Let’s Play a Little Game, David (w/ David French) | The Bulwark Podcast

Trump casually posted a racist video and the White House essentially told Americans to calm down. Convicted felons are being treated better than rounded-up immigrants in detention centers. And the evangelicals' favorite president doesn't seem to understand the meaning of the word, prayer. Still, Republicans on The Hill are seeing the broad unpopularity of ICE's behavior in Minnesota and may be starting to distance themselves from the policies they funded. Plus, a simple measure beyond masks that could really rein in ICE, the extensive structural damage at the DOJ, trads keep rationalizing cruelty, and why is SCOTUS taking so long on the tariffs case? Also, Tim puts David in the squirm chair with a Kid Rock v. Bad Bunny lyrics quiz. David French joins Tim Miller for the Super Bowl weekend pod. New customers can make the switch today and for a limited time, get unlimited premium wireless for just $15 per month. Switch now at MINTMOBILE.com/BULWARK Show Notes: David on ending immunity for federal agents: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/opinion/trump-nationalize-elections-midterms.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KFA.VYeA.Q1M_Q1oW4N0l&smid=url-share Chris Geidner on government lawyer Julie Le: https://www.lawdork.com/p/the-minnesota-julie-le-show-cause-transcript David's tweet about "tradlife": https://x.com/DavidAFrench/status/2019564312386277603?s=20 Tim, Sam, and Will Sommer on Elijah Schaefer: https://youtu.be/LJ_OQQUCEj4 JVL on the Beatitudes in "The Triad": https://open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark/p/minneapolis-is-a-christian-struggle-immigration-dhs-beatitudes?utm_campaign=post-expanded-share&utm_medium=web David's recent piece on liberalism: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/25/opinion/college-thinking-illiberalism.html?unlocked_article_code=1.KFA.c5W4.ro1nAOF5S3Mh&smid=url-share The NYT on Katie Britt: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/05/us/politics/katie-britt-trump-immigration.html Tim's playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0dApY6YT48kTh6j9xFDQch Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:50 Trump at the prayer breakfast 00:06:23 Truth Social video: conspiracy + racist imagery 00:11:22 Trump vs. MAGA loyalty (and a Texas warning sign) 00:15:04 Should Obama step back into politics? 00:19:55 Ad break: Mint Mobile 00:23:18 Katie Britt, backchannels, and detentions 00:39:31 DHS subpoena over an email + holding feds accountable 00:45:45 SCOTUS immunity and tariffs 01:04:16 Trad culture, Super Bowl game, and wrap-up Become a Bulwark Youtube Plus Member here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4Hp1KbGw4e02N7FpPXDgQ/join