Trump Did What? (Evergreen Tweet.)

Summary

---

Podcast Summary

Podcast: The Bulwark
Episode: Trump Did What? (Evergreen Tweet.)
Date: July 10, 2026
Hosts: JVL and Sarah Longwell

---

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode examines the latest developments in the tumultuous Trump era, focusing on the recent resumption of war with Iran, Trump’s methods of manipulating both the markets and the media ecosystem, the lingering effects on American institutions and democracy, the enduring nature of Trump’s political cult, and commentary on senatorial health coverups, particularly around Mitch McConnell. The hosts blend political analysis with sardonic humor, offering both detailed insights and memorable, biting commentary on the state of the country heading into another strange summer.

---

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Recurrence of War with Iran

• Timestamps: [01:15]–[05:15]
• The war with Iran has reignited, but most Americans appear oblivious due, in part, to ongoing factional drama (the "Graham Platner" saga).
  • JVL: “Nobody's noticed because...the war with Iran is back on.” [01:38]
  • Sarah: “Iran was totally decimated and destroyed and had no weapons anymore. So how is the war back on?...Is it possible they weren't defeated?” [01:47]
  • The hosts mock the cyclical nature of Trump’s conflict (“war on/war off”) and compare it to “Wayne’s World”: “Game on, game off...” [02:43]
• Media & Gas Prices:
  • The American public’s main cue for “being at war” is rising gas prices. JVL laments the fragmented media landscape: “The only way that it really penetrates for the American people, because it's all very far away, it's not impacting them, is via gas prices.” [05:04]
  • Sarah: “Even that [gas price spike] is manipulatable...The markets are clearly, like, willing to be manipulated.” [05:31]

2. Market Manipulation & Institutional Decline

• Timestamps: [05:31]–[09:44]
• The hosts explore Trump’s routine manipulation of the markets through manufactured war scares and ceasefires. They ponder why this type of behavior wouldn’t become the standard for future presidents.
  • Sarah: “Why shouldn't this just be standard operating procedure for every president going forward? Right. The American public will tolerate it.” [05:45]
• JVL posits that only Republicans could get away with this level of cynical manipulation because of their “media ecosystem built for obfuscation.”
  • JVL: “The Republican media ecosystem is built for offense and attack...the Democratic environment is only built for a circular firing squad.” [06:37]
  • Republicans, he says, get more leeway because “Democrats are supposed to be responsible and normal. Republicans, everybody knows, they're crazy.” [07:31]
• Exploitation is rampant—institutions, markets, and companies are treating Trump as a “one time, smash-and-grab opportunity.”
  • JVL: “It's like if a treasure gets dumped out and you're trying to stuff it all into your, you know, your girdle and your whatever while you can...” [08:48]

3. Trump’s Unique Cult and Political Immunity

• Timestamps: [09:44]–[14:56]
• Discussion about why only Trump seems able to survive endless scandals—including sexual assault allegations—and market manipulations.
  • JVL: “Trump is able to wield a cult in a way that I think J.D. Vance or any other normal people are...they’re not going to be scared of JD Vance. No one's scared of JD Vance...” [09:44]
  • Trump’s personality cult is rooted, partly, in fear: “They are afraid of the menace...he keeps Republicans in line because they are afraid of his voters. Not just that they won't vote for them, but that they will come for them.” [10:03]
  • Sarah: “Another part of what makes people afraid of Trump is they look, they're like, his people will not leave him ever.” [11:27]
• The immunization effect of a lifetime in public (media) eye is key:
  • “He still had a hit television show. And so voters over time developed a relationship with a guy who like, they've already processed all of his stuff...” [13:34]
  • By contrast, emerging scandals (like Graham Platner’s) are career-ending because the public hasn’t had “decades worth of disgusting comments” to become numb to.

4. Trump’s Appeal: Political Violence as a Feature, Not a Bug

• Timestamps: [14:47]–[18:09]
• Sarah hypothesizes that Trump offered voters something new: the explicit promise of violence against political opponents.
  • Sarah: “Donald Trump offered voters something they had never been offered before...which was physical violence against the people they hate.” [14:58]
  • She suggests this “special sauce” could be replicated by any Republican seeking cult-like loyalty, simply “authorize ICE to start shooting people in the streets...” [15:31]
• JVL is skeptical: “I think Trump is unique in this regard...but the percent’s certainly not zero.” [16:33][**17:23]
  • Both agree, however, that Trump’s roadmap of “governing via division and violence” is a dangerous, lingering legacy—even if most Americans don’t want it.

5. Aging Political Leadership and Hypocrisy: The Mitch McConnell Saga

• Timestamps: [19:03]–[24:49]
• The latter segment pivots to Republican Senate Leader Mitch McConnell’s suspected incapacitation.
  • Trump is characterized as brazenly indifferent: “He might as well have said, I don't care. I don't give a crap how he's doing.” [19:03]
• Sarah is convinced McConnell will never return to Senate voting duty: “I would feel pretty comfortable taking the no position on that.” [22:53]
• Both criticize the lack of transparency and the normalization of senatorial incapacity, citing power hoarding by McConnell and his circle:
  • “I just think it's ego...[They] only have power so long as Mitch has power.” [21:14] – Sarah
  • JVL emphasizes, “It shouldn't be this way. We need to renormalize the idea that once you are of this age and you are unable to fulfill your duties...there is dignity” in stepping down. [22:41]
• The hosts deride Republican hypocrisy and their capacity for “gaslighting” the public, contrasting it with Democrats’ inability (or unwillingness) to stomach similar behavior—the “hack gap.” [24:04]

6. Absurd Trump Quotes & Satire

• Timestamps: [24:07]–[24:49]
• Fresh Trump gaffe: Declaring he “would have been the greatest communist in history, right up there with Lenin, by which he meant Lenin.”
  • JVL and Sarah openly mock the mangled reference, noting that at least he didn’t say “the late, great Vladimir Lenin.” [24:07]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Sarah Longwell (on manipulation):
  • “Why shouldn't this just be standard operating procedure for every president going forward? ...We are a banana republic now.” [05:45]
• JVL (on media and propaganda):
  • “The Republican media ecosystem is built for offense and attack...the Democratic environment is only built for a circular firing squad.” [06:37]
• Sarah (on Trump’s unique survival):
  • “Another part of what makes people afraid of Trump is...his people will not leave him ever.” [11:27]
• JVL (on America’s normalization of Trump’s behavior):
  • “He still had a hit television show. And so voters...developed a relationship with a guy who like, they've already processed all of his stuff...” [13:34]
• Sarah (on Trump’s promise of violence):
  • “Donald Trump offered voters something they had never been offered before...physical violence against the people they hate.” [14:58]
• On McConnell:
  • “He looks like he had tried to, to touch a Horcrux...” [19:03] — Sarah
  • “I just think it's ego...only have power so long as Mitch has power.” [21:14] — Sarah

---

Important Timestamps

• 01:38 – War with Iran restarts; nobody notices.
• 03:28 – Hosts joke about Trump staging American "victory" before July 4th, resuming war after.
• 05:04 – Gas prices as American’s main war barometer.
• 09:44 – Breakdown of Trump’s unique hold via cult-like following.
• 13:34–14:47 – Trump survives scandal by cultural conditioning; contrast with new politicians.
• 14:58 – Sarah: Trump’s offering of violence to supporters is unique and dangerous.
• 19:03 – Trump’s indifference to Mitch McConnell and speculation on McConnell’s condition.
• 21:14 – Discussion on why McConnell doesn't step down—ego and inner circle power.
• 22:41 – Call to renormalize dignified retirement from office when unfit.
• 24:07 – Trump’s gaffe about “the greatest communist, right up there with Lenin.”

---

Tone & Style

• The hosts maintain biting wit and a tone that oscillates between gallows humor, incredulity, and exasperation at American political developments.
• Commentary is frank, occasionally profane, and rooted in real-time political skepticism.
• The episode offers catharsis for listeners equally shocked and distressed by the current state of US politics.

---

Conclusion

This episode offers a fast-moving, unsparing tour of Trump-era political dysfunction, institutional decline, the loss of shared reality in American media culture, and the ongoing spectacle of aging, incapacitated politicians clinging to power. The hosts’ candor, humor, and vivid metaphors deliver both a warning and a weary sense of camaraderie with listeners trying to keep up with the “rocket sled to hell” that is American politics in 2026.

---

Transcript

[JVL]

Foreign.

[Sarah Longwell]

Hello, everyone. This is JVL here with my best friend, Sarah Longwell, publisher of the Bulwark. Sarah, happy Friday to you, my friend.

[JVL]

My guy, how you doing, buddy? I. I just. Everybody, JVL is like, I'll start the show when you're done chewing.

[Sarah Longwell]

That's how we roll. That's how we roll. I'm. I'm good. We'll talk about personal stuff at the end. I promise. I will just say thank you to everybody as a preamble. We'll talk more about that later. Very quickly, while I've been away, Sarah. On 92nd, Y tickets for September 8th, we're doing. Doing pretty well. We've sold several hundred of them. There's still a few more left.

[JVL]

Yeah. So. So basically, I think the. The real reason is they don't open the balcony. Like, we moved to a much bigger venue space for the orchestra, but now the orchestra is almost sold out. So, like, I do think they'll open the balcony, though, when we hit the limit there. So there's still tickets available.

[Sarah Longwell]

I want to sell out the whole thing. I want to sell out the balcony, too.

[JVL]

Okay.

[Sarah Longwell]

Come hang out with us. All right. Do it for me.

[JVL]

But we are sold out in Seattle and we're sold out in San Francisco.

[Sarah Longwell]

Am I coming to Seattle or is it Tim?

[JVL]

No, you are.

[Sarah Longwell]

Am I?

[JVL]

Yeah.

[Sarah Longwell]

Did that happen?

[JVL]

Yeah.

[Sarah Longwell]

All right. I can't wait. Okay. We're also going to talk about Graham Platner stuff later on, which I know everybody is so excited. It's like the baton death march of Graham Platner. We're going to talk about Graham Platner for the last time. How exciting is that? But before that, I hope it's the last time the war is back on. We have a war again.

[JVL]

We do.

[Sarah Longwell]

Okay.

[JVL]

Nobody's noticed because. Because of the. The factional war over Graham Platner, but the war with Iran is back on.

[Sarah Longwell]

Yeah, I have some questions. Iran was totally decimated and destroyed and had no weapons anymore. So how is the war back on? If they have. Is it possible they weren't defeated?

[JVL]

I think it is possible. You know, I'm kind of banking on it being over again by Sunday and then back on again. You know, basically, yes, I do think this is. It's funny just from a. As a communications nervous system matter, it's like, how are Americans supposed to know, right, Whether we're at war or not? Like, we go off and on. It's like the Wayne's World where they're like, game on every time no, my. I'm hitting you with a reference you're not familiar with.

[Sarah Longwell]

No, I, I know Wayne's World very well. I don't remember that.

[JVL]

They're playing hockey in the street and they say, game on, game off. Every time a car is coming and it's. Anyway, it appears he's, you know, Trump now is like bleeding things. Like, you know, you can't, you can't trust them and they're, they're not dealing, you know, and you're like, oh, yeah, huh.

[Sarah Longwell]

I mean, they're the ones you can't trust.

[JVL]

Yeah, sure. We can't trust anybody in this scenario. So, yeah, it's not great. Gas prices jumping again.

[Sarah Longwell]

Excellent. I, I do have to say I'm not entirely surprised because one of my theses was that the war had to be solved for the July4America250 celebrations.

[JVL]

Right. And my thesis was. And it will not, absolutely not be over, right?

[Sarah Longwell]

Not be actually over. But for the purposes of making pretend during America 250, we couldn't do. Trump couldn't do that with an active war going. We had to have had victory in the war for America 250. And now that that's over, it's okay to have the war back on. Right?

[JVL]

Yeah.

[Sarah Longwell]

This is how his mind thinks. I'm sorry, is any other American president ever going to be able to conduct war in a normal way again? Because. Why wouldn't you just do it this way? Because the American public has shown they'll tolerate it.

[JVL]

Yeah, but they won't tolerate the high gas. So this is, this is. Gas prices did come down. You know, one of the things that's been interesting is that the war, when it seemed like there was a ceasefire, people are so desperate for it to be, to turn out okay. The markets jumped, gas prices fell. And I think for a lot of people were saying, you know, well, if he ends the war, there'll be this long tail on it. But it didn't work that way. At least this time around, Right. There was an immediate drop off in gas prices and now they're going back up. And maybe you can explain, like, the, how finely tuned they are to one another, but no, we're back in the summer travel months and as gas continue, if it continues to climb, the war accelerates. Like, that's when the American people care. And that's sort of sad, right, that it has to be when all. Only when there's personal consequences for people. But this is part of the problem of us not having a media ecosystem anymore where Everyone shares the same information, right? Everybody can sort of choose the news they want to consume, which means there's no front page, there's no, hey, three news stations that are all focused on the fact that we're in a war with Iran. And so the only way that it really penetrates for the American people, because it's all very far away, it's not impacting them, is via gas prices.

[Sarah Longwell]

And even that, as we're going to talk about later, even that is manipulable and manipulatable. Manipulable, who can say?

[JVL]

And capable of manipulation.

[Sarah Longwell]

Sure. Trump's constant war on, war off, manipulation of the markets again. Why shouldn't this just be standard operating procedure for every president going forward? Right. The American public will tolerate it. The markets are clearly, like, willing to be manipulated. What? Geez. I mean, Joe Biden should have done this, right? Like every, every, you know, President Ossoff should do this. Like, certainly President Vance would do this. President Tucker would do this. Why not? We are a banana republic now. I just, I'm, I'm looking for, for some reason to believe that, like, oh, well, don't worry. This sort of thing where you just blatantly manipulate the markets before closing and before opening, that couldn't possibly happen again. That's just an artifact of Trump.

[JVL]

I actually, I think I have worse news for you than that. I'm afraid. I don't want to go dark. Darker than jbl. I don't want to do dark. Sarah. My, my bigger fear, actually is that only Republican presidents could get away with it because they have a media ecosystem built for obfuscation in a way that a Democratic president couldn't get away with it because the Republican media ecosystem is built for offense and attack in a way that the, the Democratic environment is only built for a circular firing squad.

[Sarah Longwell]

Now you're talking my language.

[JVL]

I know.

[Sarah Longwell]

And, and let me go you one further. It's not just the media ecosystems. It's the expectations of the rest of the normal institutions. The markets would freak the out if Joe Biden was doing this because he's supposed to be normal, right?

[JVL]

That's right.

[Sarah Longwell]

Democrats are supposed to be responsible and normal Republicans. Everybody knows they're crazy. Everybody knows that JD Vance doesn't mean anything. Donald Trump just says stuff, right? And this is, you know, it's just built in, that's priced in part.

[JVL]

And part of it is that I feel like Trump himself. And this is why it's really depressing to think about our institutions this way. But for a lot of big institutions. Trump is like a smash and grab job for them. It's like Trump is a one time easy to manipulate. It's. This is, this was Bibi's theory. Bibi's theory was. And I don't know whether this speaks well of our future or whether it speaks worse, but I do think people see Trump as a very specific aberration, during which I'm not saying this is the right, the right way to approach it. I'm just saying I do think that the markets and companies and media institutions that want to merge, they're all like, let's get everything we can out of Trump. While everything is totally transactional, totally bereft of the normal American checks and balances. There's no interference from Congress. You want a pardon, you just go pay Trump off. You want free crypto everywhere, like Trump will get it for you. You want to keep interest rates low. Trump will do that because he'll fire Jerome Powell, you know, who's trying to make good institutional decisions. And I actually think it's a lot of people trying to, it's like if a treasure gets dumped out and you're trying to stuff it all into your, you know, your girdle and your whatever while you can, because I'm not sure anybody, I don't think from their view this is going to be the normal state of affairs. They think there's like a one time opportunity to manipulate Trump into getting whatever they want and then after that it's over.

[Sarah Longwell]

Maybe. I just don't see why it would be over because it's worked for him. So why wouldn't the next, why wouldn't the next guy just operate the same way?

[JVL]

Do you know why? I do think, and it relates a little bit to some of the stuff you were saying about Platner. Trump is able to wield a cult in a way that I think J.D. vance or any other normal people are like, they're not going to be scared of JD Vance. No one's scared of JD Vance because JD Vance's power will be sort of normal political power, but he won't have control of a bunch of people who are willing to literally drink the Kool Aid and die for him. Whereas the fact that Trump has that level of cult means that people are afraid. They are afraid of the menace. Right? This is. How does he keep Republicans in line? Because they are afraid of his voters. Not just that they won't vote for them, but that they will come for them. They will scream at them at the airports, they will Threaten their kids. And I'm, I think people constantly forget that this is what Trump does to people. They, he, People are afraid of him in ways that other politicians just don't muster. That.

[Sarah Longwell]

The New York Times did a big piece about the Trump crypto stuff like a week ago. I don't know if you remember that. And there was a line in there from a guy who lost some obscene amount of money on Trump crypto. I forget how much. Maybe it was 15,000, maybe it was 500,000. But the answer is many, many, many thousands of dollars. And this guy, a normal guy, when confronted about this, who did he blame? Not Donald Trump. It was Democrats. Yeah, sure, Democrats and short. Somehow short sellers and Democrats. On the Trump meme coin, they're the ones who were, you know, not the president. Like, I don't know. I think that's what. Another part of what makes people afraid of Trump is they look, they're like, his people will not leave him ever.

[JVL]

Yeah, the Teflon element. I mean, I've so obviously, as part of the Platner discourse, you know, it is to me unconscionable to have these Republicans like. It is, it is actually. It's like a mind bending, insane thing. You're watching, you're watching Kellyanne Conway and Kevin McCarthy, you know, say, like, Republicans have never experienced any. We cast our bad candidates aside like this, living in an alternate race reality because they know voters want that validation. They know voters believe that themselves. And this goes back. This is a lot of what I write about in the book, about the way that I think Trump is unique among others. And it is because, okay, Trump. So on the sexual assault, Trump has 28 counts, 28 different allegations of sexual assault or rape against him. And when you raise this as a counter example of what Republicans tolerate, who are now lecturing Democrats, and you say, okay, you have no moral authority here. You support this guy. And why are they able in Trump's case to just sort of feel like they can dodge that? I think there's a reason. And the reason is, is that the allegations against Trump have, were like forever ago. He has been, he's been racking up these allegations over a career because this is who he is. And, but also he's been validated every single time, right? He had these allegations against him. And what happened, Oprah still had him on. He still went on Howard Stern. He still existed on Page Six. Like the culture never condemned him. He still had a hit television show. And so voters over time developed a relationship with a guy who like, they've already processed all of his stuff, like Graham Platner. People are hearing about it for the first time. The rape allegation, right? Like that is new. And people are like, okay, we're done with him. What would have happened if Trump didn't have decades worth of, of disgusting comments? I mean, the thing about, like, if Ivanka wasn't my daughter, I'd probably be dating her, right? Like, these are each thing on its own would cause most. He's best friends with Epstein. How is he surviving being close friends over a long period of time with America's most notorious pedophile? Right? And it's because it's like, it's wrong. Like, we should never let them get away with it. That is, it is. Every single one of them knows better, especially the Kellyanne Conways and the Kevin McCarthy's. But it is baked in with voters in a way that it wouldn't be with anybody else because of the decades long parasocial and media relationship people have with this guy.

[Sarah Longwell]

I am sure that that is part of the explanation, but I would like to posit something, something different as a reason for the allegiance.

[JVL]

All right.

[Sarah Longwell]

Donald Trump offered voters something they had never been offered before, that level of American government, which was physical violence against the people they hate. It began with the rallies telling, you know, hit the protesters, knock them out, do whatever you want. I mean, we don't need to recapitulate it here. But violence, actual physical political violence being condoned by a major national political figure is part of something Trump offered, which is what made people love him and be devoted to him totally in ways that they had not been. And that is replicable. Right? I mean, somebody else could, J.D. vance could do that if he wanted to. Right? I mean, J.D. vance could tell the proud boys to stand back and stand by. He could authorize ICE to start shooting people in the streets. Right? And that, that aspect of it could be replicated by somebody else. And I don't know that it will be like. And maybe it would hit differently because they wouldn't. You know what I'm saying? I'm sure it's part of it, but I think, I think the violence is part of the special sauce here.

[JVL]

I think, I think it is for Trump for sure. I'm not positive other people can build a coalition around it

[Sarah Longwell]

very possibly, but.

[JVL]

But I don't know. But I don't know. Like, here's the thing. We can have this debate, it's a close debate. We can have this conversation. It's a Gross conversation. Because the thing is, is the pers. The percent's certainly not zero. There's certainly not a zero percent chance that somebody could do it. There's no doubt that Trump has, has created a new potential roadmap for disgusting and despicable people who want to try to govern America through division and through violence and through preying on our worst parts. Which is why, you know, I do think that the counter offer from Democrats should not be a replication, obviously. I think that. And should be a. Because I don't think that the vast majority of Americans want somebody who's, I'm

[Sarah Longwell]

not speaking about majorities. I'm just talking about. For the purposes of understanding the cult and understanding, well, how do you assemble a group of people who are going to be with you no matter what? I think offering them violence is part of that, and I think that is a part of it that any other Republican could replicate. Any other Republican who's willing to assemble mobs and sic them on the Capitol and then just pardon the people who did violence on their behalf. That will inspire a level of similar loyalty and provide.

[JVL]

I think, I don't believe this.

[Sarah Longwell]

Maybe not the same, maybe different.

[JVL]

Yeah, I think, I think that Trump is unique in this regard. I think for a large.

[Sarah Longwell]

Yeah.

[JVL]

A variety of reasons.

[Sarah Longwell]

Your thesis on this, about his, his, his longevity in the, the mind of America is, I think, 100% spot on. And we really can't understand how powerful that is. You know, like, we can make guesses about it, but until he's gone and we see somebody who has only been part of the, The American culture for 10 years, try it, we can't really know what are the advantages for having had 40 years of just being there. And so that is certainly part of it. I think the violence is also part of it. I want to talk a little bit about. Gosh, I want to talk about so many different things. Mitch McConnell. Donald Trump now says he was asked about Mitch McConnell on Air Force One on Tuesday, and he said, I have no idea. This is.

[JVL]

He might as well have said, I don't care. His versus the way he responded was, I don't, I don't give it. I don't give a crap how he's doing.

[Sarah Longwell]

Yeah. John th. John Barrasso and Scott Jennings, who all said, oh, we've spoken to him. This is. You guys talked about this on dnl. I mean, I just don't believe it. I, I don't, I don't believe that they had this conversation with him. They may have been on a phone call. There may have been other people in the room. Maybe McConnell was on speaker and maybe he mumbled something as part. But like I just, I do not believe and part of this is because our buddy Joe Peron has been telling us for weeks because he was down on the Hill and he was just saying to us, guys, McConnell looks like death warmed over. Like his, you know, his hands were black and his feet were black. Like the guy looks like he had tried to, to touch a Horcrux. And so I don't know. Am I crazy? Is this a conspiracy theory?

[JVL]

Well, I don't present. I don't think you've presented a theory other than.

[Sarah Longwell]

And this is I think he's incapacitated.

[JVL]

Yeah.

[Sarah Longwell]

My theory is that he is, he is completely incapacitated.

[JVL]

Yeah. And I don't know. My theory is he's a very sick man and should no longer hold office. And we just don't know the degree of.

[Sarah Longwell]

Because it's not like he's sick because he's fighting cancer and he's going to get better.

[JVL]

Right. No.

[Sarah Longwell]

Terminal decline.

[JVL]

He's in terminal decline. He's a very old man. He's been getting sicker and sicker. He's been having falls like it's all the stuff that happens when stuff somebody begins to accelerate their decline. And what I guess I don't understand and maybe you know the answer to this. We were talking about this on the on TNL and I didn't have the what is the reason that you can't just have Mitch McConnell say I'm going to step down, I'm too sick.

[Sarah Longwell]

Is it because I just think it's ego?

[JVL]

Yeah. Like he just can't give up the power. Like he needs to die with the

[Sarah Longwell]

power power and nobody around him can give up the power. Right. Because if you're in that circle, like you only have power so long as Mitch has power. And once he's gone and there's a new sheriff in town, you've got a. They're all jockeying for position in the post McConnell world and is my guess. Right. And so but why would thune or

[JVL]

any they're not jockeying for power. This is, this is there's some reason that they've all decided and because even if he was going to like recover and potentially come back not in a way that is capable of real governance like the Mitch McConnell of before is. Right. It's over and he'll never be on

[Sarah Longwell]

the floor of the Senate again.

[JVL]

It not he will never be capable

[Sarah Longwell]

of casting a vote, I think.

[JVL]

Yeah, not in a. In a. In a fully sentient way. I mean, people can, like, wheel him in. Like, we see people do this with. And, and they did. They did it with John McCain. You know, up until the end, he

[Sarah Longwell]

was able to come in and cast a vote. This is what I'm saying. Like, he's not going to cast a vote again. He is not going to ever appear on the floor of the Senate to cast a vote like he's done.

[JVL]

I have no idea whether or not that's true. I just know that it shouldn't be this way.

[Sarah Longwell]

As somebody who's 1/16th of a doctor and who has had a colleague report what he visually saw, I feel pretty comfortable in my medical diagnosis.

[JVL]

Yeah, I know. Because you're 116th doctor. I know. I get it.

[Sarah Longwell]

I just, I think it's. If I was going to go to Kalshee and put $100 on the proposition, will Mitch McConnell ever cast a vote on the floor of the Senate again? I would feel pretty comfortable taking the no position on that.

[JVL]

Yeah, sure.

[Sarah Longwell]

That's all.

[JVL]

I just don't think it matters. The point is, we need to renormalize the idea that once you are of this age and you are unable to fulfill your duties in a real way, that there is dignity and that it is the right thing and the expected thing that you won't gaslight the American people with weird Scott Jennings phone calls. Where my big thing is that they're recounting of the phone calls is like, oh, yes, well, we talked to him about Ron this and this that. I'm like, the dude is super sick, obviously. Really? That's what you talk to him about?

[Sarah Longwell]

Give me the recording.

[JVL]

Yeah, right. I just, I just would like us to sit with the level of hypocrisy. It is, it is. It is choking the way. And this is, this is the. One of the big differences is I don't think that Democrats can stomach being hypocrites to this degree. Like, it is. It is staggering. What. Like a Scott Jennings and is how. How significantly he's willing to debase himself.

[Sarah Longwell]

It's the hack gap. This is the.

[JVL]

It is the hat gap.

[Sarah Longwell]

Yeah. And okay, so we have to talk about Trump's Naito appearance, which is full of stuff that is amazing. My favorite was when the United States president said that he. He would have been the, quote, the greatest communist in history right up there with Lenin, by which he meant Lenin. At least he didn't say the late, great Vladimir Lenin. And I'm going to tell you in a moment why this sets me off to a degree that you cannot even fucking believe. But, Sarah, we're going to do that on the other side.

[JVL]

Great.

[Sarah Longwell]

So come buy your tickets to the 92nd Y, so we can sell more tickets for our show than any other show. And come subscribe to Bulborg. Come ride with us. It's fun.

[JVL]

False.

[Sarah Longwell]

It's not fun, but it is fun. You know, it's. I mean, you know, it's fun in the way that an exciting trip on a rocket sled to hell can be fun before it eventually crashes in the fiery infernos of Satan.

[JVL]

Or maybe you're somebody who wants to find somebody who will give you an optimistic view or that tell you it's

[Sarah Longwell]

gonna be also possible.

[JVL]

Or.

[Sarah Longwell]

Sure.