The Bulwark Podcast

Episode: Jonathan Chait: The World's Worst People

Date: February 26, 2026
Host: Tim Miller
Guest: Jonathan Chait, Staff Writer at The Atlantic

Episode Overview

In this episode, Tim Miller welcomes Jonathan Chait to discuss a whirlwind of current political events and trends, focusing on the Trump administration’s pervasive corruption, the failures and ironies within Trump’s political base, the looming specter of war with Iran, media manipulation, the Democratic coalition, and the crisis in American education policy. Chait delivers sharp analysis, historical context, and a few cutting jokes throughout, embracing the spirit of The Bulwark’s mission: reality-based, Never Trump, and accessible political commentary.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Epstein Files, Cover-Ups, and Trump’s Political Vulnerability

• Timestamps: 03:00–08:18
• Miller and Chait kick things off by satirically referencing conspiracy theories about Jeffrey Epstein’s death, then critically analyze the political handling of the Epstein files, particularly the selective release of information to protect Donald Trump.
• Chait on the cover-up:

  “They were never going to release information that cast Donald Trump in a negative light...the endgame of this was always some kind of cover-up.” (04:20)

• Irony is highlighted: the GOP picked Epstein as "their issue" only to find it points more to Trump’s own misdeeds.
• Miller:

  “Even within the Trump coalition...there’s basic consensus that...Pam Bondi and Cash Patel are clowns, right?...this is not a real political vulnerability for him.” (05:04)

• Trump’s base largely shrugs off the scandal, but it’s a classic example of scandal management and shifting narratives.

2. Polling Amnesia Among Trump Voters

• Timestamps: 08:18–10:19
• They discuss a study by Laksha Jain showing a surprising number of original Trump 2024 voters now claim they never supported him, suggesting early disaffection and a unique form of “amnesia.”
• Chait:

  “Traditionally the amnesia goes the other way. People falsely remember having voted for the winner...it’s the direction that’s so surprising.” (09:52)

• Miller likens this to “Peter in the Garden”—voters disavowing Trump as things sour.

3. Trump’s Foreign Policy and Iran: Warmongering and Scandal

• Timestamps: 11:46–18:55
• Miller and Chait dissect reporting that Team Trump wants Israel to provoke Iran into attacking US assets to justify full-scale war, drawing parallels to infamous historical provocations and failed rationales for war (Gulf of Tonkin, “remember the Maine”).
• Chait:

  “We’re trying the Saddam strategy here.” (12:47)

• Both express genuine bafflement at the underlying motives—whether distraction, ego, or crony interests.
• Chait breaks down Trump’s lack of objective:

  “He’s decided on the tactic, but he hasn’t decided on the objective...[it] seems so unbelievably haphazard and stupid.” (16:28)

• They discuss the risks ("quagmire" for both Trump and the Ayatollah), and express practical skepticism about regime change, rooting for outcomes that harm bad actors on both sides.

4. Bridge to Canada: Old-School Cronyism

• Timestamps: 18:55–24:23
• Chait details the attempted monopoly of the Maroun family over the critical Michigan-Canada bridge, their million-dollar donation to Trump's PAC, and Trump’s subsequent move to block a competing Canadian-funded bridge.
• Chait:

  “It’s apparently just a pure monopolist play to keep the bridge monopoly going.” (21:54)

• Miller:

  “The degree to which this administration is acting like a third-world island republic...it’s remarkable.” (22:18)

• Both marvel at the scale and shamelessness compared to even prior “swampy” eras.

5. The GOP’s Lack of Policy and Cultish Dynamics

• Timestamps: 24:23–28:19
• Discussion turns to how traditional GOP policy infrastructure is gone—Trump does what he wants, and everyone else “just supports him. It’s cultish.”
• Traditional think tank/media support for big policy is absent under Trump; the only lasting policy passion is for tax cuts and “the border.”
• Chait posits:

  “They would rather have slightly lower taxes in an authoritarian right-wing government than higher taxes and a democracy.” (26:25)

• Miller notes:

  “I think it’s ‘lib-hating’ that motivates them.” (27:14)

6. Crypto, Corruption, and Foreign Influence

• Timestamps: 29:21–32:21
• Chait describes the evolution from hotel payoffs to direct, massive payments via crypto, facilitated by pardons for Chinese nationals.
• Chait:

  “They really opened a trap door into just direct payments to the president's family...it’s the main use of crypto, as opposed to normal currencies, is just for criminals.” (29:30, 29:52)

• Both underscore the hypocrisy—if a Democrat took payments from Chinese nationals, “Fox would talk about nothing else for a generation,” yet the Trump base and right-wing media ignore it.

7. Media Bullying and the CBS/Barry Weiss Case

• Timestamps: 32:21–37:59
• Chait covers the “corrupt circumstances” of Barry Weiss’s appointment at CBS—a political payoff as part of a merger—and draws a sharp analogy:

  “Imagine AOC as president, putting Tim Miller in charge of Fox News by regulatory threat; conservatives would be out in the streets...saying the government has fallen.” (34:11, 35:10)

• Both agree the individual actions matter less than the corrupt process and the precedent for media manipulation—comparing it to Orban's Hungary.
• Chait:

  “They’re literally following this...step by step. So it’s incredibly serious and incredibly concerning.” (37:01)

8. Democratic Coalition and the ‘Weed in the Yard’ Mentality

• Timestamps: 39:01–46:09
• Miller and Chait debate how to handle illiberal impulses on the left, especially regarding DSA and politicians like AOC and Zoran.
• Chait:

  “The complaint I get is why are you complaining about one or two weeds in our front yard when the neighbor's yard is nothing but weeds? And my answer is that I don't want my yard to become like the neighbor's yard.” (40:44)

• They stress the importance of criticizing problems within the coalition to avoid the slide into authoritarian/cultish thinking.

9. DSA Politicians: Pragmatism over Radicalism

• Timestamps: 46:09–49:55
• Chait gives cautious credit to Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and NY Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani for governing pragmatically, rather than indulging the most extreme DSA policies.
• Chait:

  “Both Mamdani and AOC have been pragmatic in office and...understand that the Democratic Party is a coalition...I think they've been impressive in their recognition.” (48:23)

• Quick aside poking fun at “compost enforcement fines.”

10. California’s ‘Crazy’ Policy Record under Gavin Newsom

• Timestamps: 50:55–54:05
• Chait recaps his analysis of Newsom’s risky gubernatorial record, rife with policies tailor-made for Republican attack ads (e.g., Medicaid for undocumented immigrants, education policy fads).
• Chait:

  “He’s done all these things that are basically, you know, reverse engineered from Republican attack ads into policy.” (51:38)

• Notes the difference between abstract “wokeness” and substantive vulnerabilities.

11. The Southern Education ‘Miracle’ vs. Democratic Drift

• Timestamps: 54:05–59:38
• Miller and Chait discuss the “Mississippi Miracle”—Southern states’ recent success in education outcomes, especially for Black students, far surpassing blue states.
• Chait:

  “Clinton and Obama were education presidents...they did make schools better. But...teachers unions fought back. They won the war inside the Democratic Party on education reform, and they turned education reform into a kind of dirty word.” (55:37)

• Loss of educational rigor and reform is a political and policy problem for Democrats.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Trumpian Corruption:

  “The degree to which this administration is acting like a third-world island republic run by the one industrialist in the country…is remarkable.” (22:18, Miller)

• On Iran Warmongering:

  “He’s decided on the tactic, but he hasn’t decided on the objective...I’ve never heard of someone starting a war without knowing what their objective is first.” (16:28, Chait)

• On GOP Policy Shift:

  “There are traditional conservative policy goals that have been advanced and that tax bill was the main example... They would rather have slightly lower taxes in an authoritarian right-wing government than higher taxes and a democracy.” (26:25, Chait)

• On Media Manipulation:

  “The point is the corrupt circumstances under which [Barry Weiss] is there as part of a payoff to the president. That is the story.” (33:35, Chait)

• On Left-Wing Strategy:

  “We can't allow ourselves to become [the GOP], because then even if you can win an election—which I don't think helps you win elections—you can't govern.” (42:23, Chait)

• On Education Reform:

  “Clinton and Obama were education presidents. They cared a lot about education as policy…the only real thing they [Democrats] want to do with schools is just put more money into teacher salaries. Now, they don’t have any kind of realistic plan to improve schools...” (55:37, Chait)

Section-by-Section Highlights (with Timestamps)

• Epstein & Trump Scandal Management (03:00–08:18)
• Trump Voter “Amnesia” (08:18–10:19)
• Foreign Policy & Iran “Strategy” (11:46–18:55)
• Bridge to Canada Payoff Corruption (18:55–24:23)
• GOP’s Lack of Policy and Cult Dynamics (24:23–28:19)
• Crypto and Foreign Corruption (29:21–32:21)
• Media Bullied by Political Power (32:21–37:59)
• Left Coalition, Accountability, and Illiberal Temptations (39:01–46:09)
• DSA Politicians: AOC & Mamdani Recognized for Pragmatism (46:09–49:55)
• Gavin Newsom's Policy Vulnerabilities (50:55–54:05)
• Southern Education Reform vs. Democratic Drift (54:05–59:38)

Tone & Style

• Language: Direct, witty, often biting.
• Vibe: Candid, insightful, and at times self-deprecating; serious analysis served with humor and skepticism.
• Audience: Reality-based, politically engaged, Never Trump—even when leveling sharp critiques at the left.

Useful For

• Listeners interested in understanding the latest crises of American governance, party corruption, the risk of authoritarianism, and the intellectual drift of both major parties.
• Anyone seeking a shrewd, fact-based take on current events, with inside-the-Beltway knowledge but no tolerance for “both sides” equivocation.

End of summary