Your Tax Dollars Are Funding the DUMBEST Bailout Ever!

Summary

---

Bulwark Takes: "Your Tax Dollars Are Funding the DUMBEST Bailout Ever!"

Date: September 28, 2025
Hosts: Tim Miller, Charlie Sykes
Theme:
A passionate critique of the Trump administration’s tariff-driven economic policy, the resulting crisis for American farmers, and the newly proposed taxpayer-funded bailout. The episode dissects how a supposed pro-farmer and pro-America trade war amplified costs for everyday Americans and backfired on the very rural communities it promised to help.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. John Thune’s Role and Republican Leadership

• Low-profile Majority Leader:
  Tim and Charlie highlight how John Thune, Senate Majority Leader, has kept a low public profile while uncritically enabling Trump’s trade policies.

  • "You don't see much of John Thune these days. You might not even realize he's actually the Senate Majority Leader." — Tim Miller [01:33]
  • "There's no hand, John. The isn't doing anything. He's doing whatever Donald Trump wants. Like he might as well not exist." — Charlie Sykes [02:06]

• Contrast with other Republicans:
  They joke about how even fringe right figures like Candace Owens might have shown more backbone than Thune, who hasn’t stood up to Trump’s policies even when they harm his own state.

2. Cycle of Policy Failure: Tariffs, Trade War & Farmer Bailout

• Tariffs backfire on rural America:
  Trump’s tariffs were supposed to trigger a “golden age” for rural areas but quickly triggered a trade war that locked American farmers out of global markets, especially for soybeans.

  • "Tariffs caused a trade war. Trade war caused escalating conflict economically and consequences. And as a result... farmers in his state can't sell their product, can't sell their soybeans." — Tim Miller [03:33]

• Resulting harm to farmers:
  Instead of boosting agriculture, the policy has left farmers with unsellable crops, now rotting in storage, while Trump and Thune scramble to propose a taxpayer-funded bailout.

3. Deconstructing the Bailout Justification

• John Thune’s defense:
  The show plays a clip of Thune on TV, explaining the bailout as "financial assistance" using new tariff revenue, and justifying it as supporting farmers until new markets open up.

  • "Our farmers are probably going to need some financial assistance this year, and a lot of the revenue coming in off the tariffs is what they would use to provide that." — John Thune [06:14]

• Hosts’ incredulity and frustration:

  • "I cannot overstate. This is the stupidest policy that I think I've ever seen." — Tim Miller [04:05]
  • "This is the stupidest shit I've ever heard in my life." — Charlie Sykes [09:25]

4. Impact on Ordinary Americans: The Real Cost of Tariffs

• Higher prices on everyday goods:
  The hosts walk through how Walmart shoppers are hit with higher bills on everything from groceries to clothing to appliances due to tariffs pushing up import prices.

  • "You check out and the bill is significantly higher than it would have been had there been no tariffs." — Tim Miller [08:23]

• Money redirected, not reinvested:
  Instead of using tariff revenue for public investments, the government is simply funneling it to bailout farmers—who are now in crisis due to Trump’s own trade war.

  • "Not reinvested in your schools, not reinvested in your roads, not invest in our national defense. They're going to take that extra money... and give it to the farmers." — Tim Miller [08:33]

5. Comparison to Other Bailouts and Political Accountability

• Bank bailouts vs. farmer bailout:
  They liken public anger over corporate bailouts to what Americans should be feeling about this “farmer bailout,” which is needed only because of political recklessness.

  • "Everybody should be that pissed about this... people should have their pitchforks up about this farmer bailout. Nothing against the farmers. They got screwed over." — Tim Miller [12:32]

• Failure of leadership principles:
  Particularly critical of Thune, who is portrayed as abandoning traditional conservative and constitutional principles for political ambition.

  • "John Thune was never a tariff guy... but he wanted the gavel." — Tim Miller [13:03]
  • "He wanted to be the Senate Majority Leader, so he went along with this. He didn’t do his job, which was to control the power of the purse, to make sure that Donald Trump couldn’t recklessly ruin the economy." — Tim Miller [13:10]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "This is fucking idiocracy." — Tim Miller [09:23]
• "This policy should have like 2% support. You remember the bank bailouts? Remember how mad people were?" — Tim Miller [11:48]
• "Everybody in the country, you’re getting screwed by their dumb policies. You got to call them out." — Charlie Sykes [13:54]
• "The extra tax you’re paying is going to bail out the farmers because their food is rotting, because China won’t buy our food anymore. That’s what Donald Trump has given you." — Charlie Sykes [14:11]
• "John Thune should be fucking ashamed of himself. You want to talk about kitchen table issues? This is a fucking kitchen table issue." — Tim Miller [13:29]

---

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:29 – Tim and Charlie introduce John Thune and discuss his lack of resistance to Trump [01:29–02:49]
• 03:14 – Transition to the "coming farmer bailout" and how tariffs caused the crisis [03:14–03:54]
• 05:12 – John Thune’s TV justification for the bailout [05:12–06:14]
• 06:21 – Analysis of the “logic” behind the bailout and impact on farmers [06:21–07:54]
• 08:00–08:33 – Story illustrating higher bills for Americans at Walmart due to tariffs
• 09:25 – Denunciation: "This is the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard in my life."
• 11:48 – Comparison to bank bailouts and call for outrage [11:48–12:38]
• 13:29 – Criticism directed personally at John Thune’s leadership
• 14:09–14:11 – The “kitchen table” summary of the situation

---

Tone Notice

The conversation is fast-paced, pointed, and peppered with sarcasm, exasperation, and occasional profanity. Both hosts express deep frustration at what they view as economic self-sabotage and political cowardice, calling for more public indignation and political accountability.

---

Summary:
Tim Miller and Charlie Sykes use this episode to lay bare the farcical logic of the Trump-era tariffs and the resulting farmer bailout. With direct language and clear analogies, they expose the circular pain for both rural producers and everyday consumers — blaming political self-interest and a lack of true leadership, particularly from Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Their message: the trade war and its “dumbest bailout ever” are policy failures that all Americans, not just farmers, are paying for.

Transcript

[American Giant Advertiser]

Everything from clothing to household items are getting more expensive each day. The world of fast fashion has complicated clothing production by outsourcing around the world to whoever can sew them the cheapest. And now you, the consumer, are paying the price. With rising costs. American Giant is about keeping things simple and close to home. They aren't affected by tariffs because their products never leave the US So. So when you buy from American Giant, you're taking a stand for hard working people, local communities and quality clothes. American Giant directly supports American manufacturers and ensures you aren't footing that tariff bill. Support American made tariff free clothing with American Giant. Get 20% off your first order when you use promo code [e-mail] then that's 20% off when you use code [e-mail].

[Chumba Casino Advertiser]

Wish life was all fun and games at Chumba Casino it is. Play hundreds of free social casino games. No downloads needed. Want the chance to redeem incredible prizes? Why wait? Play your way anytime, any place. [e-mail] no purchase necessary vgw group void where prohibited by law. 21 plus terms and conditions. Conditions apply.

[Tim Miller]

Hey everybody, Tim Moore from the Bulwark here. John Thune was on with Kirsten Welker.

[Charlie Sykes]

On Meet the Press this morning.

[Tim Miller]

You don't see much of John Thune these days. You might not even realize he's actually the Senate Majority Leader. We were told, people said, people told me that John Thune, you know, was a responsible Republican, an old school traditional Republican. And it's a good sign that he's.

[Charlie Sykes]

Going to be majority leader. You know, you wouldn't want a crazy person there like Mike Lee or Ted Cruz or something.

[Tim Miller]

You want to, you want somebody with his steady hand on the tiller in.

[Charlie Sykes]

Case Trump goes a little nuts.

[Tim Miller]

Well, we have a ghost hand on.

[Charlie Sykes]

The tiller right now. There's no hand, John. The isn't doing anything. He's doing whatever Donald Trump wants. Like he might as well not exist. I mean if, frankly, if I'm probably not Mike Lee, but I don't know, like if cat turd or Candace Owens were in there. Like at least Candace Owens. So what you learn about Candace Owens, at least she has an ethos. Like she's got some views on things, anti Semitic views on some things.

[Tim Miller]

Not very pro Israel views, let's just say. And she's got some other crazy, you.

[Charlie Sykes]

Know, dick checking random world leaders. But if Candace was in there as.

[Tim Miller]

Majority leader, she would at least at.

[Charlie Sykes]

Times be like, no Trump. I don't, I Don't want to go along with this. So in some ways she would at least be an independent spirit checking Donald.

[Tim Miller]

Trump's excesses, not John Thune. He's not checking anything. He's just on board for no matter how stupid the policy is, no matter how harmful, how cruel, how anti rule of law, anti Constitution, how anti conservative principles it is, John Thune is there.

[Charlie Sykes]

And that takes us to what he's talking about today, what they're planning on doing with the farmers. There's a farmer bailout coming.

[Tim Miller]

John Thune is on board for it.

[Charlie Sykes]

He's got a lot of farms in South Dakota.

[Tim Miller]

He's from South Dakota.

[Charlie Sykes]

I don't know if you knew that. Again, he's not out there that much. So some of you might not be aware that John Thune's from South Dakota.

[Tim Miller]

Farmer bailout. The tariffs created a trade war. Predictably, everyone predicted that John Thune would have predicted if it was a Democrat.

[Charlie Sykes]

President, if he wasn't just a total slave to whatever Donald Trump wanted.

[Tim Miller]

Tariffs caused a trade war. Trade war caused escalating conflict economically and consequences. And as a result, one of the.

[Charlie Sykes]

Many results is that farmers in his state can't sell their product, can't sell.

[Tim Miller]

Their soybeans, and as a result, you and I are gonna have to pay them.

[Unknown Speaker]

We're gonna take some of that tariff money that we made, we're gonna give it to our farmers who are for a little while going to be hurt until it kicks in. The tariffs kick into their benefit.

[Tim Miller]

I cannot overstate. This is the stupidest policy that I think I've ever seen. I mean, I guess at a niche level in some cities people did. Some pilot programs are pretty stupid at a national level and I guess the Iraq war, I guess. But I just mean on a specific.

[Charlie Sykes]

Policy item.

[Tim Miller]

To have your idea of these tariffs, which are supposed to bring about a golden age, it's supposed to.

[Charlie Sykes]

Help rural America in particular, supposed to help the forgotten man.

[Tim Miller]

To have them within nine months be such a catastrophe that you have to do a taxpayer funded bailout to help.

[Charlie Sykes]

The people that you fucked over because your policy was so stupid.

[Tim Miller]

I mean, that is like a land.

[Charlie Sykes]

Speed record for policy disaster. And John Thune has been riding shotgun for it.

[Tim Miller]

I want to listen to how John.

[Charlie Sykes]

Thune explains and rationalizes the coming farmer.

[Tim Miller]

Bailout and honestly try not to stroke.

[Charlie Sykes]

Out when you hear it. Why should American taxpayers bail out farmers who are hurting because of the President's tariff policies?

[John Thune]

Well, look, I think that the farmers and I represent a lot of them, and they want nothing more than open markets. There are markets right now that aren't open to some of our commodities. As a consequence of that, we've got a big harvest coming in here in South Dakota, corn and soybeans, and no place to go with it. So what the President has said is, I'm going to support and I'm going to help our farmers. And so we are looking at. I'm a member of the Senate Ag Committee, have been for some time, and we're looking at potential solutions to make sure that we can help support farmers until some of those markets come back. I think part of it is that the President's trying to achieve with his trade policy, reciprocity with countries that have been taking advantage of us for a long time. And I think most of us support that. I think a lot of our farmers support that. They are anxious. They want to see markets opened up. And so I have. When I speak to the President and his team about this, I always reiterate the importance of. Of keeping agriculture front and center when you're negotiating trade deals. But at the end of the day, our farmers are probably going to need some financial assistance this year, and a lot of the revenue coming in off the tariffs is what they would use to provide that.

[Tim Miller]

Our farmers are going to need some financial assistance this year, and the revenue coming in from the tariffs are how.

[Charlie Sykes]

We'Re going to provide it.

[Tim Miller]

Like, so you created a disaster. Like, you created a situation where farmers are so screwed, where they are so unable to sell the food that they have grown that you need, and they are unable to do that because of your tariff policy. Like your tariff policy was so bad within nine months, farmers need you to pay them cash because the result of your policy was that they couldn't sell.

[Charlie Sykes]

Their soybeans to people overseas. So they need a cash bailout while their soybeans rot.

[Tim Miller]

So you've got food rotting farmers growing food for us and for the world that's gonna rot and not be able to be sold. The American taxpayer gonna have to pay for the rotting food. So that's like step one of the.

[Charlie Sykes]

Tariff policy, which is bad enough on its own.

[Tim Miller]

How are we going to pay for it? According to John Thun. Let's listen to John Thune one more time.

[John Thune]

Our farmers are probably going to need some financial assistance this year. And a lot of the revenue coming in off the tariffs is what they would use to provide that.

[Tim Miller]

The revenue from the tariffs is how we're going to pay them. So you put in place These tariffs, regular people all across the country have higher bills because of it. So if you're a person, if you're a YouTube viewer, you're in Missouri right.

[Charlie Sykes]

Now, you're going to Walmart and you.

[Tim Miller]

Do some grocery shopping there, too. And some of the food that you.

[Charlie Sykes]

Purchase is coming from overseas and that's more expensive. The beef prices are up.

[Tim Miller]

And then you go to the back to school section and you realize some of the clothes your kid was wearing to school was a little small. They grew over the summer. And so you need to get some new clothes.

[Charlie Sykes]

And some of those were made in Vietnam and China.

[Tim Miller]

Those are more expensive. Then you go to the home goods section or you need to refresh. You need a new appliance, and that's more expensive because either the appliance or.

[Charlie Sykes]

The parts, and it came from overseas.

[Tim Miller]

And so you go to the front of the Walmart and you check out and the bill is significantly higher than.

[Charlie Sykes]

It would have been had there been no tariffs.

[Tim Miller]

That extra cost that you paid, John Thune is telling you what they're going to do with that money. Not reinvested in your schools, not reinvested in your roads, not invest in our national defense. They're going to take that extra money that you paid in Walmart. They're going to give it to the farmers, and yet they have to give it to the farmers because the tariff policy that caused your bill to be higher also caused their food to rot because they don't have any customers to sell to. So that's it. You're paying more. They're doing a wealth transfer from you.

[Charlie Sykes]

To the farmers to cover the rotting soybeans. That was Donald Trump's policy.

[Tim Miller]

This is fucking idiocracy.

[Charlie Sykes]

This is the stupidest shit I've ever heard in my life.

[Tim Miller]

Like in the previous world, had Donald Trump just had nothing. He just got into the White House, just played golf. Okay, what would happen? The South Dakota soybean farmers sell their soybeans to China. People in Guangzhou or somewhere would have been able to take the soybeans and use it to whatever, make soy sauce or whatever. What other Szechuan foods they use soybeans in over there? Okay, that's a good exchange. It's a good deal. The farmers grow the food, they work hard, they sell the food to some Americans, but also to some people overseas.

[Charlie Sykes]

People overseas eat the food.

[Tim Miller]

Good deal.

[Charlie Sykes]

Capitalism. Nice.

[Tim Miller]

And then when it comes to you, the Walmart shopper, you're in Missouri, you're going to Walmart, you want to get some food. You want to get some back to school supplies. You're buying some stuff that's coming from China. It's a little cheaper, it's more affordable.

[Charlie Sykes]

You can get more stuff than you would have otherwise.

[Tim Miller]

You can have a little extra cash, your pocket, maybe get some ice cream after. That's fine. Everything was good. There was no problem with the system. The system was working. Let's get to the global financial capitalist system. You know, there are things that don't.

[Charlie Sykes]

Work about it, right?

[Tim Miller]

There are things that you need to do to change, to take care of people. But like this part of the system was working fine. Americans were buying affordable goods at Walmart. Farmers were growing food, selling that food to China. Then Donald Trump comes in, he's like.

[Charlie Sykes]

I can fix this. I got it.

[Tim Miller]

I'm gonna make it a golden age. He's like, I'm put the, I'm gonna do a tear off, I'm gonna do a trade war with China because they're screwing us over.

[Charlie Sykes]

What happens?

[Tim Miller]

Soybean farmers don't have anybody to sell their soybeans to.

[Charlie Sykes]

So the food is rotting.

[Tim Miller]

Okay? And then you, the Walmart customer goes to Walmart and they either have to.

[Charlie Sykes]

Buy fewer goods or pay more money because your bill is higher because Donald Trump put a national sales tax on you.

[Tim Miller]

And then for good measure, they're going to take the extra money for the.

[Charlie Sykes]

National sales tax, not do anything to help you.

[Tim Miller]

They're just going to do a transfer.

[Charlie Sykes]

To the farmers to pay for the food that they couldn't sell because their policies created a trade war that shut down the markets that they used to sell to.

[Tim Miller]

I mean, this is like, this is so stupid. This policy should have like 2% support. You remember the bank bailouts?

[Charlie Sykes]

Remember how mad people were? There's a good reason to be mad.

[Tim Miller]

Some of those cases.

[Charlie Sykes]

And it was bad policy for sure, and there are some bad actors for sure. But there's some people that got underwater. The mortgages was down to their fault, I guess, kind of similar to the farmers. It's not exactly their fault that Donald Trump thought that he knew better how to sell soybeans than they do.

[Tim Miller]

And yet there's a lot of rage over that. A lot of conservatives were mad, like, we gotta bail out these bankers, we gotta bail out these people who couldn't afford their homes. People are pissed. Fox was pissed. Everybody should be that pissed about this.

[Charlie Sykes]

Kind of.

[Tim Miller]

Ironically, people should have their pitchforks up.

[Charlie Sykes]

About this farmer bailout. Nothing against the farmers.

[Tim Miller]

They got fucked. They got Screwed over. They should be pissed. It's like your money. They're taking money out of your pocket, and they're handing it to these other people just because they wanted to institute a policy that was stupid, that everybody knew was stupid. You know who knew it was stupid? Especially John Thune. John Thune. John Thune was never a tariff guy. He was never a national, a MAGA nationalist. Jithin was a normal Wall Street Journal.

[Charlie Sykes]

Republican, but he wanted the gavel.

[Tim Miller]

He wanted to be the Senate Majority.

[Charlie Sykes]

Leader for some reason. Who knows why? Seems like a terrible job to me.

[Tim Miller]

But he wanted to be Senate Majority Leader, so he went along with this. He didn't do his job, which was to control the power of the purse, to make sure that Donald Trump couldn't recklessly ruin the economy by randomly taxing.

[Charlie Sykes]

People against the way that taxes and revenue is supposed to be gathered by the government going to Congress first, according to the Constitution.

[Tim Miller]

John Thune could have intervened, but he didn't. And so what's John Thune doing now? He went along with Donald Trump, and now he's out there taking money out of your pocket, giving it to his farmers because his policy was so stupid that they can't even sell their soybeans anymore. It's a fucking outrage. People should have their pitchforks up. John Thune should be fucking ashamed of himself. You want to talk about kitchen table issues?

[Charlie Sykes]

This is a fucking kitchen table issue. Everybody in the country, you're getting screwed by their dumb policies. You got to call them out. All right, everybody, tell your friends. Some people, this tariff stuff, it's kind of complicated sometimes. Like this one isn't complicated. It's very straightforward.

[Tim Miller]

The extra tax you're paying is going.

[Charlie Sykes]

To bail out the farmers because their food is rotting, because China won't buy our food anymore. That's. That's what Donald Trump has given you. I'm on one today.

[Tim Miller]

I'm back in the States. I'm free. I made it. We're not Russia yet.

[Charlie Sykes]

No. No hassle at the border, but the policies are still fucking stupid. We'll be talking to you guys soon.