Bulwark Takes

Will Sommer and Sam Stein went live for a special Thursday edition of MAGA Mondays. They give their takes on the fallout from Trump’s marathon RNC midterm convention speech, including his bizarre promise to give every American adult a $5,000 “dividend” if Republicans win the midterms. The proposed payout could cost more than $1 trillion, and even some MAGA figures are questioning where the money would come from.
They also react to Vivek Ramaswamy’s painfully awkward attempt to look like a baseball player in a campaign video, Nick Shirley’s struggle with spelling, Milo Yiannopoulos hinting at a conversion to Islam, Laura Loomer’s latest convention grievances, and the strange saga surrounding Elijah Schaffer and Kash Patel's girlfriend.
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This is a long one, folks! If you're not strong enough to endure Trump's speech, skip to 2:07:00 for post-ordeal commentary.
Join Sam Stein, Catherine Rampell, Will Sommer and Sonny Bunch for live coverage of Donald Trump's keynote address to the RNC's midterm convention.
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Sam Stein and Michael Weiss take on Steve Witkoff’s groveling meeting with Vladimir Putin, the growing power struggle inside Trump’s administration over Russia, and why CIA Director John Ratcliffe is emerging as a counterweight to Witkoff’s approach. Plus, Weiss explains why the reality on the battlefield may be considerably worse for Putin than the conventional wisdom suggests.
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Related Links:
Financial Times — US spy chief prepares for greater role in Russia-Ukraine talks
https://www.ft.com/content/d0557d25-78b5-45d8-bb33-d655e859d803
The Wall Street Journal — How Putin Got His Preferred U.S. Envoy: Come Alone, No CIA
https://www.wsj.com/world/putin-witkoff-russia-envoy-04da229d

Ben Parker and Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) look back at 9/11, Trump’s bizarre remarks at a commemoration, and the lessons Hertling wishes America had learned over the last 25 years. Then they turn to the escalating Iran war, attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure, Pete Hegseth’s sidelining of Gen. Christopher Donahue, and the Pentagon’s effort to identify and remove transgender service members through their medical records.
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Links:
Mark Hertling: “A Letter to Myself on 9/11”
https://www.thebulwark.com/p/a-letter-to-myself-on-911-september-11-world-trade-center-pentagon-al-qaeda-afghanistan-iraq-anniversary-war-terror
The New York Times: “Inside the Battle to Save One Pioneering General From Hegseth’s Purge”
 https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/06/us/politics/hegseth-army-general-donahue.html
Federal News Network: “Pentagon searching medical records to identify transgender troops”
 https://federalnewsnetwork.com/defense-main/2026/09/pentagon-searching-medical-records-to-identify-transgender-troops/
Military.com: “Pentagon Moves Out on Transgender Ban After Supreme Court Ruling”
 https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/05/09/about-1000-troops-slated-immediate-separation-under-reinstated-transgender-ban.html

Sam Stein and Will Sommer preview Trump’s strangely low-energy midterm convention, where Republicans are skipping town, lawmakers are being asked to cough up $25,000, and even the convention website has become an embarrassment. Plus, they discuss the increasingly bizarre campaign attacks coming from Elon Musk’s PAC and Ken Paxton—and what they say about the GOP’s plan for 2026.
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The Bulwark will be watching the convention so you don’t have to—including live coverage when Vance and Trump take the stage. Join us as a member to support more of the reporting, analysis, and ridicule that goes into making sense of this stuff.