Podcast Summary: The Next Level

Episode 1036: Why Trump’s “Enemies” Keep Winning
Date: November 26, 2025
Host: The Bulwark (Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, Jonathan V. Last / JVL)

Overview

This lively episode of The Next Level examines Donald Trump’s ongoing, but largely failed, efforts at political retribution against his perceived enemies during his second term. Hosts Sarah Longwell, Tim Miller, and Jonathan V. Last bring their signature mix of wit and candor to analyze why Trump’s much-promised legal crackdowns have largely fizzled, track the fallout of recent high-profile GOP dramas, and touch on the evolving landscape of post-Trump right-wing media and influence. The team reflects on the enduring resilience of American institutions, the challenges within the GOP, and what recent developments signal for the future of both parties.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump’s Failed Campaign of Retribution

(Main segment: 00:30–14:00)

• Expectation vs. Reality: Sarah reflects on her deep-seated worries (from a year prior) that Trump would weaponize DOJ/FBI powers effectively, but so far, “the gap between the sum of my fears…and what has actually happened” is wide, with only “the two clowniest prosecutions in American history” taking place. (Sarah Longwell, 02:42)

  • Notable quote:

    “Right now, this is, I mean, this is just a cloud cuckoo land. I mean, this is, this is embarrassing.” (Sarah, 04:09)

• Incompetence of Trump’s Legal Picks: The team discusses Trump’s unusual approach to choosing attorneys, with Tim skewering the recruitment of under-qualified, club-associated beauty queens for crucial prosecution roles. (05:13–06:38)

• Judicial Response: Courts, especially outside the Supreme Court, remain robust obstacles to Trump’s aims. Key quote from Tim:
  > “We should again, for Tim's like two cheers for where we are. The courts remain pretty stalwart here...” (08:02)

• Consequences and Next Moves: Discussion on Trump’s tendency to pivot to pardoning supporters and ongoing rumors about further administrative shakeups and possible replacements for embattled loyalists like Kash Patel. (09:09–12:34)

2. The Limits of MAGA Governance & Staffing

(12:34–14:17)

• The “Goldilocks” Problem: The hosts joke that finding someone “utterly MAGA” and competent is virtually impossible.
  > “If they're gonna do everything you want, they're gonna be morons. If you want them to be competent, maybe they can do half the stuff you want.” (Sarah, 11:49)

• Acting Appointments & Legal Snafus: Multiple acting officials and lack of Senate-confirmed staff are leading to legal and operational problems inside the administration.

3. GOP Infighting and the Marjorie Taylor Greene Exit

(16:16–35:22)

• Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Abrupt Retirement: A major focus is on MTG’s announced departure from Congress and her turning against Trump, exposing fault lines in the populist arm of the GOP.

  • JVL praises her “human” rationale for leaving:

    “Marjorie Taylor Greene, it turns out, did not have being a congressperson as the highest and most important thing in her entire life…” (JVL, 26:51)

• No New Coalition: Tim is doubtful about narratives positioning Greene as part of a new pro-democracy coalition:
  > “This idea that Marjorie Taylor Greene wants to be part of the pro Democracy coalition. Like, that is not what's happening. Trump is not Maggie ing hard enough.” (Tim, 27:04)

• Dem Messaging Lessons: Sarah highlights that Democrats could “co-opt” some of MTG’s economic populism and critiques of elite power if done authentically (29:00–31:19).

4. Trump’s Political Maneuvering, Populist Headaches, and the Mandani/Stefanik Snafu

(16:16–23:58)

• Trump’s Embrace of Zoran Mamdani: Unexpectedly, Trump welcomes a lefty New York pol into the White House, throwing a wrench into MAGA talking points.

  • Tim:

    “He [Mamdani] came out though, the big winner...it messed up the whole plan...Now they're like, but the President loves Zoran and thinks that, you know, many of his ideas are great ideas...” (Tim, 17:09)

• Elise Stefanik’s Frustration: Stefanik’s angry anti-Mamdani messaging is undercut by Trump himself, making her appear extreme and out of step.

• Associative Antisemitism Irony: The group jokes about how, by right-wing logic, Trump's approval of Mandani might also make him a “jihadist,” in Stefanik’s eyes. (21:34–22:14)

5. Right-Wing Media Personalities and Conspiracies

(37:31–47:17)

• Candace Owens’ Fringe Pivot: The panel mocks Owens’ claims of government assassination plots and discusses her mainstream role within right-wing media now.

  • Tim:

    “Candace Owens is legitimately crazy...she has to be dealt with by the right the same way Tucker does, because they have power centers.” (Tim, 40:55–41:23)

• Nick Fuentes & Online Influence: Discussion about the uneasy alliances building among right-wing influencers and extremists, and their eventual jostling for the MAGA throne if Trump leaves the scene.

• Twitter Bots Reveal: Reveling in the unmasking of international bot accounts that fuel right-wing online discourse, Tim highlights the revelation that much of the MAGA online engagement is inauthentic—
  > “Maga Super Fan 2017 is located in Bangladesh.” (Tim, 42:44)

6. The Trump Succession Problem

(47:18–49:18)

• J.D. Vance’s Dilemma: The crew muses about how hard it would be for politicians like J.D. Vance to unite the conflicting egos and interests of post-Trump right-wing media celebrities.

7. Trump’s Physical & Cognitive Decline

(49:18–55:55)

• Increasing on- and off-camera evidence of Trump’s deterioration, with the hosts—who have long resisted “boy who cried wolf” arguments about Trump’s health—now openly speculating on potential cognitive decline:

  • Sarah:

    “He looked like a wax statue...he can't read the paper. I'm crying wolf right now. I think we're seeing real deterioration.” (Sarah, 51:09)

• No 25th Amendment: Despite fantasies about a palace coup or constitutional removal, the team doubts his inner circle would act, predicting instead a weakened, shuffling Trump wearing down the Republican machine.

8. The End of USAID & The “Doge” Disaster

(56:49–61:19)

• Grave Consequences: JVL laments the catastrophic, unforced dismantling of USAID/DOGE, costing potentially hundreds of thousands of lives and severely damaging American soft power, all at the whim of a South African billionaire.
  • JVL:

    “It's been a while since America did something in which nobody had asked it to cut this program...a human tragedy on par with like 50 natural disasters.” (JVL, 57:17–58:25)

  • Tim:

    “It is a genuine feat to have managed to cause that much harm and save no money.” (Tim, 59:14)

9. Political Labels and Identity Crisis

(61:19–67:27)

• Liberal/Conservative Identity: Sarah wrestles with being labeled a “liberal” by the show Jubilee, reflecting on how political identities have shifted. The crew distinguishes between being liberal (in a classical sense) versus “progressive,” and notes the death of the old “conservative” label.
  • “I’m a hardcore classical liberal...That is what pluralism is. That is what freedom of speech is.” (Tim, 65:30)

10. Tim Miller vs. Gen-Z Conservatives on Jubilee

(67:46–73:53)

• Show Recap: Sarah details her appearance on YouTube show Jubilee, debating a group of young conservatives. While less combative than anticipated, she found it constructive, noting, “several of them wanted selfies after...at least one, I think two actually came up and said, like, I agreed with a lot of your points...” (Sarah, 68:23)
• Takeaways: Many Gen Z conservatives seemed unaware of the details of Trump’s actions or recent US history, underscoring the need for ongoing engagement.
• Debate Performance: Sarah won most rounds, facing the toughest challenge on abortion and Florida governance topics.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Trump’s failed retribution:

  “This is just a cloud cuckoo land. I mean, this is embarrassing.” (Sarah Longwell, 04:09)

• On right-wing attorney incompetence:

  “I'm going to go out on a limb and say that that's not working out very well.” (Tim Miller, 05:34)

• On MTG’s exit:

  “Marjorie Taylor Greene, it turns out, did not have being a congressperson as the highest and most important thing in her entire life…” (JVL, 26:51)

• On Candace Owens:

  “Candace Owens is legitimately crazy...she has to be dealt with by the right the same way Tucker does, because they have power centers.” (Tim Miller, 40:55)

• On the Twitter bot expose:

  “Maga Super Fan 2017 is located in Bangladesh.” (Tim Miller, 42:44)

• On Trump’s health:

  “I'm crying wolf right now. I think we're seeing real deterioration.” (Sarah Longwell, 51:09)

• On USAID destruction:

  “A human tragedy on par with like 50 natural disasters.” (JVL, 57:17)

Memorable Segments & Timestamps

• Trump’s Incompetent Retribution Campaign: 00:30–14:00
• Trump’s Legal Staffing and “Goldilocks” Problem: 12:34–14:17
• Marjorie Taylor Greene & GOP Chaos: 16:16–35:22
• The Zoran Mamdani/Elise Stefanik White House Drama: 16:16–23:58
• Candace Owens & Right-Wing Extremist Media: 37:31–47:17
• Trump’s Decline / Succession Problem: 47:18–55:55
• Destruction of USAID/Doge Program: 56:49–61:19
• Political Identity Crisis: 61:19–67:27
• Sarah vs. Gen-Z Conservatives on Jubilee: 67:46–73:53

The episode closes with the hosts reflecting humorously on Thanksgiving favorites (“stuffing” wins), offering a rare moment of warmth after an hour of dissecting the chaos and absurdity of the American political week.