For just under two hours, Trump in his State of the Union address lied about the state of the economy, the cost of living, his tariffs, and even his immigration policy—claiming that he favors legal immigration while his armed, masked goons grab and imprison people who followed the law. And if Americans didn’t hear Trump discuss any real policy proposals in speech, it might be because he’s a bit distracted with his quest to capture more media outlets, including his longtime nemesis, CNN. Trump’s attempt to silence dissent has become the signature of his presidency. Plus, the paradoxes and conflicting signals on Iran, the sellout of bipartisan support for Ukraine, Vance finally has a job as VP, and POTUS only allows robotically remixed, Fox fever dream women in his Cabinet.

Susan Glasser joins Tim Miller.

show notes

• Susan's column on the SOTU
• Susan on Trump's attacks on free speech
• Josh Barro's new pod, "Central Air"
• Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE shows in Dallas on March 18 and in Austin on March 19. TheBulwark.com/Events.

Apart from all the lies MAGA is forced to say in defense of Donald Trump, the movement is actually better at political organizing than Democrats. So while the Dems can pull off the massive No Kings rallies, the protests are just one day and the energy can fizzle away. But MAGA is really focused on turning out the vote so they can win. And they got the idea from the big tent campaign tactics that Obama deployed in 2008 and 2012. Plus, some advice on how Dem candidates can turn their communications into a superpower—like stop proposing solutions when voters are mad and just want to vent.

The New Yorker’s Charles Duhigg joins Tim Miller.

show notes

• Charles's piece, "What MAGA Can Teach Democrats About Organizing—and Infighting"
  
  
• Charles's book, "Supercommunicators: How to Unlock the Secret Language of Connection"
  
  
• Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE shows in Dallas on March 18 and in Austin on March 19. TheBulwark.com/Events.

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With a shooting at Mar-a-Lago and some real counterterrorism issues associated with Trump's threat of war on Iran, Kash Patel probably had more important matters to attend to than shotgunning beer with the U.S. hockey team. And the team itself might have remembered that Patel himself is standing in the way of investigating the murders of Alex Pretti and Renee Good. But too many people at the top don't give a crap, and others are taking their cue. And that includes the larger media, which has moved on from Minnesota, even though women are having to resort to giving birth at home out of fear that federal agents will snatch family members in the labor & delivery ward. Meanwhile Trump is aggressively promoting regime change in Iran, and Sam Altman sounds like he thinks Neo was the bad guy in "The Matrix." Plus, does Netanyahu's role in helping get Trump back into power—and perhaps pushing him to war— open up a political opportunity for Dems to put pressure on Israel?

JVL joins Tim Miller.

show notes

• Tim plays the guest on Bill's "Bulwark on Sunday"
  
  
• Sonny and Tim assess the aesthetics of Trump's performance at his press conference
  
  
• JVL's "Triad" about what he saw in Minnesota
  
  
• The Wright Thompson Bulwark pod interview that Tim referenced
  
  
• The Atlantic on the other aid programs being cut
  
  
• Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE shows in Dallas on March 18 and in Austin on March 19. TheBulwark.com/Events.

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