Bulwark Takes

Catherine Rampell and Joe Perticone discuss the growing signs that Republicans see Trump as a midterm liability, from candidates scrubbing his photos and endorsements from their websites to vulnerable members finding excuses to skip his big convention. They also look at the collapse of the MAGA merch business, Trump’s post about renaming New Mexico, and Kash Patel’s embarrassing AI-generated FBI propaganda.
Joe Perticone, The Bulwark — “Sorry, Mr. President. I Have a Thing.”
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/sorry-mr-president-i-have-a-thing-republican-midterm-convention-trumpapalooza-dallas-gop
New York Times — "As Midterms Approach, Republicans Find There Is No Escape From Trump" https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/us/politics/trump-miderm-elections-republicans.html
Axios — “‘We’re stuck’: GOP accepts Trump’s all-about-me midterms”
https://www.axios.com/2026/09/05/republicans-stuck-trump-midterms
The Wall Street Journal — “In Trump’s Second Term, the MAGA Merchandise Boom Is Going Bust”
https://www.wsj.com/politics/in-trumps-second-term-the-maga-merchandise-boom-is-going-bust-725bc43a
CBS News — “At the FBI, a history of hiring prostitutes or stealing from employer may no longer be a barrier to being hired”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fbi-candidates-prostitutes-theft/

Tim Miller sits down with New York Magazine’s Ben Terris to discuss his extraordinary reporting on Donald Trump’s obsession with the new White House ballroom. Ben spent 90 minutes with Trump, toured the ballroom construction site, and got a firsthand look at the massive project, which is already employing hundreds of workers.
Trump claims the ballroom is being built with “nuclear concrete” strong enough to withstand a nuclear blast. He also opened up to Ben about why he’s so determined to build it, agreeing that nobody else would build monuments to him after he’s gone.
Read more from Ben: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-white-house-ballroom-helipad-reflecting-pool-supreme-court.html

Bill Kristol and Sarah Longwell discuss Longwell’s new book, How to Eat an Elephant: One Voter at a Time, tracing the origins of The Bulwark and their efforts to oppose Trump while drawing lessons from years of voter focus groups. They consider how the media environment has changed, what Democrats can learn from Republican political infrastructure, how a broad pro-democracy coalition can manage internal disagreements, and what a successful strategy against Trumpism could look like.
Buy Sarah's book: https://www.amazon.com/How-Eat-Elephant-Voter-Time/dp/B0GR8JRW71

Tim Miller and Sam Stein take on Fox firing Maria Bartiromo after she reportedly shared internal network information with the Trump White House, and revisit some of her most infamous conspiracy-theory moments. Then, they discuss the wild IG report on former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer, featuring strip clubs, an alleged affair, drinking on the job, staffers organizing her closet, and a suspiciously convenient trip to Vegas. Plus, Trumpworld unveils a bizarre Apprentice-style competition featuring Nicki Minaj and Dean Cain.

Mark Hertling and Ben Parker react live to Trump dismissing the mounting costs of the Iran war as “small potatoes.”