To find out what's really going on in Trumpistan, the AP is out and random lifestyle Instagrammers and MAGA conspiracy posters are in. Meanwhile, hothead Dan Bongino couldn't join the FBI until he fulfills his commitments to his podcast advertisers, Seb Gorka—the new counterterrorism chief—is a prank caller, and RFK Jr. resurfaced to ordain beef tallow fries a healthy food choice. Plus, did Elon go to Trump with tears in his eyes, and ask, "Sir, will you buy one of my cars?" The Bulwark's new Senior Reporter Will Sommer joins Tim Miller. show notes Ben Dreyfuss tribute to Kevin Drum Tim's 2024 interview with Julie K. Brown about Jeffrey Epstein Bloomberg story on Don Jr's plans to monetize MAGA (gifted) New International Version of Proverbs 1:33
Chapter 1: Who is Will Sommer and what is his background?
Hello and welcome to the Bulwark Podcast. I'm your host, Tim Miller. Today's guest is the newest senior reporter here at the Bulwark. He joined us from the Washington Post where he covered the media and conspiracy theories and other such matters. He's the author of Trust the Plan, The Rise of QAnon, and The Conspiracy that Unhinged America. And he's the former host of one of my favorite pods.
It was called Fever Dreams at the Daily Beast. it's Will Sommer. And right now, he's living that fever dream. And your fever dreams are our reality, I guess, is what I meant. Yes, we're all in the fever dream now, right? I want to start by, before we get to the news, by doing your backstory. I mean, I guess we all imagined that Trump could possibly win again, right?
It was not like we were totally blindsided by that possibility, particularly here at the Bulwark. But I mean, did you ever imagine when you were covering the fever swamps of QAnon, you know, back four or five years ago, doing this podcast that, like, these people would be literally running the country? No. It's true now, even in a way that it wasn't in 2018.
Yeah, I mean, it's difficult to imagine. I feel like sort of every step on the road, and I'm sure a lot of people feel like this, is that every step is like, wow, I never would have thought it would have come to this.
The idea that we're at the point where Dan Bongino getting appointed to the FBI or Kash Patel even to head the FBI, I think it's like, oh, Kash Patel, the recurring Steve Bannon guest? And it's like, oh, of course, now that that's such a common thing. I mean, it's a lot to grapple with, and I think it sort of alarmingly raises questions about what's going to happen in two or three years from now.
But at the same time, I think that's why there's such value in kind of keeping up with these characters.
And I say this to people, you know, who are not of this world, which include, you know, kind of my normie former Republican friends, as well as like liberals and progressives. I'm like, I know these people. And it gives me a different perspective on what we have to come. I guess I won't jaundice you by telling you what I think.
The fact that you have just entrenched yourselves in these fever swamps, does that make you more alarmed, more concerned, more feeling like it's going to just be a clown show? How does your perspective inform what you think is ahead here?
Yeah, I mean, well, you know, I grew up as like a young teen Republican in Texas. I mean, I was like obsessed with like Bill O'Reilly and Ayn Rand and all this stuff. And I, you know, I would stay up late listening to talk radio. And it really sticks out to me. I was like in eighth grade listening to Michael Savage.
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Chapter 2: How has the rise of MAGA affected media and politics?
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My daughter really loves the Lion King, so we used to joke about how sometimes the cat likes to roam the Pride Lands, sometimes it likes to come back. As the weather's gotten warmer, as we've moved into spring, what we found is that Aretha actually prefers the Pride Lands to the home.
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politics, culture, you name it. We're talking about it, and we're keeping it 100% real right here on the Michael Steele Podcast. I'm Michael Steele. I'm the host of the Michael Steele Podcast. Each week, I'm having conversations with political analysts, writers, and activists who aren't afraid to shake things up a little bit like yours truly.
It doesn't matter if you're on the left, the right, or somewhere in that strong middle. This is the space you want to be in because we cut through the noise and hit the heart of the issue. Oh, and we're definitely going to have some fun while we do it. So grab that drink, hit play, settle back, and let's get into it.
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