The Bulwark Podcast

Episode: James Bennet: Trump Is Still Hacking the Media
Date: September 9, 2025
Host: Tim Miller
Guest: James Bennet (Lexington columnist, The Economist; fmr. NYT Opinion Editor)

Episode Overview

This episode explores the evolving relationship between Donald Trump, the media, and America’s institutions, with veteran journalist James Bennet. The conversation spans the enduring Epstein scandal, Trump’s effect on institutional power and elite pushback, the challenges and failures of both media and political opposition, and the shifting norms in American journalism. Along the way, Tim Miller and Bennet also dissect current events in Israel and the Middle East, as well as media bias, institutional illiberalism, and the dangers of right-wing pressure on newsrooms.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Jeffrey Epstein Scandal & Trump’s Involvement

[00:53–06:50]

• House Oversight Democrats released previously unrevealed Wall Street Journal tributes to Epstein, including Trump’s illustration and comments.
• The White House pivoted from denying the authenticity of a letter to labeling it a forgery.
  • Bennet: “The White House has gone from saying a letter was non existent to now saying it's simply is a fake.” [01:59]
• The scandal is uniquely persistent due to the behavior of those implicated and ongoing coverup efforts.
• Notably, a bipartisan desire to expose the full scope of Epstein’s network is fading as partisanship reasserts itself.
• New right-wing factions (manosphere, “horseshoe lefties”) treat the story less sycophantically, making Trump more vulnerable to mockery or skepticism within parts of his own extended coalition.
  • Miller: “You can get Charlie Kirk and the primetime Fox to go along with your most preposterous spin, but some of these guys have at least a little bit of dignity left.” [05:08]

2. The Nature of Trump’s “Hacked System” & Institutional Weakness

[08:18–16:21]

• Despite broad public disapproval, Trump continues reshaping institutions and pursuing his agenda unimpeded.
• Bennet and Miller examine why traditional checks—media, law firms, universities—fail to present a coherent opposition.
  • Bennet: “Donald Trump’s better at politics than they are… he’s kind of hacked our system and he's constantly on offense.” [08:48]
• Trump’s dominance is partly due to “collective action problems” among elites: everyone acts as an individual competitor, not a unified opposition.
• Corporate America’s acquiescence now is seen as more pronounced than during Trump’s first term—out of either genuine fear or pragmatic self-preservation.
  • Miller: “For the non-political actors... the degree to which they have acquiesced to him compared to the first time is truly astounding.” [14:59]
  • Bennet: “He is much more confident in the exercise of his own power and his people are much more imaginative about how they can apply it... It’s different than the first [term].” [15:33]

3. Democratic & Elite Pushback: Efficacy and Frustrations

[19:50–24:08]

• The Democratic opposition is described as decentralized and largely ineffective, often panicked and lacking a unifying umbrella.
  • Bennet: “They need to find a way to have an umbrella.” [21:19]
• Bennet warns against entering government shutdown fights without clear goals, citing historical parallels and political pitfalls.
• Noted is the exodus of effective politicians—both Democrats and anti-Trump Republicans—from Congress, viewing it as “so broken” they’d rather leave or pursue other roles:
  • Bennet: “There are two classes of people. They’re the ones who are leaving and then the ones who stay way too long.” [23:01]

4. Middle East Escalation: Israel, Gaza, and US Domestic Implications

[26:18–33:00]

• Israel’s latest assassinations, including in Doha, signal a new era of regional overtness and have consequences for international standing and US alliances.
  • Bennet: “It's an age of impunity, right, where the powerful do what they can, the weak suffer what they must.” [26:42]
• The hosts discuss the growing cost for Israel in global opinion and bipartisan US politics; Bennet highlights a realignment with Democrats and even some Republicans less reliably pro-Israel.
  • Bennet: “It’s been a catastrophe for Israel’s standing… this is again another area of rare bipartisan… consensus [in turning against the current Israeli government].” [29:14, summarized]
• The antisemitism debate is parsed: Bennet acknowledges a real problem, but argues much criticism of Israel is distinct from outright antisemitism.
  • Bennet: “Some of it is anti Semitism… but not all of it is by any stretch. A lot now is revulsion against the civilian death toll in Gaza.” [31:11]

5. Media Criticism, Settlements, and Institutional Response to Trump

[33:00–45:01]

• Recent settlements (ABC, CBS, WSJ) and the appointment of political ombudsmen are discussed as signals of mainstream media’s capitulation under government pressure.
  • Miller: “Media institutions are doing things to appease the leader… that’s a pretty dangerous place to be.” [43:13]
  • Bennet: “It makes me really concerned when they're, you know, changing their practices under government pressure.” [43:41]
• Bennet reflects on his experience at the NYT during the Tom Cotton op-ed controversy. He defends the value of broad debate, but draws a hard line against knowingly false content.
  • Bennet: “I don’t think you should ever publish anything you know is false.” [47:12]

6. Has Trump “Hacked” Media? How Should Journalism Respond?

[49:33–61:00]

• Bennet: “I think by and large [big outlets] have covered him in ways that have benefited him in the end. And some of those ways have been a function of bias against him.” [49:52]
  • The hosts argue structural issues—news judgment, bothsidesism, the need to “edit”—ironically shield Trump through normalization and insufficient prioritization of his transgressions.
  • Trump’s relentless offense and ability to dominate the attention economy “hacked” the system; media traditions and conventions are unable to fully keep up.
• Miller draws a sports analogy: Trump “fouls every play,” making it impossible for media “refs” to call each offense.
• Ultimately, Bennet calls for news leaders to resist capitulation to both internal (illiberal activism) and external (political power) pressure, and to recommit to old journalistic values: “Humility really matters...the ethos worries me more than the ideology.” [64:08]

7. Media Bias, Diversity, and Solutions

[62:02–66:56]

• Bennet recognizes both bias and “cultural blinders” as real problems, but contends that overcorrecting by importing pro-Trump tokens is not the solution.
  • Bennet: “Ideological bias in a different direction isn't going to solve the problem...the ethos worries me more than the ideology and it presents as ideology.” [64:08, 65:58]
• He advocates for genuine diversity of experience and vigilant skepticism of authority—media should challenge those in power, not serve as conduits for them.
• Miller reaffirms that “the goal [of journalism] is to investigate and challenge the people in power” rather than become an “avatar of MAGA.” [66:56]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the Epstein letter scandal’s partisan trajectory:
  “There was like bipartisan demand... what seems to be happening now is the Republicans are beginning to solidify around the kind of partisan positioning here that the White House has sketched out, which is that this is fake, nothing to see here.” — James Bennet [04:21]

• On institutional acquiescence:
  “I think he's much more confident in the exercise of his own power and his people are much more imaginative about how they can apply it. You know, they spent a lot of time thinking about how they can do things like remake the bureaucracy and impose tariffs...” — James Bennet [15:33]

• On newsrooms and bias:
  “Do I think that tilting to the right is the answer? No, of course not. Ideological bias in a different direction isn't going to solve the problem. And I also don't think a sort of stupid push me pull you dialectic is the answer.” — James Bennet [64:08]

• On journalism’s core mission:
  “Journalists should be out talking to those people and understanding that point of view... it's the ethos that worries me more than the ideology.” — James Bennet [66:56]

• On Trump and the media’s double bind:
  “He says so much crazy shit all the time...my view is a fair rendering of him all day, every day would just be news coverage of all the illegal and inappropriate shit that he did. But you can't do that as a media outlet. You got to edit. And so he benefits...” — Tim Miller [50:59]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Epstein Scandal & Cover-up: [00:53–06:50]
• Trump, Institutional Weakness, and Elite Acquiescence: [08:18–16:21]
• Effectiveness of Democratic & Institutional Opposition: [19:50–24:08]
• Middle East Escalation & US Politics: [26:18–33:00]
• Media Settlements & Political Ombudsmen: [33:00–45:01]
• Trump’s Effect on Media and Norms: [49:33–61:00]
• Media Bias, Diversity & Solutions: [62:02–66:56]

Tone & Closing

The episode’s tone is a blend of wry, self-aware, and deeply concerned about the health of both the media and American democracy. Bennet’s responses are notably nuanced—sometimes hesitant, often reflective, and resistant to simple answers—mirroring the podcast’s general “reality-based” ethos. Tim Miller’s persistent, candid probing leads to rich exchanges about the future of journalism and political accountability in the Trump era.