Is Jeanine Pirro About To Be Fired?

Summary

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Episode Overview

Title: Is Jeanine Pirro About To Be Fired?
Date: August 4, 2026
Hosts: Tim Miller and Sam Stein

This episode centers on the aftermath of Donald Trump's latest Oval Office press conference, the emerging scandal around Representative Max Miller’s domestic abuse allegations, and broader themes of double standards and political empathy, particularly as they manifest among Republican leadership and media coverage. Jeanine Pirro's rumored job status is teased as a topic for later in the episode, while the core focus is on Trump’s rhetoric and reactions to misconduct among political allies.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Trump’s Reaction to Max Miller’s Scandal

• [00:35–01:23]
  Trump was questioned about whether Rep. Max Miller should resign over domestic abuse allegations. He expressed sadness and deferred to the families involved rather than making a direct condemnation.

  Notable Quote (Trump):

  "I know Max. He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out. You know, those families, I know they're working on it. It's a very sad thing…" (00:59–01:23)

  • Hosts' Take: The hosts dissect Trump’s consistent empathy toward male Republicans accused of abuse, contrasting it with his lack of empathy in other tragedies.
  • The empathy is described as “wistful”—an affect not typically seen from Trump, who rarely conveys such sadness except in cases involving accusations against men in his political circle.

The Trump Double Standard & Patterns

• [01:23–02:46]
  • Sam Stein notes, “if there's a male Republican who is accused of some sort of domestic or sexual abuse, [Trump] will feel empathy or sympathy.” (01:23–01:37)
  • They reference Trump displaying similar attitudes toward Ghislaine Maxwell.
  • Tim Miller highlights Trump’s lack of similar empathy for situations like family separation at the border:

    “You never hear Trump doing that. Like, we've got to help the people. It’s… It’s so sad what has happened. Like, it’s only when a man is accused of sexual assault that he hits that register.” (02:44–02:46)

Reflection on Media Coverage & Public Awareness

• [03:17–04:15]
  • The hosts express skepticism that Max Miller’s scandal is reaching wider conservative audiences, pointing to their own experiences with family members who are insulated in their media bubbles.
  • Tim Miller shares, “I always try to, like, see what’s happening in their, like, information diet. And they were, like, very aware of Graham Platner… but… nothing, you know, about, like, the other Roy Cooper.” (03:46–04:15)

Conservative Media’s Selective Coverage

• [04:15–end of segment]
  • Sam Stein observes how Fox News and other right-leaning outlets have not given Miller’s story the kind of wall-to-wall coverage seen with previous Democratic scandals.

  • “Not like Fox News is covering this stuff to the degree that they were at all. So, no, there's a double standard here. Obviously, everyone knows there's a double standard and there's a hat gap.” (04:15–end)

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Memorable Quotes & Moments

• Trump’s Sympathy for Max Miller:

  "It's a very sad thing, especially when you know somebody so well to be going through that. But it's accusations and I'm going to let them figure that out." – Donald Trump (01:05–01:23)

• On Republican Empathy:

  “If there's a male Republican who is accused of some sort of domestic or sexual abuse, he will feel empathy or sympathy.” – Sam Stein (01:23–01:37)

• On the Media Bubble:

  "I always try to, like, see what's happening in their... information diet. ...very aware of Graham Platner... But, like, I don't get any sense... Not like Fox News is covering this stuff..." – Tim Miller (03:46–04:15)

• Media Double Standard:

  “There's a double standard here. Obviously, everyone knows there's a double standard and there's a hat gap. But I think that's echoed by Trump, who obviously is being incredibly deferential to a guy who's got some serious issues.” – Sam Stein (04:15–end)

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Important Timestamps

• 00:35: Introduction of Max Miller topic and Trump’s statement
• 01:23: Discussion of Trump’s pattern of empathy for accused male Republicans
• 02:44: Contrast of Trump’s empathy with his response to other tragedies
• 03:17: Debate over whether Miller will face consequences
• 04:15: Reflection on media coverage and right-wing audience awareness

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Tone and Delivery

Tim Miller and Sam Stein maintain a sharp, critical, and conversational tone throughout. They mix humor (referring to Judge Pirro as "Box of wine") with pointed critiques of Trumpian rhetoric and conservative media practices, expressing frustration at persistent double standards and failures of accountability.

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Note: The episode promises a segment on Jeanine Pirro toward the end but is primarily focused, in this portion, on the Max Miller controversy and Trump-related political patterns.

Transcript

[A]

Hey, everybody, Tim Miller from the Bulwark here with Sam Stein. Yeah, I need hazard pay coming back in. You know, it's just like you got to throw me into the fire. And Donald Trump did an Oval Office press conference. Tired, Tim, before vacation, was skipping some of the press conferences. I didn't need it. I couldn't handle it anymore. It was bothering me. Not, not, not refreshed, too. Sam Stein always working hard. He's always watching everything. So we launched this press conference. The biggest news is about Jeanine Pirro. We'll get to that at the end. Judge, Box of wine. But there's a bunch of other weirdness and craziness and let's just go to the clips, huh, Sam?

[B]

Yeah, let's do it, man. It's good to have you back.

[A]

First up, alleged wife Scalder and domestic abuser Max Miller. Trump was asked about the latest with him and his father in law saying he should resign from Congress. Let's listen to that.

[B]

You were asked yesterday whether Representative Max Miller should resign from Congress over the allegations, and you said that you'd have

[A]

a look at it.

[B]

Have you thought about that?

[C]

And also, do you think that's a very sad thing? I know Max. He's a good person. I mean, I always thought he was a very good person. And I'm going to let the families figure that out. You know, those families, I know they're working on it. It's a very sad thing, especially when you know somebody so well to be going through that. But it's accusations and I'm going to let them figure that out.

[B]

There's like a couple truisms with Trump, and one of them is that if there's a male Republican who is accused of some sort of domestic or sexual abuse, he will feel empathy or sympathy.

[A]

Even Democrats often.

[B]

Yeah, that's true.

[A]

Really? Any man accused of sexual assault, I mean, it's varying degrees, but he actually, you're met.

[B]

You're right. Like he wasn't the most on the board with glam like the Graham Platner pitchforks. He wasn't there. And it's like really bothersome. I mean, I think, you know, if I, you know, you read the charges against Miller and you see the weird psychotic tape that he put up on on Twitter over the weekend and you're like, I don't know, get this guy out of here. Like, at the very minimum, you're like, go resolve your stuff outside of elected office. Like, do something else. It's really sad for the kid who had a bone Broken by a seatbelt and the wife who is going through an incredible trauma. But no, Trump's gotta be like, you know, I like the guy. He's a really good guy.

[A]

He gets wistful and you're putting out empathy. Right. It's a tone that Trump doesn't hit very often.

[B]

Right.

[A]

It's a very sad thing. You know, you hear him talking, it's just a very. When you know the family, it's a very sad thing. It's like he doesn't ever sound like that when talking about.

[B]

When it's a guy who was killed by an ICE agent, it's a sad thing.

[A]

His daughter, the separation of families at the border. Like, you never hear or even any just tragedies. Like, you never hear Trump doing that. Like, we've got to help the people. It's. It's so sad what has happened. Like, it's only when a man is accused of sexual assault that he hits that register. Or Ghislaine Maxwell, he did that for her also. Not Jonathan Swan interview. Remember talking about how, how that was very sad as well. It's interesting you guys did the take on it this morning. Do you think that, like, there's going to be any momentum for pushing Miller out or not?

[B]

There's only a couple days left to do it, and Miller doesn't seem like he wants to budge, so I don't think so. But, like, you watch all the evidence coming out and you watch that creepy video he did, and then Marina finally speaks out and says, yeah, this guy shouldn't be in the House. It's tough to sort of process a universe where he, you know, just sticks it out. But then again, like, all the history that we have is that they'll rally around the guy if he gets close enough to election, right?

[A]

Yeah, it's really, it's disgusting stuff. It makes me think. I like, I think about. I hate to pick up my own aunts and put them into this, but, like, I have these MAGA ants and I was in, I was hanging out with them and, you know, I always try to, like, see what's happening in their, like, information diet. And they were, like, very aware of Graham Platner, you know, like, they were like. And I was like, naming other senators and Senate candidates. Nothing, like, knew nothing, you know, about, like, the other Roy Cooper. Like, they don't even know that person exists. I wonder if this is breaking through the bubble.

[B]

I doubted Plat. Platner was like, topic 1A on news for, like, you know, several weeks straight. It was front page discoveries on the New York Times and the Journal and, like, rightfully so. I'm not going to, I'm not trying to dismiss the coverage of Platner. You know, the Times did a piece on, on Max Miller. But, like, I don't get any sense. Not like Fox News is covering this stuff to the degree that they were at all. So, no, there's a double standard here. Obviously, everyone knows there's a double standard and there's a hat gap. But I think that's echoed by Trump, who obviously is being incredibly deferential to a guy who's got some serious issues.