The Next Level: GOP's Epstein FREAKOUT! Mace in Tears! MTG Joins the REBELS!

Podcast: The Next Level

Hosts: Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, Jonathan V. Last (JVL)

Episode: 1011

Date: September 3, 2025

Main Theme and Purpose

In this episode, Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, and Jonathan V. Last offer spirited, in-depth analysis of an explosive week in national politics. The trio breaks down the GOP’s handling of the "Epstein Files" scandal, emotional reactions inside Congress—including Nancy Mace’s dramatic moment—Marjorie Taylor Greene and other MAGA rebels’ new alliances, Trump’s controversial deployment of the National Guard, recent court rulings, and the troubling rhetoric at the National Conservatism Conference. The hosts also touch on infighting among progressive content creators and offer pointed observations on the battle for influence in both legacy politics and new media.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The "Epstein Files" Fallout and Political Theater

• The Epstein Files Scandal

  • Press conference with Epstein victims draws massive attention on Capitol Hill.
  • Speaker Mike Johnson’s failed attempt to “run out the clock” on controversy by leaving for recess.
  • The administration’s repeated re-release of already public files, with Trump “believing his voters are so stupid” they’ll buy it (Sarah, 04:40).
    • “Donald Trump thinks his voters are so stupid that they can just keep re-releasing the same information.“ (Sarah, 04:40)

• Nancy Mace in Tears

  • Mace left a private briefing in tears after emotional testimony from victims (06:27).
  • Panel discusses whether her reaction is genuine or performative.
    • “I think she’s had a psychotic break... She identifies as a champion of sexual assault survivors.” (Sarah, 14:34)

• MAGA Rebels Join Forces

  • MTG (Marjorie Taylor Greene), Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, and Thomas Massie emerge as the four House Republicans crossing the aisle on a discharge petition regarding Epstein files release (12:13).
  • Discussion of these members’ motivations—personal brand building, ideological quirks, or sincere belief.
    • “The more MAGA you are, the more the people who are your direct following are the release the Epstein files people.” (Sarah, 14:35)

• Implications for Trump

  • Debate over whether the Epstein scandal has lasting damage. JVL argues repeated scandals create “exposure therapy” and numb public (09:49).
    • “Every time this story goes away and comes back, it matters less.” (JVL, 09:49)
  • Sarah disagrees, seeing real fear in Trump:
    • “The reason Trump looks legitimately afraid, like, right now...he doesn’t want the Epstein stuff out there, in a way that I find almost shocking.” (Sarah, 11:22)

Trump, the National Guard, and Court Rulings

• Deployment of National Guard in US Cities

  • Trump’s orders to send the Guard into DC, LA, and possibly Chicago/New Orleans seen as both a genuine authoritarian move and distraction from the Epstein scandal.
    • “He wants to talk about Epstein. Zero. He does not want this out there. The way that ... I think he’s in there in a real way.” (Sarah, 11:27)
  • Court rulings declare the LA deployment unconstitutional, but come after the fact, leading to cynicism among the hosts.
    • “Once you’re in a world where the president just does the things and then afterwards the court says that was not constitutional … well, I don’t know. They fucking did it, didn’t they?” (JVL, 21:39)
  • The panel highlights Chicago’s strong political pushback (from Governor JB Pritzker) as especially effective in slowing Trump:
    • “Trump is being brushed back, potentially by Pritzker being willing to fight... People should not do Muriel Bowser and they should do JB Pritzker.” (Sarah, 36:02)

• Tariffs and the Supremacy of Congress

  • Court rules tariffs unconstitutional; the administration appeals to the Supreme Court.
  • Hosts joke that Trump will spin either outcome as a win ("art of the deal"), and Sarah wishes the GOP would own the fallout of their economic ideas.
    • “I want him to own the economy he’s going to wreck with these tariffs... Don’t save him from himself.” (Sarah, 23:43)
  • Deep frustration with Congress abdicating its constitutional authority:
    • “Checks and balances—they’re broken.” (Sarah, 26:06)

• Federalism Hypocrisy and Conservative Philosophy

  • Panelists marvel at how conservatives have abandoned “states’ rights” to back Trump’s federal intervention.
    • “The idea that they’re now like, yes, you should send those troops into every major American city … is the absolute inverse of everything you were taught as what it meant to be a conservative or a Republican.” (Sarah, 40:43)
  • JVL exposes the logical absurdity with a Texas/Uvalde example:
    • “Imagine after Uvalde...if Joe Biden sent the troops into Texas...conservatives would be outraged … and yet this is just the state of affair.” (Bill, 38:27)

National Conservatism Conference: Reactionary Rhetoric and the Future of the Right

• Eric Schmidt’s “Blood and Soil” Speech

  • Schmidt (MO Senator) declares “America belongs to us and only us,” evoking nativist, exclusionary language (43:12-44:11).
    • "America belongs to us and only us. If we disappear, America...will cease to exist." (Schmidt via JVL, 43:12)
    • Sarah and Bill react with horror, likening the rhetoric to German ethno-nationalism:
      • “You gotta read in the original German.” (Sarah, 43:49)

• Hypocrisy, Historical Illiteracy, and Christian Nationalism

  • Panelists highlight the disconnect between Schmidt’s claims and the actual American tradition of pluralism.
    • “These people who claim to talk about America couldn’t more fundamentally misunderstand the whole thing we’re doing here.” (Sarah, 44:11)
  • Bill objects to the “homeland” concept as un-American, comparing it to European far-right politics (49:41).
    • “It fit in great in Hungary … Viktor Orban and his people give speeches just like this…” (Bill, 49:41)

• Hazoni, Antisemitism, and the Contradictions of "NatCons"

  • Yoram Hazoni’s speech attempts to balance the anti-Semitism of some on the New Right with Jewish interests; panel finds it uncomfortable and contradictory (50:10-52:05).

• Is This the Post-Trump GOP?

  • Speculation on whether this blood-and-soil nationalism will outlast Trump or if it dies with his celebrity brand.
    • “These weird lizard people are not going to take American politics by storm.” (Sarah, 58:47)
    • Bill warns that, despite the dorkiness, the intellectuals driving this movement could become the next policy-makers and speechwriters for a post-Trump, more overtly authoritarian Republican Party (61:49).

New Media Drama: The "Chorus" Content Incubator Meltdown

• The Wired Story and Taylor Lorenz

  • Progressive content-creator space erupts over reporting on "Chorus," a donor-funded incubator for left-leaning TikTok/YouTube talent (66:13–68:57).
  • Tim and Sarah urge all sides to chill out, focus on the real political adversaries, and imitate the right’s unified media machine.
    • “Tim Pool and all the right wing influencers are funded by Russian ops. These guys [on the left] are given like eight grand…chill out.” (Sarah, 68:57)
    • Advice: Build authentic brands, support each other, and avoid inward-looking feuds.

• Meta-Lesson: Content Creator Ecosystem

  • JVL notes similar drama exists in all influencer worlds, not just politics—“it embarrasses me to be part of it.” (71:51)
  • Sarah counters that right-wing influencers at least back each other up, feuding only to boost their brands while left-wing creators cannibalize each other (72:25).

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments with Timestamps

• On Trump’s Relentless Communication:

  • “Donald Trump communicates at such a rapid and intense fashion. He never shuts up for one minute. We notice his absence.” — Sarah Longwell, 02:08

• JVL Mocks Rehashed Epsteingate Stunts:

  • “This is what they did with Pam Bondi...it was all public information...this time...some new stuff that’s all redacted or meaningless.” — Sarah Longwell, 04:40

• Nancy Mace Emotional Moment:

  • “Nancy Mace left the private briefing in, in tears because the reminder here [was] having the victims.” — Sarah Longwell, 06:27

• On Court Rulings after the Fact:

  • “Once you’re in a world where the president just does the things and then afterwards the court says that was not constitutional…well, I don’t know. They fucking did it, didn’t they?” — JVL, 21:39

• Federalism Hypocrisy:

  • “States’ rights, limited government. Not no more.” — JVL/Sarah, 40:43

• National Conservatism as Blood and Soil:

  • “You gotta read in the original German.” — Sarah, 43:49
  • “America belongs to us and only us. If we disappear, then America, too, will cease to exist.” — JVL, quoting Schmidt, 43:12

• Right-Wing Media Unity vs. Left-Wing Infighting:

  • “What the right wing influencer ecosphere does is support the [hell] out of each other... if I was giving advice to these influencers on the left... all need to be in it together, not fighting with each other.” — Sarah, 72:25

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:30: Post-Labor Day banter; Trump's health rumors; the "where is Trump?" weekend
• 02:43: Epstein Files press conference recap
• 06:27: Nancy Mace leaves briefing in tears, panel debates authenticity
• 12:13: Discussion of four GOP ‘rebels’ on Epstein discharge petition: MTG, Boebert, Mace, Massie
• 21:39: Court strikes down National Guard deployment and tariffs; hosts debate effectiveness and consequences
• 32:51: National Guard, federalism, and the strong counter-example of Pritzker vs. Muriel Bowser
• 40:43: Hosts’ astonishment at conservative embrace of federal overreach (“States’ rights… not no more”)
• 43:12: National Conservatism Conference, Sen. Eric Schmidt’s “blood and soil” speech
• 50:10: Hazoni, antisemitism, and New Right paradoxes
• 61:49: Will "Blood and Soil" ideology last post-Trump?
• 66:13: Wired “Chorus” controversy and progressive content creator drama
• 72:25: Influence ecosystem meta-discussion; left vs. right influencer culture

Flow and Tone

True to The Bulwark’s signature, the episode blends sharp policy critique, irreverent wit, and insider knowledge. The hosts’ camaraderie brings levity to heavy topics—quipping about Christmas cards with AR-15s (17:11), Sarah riffing on “below the Beltway” as “The West Wing meets the L Word” (20:28), and tongue-in-cheek references to pop culture and their own inside jokes.

Conclusion

This episode delivers a comprehensive, barbed, and sometimes darkly funny analysis of a chaotic political landscape—one in which Trump’s legal and political troubles are met with both cunning distraction tactics and new forms of intra-GOP rebellion, while the ideological future of the American right becomes both more radical and more farcical. The panel calls for focus, vigilance, and a bit more solidarity (especially among content creators), warning that while headline scandal fatigue is real, the underlying currents—the eroding of norms, federalism, and pluralism—are deadly serious.