Sam Stein and Mary Peltola: Cozying Up to Commies and Corporate Elites

September 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Bulwark Daily: Sam Stein and Mary Peltola — Cozying Up to Commies and Corporate Elites

The episode opens with host Tim Miller and managing editor Sam Stein dissecting a single, damning image: Donald Trump wincing as a military jet flies overhead while Chinese President Xi Jinping stands motionless beside him, unimpressed. The moment crystallizes what they see as the central problem of Trump's foreign policy — a president who bullies allies but grovels before adversaries.

The China spectacle and its meaning

Miller walks through the video frame by frame. Trump salutes during the national anthem; Xi slouches, hands clasped, refusing even to place his hand over his heart. When the plane roars overhead, Trump flinches — "full facial wince, teeth, nose scrunches" — while Xi doesn't move. The White House later released an AI-edited version of the photo removing Trump's wince and one of his gloves. "They did an AI at this exact moment of Trump getting plane mogged," Miller says. "That's what the White House decided to put out."

Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.

Read Full Summary →

Free • No credit card required

Listen to Audio Summary Open in App

Never miss an episode of The Bulwark Daily

Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.

No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.

What you'll learn

1 (01:13) **Introduction and the Trump-Xi Airport Spectacle** - Tim Miller and Sam Stein open by analyzing the optics of Trump greeting Xi Jinping at Andrews Air Force Base.
2 (08:02) **The Rubio and GOP Hawk Hypocrisy** - The conversation pivots to how former China hawks like Marco Rubio have gone silent under Trump.
3 (13:57) **The “Love Me” Taxpayer-Funded Ad and Trump’s Desperation** - The hosts discuss a government-funded Fox ad featuring a song titled “Love Me” and praising Trump.
4 (22:21) **Hopium Check: Susan Collins and the Maine Poll** - Miller and Stein examine a New York Times poll showing Susan Collins leading in Maine despite Trump’s -34 approval there.
5 (29:19) **RFK Jr.’s Ambitions and the NIH Grant Threat** - The hosts speculate on RFK Jr.’s book deal and potential 2028 run, then dive into a near-catastrophic NIH policy.
6 (33:04) **Tommy Tuberville’s Furry Conspiracy** - A lighter segment on Senator Tuberville’s floor speech about furries in the airline industry.
7 (35:38) **Transition to Mary Peltola and the NYT Story** - Tim Miller sets up the interview with Alaska Senate candidate Mary Peltola, but first addresses a damaging NYT article about her.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Guests on this episode

Tim Miller Sam Stein

Show Notes

First, Sam Stein sits down with Tim to discuss the latest humiliation of our troops: Trump’s red carpet welcome for President Xi. Plus: the White House’s insane propaganda machine, a new Maine poll throws some cold water on the midterms hopium, Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s obsession with furries, and is RFK Jr. running for president? Then, Tim pulls back the curtain on his interview with Mary Peltola, which wrapped just hours before a new critical New York Times piece dropped. In their conversation, Peltola explained how nearly every issue Alaskans care about can be summed up by “fish, family, and freedom.” And that viral debate moment with Dan Sullivan revealed something deeper: He is not doing enough to protect Alaskans from corporate greed in Washington.

Sam Stein and Mary Peltola join Tim Miller.
show notes: