The Bulwark Podcast: "Michael Weiss: Trump’s Fee-Fees Are Hurt"
Date: February 20, 2026
Host: Tim Miller
Guest: Michael Weiss (Reporter, Insider; Substack, The Foreign Office)
Overview
In this episode, Tim Miller welcomes journalist Michael Weiss for a fast-moving analysis of political news surrounding Donald Trump’s policies, the Supreme Court's tariff decision, the evolving situation in Iran and Ukraine, and the strange spectacle of Trump's “Board of Peace.” The conversation ranges from geopolitics to the experience of activists on the ground in Minnesota, with both somber reflections and sardonic wit throughout.
Main Discussion Points & Key Insights
1. Minnesota Field Report: Grassroots Resistance
- Immigration Enforcement Tactics
- Miller shares experiences from meeting activists and protesters at the Whipple Building (“ICE headquarters”) in Minneapolis.
- Noted an uptick in ICE and CBP activity being pushed out into rural/exurban communities, shifting tactics away from urban centers.
- Notable quote:
“They have funding for all these guys. They’re not just going to sit around eating donuts, put their thumb up their ass...they’re going to be out there doing something.” (Tim Miller, 07:06)
- Emotional Visit to Memorials
- Miller describes visiting the Preddy and Good & Pretty Memorial, connecting the ongoing activism to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and the “unfinished work” of justice and democracy.
- Notable quote:
“What it’s really our job to do is to continue the unfinished work...the main change in my perspective...was very much looking at this through a political perspective where I do think the resistance, so to speak, won in Minnesota. But the broader battle is still here.” (Tim Miller, 08:51)
2. SCOTUS Tariff Decision: Trump Handed Major Defeat
- Breaking News: Supreme Court ruled 6-3 against Trump’s emergency tariffs, labeling them unconstitutional.
- Notable quote:
“Just a massive blow...the biggest blow of this second term, potentially. They’re doing him a favor on the economic side...but it’ll be interesting to see, like, how he reacts, his temper tantrum.” (Tim Miller, 09:20)
- Notable quote:
- Geopolitical & Political Fallout
- Weiss points out Trump favored tariffs both for economic leverage and as foreign policy punishment.
- The decision removes a key instrument Trump liked to wield “against friends and foes alike.”
- Notable quote:
“For some reason, Trump alighted upon tariffs as his preferred lever for economically battering friends and foes. Now, I guess he can’t do it or he can’t do it as much.” (Michael Weiss, 10:42)
3. The Iran Situation: War, Legacy, and Kushneromics
- Why Escalate With Iran?
- Miller probes the rationality of Trump entangling the U.S. further in Israel’s conflict with Iran: “Why? What is their rationale? It makes no sense politically. It's not a severe national security threat...” (Tim Miller, 15:01)
- Weiss offers: Trump is motivated by personal legacy, desire for spectacle, and “delivering the hammer blow to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”
- “This is not a guy who likes war, properly speaking. He likes acts of war.” (Michael Weiss, 15:56)
- The only true legacy Trump seems to covet is resolving a crisis that eluded all presidents since Jimmy Carter.
- Complicating Factors: Trump Family Business Ties
- Kushner and Witkoff have billions tied up in Gulf State business ventures, making genuine war expensive and perhaps unpalatable even for Trump allies.
- Notable quote:
“They’ve made a fortune going around resolving these regional crises...They don’t want war in Iran because all of the Gulf paymasters that financed their operations don’t want war in Iran.” (Michael Weiss, 18:43)
- Israel’s Calculations
- “The way they see it is they’re never going to get a better guy in the White House than Donald Trump to go along with it.” (Michael Weiss, 18:36)
- For Israel, eliminating threats from Iran is a “window of opportunity” unique to Trump’s presidency.
4. The Board of Peace: Farce or Master Plan?
- Trump’s “Board of Peace” Meeting
- Miller sarcastically likens this to “Dr. Evil’s inner circle”: Trump, Jared, and a cadre of authoritarian figures.
- “It’s too obvious probably to say that it’s a bit ironic that...the members of the Board of Peace are like, you know, dictator Bonesaw in Saudi Arabia and the head of Belarus and Uzbekistan...Iran and North Korea are the only ones that weren’t invited.”
- Realpolitik or Payoff Club?
- The Board is viewed as pageantry meant to “declare victory, mission accomplished.” No one credible in diplomatic or intelligence circles believes it’s viable.
- Weiss: “Nobody I know thinks this has a chance of working...it’s all pageantry.”
- “It's declaring victory. Mission accomplished. Here’s the Board of Peace. Gaza’s all sorted. No, don’t worry about it. It’ll take care of itself.” (Michael Weiss, 30:46)
- Middle East Stabilization Plan—Who Wants to Staff the Base?
- “Is it just an AI robot base? Because I don’t know who’s going to want to be there.” (Tim Miller, 30:32)
- No regional actors want to actually provide boots-on-the-ground peacekeeping in Gaza.
5. A Fraying U.S.-Europe Alliance
- European Anxiety
- As Trump further antagonizes allies and cozies to autocrats, Europe is growing wary.
- NATO’s SecGen Marc Rutte—derided by some as too conciliatory—desperately tries to keep the alliance together.
- “There is a credible risk with Donald Trump as president that NATO would cease to exist, in all but name. Article 5 could be tested by the Russians or other actors...” (Michael Weiss, 37:28)
- Trump’s Greenland Obsession
- Trump continues to float seizing or buying Greenland, further unnerving European allies.
6. Marco Rubio: Courtier or Closet Reaganite?
- Rubio’s Faustian Bargain
- Rubio performs MAGA loyalty (“Trump signaling”) despite previously opposing Viktor Orban and supporting pro-democracy efforts.
- Weiss suggests Rubio’s aim is to secure U.S. leverage for regime change in Cuba—his legacy goal—even if it means public subservience to Trump.
- Rubio’s Ukrainian “Back Channel”
- Despite theatrics, Rubio has sometimes protected Ukraine behind the scenes, e.g., quietly blocking pro-Russian peace plans within the U.S. government.
- “Is it better that Rubio is in the game than not? I have to say I think it still is. Because...without him...Kyiv would be fucked already.” (Michael Weiss, 44:42)
- Risks of Complicity
- “At some point you don’t become the quiet dissident voice...You become an accomplice to the system.” (Michael Weiss, 44:50)
7. Ukraine—Four Years Into War
- Putin’s Aims & U.S. Role
- Weiss stresses two Russian realities: (1) Putin sees Trump as manipulable (“a mug and a dupe”), but (2) the Russian security apparatus still treats the U.S. as a perpetual adversary.
- The U.S. under Trump has dramatically curtailed military support to Ukraine, shifting the burden to Europe.
- “The US has reduced its support...for Ukraine and financial and humanitarian support by 99% since Trump came to office...” (Michael Weiss, 53:16)
- The Paradox for Europe
- Europe has stepped up (60% increase in military hardware, 50% in humanitarian spending), but the diplomatic lead remains with Trump’s circle, to the exasperation of allies.
- Trump is happy to profit off arms sales but does not want Europeans to gain independence from U.S. defense infrastructure.
8. Pop Culture Interlude & Closing: Olympian Alyssa Liu
- The American Story
- Miller highlights Chinese-American figure skater Alyssa Liu, daughter of a Tiananmen Square dissident, as the embodiment of American promise.
- Expresses frustration that MAGA celebrates Liu’s success but vilifies migrants and refugees with similar backgrounds.
- Notable quote:
“These people are trying to deport, detain, and deny the next Alyssa Liu right now...this is the American story.” (Tim Miller, 56:43) - Weiss: “We can celebrate immigrants when they make America great again, but not when they actually live here and try to make a life for themselves.” (Michael Weiss, 59:01)
Notable Quotes
- On Trump’s Approach to War:
- “He likes acts of war. He likes the spectacle of war—saying that he’s dropped massive bombs and ordnance on something and then declaring victory.” (Michael Weiss, 15:56)
- On Board of Peace:
- “Mission accomplished. Here’s the Board of Peace. Gaza’s all sorted. No, don’t worry about it. It’ll take care of itself.” (Michael Weiss, 30:46)
- On European Allies:
- “Our allies exist to be bullied and hectored and wrangled into submission. Our enemies exist to be courted and cultivated and perhaps incentivized to becoming our new friends.” (Michael Weiss, 36:26)
- On U.S. Weapon Sales:
- “He always brings up Pearl, his baby. The Europeans, they pay for everything. And they pay in full.” (Michael Weiss, 53:44)
Important Timestamps
- 01:12 Miller’s opening, Minnesota resistance report
- 09:28 Michael Weiss joins; breaking SCOTUS news
- 12:23 Trump’s coalition splintering over Iran, tariffs, and “X Files” distractions
- 15:17 Deep dive: Trump’s Iran calculus and personal psychology
- 22:51 Israel’s aims and calculations on Iran
- 28:31 The Board of Peace: pageantry, participants, and skepticism
- 36:26 Europe and NATO in the age of Trump
- 44:42 Marco Rubio’s bargains and Ukraine policy
- 50:12 Ukraine, Russia, and shifting global alliances
- 55:27 Uplifting story of Alyssa Liu and U.S. immigration contradictions
Tone & Style
The conversation is sharp, irreverent, and often darkly humorous. Both Miller and Weiss speak with candid frustration about the state of American politics, foreign policy, and the apparent surreality of current events, while remaining deeply invested in defending democratic values.
This summary delivers a comprehensive, engaging roadmap to the episode’s major topics, memorable quotes, and underlying sense of urgency—for listeners seeking clarity amid the political noise.