The Bulwark Daily
The Bulwark Daily

Bill Kristol: The Weak Bully Keeps Flailing

August 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The episode opens with a small but human victory: Tim Miller reports that listener advocacy—phone calls, tweets, and emails—helped secure a sonogram for Freddy and Ed Gariani, a Venezuelan family stuck in a detention camp. Their baby is healthy. But the family still cannot get a flight home this week, so they remain in the camp for at least another week. Miller also notes a significant uptick in downloads for his Julia Curly interview after listeners shared it, underscoring that audience engagement can have real impact.

Canada trade war escalates as Carney stands firm

Trade talks between the U.S. and Canada collapsed late Friday, meaning steep U.S. tariffs on Canadian goods will take effect, with Canada retaliating with 50% tariffs on dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp, paper, and electronics—terrifying Jim Beam in the process. Bill Kristol calls Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney's Saturday speech "really impressive," noting Carney didn't just discuss trade narrowly but declared that "you can't trust America" anymore. Kristol sees Carney as one of several "leaders of the free world" now opposing Trump, alongside Zelensky, Pope Leo XIV, and Hungary's Magyar.

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (04:03) **Bill Kristol Returns; ICE Detention Horror Stories** - Kristol praises the show's focus on ICE abuses and calls the detention stories "horrible."
  • 2 (05:15) **Canada Trade War Erupts; Carney Stands Firm** - Mark Carney gives an impressive speech after trade talks collapse, vowing retaliatory tariffs.
  • 3 (11:14) **Sean Duffy's Insulting Canada Takedown** - Kristol eviscerates Duffy's claim that Canada has no military and a failing healthcare system.
  • 4 (16:18) **Beef Tariff Chaos and MAGA Rancher Backlash** - Trump's plan to temporarily increase beef imports sparks fury from cattle ranchers, including MAGA supporters.
  • 5 (21:08) **Midterm Wave Talk: 2006 Vibes and Farm Country Shifts** - Miller and Kristol discuss the potential for a Democratic wave, comparing it to the 2006 cycle.
  • 6 (29:07) **Hakeem Jeffries' Secret Meeting with Jared Kushner** - The New York Times reports a private one-on-one meeting between the two, brokered by a mutual friend.
  • 7 (33:16) **Bob Kagan's Grim Iran Analysis** - Kristol highlights Kagan's take that Iran has reconfigured the Middle East's power structure and is now the dominant force.

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Guests on this episode

Bill Kristol Tim Miller

Show Notes

Canada flat-out rejected Trump’s terms in trade talks, so now it looks like we are going to have a trade war with our friends in the Great White North. Sorry, Maine. Sorry, bourbon industry. And in MAGA farm country, ranchers are furious that POTUS is increasing beef imports free of tariffs. Even Tom Cotton has dared to question Trump’s move. And on the other side of the aisle, Democrats should maximize their attacks on ICE, the midterms are looking wave-ish, and Hakeem should explain why he would have a conversation with Kushner that did not involve a subpoena. Plus: the Iran war has been a strategic loss for the U.S., Trump’s summer 250 celebrations were a bust, Lindsey’s sister is an empty vessel, and hater Enes Kanter’s campaign against the WNBA is gross and disgusting.

Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller.
show notes:

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