1096: Secret Podcast: Republicans Screamed About Socialism. Then Trump Did This.

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Next Level – Episode 1096

Title: Secret Podcast: Republicans Screamed About Socialism. Then Trump Did This.
Air Date: July 11, 2026
Hosts: Sarah Longwell & Jonathan V. Last (JVL)
Summary Prepared By: [Your Name]

Overview

In this episode, Sarah Longwell and JVL tackle the chaotic state of American politics under Donald Trump, focusing on the resurgence of war with Iran and the normalization of political and economic manipulation. The hosts dissect how Trump’s unique position and cult-like following enable him to rewrite the rules of governance and accountability for both markets and the Republican Party. The conversation alternates between biting political commentary and dark humor, while also touching on the dynamics of the Mitch McConnell health saga, media manipulation, and the persistent double standards within both parties.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Return of the Iran War and Public (Dis)Engagement

• Situation Recap (02:27–06:42):
  • The “war” with Iran is back on, seemingly without much public notice due to media and political distractions.
  • The hosts mock the on-again/off-again nature of American engagement:
    • JVL: “Iran was totally decimated and destroyed and had no weapons anymore. So how is the war back on?” (02:59)
    • Sarah: “I think it is possible. … As a communications nervous system matter, how are Americans supposed to know whether we’re at war or not?” (03:16)
  • Gas prices are the singular issue cutting through public apathy.
    • Sarah: “Only when there are personal consequences for people … [that’s] when the American people care.” (06:23)
• Insight:
  The lack of shared media and front-page consensus means wars (and other crises) only matter as far as they touch wallets, which undermines democratic accountability.

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2. Market Manipulation & Political Precedents

• Trump’s “War On, War Off” Playbook (06:42–08:58):
  • JVL theorizes every president might now be tempted to manipulate war status (and gas prices) to move markets and win political favor.
    • JVL: “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.” (07:14)
  • Sarah raises the “media ecosystem” disparity, suggesting only Republican presidents could get away with this due to GOP-friendly media willing to obscure and defend abuses.
    • Sarah: “Republican media ecosystem is built for offense and attack in a way that the Democratic environment is only built for a circular firing squad.” (08:11)
• Notable Moment:
  The hosts agree this sets a terrifying precedent — and see little structural resistance to further abuses.

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3. The “Trump is an Aberration” Debate

• Is This the New Normal? (08:58–12:53):
  • Sarah explains how institutions and markets treat Trump as a “one-time aberration” and a cash grab, diving into how major players see him as uniquely manipulable, transactional, and lacking institutional checks.
    • Sarah: “It’s like if a treasure gets dumped out and you’re trying to stuff it all in… 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.” (09:33)
  • JVL is skeptical, arguing that once the public and institutions accept this behavior, it can become normalized for successors.
    • JVL: “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?” (10:47)
  • Sarah argues Trump’s cult-like influence is hard to replicate.
    • Sarah: “Trump is able to wield a cult in a way that I think J.D. Vance or any other normal people are… not going to be scared of JD Vance.” (10:56)

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4. Cult Dynamics & GOP Complicity

• The Teflon Trump Effect (14:54–18:08):
  • The hosts analyze why Trump survives scandals that would doom any other politician.
    • Sarah: “He has been validated every single time… The culture never condemned him. He still had a hit television show.” (15:42)
    • Sarah: “What would have happened if Trump didn’t have decades worth of disgusting comments?... 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.” (17:25)
• Violence as Political Glue
  • JVL: “Donald Trump offered voters something they had never been offered before… physical violence against the people they hate. … 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…” (18:10)
• Insight:
  For the GOP to control Trump (or his imitators), they must confront voters’ appetite for both emotional and literal violence—a trait “baked in” to Trump’s political brand.

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5. Mitch McConnell, Political Decay, and Denial

• McConnell’s (Non-)Health and Power (22:15–26:49):
  • The hosts dissect rumors about Mitch McConnell’s alleged incapacitation, lambasting the refusal to step down or acknowledge decline.
    • JVL: “My theory is that he is. He is completely incapacitated.” (23:29)
    • Sarah: “He’s a very old man. He’s been getting sicker and sicker … it’s all the stuff that happens when somebody begins to accelerate their decline.” (23:54)
    • Sarah: “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, … that there is dignity…and the expected thing that you won’t gaslight the American people…” (26:16)
• Insight:
  The GOP’s refusal to acknowledge McConnell's decline is seen as part of a broader “hack gap”—an asymmetry in shamelessness and willingness to maintain appearances at all costs.

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6. Trump, NATO, and “The Greatest Communist”

• Trump’s Surreal Statements (27:16–28:03):
  • JVL highlights Trump’s bizarre statement at NATO—claiming he could have been “the greatest communist in history, right up there with Lenin.”
  • JVL: “He would have been the greatest communist in history, right up there with Lenin… At least he didn’t say the late, great Vladimir Lenin.” (27:20)
• Tone:
  The hosts’ tone turns from exasperation to darkly comic, underscoring the absurdity and fatigue that define this political moment.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Manipulating Gas Prices and War:
  • Sarah Longwell (06:23): “Only when there’s personal consequences for people…that’s when the American people care.”
• On Political Normalization:
  • JVL (07:14): “Why shouldn’t this just be standard operating procedure for every president going forward? … We are a banana republic now.”
• On Trump’s Unique Power:
  • Sarah Longwell (10:56): “Trump is able to wield a cult in a way that I think J.D. Vance or any other normal people are… not going to be scared of JD Vance.”
• On Teflon Don:
  • Sarah Longwell (15:42): “He has been validated every single time…the culture never condemned him.”
• On Political Violence:
  • JVL (18:10): “Donald Trump offered voters something they had never been offered before…physical violence against the people they hate.”
• On Institutional Decay:
  • Sarah Longwell (26:16): “We need to renormalize the idea that once you are of this age and you are unable to fulfill your duties…that there is dignity…and the expected thing that you won't gaslight the American people…”

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:27 – Resurgence of Iran War, media distraction
• 06:42 – Gas prices, market manipulation, Trump’s tactics
• 08:11 – Media ecosystems and partisan double standards
• 10:56 – Cult-like leadership and how only Trump wields it
• 14:54 – GOP hypocrisy, Trump’s long-term desensitization of public
• 18:10 – Political violence as a cult mechanism
• 22:15 – Mitch McConnell’s health and elite denial
• 27:16 – Trump’s NATO appearance, “the greatest communist” quip

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Conclusion

This episode captures the sense of vertigo many Americans feel: the rules have been upended, and what was once unimaginable—open war manipulation, market gaming, and unapologetic hypocrisy—has become mundane. The hosts blend sharp insight with sarcasm and dismay, reflecting not just on Trump’s power but on the complicity and structures that enable it. Their analysis underscores how Trump’s combination of celebrity, shamelessness, and violence changes the standards for what is tolerated in politics—raising grave questions about the future resilience of American institutions.

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Listen to the full episode for a candid, unfiltered, and bitingly funny diagnosis of today’s political haze.

Transcript

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[JVL]

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[JVL]

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

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

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.

[Sarah Longwell]

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.

[JVL]

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

[Sarah Longwell]

Okay.

[JVL]

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

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

Am I coming to Seattle or is it Tim?

[Sarah Longwell]

No, you.

[JVL]

Am I?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[JVL]

Did that happen?

[Sarah Longwell]

Yeah.

[JVL]

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.

[Sarah Longwell]

We do.

[JVL]

Okay.

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

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?

[Sarah Longwell]

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, 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.

[JVL]

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

[Sarah Longwell]

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.

[JVL]

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

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

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 July 4America 250 celebrations.

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

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.

[Sarah Longwell]

Right, yeah.

[JVL]

This is how his mind think. I'm sorry, is any other Primerican 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.

[Sarah Longwell]

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, 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, 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. 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.

[JVL]

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

[Sarah Longwell]

And capable of manipulation.

[JVL]

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?

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[JVL]

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 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.

[Sarah Longwell]

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.

[JVL]

Now you're talking my language.

[Sarah Longwell]

I know.

[JVL]

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? That's right. 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.

[Sarah Longwell]

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. We, 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.

[JVL]

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?

[Sarah Longwell]

Do you know why? I do think 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

[JVL]

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.

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[Sarah Longwell]

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 know, say like Republicans have never experienced any. We cast our bad candidates aside like this, living in an alternate 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 to, 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. 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. But what would have happened if Trump didn't have decades worth 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 Conway's 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.

[JVL]

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.

[Ryan Seacrest]

All right.

[JVL]

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, I'm saying I'm sure it's part of, of it, but I think, I think the violence is part of the special sauce here.

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

very possibly.

[Sarah Longwell]

But, but, but I don't know. But I don't know. Like, here's the thing. We can have this debate. It's a gross debate. You're right. We can have this conversation. It's a gross conversation because the thing is, is the, the percent. 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

[JVL]

not thinking about majorities. I'm just talking about, for the purposes of understanding the cult, 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. I don't believe this too. Maybe not the same, maybe different.

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

Yeah.

[Sarah Longwell]

A variety of reasons.

[JVL]

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 a part of 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.

[Sarah Longwell]

He might as well have said, I don't care, people. 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.

[JVL]

Yeah. John Thune, 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 Perdicone 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 touch a Horcrux. And so I don't know. Am I crazy? Is this a conspiracy theory?

[Sarah Longwell]

Well, I don't think. I don't think you've presented a theory other than. And this is.

[JVL]

I think he's incapacitated.

[Sarah Longwell]

Yeah.

[JVL]

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

[Sarah Longwell]

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.

[JVL]

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

[Sarah Longwell]

Right?

[JVL]

No, he is terminal decline.

[Sarah Longwell]

He's in terminal decline. He's a very old man. He's been getting sicker and sicker. He's been having falls. It's all the stuff that happens when 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. What is the reason that you can't just have Mitch McConnell say, I'm gonna step down, I'm too sick.

[JVL]

Is it because I just think it's ego?

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

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.

[Sarah Longwell]

But why would thune or any like, 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 gonna like, recover and potentially come back, not in a way that is capable of real governance like the Mitch McConnell of before is, it's over and he'll never

[JVL]

be on the floor of the Senate again.

[Sarah Longwell]

It not.

[JVL]

He will never be casting a vote. I think.

[Sarah Longwell]

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.

[JVL]

He was able to come in and cast a vote 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.

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

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.

[Sarah Longwell]

Yeah, I know. Because you're 1 16th doctor. I know. I get it. I just think.

[JVL]

I think 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.

[Sarah Longwell]

Yeah, sure.

[JVL]

That's all.

[Sarah Longwell]

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?

[JVL]

Give me the recording.

[Sarah Longwell]

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 is how, how significantly he's willing to debase himself.

[JVL]

It's the hacked gap. Like, this is the, it is the hat gap. Yeah. And okay, so we have to talk about Trump's NATO appearance, which is full of stuff that is amazing. My favorite was when the United States president said that he would have been 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 believe. But, Sarah, we're going to do that on the other side.

[Sarah Longwell]

Great.

[JVL]

So come buy your tickets to the 92nd. Why? So we can sell more tickets for our show than any other show. And, and come subscribe to to Bulwark plus come ride with us. It's fun.

[Domino's Pizza Advertiser]

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[JVL]

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.

[Sarah Longwell]

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

[JVL]

going to be also possible.

[Sarah Longwell]

Or

[JVL]

sure.

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