs. Nick Fuentes Feud: [15:08] – [19:14]
• Owen Benjamin / BearTaria Subculture: [19:19] – [25:02]
• Carl DeMaio, Rent Boy Fiasco: [25:17] – [27:52]
• Encore Applause for Will Sommer's Reporting: [27:52] – [28:15]

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Tone & Style

• Conversational, fast-paced, and irreverent, with sharp humor and frequent asides
• Deeply informed by internet reporting and a skepticism of right-wing grift
• Panelists are both exasperated and incredulously amused by the political circus they chronicle

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For listeners and readers alike, this episode is a whirlwind tour of contemporary Republican weirdness—making sense of the senseless, flagging early warning signs, and laughing (sometimes grimly) at the chaos that continues to roil the party and its most dedicated factions.

A must-listen for anyone tracking the wild fringes of today’s GOP.

Transcript

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[Will Sommer]

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[Tim Miller]

Do the people want the trio? The people want the trio. Fine.

[Unidentified Participant 1]

I guess I'll just leave then.

[Tim Miller]

You'll be back. All right. So I'll be right back. We're going to do the trio.

[Unidentified Participant 1]

Guys. Welcome to the stage.

[Tim Miller]

Will Summer. Hello. I'm not hosting anymore. Thank God. Get me another whiskey. Same mic. All right.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Get the mic.

[Tim Miller]

Hey, Will Sommer.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Hey.

[Will Sommer]

Hey, everybody.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I felt like that wasn't a sufficient

[Tim Miller]

welcome for Will Summer.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Oh, no.

[Will Sommer]

It's so nice.

[Tim Miller]

Thank you.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Just before we get to the trio, to let you know the two debate topics we skipped, Tim idiotically was going to argue that there was a Tom Massey Lane in 2028.

[Tim Miller]

I think that there is.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

And Sarah wanted to debate me on whether the. The blood alcohol content level was too high, not.

[Tim Miller]

Not your personal. Not whether your personal blood get off the stage, not one of your personal blood alcohol content when you drive.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Sorry.

[Tim Miller]

All right, Sarah. We let Sarah off the hook. You all were cheering for. Why don't we cut the part where you're gonna defend drunk driving? We'll just keep everybody on your good side.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Saving Sarah from Herself.

[Tim Miller]

And she's like, no, no.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Baiting her to come back on. All right, this is the Trio. So let's start with the January 6th.

[Tim Miller]

We need a song.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah, we should.

[Will Sommer]

I was thinking the trio.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Can we just do the Tim podcast?

[Tim Miller]

I'm on it. We're gonna get.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Let me show you guys. All right, so if you don't know.

[Tim Miller]

Will.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Will.

[Podcast Sponsor Announcer]

Thank you.

[Will Sommer]

I love San Diego.

[Tim Miller]

Thank you.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Will lives in a weird part of the world. He's been bred and he's had his professional career built around right wing Internet culture. And I would argue, honestly, that you're the foremost authority on this odd universe, which, frankly, is now a power center in our politics. And this week, the biggest story, I think, in your universe has to be this January 6th Trump settlement slush fund of 1.77. $1.776 billion.

[Tim Miller]

So

[Unidentified Participant 2]

are you profund?

[Tim Miller]

No, I'm not.

[Will Sommer]

You know, we do have to remember. I mean, these people did January six, right? Like, that is crazy. I mean, we get so lost. Right before I came up here, the lectern guy, Remember the guy who stole the lectern, he's like, well, I should get more money because I was kind of infamous and, you know, people were really mad at me. And so, you know, we're starting to see more. Mike Lindell says he wants 400 million. 400, which o. I guess we'll give you a fourth of the fund. You know, it's crazy.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

So what is going on in the January 6th community right now? Like, I'm talking about the rioters who probably are still in touch with each other, maybe, you know, have some sort of discord channel or something like that where, you know, they all kind of want to get a piece of the pie. We saw the CNN clip, for instance. This one obscure guy wanted $30 million. Lindell wants $400 million. Are they starting to turn on each other?

[Tim Miller]

Oh, my God.

[Will Sommer]

Well, I thought you were going to say they have a lot of discord, right? Which they certainly do. There was a point where they tried to take over this old senior citizens home, and they were going to make a compound in Virginia there. It all fell apart. Obviously. They're always, like, scheming and. Yeah, they're really mad. Everyone.

[Tim Miller]

Now, tell me a little more about that.

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, I looked into it. I mean, they. It was this old giant senior citizens complex, and they took it over and they were like, this is going to be a home for January six. People wouldn't be like that in your neighborhood, right? And I mean, it Was huge.

[Tim Miller]

In what state?

[Will Sommer]

I think in Virginia.

[Tim Miller]

Florida. No, Virginia.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah.

[Will Sommer]

And they.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

But.

[Will Sommer]

But there was. Obviously it was a spooky place. I mean, it was kind of. I was watching the videos, these January six guys, like wandering dimly lit halls. It was like the back rooms, right? They talk about that.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

But why did they want to do that?

[Will Sommer]

Because they'd need a place to live. All the January six people. A group home, A content house. Yeah, a content.

[Tim Miller]

A hype house.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah, a hype house where they would just cut videos with each other.

[Will Sommer]

The January 6th content, I mean, they did. Yeah, it was a. I should have written about it.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Sounds like a good false flag.

[Tim Miller]

Is there?

[Unidentified Participant 2]

And talk a little bit about the newsletter you wrote about the lawyers. Because. Yes, this is also sort of a second tier grift here, here happening. Which is. The lawyers also want their 30% cut of these settlements.

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, these are some great characters. Right. So we've got this guy named Peter Tickton. Now his claim to fame is that he went to high school with Donald Trump. That's it.

[Tim Miller]

Right.

[Will Sommer]

And he wrote a book. Oh, he was such a great guy in high school. Whatever. And in fact, you see him, Pierre's lawyer. Speaking of. And so him, he teamed up with a guy named Mark McCloskey. Now you may remember Mark McCloskey from

[Tim Miller]

20 20. Who remembers Mark McCloskey? Yeah. Okay, sicko.

[Will Sommer]

Big Mark McCloskey crowd here, okay? But basically, you know, he stood in front of his house in St. Louis during a Black Lives Matter march with the guns. Mark and Patricia McCloskey. And so now he teamed up with Peter Tickton. And they said, we're gonna represent all the J6 people and we're gonna get them reparations. And this went on for a year. Obviously it didn't look like it was gonna happen in April, he says, Mark McCloskey says, Guys, I'm sick, I just gotta bow out. And it was sort of like he was like, this ain't going anywhere, right? And then a day after the fund gets announced, he goes, I'm healed, I'm back and I'll be your lawyer again. And Peter Tickton, he's like, praise the Lord. And so he's seeing the dog, the righteous gemstones.

[Tim Miller]

Shit.

[Will Sommer]

He did say he was like, like, with God on our side, nothing will stop us. So Peter Tickton, he was like looking at his yacht or whatever, all. Everything he's going to buy with this money. And he says, he told, he told me, he said, I didn't know there was a cancer. You could heal if you like. You think you have a chance to get some money, you know? And I was like, wow, these guys hate each other. Yeah. Which is something, I honestly think a lot on this beat.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

What do you make of. What do you think is going to happen with this fun, Tim? Like, is it actually going to be doled out?

[Tim Miller]

How often are you talking to Pete?

[Will Sommer]

This was a first timer. I honestly, I got him on the phone and he was just like, let me tell you how much I hate this guy.

[Tim Miller]

Interesting. That's nice. Kind of jealous of you sometimes. Just get to meet so many interesting characters, you know. I have to talk to Tom Nichols again. Same old, same old. Are they gonna get their fucking money? I think, yeah, I think so.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I don't know.

[Will Sommer]

It feels like the Senate's gonna try to intervene, but I don't know if they can. I mean, we saw some.

[Tim Miller]

They put the money out.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Well, they gotta. They actually have to file. Who knows what they're gonna do. Technically, they have to file a claim in this Trump appointed board. Whatever this is is gonna adjudicate it, I think. What did Todd Blanche say about it? Oh, they're asking Todd Blanche tonight. I think he was on scene and they're like, are you really going to give it to people who like, beat up cops on January 6th? And he's like, what do you say? He's like, a lot of people have gotten money who've beat up cops.

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, he said a lot of people have beaten up cops and gotten money. Really?

[Tim Miller]

Is that true? I don't.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I mean, I think he meant police, like legit police brutality claims.

[Tim Miller]

And those are people that got going down. They fought.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I think he meant they fought back. I don't know. It doesn't make any sense. So I get. My theory is that they have to rush. They're going to rush it out before any.

[Tim Miller]

I don't know. But he wants it for the bribes, like he wants it for the. For the blackmail. Yeah. They're going to have to keep it. They're gonna have to keep it. I don't know. I'm of two minds about it. We talked about this a little bit downstairs and you know, like on yesterday's pod, we were raging and I'm very upset. The whole thing is fucking insane. I mean, like they're totally. They're stealing our money. Like they're stealing your money and they're giving it to fucking insurrectionists. It's, you know, white MAGA reparations and it's, it's fucking outrageous. And so at one level, I'm like, I don't want them to take our fucking money because fuck you. There's the other part of me that's like. It's so outrageous, though, that. Let him do it. Not. Well, do we want to stop them from themselves? Isn't this part of the stove touching?

[Will Sommer]

Like.

[Tim Miller]

Isn't it part of the stove touching, like, there's a. I guess the dark angel inside of me, the dark wolf is like, I kind of want gas to be $7 a gallon. And I kind of want people to feel maga. People to feel pain and then to be reminded, you know what? Actually, you were going to work all day. Like, you're going to autozone and, you know, working your ass off. And you came home and you're sweaty and you got a fucking parent. You got to do your laundry, and they're fucking taking your money and they're giving it to these assholes. They stole it from you. And there's a simplicity to that story that I like. That's all.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Sprinkle a little Ebola on top.

[Tim Miller]

Maybe a hint of ice.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Okay. Just a touch, a little pinch. You talked about dark characters. A real duo has teamed up. For reasons I'm not totally sure Candace Owens heard the new. It's Will's girl. The newest guest on her podcast is Hunter Biden.

[Will Sommer]

There she.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I guess they're not watching. They're not as into the Internet culture as you, Will. Let's play a little clip, and I have questions afterwards. Let's play the Candace Hunter clip.

[Candace Owens]

What's your. What's your opinion on Kamala then?

[Will Sommer]

It's a big event.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Is that it? That's the full clip.

[Tim Miller]

All right, fine. There's more.

[Will Sommer]

There's more to it.

[Candace Owens]

Politics is cropped.

[Hunter Biden]

But something's changed in this. It's not left or right. The DC elite of the. Of the left, they crushed my dad because he was never part of that club. He was never part of the Epstein class. You know, one thing he didn't do, he didn't greenlight to turn Gaza into a Trump golf course with the maitre d being Jared Kushner. War in Iran that they started, that every president before him was pressured by the Israelis.

[Candace Owens]

And I do think there was something about the Charlie Kirk assassination that everyone just sort of looked up.

[Hunter Biden]

They're the people that Charlie Kirk made. The level of disloyalty or fear, I don't know what it is. And the criticism of you for asking the questions for someone who was like a brother to you. It's like, what the f. Are you talking about? I listen to you and I go, right on.

[Will Sommer]

It's crazy.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Oh, come on. You're entertained, Will.

[Tim Miller]

I am not entertained.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Will, just contextually, how crazy is this partnership here?

[Will Sommer]

This is. It's pretty crazy, right? But I think also, like, Hunter Biden, I think, has kind of shown himself to be, like, he loves the infamy. He loves, like, the. He's kind of like a clout shark, what you might call him. Like, he teamed up with this other podcast guy, and they did some shows together, but I don't understand why he went from this kind of, like, lefty podcast guy at Channel 5 News or whatever to, like, the next step was Candace Owens. And, you know, I. It's very strange. And also, it's just, like, frustrating because it's like, do we really need to relitigate, like, the Biden administration? I mean, I guess that's how he feels.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I have a hot take on this. I think Hunter should do more media.

[Tim Miller]

Oh, my God.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I think it comes across sympathetic.

[Tim Miller]

Hunter Biden.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Hunter Biden. There is a part in there where she starts asking him about the laptop and his crack use, and he's like, yeah, I did crack. And I'm like, okay, I get it. Yeah, he did it. Yeah.

[Tim Miller]

Here's the thing about Hunter. All the hookers say that he was super nice.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah, they do. Legit. They do.

[Tim Miller]

Like, he's got great hooker reviews. And there's something to be said for that, you know, because my understanding. Not my cup of tea.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Why? Are your hooker reviews not good or something?

[Tim Miller]

Not a problem there, Sam. But my understanding is that sometimes there can be, you know, some violence, and, you know, men can be dicks to hookers, you know, maybe. Maybe shortchange them, etc. And so that Hunter, you know, and if I were to be somebody that was using crack, Ike seems like somebody that you'd have. We'd have a good time, I think. I think we'd have a nice time. I think we'd have a good time in Fort Lauderdale together. I didn't love it when he was trying to be the shadow president of the United States in 2024, though. And I don't really think that he should be telling Candace Owens, like, hey, kudos to you for your questions about the Charlie Kirk assassination. Like, you're really out there, and I appreciate it. And I don't really think that he. And be like, the Epstein class came for my dad. I don't think any of that is helpful. Sometimes I can already hear some people being like, but, Tim, you say that Democrats should go engage on these platforms. And it's like, it doesn't seem like Hunter's engaging on that in service of trying to bring people into the Democratic folds. Seems like he's shitting on the Democrats on Candace Owens platform. And, you know, I think he should probably just parent his child. All right.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

And what is. What is. Ken,

[Tim Miller]

fair point.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

He slipped that into the ass, but he can't argue that. What is.

[Tim Miller]

He did sued and.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah.

[Tim Miller]

Parent his own child.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

He should probably parent his own.

[Tim Miller]

Not great. Probably do that.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

What does Candace get out of this?

[Will Sommer]

I mean, I think she gets attention. Yeah, I mean, she gets attention. I mean, she loves attention, like, of any kind. And, you know, it puts her at the center of things as. As she always wants to be.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

All right, that wasn't the only weird. Well, they weren't a duo, but there's another set of characters that we're going to talk about. Nick Fuentes.

[Tim Miller]

Boom.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

We're not Fuentes fans here.

[Tim Miller]

Well, you're gonna have to pick a side because Tucker. Carl.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah, it's Tucker. Tucker versus Fuentes here, folks. I don't really understand what the feud is about.

[Will Sommer]

I just want to say. We know the feud.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Okay.

[Will Sommer]

They think the other one is a CIA operative. Right. I mean, that's what it's been. The boys don't like each other.

[Tim Miller]

They both accuse the other ones of being feds. Nick Fuentes went onto a different podcast where the guy said to him, he's. The guy's name is Dave Smith. He's like, nick, here's the thing. I don't think it was fair. The trunk. Tucker called you a fed. That's the worst thing you can say in our word. It's kind of like the N word for maga. I'm like, not quite.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Not quite.

[Tim Miller]

I noticed that you said fed and you said N word, which, like, you know, that shows you that there's a little bit of a difference between the two words, because you could say one and not the other.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah.

[Tim Miller]

But anyway.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

And they. But they. But. And Tucker's accused Fuentes of being a fed. And Fuentes is cute. Tucker of being a fed, too.

[Will Sommer]

That's right. Yeah. Because Tucker's dad was in the CIA or was like a CIA asset. And that's real.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Is that true?

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I thought he was, like, in, like, chicken or something like that.

[Tim Miller]

Hot Pockets in CIA.

[Will Sommer]

No, the.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

The mother's in chicken.

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, that's okay.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Okay, let's Just play that.

[Tim Miller]

Let's play the video.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Fuentes versus Tucker.

[Tim Miller]

You guys are gonna hate yourself.

[Unidentified Participant 1]

He used to go around in a bow tie telling everybody I have multiple trust funds I never have to work at again. I'm spoiled. I'm spoiled and super rich and all this kind of stuff. And now he's doing this larp. Like, he's got his hands in his pockets, and he's like,

[Will Sommer]

hey, man, I

[Unidentified Participant 1]

just like to hunt and fish. I just like to hunt and fish. I just like my dogs and my wife and saunas.

[Will Sommer]

How about that?

[Tim Miller]

If you liked that. That clip goes on for five minutes, and I have only. I've watched it four times. You don't ever have to hand it to Nick Fuentes, but I think that this is important, and I wanted to play it because Tucker is fucking fake. Tucker is a total phony, and he's very compelling, and he's convincing people, and I bet he's convinced a couple of you out there. I have people coming up to me that say, I never would have thought that I would have shared a Tucker Carlson clip on Instagram. And I'm like, stop, stop. Like, you agree with him on one thing, and he's probably lying about that, and he's gonna change his mind. He's getting paid by the Qatari. Stop. He's a total phony. And I think that it's very. When I say that it makes no progress with people, because obviously I would hate Tucker. When Nick Fuentes does a really good Tucker Carlson mock, I think that there's something there. I'm encouraged by this, because we don't want Tucker Carlson to be the 2028 nominee. I promise you we do not.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Since Tim's lobbed the accusation legitimately, how many of you shared a Tucker clip on Instagram? Please raise your hand.

[Tim Miller]

None.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

None?

[Tim Miller]

Not one you haven't liked? Not one.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Okay, fine.

[Tim Miller]

Good. The Bulwark people are the best. The Bulwark people are the best.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Why is. So Fuentes is also having some issues with his own groiper community, though? Because there's, like, this weird conference that happened in April or in Ohio.

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, the Groy Pets. Yeah.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

So is he. Is he kind of looking for, like, to reclaim his relevance here, too?

[Will Sommer]

Well, you know, it's interesting. I mean, you know, the big problem with Nick Fuentes is that he's the leader of the Gripers. You know, these. They see them, they identify with, what, like a fat cartoon frog named Griper. Right?

[Tim Miller]

A toad.

[Will Sommer]

And so, like, these are not very, like, optically pleasing people. Right? I mean, and so, so the problem is he's trying to build this mass movement or at least a media career. And then whenever one of his fans like gets in front of a camera or something, he goes, oh, my God, I can't believe this. I got. You know, he destroys these guys lives because he just hates his fans so much.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

One of them was wearing like bulky shoes and he like lost his mind.

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, he was wearing like, you know, these like ugly like square loafers and he's like, what the is this? And that guy like deleted everything. He had to like go off the grid. They. Cnn Groiper was his name.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

All right. I don't know how you swim in these waters, daddy. There.

[Tim Miller]

We're about.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

We have two other topics. I legitimately have no idea who any of these people are, but Will tells me they like, matter. Who the fuck is Owen Benjamin?

[Will Sommer]

Okay, okay, so. So when we came out here, I was like, I want to give you guys a classic Will Summer. Just like deep dive, right? And now this one is one of my favorite topics, but I haven't had an excuse to bring it up until recently. Okay, so this guy's name is Owen Benjamin. He's a failed comedian. He had a show like 10 years ago. Importantly, he was engaged to Christina Ricci. That's kind of his claim to fame.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Right?

[Will Sommer]

I know he's a California guy. Right. But then, then. Well, I know this was before he was so bad. And so I don't know if that radicalized him or what. But like the. Basically he's become a manosphere guy. He's really anti Semitic. He was on Tucker recently, which is my news peg, and so that's why we're talking about it. But Tucker's trying to rehabilitate him. But the reason I want to bring it up is his fans call themselves Bears. Right. And so they're each like kind of

[Tim Miller]

like in a gay way. Like, not in a.

[Will Sommer]

No. And that's why I'm glad to clarify that it's not in a gay way. Right. Like, or so we're told. Right.

[Tim Miller]

Believe Bears. The Bears.

[Will Sommer]

Well, and. And so they'll.

[Tim Miller]

I feel like I need a. And like, I think like my super fans need a name. You know, we should spitball on that. I'll take ideas.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

This isn't about you.

[Tim Miller]

So, you know, kind of like the Beliebers. The Bears.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Okay, go on, Will, please.

[Will Sommer]

Well, so, so the second part of that is you're like, okay, bears, whatever. Well, they've been building compounds across The United States. And they call them Bear Taria. So it's like, you know, bare utopia. And so they have one in Idaho and they have one in Missouri. Ozark Bear.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Tari, one second. What do they do at these compounds?

[Will Sommer]

Well, you know, here's the deal. So Owen Benjamin raised a lot of money, and he said, this is going to be where all the bears live. Kind of like the January six old folks home. And then they send all this money in, and he buys the land, buys a house for himself on the land. And then the bears are like, all right, great, let's move on in. And he said, hold up. Not quite. Not quite, boys, but I do have some other buildings you guys could build. So all the bears and they all have names. So there's like cucumber bear and like. Like two by four bear and whatever. And they all get out and they start building houses for Owen. But the thing is, they don't have any construction experience. So they made a documentary called Building Bertaria. And it's not like a Netflix documentary. Not like Wild, Wild country where you're gonna go like, oh, no. But this is supposed to be a good story. But the thing is, like, the cement starts rotting, the buildings start collapsing. It's really a funny experience. So I guess just for the purposes of time, just. I have one other story, brief story about the time. We got time.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

We got time. Don't worry.

[Will Sommer]

Just for the. Yeah. So do you have any questions?

[Unidentified Participant 2]

I have so many questions. How many people are we talking about here?

[Will Sommer]

Oh, my God. I mean, like, well, building these houses. I don't know. It was 30 or 40, but, like, hundred. He has hundreds of.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Hundreds of bears.

[Will Sommer]

Hundreds of bears.

[Tim Miller]

God. And I'm not asking you people to do anything. Could be outside mowing my lawn. Wow. Bear Taria. There's two locations.

[Will Sommer]

Yeah. There's the Idaho one. And by the way, Idaho.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

It's always Idaho. Well, it's always Idaho.

[Will Sommer]

And that's where they had Ruby Ridge. Right. And so the. The people in Idaho were like, we don't love to hear about the new compound. And so there was a lot of pushback from the neighbors, but it. But it happened.

[Tim Miller]

Okay. And so the documentary is that out. Could we watch it?

[Will Sommer]

Yeah. So. So there. There's like three episodes or three. Three installments. It's a trilogy, but it's also.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Have you watched it?

[Will Sommer]

Yeah. So Owen. Owen is engaged in a bitter lawsuit with the creator of the documentary. Needless to say. Right. And so can I ask my.

[Tim Miller]

Sorry, is there any sex Happening or is it an incel situation?

[Will Sommer]

I mean, like, who knows what happens?

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Charles Manson y type thing.

[Will Sommer]

No.

[Tim Miller]

And you've watched all three episodes. I don't know. The Bears. I'm just trying to. If there's anything for me in this documentary.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah. That's all Tim cares about. I think we sort of glossed over, but, like, why, like, why are they following this guy? What does he have over them? What's going on?

[Will Sommer]

He does these live streams, like, you know, let's say clavicular. Right. And that's how people build their followings. Yeah.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah.

[Will Sommer]

A lot of love for Clav tonight. So basically, you know, they see themselves as, like, they're disaffected men and they need a place to be macho, and Bertaria is that place. But I'll tell you what. There's all. There's a lot of divorces involved, right? And so if you go on the old Owen Benjamin subreddit, there's a lot of, like, oh, you know, my wife left me, whatever. So I talked to this woman who did divorce her husband over his Owen Benjamin love, and she said, well, one time we went to the Ozark Bertaria for a visit, and then my husband said, excuse me, I need to go speak to Owen. And he gave him, like, a tribute of gold coins. So they're, like, going back to, like, the olden days. They actually just got a couple cows to start a. Like to start a. A pack or a herd.

[Tim Miller]

So you talked to the woman? Yeah, yeah. Are they still together or is that. No, no, not even.

[Will Sommer]

Not, no.

[Tim Miller]

She find her?

[Will Sommer]

She posted on the Owen Benjamin subreddit.

[Tim Miller]

There's a subreddit? Of course.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah, naturally. Are you gonna write about this?

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, but I mean, someday. Yeah, I mean, but.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

But.

[Will Sommer]

But I. But I thought just a little, you know, something very special, something new for San Diego.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

All right.

[Tim Miller]

Well, yeah. All right, we have. Well, I went in totally blind on that. I told Will. I was like, I don't. I want to know nothing about this.

[Will Sommer]

Yeah.

[Tim Miller]

I want to be fresh. And it exceeded all my expectations.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Beyond one other character we're going to discuss in a very short time left, apparently this man has some local relevance. Carl DeMaio.

[Tim Miller]

Whoa. I was upset that the trio outline did not have any gay Republican talk in there, since that's pretty central to the trio ethos. And obviously there was the TPUSA incident, which is the origin of it, but we've had a lot of cruise ships, gay cruises, et cetera. And I was like, what could we Talk about. And I was like, shit, we're in San Diego. I should check in on Carl DeMaio. I was like, I haven't heard about that guy in like 10 years. I remember him being a total shit show. And so we asked Will to check in. What's the latest with him?

[Will Sommer]

Well, look, I guess he's Darrell Issa's arch enemy. I love these feuds. Right. And so I guess he's like starting his own kind of quasi. Carl DeMaio fied Republican Party. And he's been sending out mailers that are like Carl's list, but you know, it's his slate. But it says, here's the what the Republican Party says. And they said, carl, cut it out, man. They said in a letter the California GOP said like, you are not a political knave, Carl. You know what you're doing. You know better than this. So that's what he's up to. It's a lot of mischief.

[Tim Miller]

Back in the day, he got into a little bit of trouble though, you know, he was. Maybe he had a little rent. Rent boy or something?

[Will Sommer]

Yeah, I think I described it as like sort of a rent boy imbroglio. So what does that mean? Well, you know, he had this, this guy claimed Carl kind of grabbed his hog. Right. And, and then, but then Carl was acquitted and he said, no, this guy brought this up because he burglarized my house. And these are the kind of like just classic, like weird situations you can find yourself in.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah. So it's like. It was classic grabbing.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Classic situations. Yes, of course.

[Will Sommer]

All the hallmarks of a red boy in Rolio.

[Tim Miller]

The hog boy. It's a hog grabbing before or after the burglary?

[Will Sommer]

I'm a little unclear on the timeline.

[Tim Miller]

Yeah, this does happen. You got to be careful about this if you're going to have a red boy around.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Yeah.

[Tim Miller]

And you know, if you're a gay closeted Republican who is. I guess he's not closeted. Excuse me. If you are a gay, frumpy Republican in San Diego, the options aren't great, you know, so you might have to go for a little burglar twink.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Let me just take a point of personal privilege because Will does shit that no human being should be subjected to.

[Tim Miller]

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Unidentified Participant 2]

Will spends his days in the absolute gutters of the Internet listening to horrifying podcasts and watching three part documentaries on bear compounds. And he does it for you.

[Tim Miller]

So thank you. A big cheer for Will Sommer. Thank you.