Trump's About to Start a War. Washington Is Asleep (w/ Mark Leibovich) | The Bulwark Podcast

Most Democratic politicians are scared to criticize each other. They also fear dinging former presidents, or the various groups that make up the party’s broad coalition. And too many Dem candidates are afraid to color outside the lines, even if voters want them to be less establishment and more like regular people. Can the party get it together before the midterms? Plus, Trump’s threat of war against Iran, and his reported intent to kill Netflix’s bid to takeover Warner Discovery—potentially giving him power over CBS, CNN, Fox, and TikTok. Mark Leibovich joins Tim Miller. Go to MackWeldon.com and get 20% off your first order of $125 or more, with promo code THEBULWARK Show Notes: Mark's Atlantic piece, "The Democrats Aren’t Built for This": https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/2026/03/democratic-party-elections-future/685759/?gift=AO0MhSsTDaHgiP_RxFGfB783PsXiKGx10-Zh_JLVBsY&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share Jonathan Alter on Trump's attempt to scuttle a Netflix-Warner deal: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/02/17/trump-media-control-paramount-warner-merger/ Tickets are now on sale for our LIVE shows in Dallas on March 18 and in Austin on March 19. Plus, we have a handful of seats still available for tonight's show in Minneapolis: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bulwark-events Chapters: 00:04:15 Trump as a lame duck 00:06:40 Is Trump walking toward war? 00:08:30 Iran wasn’t on the ballot 00:10:50 Congress still exists, technically 00:13:30 How voters really see Democrats 00:18:55 Why Democrats keep missing the moment 00:20:45 Ad break: Mack Weldon 00:22:05 Candidate authenticity and “being real” 00:28:20 Foreign policy fractures and AOC 00:34:45 Media ecosystems and right-wing power 00:38:05 Why party committees don’t matter anymore Become a Bulwark Youtube Plus Member here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG4Hp1KbGw4e02N7FpPXDgQ/join