David Frum: Leveraging Violence as a Tool of Power

Trump and the people around him want to use the Kirk assassination to suppress their political opposition. And Trump is clearly laying the groundwork for cracking down on people he doesn't like—peaceful protesters, Dem fundraisers—while also offering rhetorical comfort to potential vigilantes on the right. Meanwhile, we are witnessing the danger of having an incompetent person atop the FBI, who alternates his time between posting for clicks and purging the bureau of highly qualified personnel for political cred. Plus, Vance is running for the 2028 nomination every day, the raid on the Georgia Hyundai plant shows the incoherence and stupidity of Trump's economic vision, and as Putin tests the resilience of NATO, the White House is playing politics in Poland.

David Frum joins Tim Miller for the weekend pod.

show notes

• Frum's "Trump Is No Nationalist" piece
• Bill's tribute to Georgia police officer David Rose
• Bob Kagan's "The Beginning of the End of Nato" Tim referenced
• The poem, "For Whom the Bell Tolls"
• Tim's playlist
• Frum's podcast
• Bulwark Live in DC and NYC at TheBulwark.com/events. Tix on sale next week for extra Toronto show!