The Bulwark Daily
The Bulwark Daily

Bill Kristol: They're F*cking Thieves

September 28, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Bill Kristol and Tim Miller open this episode of The Bulwark Daily with a single, blunt observation: the Trump administration is now running campaign ads paid for by U.S. taxpayers. A 30-second spot aired during NFL games over the weekend, featuring Trump’s voiceover promising to “demolish the deep state” and “expel the warmongers,” carried the disclaimer “paid for by the U.S. government.” Kristol, a former White House official, notes that this is a fundamental breach of norms that would have caused a Republican like Ted Cruz to “spontaneously combust” had Barack Obama done it. But the deeper political point, he argues, is that the ad is a relic of 2024 promises that have gone unfulfilled. “It kind of reveals how much he’s failed his promises,” Kristol says. The administration isn’t just breaking rules; it’s rubbing the public’s face in the fact that it can.

The Mechanism: Corruption as a Display of Power

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What you'll learn

  • 1 (00:59) **Opening: The Outrage of Government-Funded Trump Propaganda** - Tim Miller and Bill Kristol react to a Trump campaign-style ad, paid for by U.S. taxpayers and aired during NFL games, featuring Trump vowing to “demolish the deep state.”
  • 2 (06:02) **The Scale of Lawlessness: Budget Rescissions as a Power Grab** - The conversation shifts to the Trump administration’s use of “rescissions” to unilaterally cut $810 million in congressionally appropriated funds, bypassing the constitutional power of the purse.
  • 3 (09:32) **The Emerging Democratic Wave: Why JVL’s 56-Seat Senate Prediction Isn’t Crazy** - Kristol and Miller discuss the possibility of a massive Democratic wave, driven by collapsing Republican approval and economic discontent, that could flip even deep-red Senate seats.
  • 4 (15:09) **House Map Math: How Gerrymandering Could Backfire on the GOP** - The duo analyzes how Republican gerrymandering has created a “huge swath” of districts in the Trump +9 to +16 range, which are now vulnerable given the Democratic generic ballot lead of +8.
  • 5 (18:50) **The Craziest Senate Race: Jim Rish (ID) in Play?** - Kristol identifies the Idaho Senate race as a “totally crazy” but potentially competitive contest, where 83-year-old incumbent Jim Rish is being challenged by independent veteran Todd Achilles.
  • 6 (23:05) **Colorado’s Fifth District: A Bellwether for the Wave** - Miller turns to his home state of Colorado, focusing on the Fifth District in Colorado Springs, where veteran Jessica Killen is challenging longtime incumbent Jeff Crank.
  • 7 (27:21) **The China Summit: Humiliation and Sucking Up** - The conversation pivots to Trump’s recent summit with China, which Kristol describes as a display of “unbelievable sucking up and cowtowing.”

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Guests on this episode

Bill Kristol Tim Miller

Show Notes

The Trump administration stole our tax dollars to run a campaign ad during NFL games on Sunday. They're also breaking the law on congressional funding appropriations—and enjoying rubbing the public's face in all the illegality they're getting away with. In Dayton, The Bulwark had its largest live show ever, and the community came through in a huge way with donations for Haitian immigrants in Springfield. For a taste of the event, we're sharing Tim's interview with Democratic strategist Patrick Gaspard. Plus: Tim and Bill launch a new segment on longshot picks to back in the midterms, Trump is being unbelievably irresponsible on AI, the media is still not talking about the Iranian green card-holding family being held at the Dilley detention center, and Americans need a reminder of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. 

Bill Kristol and Patrick Gaspard join Tim Miller.

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