Bill Kristol: Words Are Not Violence

Bill Kristol: Words Are Not Violence

From The Bulwark Podcast by The Bulwark

April 27, 2026 · 48 min

About this episode

Bill Kristol discusses the implications of Trump's presidency, the recent shooting incident, and the current political landscape with Tim Miller.

Trump is a terrible president and he deserves to be criticized, even in personal terms. Our pro-democracy movement has shown time and time again that we can oppose him— and oppose any attempt at violence at the same time. Even putting aside POTUS's own hypocritical calls for violence or his celebrating the deaths of his enemies, Saturday's shooting was related to mental health issues and too easy of access to guns. Plus, Zelensky is the new leader of the free world, Trump looks like he's headed to a humiliating defeat in Iran, the left should work harder to not be false flag cranks, and a look at the Senate map in the context of America Firsters feeling betrayed by Trump's stupid wars and his attempt to redesign D.C. in his image. Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller. show notes: Monday's "Morning Shots" Ken Klippenstein's reporting on the shooting suspect, which Tim referenced David French on Zelensky (gift) Tickets for our Bulwark Live shows in San Diego on 5/20 and in LA on 5/21: TheBulwark.com/Events For a limited time, get 60% off your first order, plus free shipping, when you head to Smalls.com/THEBULWARK .

People in this episode

Host: Tim Miller

Guest: Bill Kristol

Topics covered

  • Trump criticism
  • pro-democracy movement
  • gun control
  • mental health
  • Senate map
  • America Firsters
  • Zelensky leadership

Keywords

  • Trump
  • violence
  • Zelensky
  • gun access
  • mental health
  • Senate map
  • America Firsters

Sponsors

Smalls

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The Bulwark

Places: Iran

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