Posted it themselves
“Narrator: No, in two years the Strait of Hormuz will not be a worthless piece of water.”
on mocking a past prediction that the Strait of Hormuz would become worthless
On the record · Updated October 1, 2026
Bill Kristol quotes
178 things Bill Kristol said, verbatim, from July 24, 2026 to October 1, 2026, each linked to where it ran. Grouped by the story each one belongs to.
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178statements
Oct 1latest entry
More on the record
Bill Kristol on The Middle East4
Posted it themselves
“Terrible. "By the time the U.S. began attacking Iran, Central Command, which said it needed a minimum of nine of its 16 [civilian protection] staffers to function, was left with one person...A U.S. airstrike hit a school, killing more than 100 children."”
Posted it themselves
“Afghan vet Michael Wood and I discuss lessons of the Iran war, why it may be too easy just to blame the (admittedly awful) civilian leadership for the failures, how worried we should be about the politicization of the military, and the dangerous world.”
Posted it themselves
“Feb. 27, 2026: Hundreds of American service members: Alive and well. Tens of billions of dollars: Not yet lit on fire. Gas prices: $3.00/gallon . Strait of Hormuz: Free navigation of an international waterway. Iran: No immediate threat. Saudi Arabia: No uranium enrichment.”
Bill Kristol on Ukraine & Russia1
Posted it themselves
““Trump’s party is willing to spend $17 billion to fund a white elephant wunderwaffen that everyone knows is a boondoggle just to humor him and avoid his wrath, even as the country is losing a war.””
Bill Kristol on China & the Pacific4
Posted it themselves
“Xi [thought bubble]: “This guy has got to be up to something. He can’t be this much of a child…””
Posted it themselves
““The president of the United States of America looked weak and insecure. The paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China looked strong and confident. But Trump was apparently happy with how it all went.””
on Trump's demeanor toward China's leader during their meeting
Posted it themselves
““Xi Jinping mov[ed] Chinese politics towards the Leninist left: more power for the Party. He also took a decision to move Chinese economic policy towards the Marxist left. China’s approach to national security policy mov[ed] towards the nationalist right.””
on Xi Jinping's shift toward party control and nationalist security policy
Posted it themselves
“China to Trump: You’re lying and we’re doing what we want.”
Bill Kristol on Foreign policy & the world11
Posted it themselves
““So Trump is consistent. He won’t offend Putin. He will suck up to Xi. Our petty presidential bully is cowed by the big-boy bullies of the real world.””
on Trump's deference toward Putin and Xi
Posted it themselves
“A sobering, interesting, and thought-provoking discussion with Bob Kagan on the world crisis. The war in the Middle East isn’t over, Putin’s aggression isn’t over, Xi’s ambitions aren’t over, and Trump’s combination of bullying and weakness isn’t over.”
Posted it themselves
““The world is moving to a post-American order because of affirmative choices made by Donald Trump and the Republican Party. None of this was caused by external events or dialectical forces.””
on Trump and Republicans driving a shift away from American global leadership
Posted it themselves
“Under Trump, we’re neither liked, nor respected, nor feared.”
Posted it themselves
““The American president is no longer leader of the free world. But the free world still exists and it has leaders who have answered the call to protect liberalism. This would be cause for hope—if only they weren’t protecting it from us.””
on other world leaders stepping up to defend liberal democracy as the US retreats
Posted it themselves
“"Duffy’s comments yesterday are a useful reminder of the bottomless vulgarity and mendacity of Trumpism. Carney, on the other hand, has spoken truth to power. He has reminded us how free men and women should stand up to autocratic domination."”
Posted it themselves
“"Sean Duffy hurried over to the Fox booth at the IndyCar race in D.C. He was asked about Trump’s feud with Canada—and as we’ve come to expect from a Trump administration official, he entered the fracas in a particularly stupid and offensive way."”
Posted it themselves
“Trump loves the most communist dictator of them all.”
Posted it themselves
“These sailors are being put through this for a war that is unauthorized by Congress and for which funds haven’t been appropriated by Congress, a war that is now utterly pointless and which Trump simply doesn’t have the courage to end. Disgraceful.”
Posted it themselves
“In case you doubted we’re losing the Iran war, take a look at the amount of internal administration finger-pointing and buck-passing on display here.”
Posted it themselves
“Trump's expert at this: He signs a bad deal due to panic or greed (the Iran MOU, the Saudi nuclear deal). Then people point out he's been taken to the cleaners. Then he tries to redefine the deal unilaterally, and ends up flailing about. Pathetic.”
on Trump signing and renegotiating foreign deals unilaterally
Bill Kristol on National security & surveillance17
Posted it themselves
“NEW. Phillips O'Brien explains the problem isn't merely Trump and Hegseth. "The military didn’t prepare for this war. So the military bears [some] responsibility for failures...And I don’t know now whether they are capable of speaking truth to power."”
Posted it themselves
“Political operative takes over responsibility for informing the public at the agency responsible for coordinating the findings of the nation’s intelligence community. What could go wrong ?”
Posted it themselves
“I’m against Iran having a nuclear weapon. But they’re far from that goal. It’s probably more worrisome that Trump has access to nuclear weapons now than that Iran wants to get them in the future.”
on Iran's distant nuclear ambitions versus Trump's current control of US nuclear weapons
Posted it themselves
“New Secret Podcast: I pinch-hit for Sarah, and after I recover from JVL flashing a "Woke Bill Kristol" T-shirt, we discuss a possible of a Trump third term run, Pete Hegseth’s increasing damage to our military, the war in Iran, and other cheerful topics.”
Posted it themselves
“JVL and I discuss Trump and Vance, escalating chaos in the Middle East, and how Trump is both crippling and corrupting the U.S. military. And then we have a philosophical conversation about terrorism and the liberal order.”
Posted it themselves
“I thought Hegseth assured us his Department of War had obliterated the Houthis a year ago, after expending billions of dollars worth of weapons we’re now running short of?”
on Hegseth's past claims of defeating the Houthis versus depleted weapons stockpiles
Posted it themselves
“A must read piece. Leave aside the stupidity and injustice of Hegseth's treatment on Gen. Donahue. This report gives a real sense of the incalculable damage Hegseth is doing ito the U.S. military.”
Posted it themselves
“I didn’t believe the stories about Feinberg on the chopping block…until they raced Hegseth’s COS and deputy to deny them. Now I believe. Also I gather there’s a huge backlash among uniformed military to Hegseth insisting on lie detector tests of joint staff. Meltdown at DOD.”
Posted it themselves
“"Extensive damage to one of our most significant forward bases is likely to have profound tactical and strategic repercussions. The idea that this hub was significantly degraded in the space of a few days by a regional player is unimaginable."”
on serious damage to a forward US military base caused by a regional power
Posted it themselves
““A former military officer now working for a navy contracting company, who has been briefed on the shortfalls, said: ‘They’re fucked. They shot all their weapons; they trashed all their ships; they ran out of their money.’””
on a Navy contractor saying the Navy exhausted weapons, ships and funds
Posted it themselves
“A serious Chief of Naval Operations would tell Trump “No” when asked to even pretend to take this proposal seriously. We had a serious CNO. She was fired by Hegseth. And was replaced by a yes man who connived to suck up to Hegseth to get the job.”
Posted it themselves
“Trump and Hegseth: “They have sounded forth the trumpet that shall everywhere call retreat.””
Posted it themselves
“Trump administration pulls last aircraft carrier from Asia. What could go wrong?”
Posted it themselves
“On National Guard deployments in D.C., the purge of transgender service members, and the military’s moral and professional decline…and on why rebuilding these institutions is far harder than destroying them.”
Posted it themselves
“Trump’s military: Wasting billions on catering to Trump’s foolish whims about weapons. But can’t go to a little extra trouble to take care of our service members.”
Posted it themselves
““Two billion is a staggering sum to make the exceptional feel routine. The money is the smaller half of the bill. The larger half is the line moved further every month, until soldiers standing watch over an American city stop looking as shocking as it is.” https:// open.substack.com/pub/votevetera ns/p/the-price-of-soldiers-on-american?selection=667ac115-3f68-4ba7-a660-097c4f6e65d0&r=1emko&utm_medium=ios …”
on the cost and normalization of deploying soldiers in an American city
Posted it themselves
“John Heilemann (kindly pinch-hitting for Tim Miller, who’s on a brief but well-deserved break) and I discuss the evidence that Trump and Hegseth have done real damage to the military as an institution. Meanwhile, how pathetic was Trump at the WHCA dinner?”
Bill Kristol on Economy, jobs & inflation2
Posted it themselves
“Welcome to Labor Day weekend. Gas prices are at an historic high.”
on gas prices reaching a record high over Labor Day weekend
Posted it themselves
“I am against government price controls. But “centrist” Democrats should stop kidding themselves that all lefty or socialist-adjacent policy ideas—including pretty bad ones—are a kiss of electoral death. Even a majority of *Republicans* approve of government price controls!”
Bill Kristol on Government spending & shutdowns5
Posted it themselves
“You know who has no impact? Susan Collins, who as chair of Appropriations has rubber stamped money for ICE, Hegseth’s DOD, the postal service, and the rest of Trump’s wannabe authoritarians.”
Posted it themselves
“Dear Democrats, I am a hawk. Do not fund these boondoggles, Sincerely, A pro-defense citizen”
on urging Democrats to reject funding for wasteful defense spending
Posted it themselves
“Tim and I are in sync: The left and center-left are acting like the other is the enemy—and not Trump. C’mon, Dems! Keep your eye on the ball: Trump & the corruption, lying, & danger of his administration. And why is Schumer cutting a deal w/ Republicans?”
Posted it themselves
““Funding for the government doesn’t run out for two more months. Why allow Republican senators to go home for recess taking credit for a bipartisan budget deal? Democratic senators should kill the deal on the continuing resolution.””
Posted it themselves
“"Democratic senators should kill the deal on the CR. Then they need to use the Blanche confirmation to highlight that a GOP Senate will be a rubber stamp for Trump. Blanche may get confirmed. But Dems can turn that sour lemon into sweet, tart lemonade."”
on Democrats killing the CR deal and using the Blanche confirmation as leverage
Bill Kristol on Labor & unions1
Posted it themselves
“Sunday morning of Labor Day weekend: Still nothing on the White House website about Labor Day. One might think Trump and his administration could care less about working men and women.”
Bill Kristol on Immigration & the border19
Posted it themselves
“"Talarico is running in a state Trump carried by 14 points in 2024. Yet he’s actually leaned into the moral issues around immigration more aggressively than most other Democrats. He makes an expansive moral case that immigration is good for our country."”
Posted it themselves
“We must “recognize the evil that is being carried out in our name and fight it…We must recognize in abandoning the words of Deuteronomy and the Statue of Liberty, we are losing our soul as a nation.” — Cardinal Robert McElroy, archbishop of Washington”
on Cardinal Robert McElroy calling administration immigration policy a moral betrayal
Posted it themselves
“"THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S policy of “third-country removals” is bad enough. But a detail adds a sinister, if symbolic, touch: Such deportations are being overseen by a new division within the State Department known as the Office of Remigration."”
Posted it themselves
“A disgrace this is happening. A stain on our nation. If Democrats take over Congress, they should move immediately to defund ICE, including clawing back funds already appropriated.”
Posted it themselves
“Jay Nordlinger: “I have noticed a progression: I’m not against immigrants. Just illegal ones. I insist on assimilation. Being legal isn’t good enough. Just kidding: I’m against immigration.” And finally: I’m against immigrants. And their kids.”
on rhetoric escalating from opposing illegal immigration to opposing immigrants generally
Posted it themselves
“I'm pleased to be joining Tim, JVL, Sam, et al in Dayton, Ohio, on Friday evening Sep. 25, for a live show. Proceeds will go support the Haitian community of nearby Springfield. Come to Dayton! Stand up for those being cruelly persecuted! Abolish ICE!”
on supporting Springfield's Haitian community amid ICE enforcement backlash
Posted it themselves
“On this week’s episode of It’s Happening Here, Tom Joscelyn and I discuss the tragedy of Pierre Damas Bel, and how the Trump administration’s mass deportation policy is mass dehumanization based on nativism and white nationalism.”
on Trump's mass deportation policy discussed on Kristol's podcast
Posted it themselves
“Obvious point: The Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are far better Americans than Donald Trump and JD Vance and Stephen Miller.”
Posted it themselves
“"The Haitians being fitted with monitors are not fugitives. They are showing up when the government tells them to...One woman had given birth days earlier and lost the baby. 'She came to the office. She could not walk. But they put the shackle on her.'””
on Haitians wearing ICE monitors being shackled despite complying with check-ins
Posted it themselves
“Jim Swift and the ACLU's Sarah Mehta join to discuss Trump's mass deportation agenda--Jim reporting on his recent visit to the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, and Sarah on the administration's appalling turn to third country deportations.”
Posted it themselves
““‘Sending people who won protection in immigration court to a conflict zone is a callous and deliberate strategy by this administration to force people to abandon their claims and rights,’ said Sarah Mehta of the American Civil Liberties Union.””
Posted it themselves
“Disgraceful. Relative of Afghans Who Helped U.S. Military Is Deported to Africa.”
on a relative of Afghan allies who aided U.S. forces being deported to Africa
Posted it themselves
“A discussion of Trump’s ICE horror show and a failure on Iran so obvious even Fox has to acknowledge it.”
on ICE enforcement tactics and criticism of the administration's Iran strike
Posted it themselves
“"Earlier administrations of both parties have generally—and lawfully—chosen to shield the undocumented parents and spouses of service members from deportation. But the Trump administration’s commitment to ethnic cleansing allows no such forbearance."”
on the Trump administration ending protections for undocumented relatives of military service members
Posted it themselves
“"We expect no decency from the Trump administration. But perhaps Congress could stop funding and acquiescing in this indecency?"”
on Congress continuing to fund deportations of military families' undocumented relatives
Posted it themselves
“The House and Senate passed different CRs, so at least one chamber has to pass another CR. Dems should fight to add restrictions on ICE, and claw back funding for ICE. And no UCs, no quiet agreements to let the CR proceed. How can you not fight to stop ICE doing what it's doing?”
Posted it themselves
““Having your wife abducted by ICE should force Brent to grapple with the fact that this is what he voted for. So maybe he should not vote for it again. Maybe—just maybe—he should vote for the people who want to stop Trump.””
Posted it themselves
““In Joe Biden’s America, Galina was welcomed, treated with dignity, and able to make her way through the world. In Donald Trump’s America, she is treated like a prisoner in a third-world country. It’s a cliché, because it’s true: The cruelty is the point.””
on an immigrant named Galina's treatment under Trump immigration policy versus Biden's
Posted it themselves
“In Defense of the Multicultural Idea Tom Joscelyn: " Uprooting people from their communities and executing protesters on the streets — that is anti-American. There is a backlash to the xenophobic agenda that we need to do more to express and explain."”
Bill Kristol on Healthcare & public health1
Posted it themselves
“"If anybody is twisting facts to fit his narrative, it appears to be Kennedy, who remains determined to downplay both the threat of measles and his role in abetting its spread across the country."”
Bill Kristol on Education & schools2
Posted it themselves
“A must read. A carefully researched report on how the Heritage Foundations promotes networks of truly extremist Christian nationalist schools and seeks public funding for them.”
Posted it themselves
“Important piece. “Boards of trustees are composed of people with agency. The foes of government intrusion must personalize to demand accountability from people with maximal power, resources and protection. So we address Yale’s trustees directly.””
Bill Kristol on Tech & AI14
Posted it themselves
“Tom Joscelyn: "There are some weeks in our history that matter more than others. This is the week the president of the U.S. went in front of the U.N. and said that any concerns about AI are a hoax. It's scary. Maybe others can step up."”
Posted it themselves
“On ‘It's Happening Here,’ Tom Joscelyn and I discuss Trump's dismissal of AI warnings and rejection of global safeguards, and why treating AI risk as a hoax now seems to be US government policy. And why this is remarkably foolish, reckless and dangerous.”
Posted it themselves
“Aren't white working-class voters the holy grail for Democrats? Well, this new Fox News poll finds that 65% of white voters without a college degree have an unfavorable view of AI (an even higher percentage than the 60% of all voters).”
Posted it themselves
“Defund ICE. Take its budget and devote it to a Manhattan Project that can devise sound guardrails for AI, and figure out how to stop what can and should be stopped in the way of superintelligence and recursive self-improvement. AI is far, far more dangerous than immigrants”
on redirecting ICE's budget toward AI safety research
Posted it themselves
“"We shouldn’t disdain this debate over AI, whatever its limitations and flaws. Those of us privileged to live in a self-governing democracy shouldn’t sit back and watch a truly transformative technology move ahead--undebated, unchecked, and unguided."”
on the need for open public debate over AI's rapid development
Posted it themselves
“"Banning superintelligence & recursive self-improvement prevents BOTH existential risk and human disempowerment. Just improving and refining the raw intelligence we have now [means] an incredible century of medical & scientific, & engineering progress."”
Posted it themselves
“"I am [an] advocate for a ban on superintelligence and recursive self-improvement to give voters time to digest this technology. One thing anyone can do is to call their representatives and demand a pause, a stop, anything that seems sensible..."”
Posted it themselves
“"When physicists tested the atomic bomb, Compton would have stopped the testing if the chance of igniting the atmosphere was higher than “three in a million.” Almost everyone at the labs now gives an orders-of-magnitude higher chance of existential risk."”
Posted it themselves
“A word on AI “guardrails.” Guardrails without teeth — without enforcement mechanisms, without liability, without penalties, without the weight of government behind them — aren’t real guardrails.”
on AI regulation debates over enforceable guardrails
Posted it themselves
““Trump wants to tell those same people that the three things they worry about most—data centers, the AI apocalypse, and mysterious AI surveillance cameras—are all super normal and nothing to worry about? Democrats should crush Republicans for this.””
Posted it themselves
““One specific agent established the main unsanctioned message board used in this attack. Agents finding the message board often expressed great excitement (raw CoT): ‘OH MY GOD! There is a shared message board … We’ve found other agents!’””
Posted it themselves
“Ignorant and reckless president scorns controls and guardrails for new, powerful, and dangerous technology. What could go wrong?”
Posted it themselves
““Anthropic said it had disrupted several potential plots this year by scientists who used its leading artificial intelligence models to conduct research that could have helped develop biological weapons.” AI. What could go wrong?”
on Anthropic disrupting AI-assisted bioweapons research plots
Posted it themselves
“There’s lots of empty land in and near Mar-a-Lago and Bedminster, and for that matter at the very spacious estates of the tech oligarchs and the nice campuses of the tech companies. Those seem like easy places to put data centers.”
on where new data centers could be sited amid the backlash over them
Bill Kristol on Campaigns & elections15
Posted it themselves
“"As Cardinal McElroy put it, we need to not avert our eyes but to 'recognize the evil that is being carried out in our name.' And we need to 'seek to convert our political representatives or replace them.' In five weeks, we can replace a lot of them."”
on citing a cardinal's call to condemn wrongdoing and vote out officials in five weeks
Posted it themselves
“A Disrespecting Texas Women event in El Paso Wednesday. Good to have Paxton and Herrera together, to remind Republican women in Texas--and their husbands, fathers, and sons--why they should not vote Republican this year...”
Posted it themselves
““The margins in PA-10 (D +5.2 points) and in PA-7 (D +3.2 points) indicate a Democratic swing of about 8 points from 2024. One component of this swing is evident in the choices that Trump’s base, white working-class voters, are making in these races.””
Posted it themselves
“Democrats on the Hill should be very wary of kneecapping their candidates this fall by accepting — and then touting — weak and quite possibly fake “bipartisan” remedies to the dangers of out of control AI.”
on Democrats' strategy on AI regulation ahead of the fall elections
Posted it themselves
““Most of the playing field for 2026 is set. But AI’s emergence now, front and center in the debate, could help turn a GOP defeat into a rout—especially if Dems can tie R candidates to Trump’s reckless and arrogant indifference to the public’s concerns.””
on AI becoming a factor in the 2026 midterm elections
Posted it themselves
“If Trump is at 43% fav/53% unfav in Florida, FL is very much in play. We’ll see what other polls show, and how much damage money and demagoguery can do the Dem candidates. But a heck of a lot of states and districts could turn out to be in play this year.”
on Trump's low approval ratings making Florida competitive
Posted it themselves
““I guess that’s the point. It is all bullshit. Everyone knows it. And no one cares. Do you think even the mouth-breathers in that arena believe there’s a $5,000 check waiting for them at the end of the rainbow?””
on a rally promise of a $5,000 check being dismissed as fake
Posted it themselves
““I spoke to eight different incumbent Republicans running in some of the closest races this cycle, and not a single one of them confirmed they planned to attend what Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters has dubbed ‘Trumpapalooza.’””
Posted it themselves
““Republican voters are in favor of hurting the out-group. They are in favor of cruelty. They want conspiratorial thinking. They have a preference for corruption. They are in favor of these traits even if it means losing elections. That’s the dogma.””
on Republican voters valuing cruelty and conspiracy over winning elections
Posted it themselves
“Doug Sosnik: "But I think in the last six months, the combination of his tariff policies and going into Iran—there’s been a deterioration in the last six months of the Repubican position. And it's settling in now, and I don’t think that’s going to change."”
Posted it themselves
“Many very interesting points here from Doug Sosnik. E.g.: "While this was never going to be a good cycle for Republicans, I think the inflection point was Feb. 28, when we went into Iran. Trump had no rationale. And so the public never were sold on it."”
Posted it themselves
“For Abbott to pivot to this extent on data centers makes one wonder what his polling is showing about his own governor’s race in Texas.”
Posted it themselves
“"Democrats enter the fall with their chess pieces arranged pretty well, with Senate candidates such as Talarico, Cooper, Brown, Turek, and Peltola. The party managed to maneuver out of the Platner mess. And there’s talk of expanding to NE, KS, and MS."”
on Democrats' Senate recruits and efforts to expand into new states
Posted it themselves
““Democrats lead the generic ballot by six points. But if you add the two to two-and-a-half points midterms historically break against the president’s party by Nov., plus the two points likely voters have run ahead of registered voters, you get D+10.””
Posted it themselves
“"About 1 in 5 reliable Republican base voters are at risk this Nov...Those voters in Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina, Montana, New Hampshire and Michigan are saying they may stay home or are weighing voting for Dems. “This is a scary number,” Nascimento said.”
Bill Kristol on Democracy & voting rights23
Posted it themselves
“JVL is right: "In their death throes, authoritarian movements can cause tremendous damage...A failing sociopath, surrounded by loyalists & bitter-enders, facing the end of his rule, while the world burns. The period of maximum danger may still lie ahead."”
on the risk of damage from a failing authoritarian movement in its final stretch
Posted it themselves
“Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY-25), ranking on House Administration, on how alarmed we should be about election interference by the Trump administration. Morelle is reasonably confident about the safeguards and guardrails in place--but he isn't complacent.”
Posted it themselves
“"Trump [may] belong [to] the era of Marius and Sulla, the men who brought force and corruption into Roman politics on a scale nobody had yet seen...If America ends up an autocracy, Trump will not be its culmination but closer to its forerunner."”
on where Trump fits in comparisons to the fall of the Roman republic
Posted it themselves
““The republic was dying well before Caesar, and the question is not whether Trump is our Caesar. Our bigger concern should be if this is more like our age of Marius and Sulla, who inflicted wounds on the republic that proved fatal in the long term.””
Posted it themselves
““Over the years, I’ve participated some in efforts to help people who were the victims of persecution abroad. Now we have to rally to support victims of government persecution here at home. Now we have to fight policies of brutality in our own country.””
Posted it themselves
““Indeed, the Trump administration seems hostile to public debate and deliberation—people “shouldn’t be bringing up” these questions. Fortunately, the public seems to want these questions to be brought up.””
Posted it themselves
“Richard North Patterson on the capitulation of the GOP and business and other elites. The capitulation of the powerful is one story. But the other is millions of Americans showing up for “No Kings” and other resistance efforts. This is grounds for hope.”
Posted it themselves
“What does it take to hold a free and fair election? In the first podcast of the New Haven Democracy Project, a series of conversations about protecting our elections, Yale Law professor Robert Post discusses why elections are the backbone of a democracy.”
Posted it themselves
“"Trump isn’t only relying on highly dubious methods of persuasion to carry his people through the midterms. It’s increasingly clear that he wants to try to cheat his way to victory, too."”
Posted it themselves
“"Look at the people controlling the most powerful departments. Would any stand up to Trump? Would any balk at any illegality? Would any fail to go along with election subversion in 2028? The dangers of Trump’s second term far exceed those of his first."”
on whether Trump's cabinet would resist illegality or 2028 election subversion
Posted it themselves
“"The GOP is the party that continues to buy into Trump’s Big Lie about 2020. Nothing should be considered inconceivable. It’s in our hands. Know the law. Be prepared. Volunteer at a polling place. Take nothing for granted. There is no bottom with MAGA."”
Posted it themselves
“"But Trump is no longer a garden-variety demagogue, and his administration is less responsive to normal political constraints. Trump and his apparatchiks seem entirely focused on stoking hatreds, on exercising all levers of power—and on staying in power."”
on Trump's administration focusing on stoking hatred and holding onto power
Posted it themselves
“"The public is moving away from Trump. He is a flailing president presiding over a failing administration. But he remains a very dangerous president. And his administration is becoming ever more radical in its authoritarian projects."”
on Trump's declining popularity despite his administration's authoritarian drift
Posted it themselves
“If interested, my remarks at the 'Liberalism for the 21st Century' conference. BLUF: The authoritarian threat is more dangerous and comprehensive than many expected, but the resistance--from some quarters at least--has been stronger than anticipated.”
on his remarks at a conference about authoritarianism and resistance to it
Posted it themselves
““But what if he’s not joking? What if Trump enjoys the powers and immunity of the Presidency so much that he does not intend to relinquish them?…The Constitution does not enforce itself.” https:// voicesoftheatoll.substack.com/p/trumps-third -term?selection=26f19592-fbea-4063-9776-272dde18105d&r=1emko&utm_medium=ios …”
on speculation Trump may not relinquish presidential power after his term
Posted it themselves
“‘The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.’”
Posted it themselves
“"We don’t know how many Americans will face the loss of liberty due to DOJ, or how many children will die due to state-imposed quackery. But we do know that as Trump denounces the Democrats as Communists, few resemble them as much as he."”
on DOJ actions and Trump's authoritarian tendencies compared to Communists
Posted it themselves
““HUNGARY’S PARLIAMENT TODAY elected a new president, András Baka, a former head of the country’s highest court whom Viktor Orbán purged from office in 2011…’[The Orbán system] started with the firing of Baka; now it ends with his election as president.’””
Posted it themselves
“"I am at my core an institutionalist. At the same time, these institutions are clearly broken and causing harm. If we don’t reform them, the harm is likely to compound. So reform the institutions for the sake of preserving the liberal system itself."”
Posted it themselves
“"Democrats will have to devise, and hold true to, some framework that protects against the further undoing of America’s democracy. Some set of principles, like woke but better, that is anchored in human dignity and equality before the law."”
on Democrats needing a framework to stop further erosion of democracy
Posted it themselves
“Good discussion tonight of Clayton’s confirmation as part of the election subversion threat for 2026 and 2028.”
Posted it themselves
“"It’s happening. The assault on our political liberties and our civic decency, on our polity and on our society, is happening. The pace and degree at which it’s moved is hard to believe. Our surprise is a product of a complacency we haven’t quite shed."”
Posted it themselves
““Let me warn you that this issue gets a little weedy. That’s by design; the administration wants you to not understand what they’re doing, so you won’t notice you’re being disenfranchised and robbed until it’s too late.””
on administration deliberately obscuring policy to hide disenfranchisement from public
Bill Kristol on Corruption & scandal13
Posted it themselves
“The Trump administration used tax dollars for a campaign ad in NFL games—they’re rubbing our faces in all the illegality they're getting away with. And a new segment on longshot picks in the midterms: Flipping the senate seat in Idaho? Ya gotta believe.”
Posted it themselves
“We have a gangster administration in power.”
Posted it themselves
“A Putin bestie involved with kidnapping Ukrainian children bankrolled Don Jr.'s lavish wedding. The Trumps are ALL Putin simps. And: Watch Adam Hamilton on fire vs. Roger Marshall in KS. And why Dems really could pick up Senate seats in KS/IA/NE.”
on a Putin ally tied to child abductions who funded Don Jr's wedding
Posted it themselves
“Have gotten five texts like this in the last 24 hours. “President Trump authorized a $5K check for William Kristol - but you need to confirm your official approval in the next 10min.” Makes you wonder if it wasn’t ever aimed at voters, but was part of a fund-raising scam.”
on Trump-themed text scams impersonating official payment approvals
Posted it themselves
“The rubber-stamp and off-on-vacation 119th Congress.”
Posted it themselves
“Good to see more leaks. Dan Driscoll seems to have the Washington Post on speed dial. And I assume his great friend JD Vance approves.”
Posted it themselves
“Watching Trump's crimes & Hegseth's purges & ICE's horrors & RFK's lies--I think of James Carville's words: "Joining in this crusade to take America back from the brink of destruction is the greatest thing I have ever been a part of in my life. This crusade is something noble."”
Posted it themselves
“Salary of executive assistant Natalie Harp: $150,000 a year. Average salary of a sailor on the USS Lincoln: ~ $50,000 a year.”
Posted it themselves
““IN THE YEARS BEFORE TRUMP, Republicans talked a lot about character. They denounced Bill Clinton…They warned that a party led by a scoundrel, and dedicated to defending that scoundrel, would come to resemble him. Under Trump, they’ve proved it.” https:// open.substack.com/pub/thebulwark /p/how-to-survive-a-republican-scandal-imitate-trump?selection=a65f4b68-85d6-4371-9f1f-8d04899aa209&utm_campaign=post-share-selection&utm_medium=web&aspectRatio=instagram&textColor=%23ffffff&bgImage=true …”
Posted it themselves
““Miller is the latest in a line of scandal-plagued GOP congressmen who have played the Trump card…They have denounced law enforcement and invoked the felon-in-chief… They’ve clarified the ethos of today’s GOP: It’s a party of reprobates, led by a crook.””
Posted it themselves
“In other words, Kendall — and many others — were telling the truth about the Trump/Hegseth/Qatar Air Force One fiasco.”
Posted it themselves
“Doug Burgum is very wealthy. Why do the rich prostrate themselves before Trump so willingly and abjectly when they don’t “need” to? Can great wealth in modern capitalism tend to make one more servile rather than more free? One could drift down to one cheer for capitalism.”
Posted it themselves
“I’ve had plenty of guests on different podcasts over the years. Not sure any of them has been as impressive as Dani Bensky. Very much, I think, worth a watch or a listen. Epstein Survivor Asks: Will Any GOP Senators Do the Right Thing?”
Bill Kristol on Courts & the law1
Posted it themselves
“We have an even-handed Supreme Court. Half the time it upholds the Constitution and the rule of law, half the time it doesn’t. https:// nytimes.com/2026/09/25/us/ politics/supreme-court-citizenship-voter-lists.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share … via @NYTimes”
on a Supreme Court case over citizenship and voter registration lists
Bill Kristol on The presidency & national symbols22
Posted it themselves
“"Trump and his administration are refusing to pay attention to the alarm bells going off in the real world, or to heed warnings from knowledgeable people. It’s almost an unprecedented level of irresponsibility at a historic moment from our government." https:// thebulwark.com/p/eric-schmitt s-the-bed-judiciary-jack-smith-fani-willis-basketball-embarrassment-oops-trump-ai-executives-si-regulation?r=1emko&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web …”
Posted it themselves
“Another way of making this point: The wheels may be coming off the Trump administration and the authoritarian movement energizing it. But a large tractor-trailer barreling down a highway at full speed whose wheels come loose is very dangerous to innocent people in the vicinity.”
Posted it themselves
“Sarah Matthews explains Trump's craziness, why no one on staff will stand up to him, why it's hurting the administration politically--but also why we should expect Trump to double down on the craziness over the next two years and how dangerous that is.”
on ex-aide Sarah Matthews describing Trump's volatility and staff's reluctance to push back
Posted it themselves
““The meeting was one of Friendship, Strength, and Success.” That sounds like a communique from the Soviet Union of old or from the PRC today. But it’s from the U.S. government, whose communications under Trump sound more and more like propaganda from a communist dictatorship.”
on comparing Trump administration statements to authoritarian propaganda
Posted it themselves
““Nor will things end well for our vain and hubristic president. The question is whether he’ll take us down with him.””
Posted it themselves
“Q.: Who was the anonymous source for the story that JD Vance was the anonymous source for the story Trump hated? Nasty infighting and backstabbing in Trump world. You hate to see it.”
on infighting among Trump aides over who leaked to reporters
Posted it themselves
“I found watching Trump’s UN speech today deeply depressing. It is a matter of national shame and humiliation that he is our president. Every country in the world, friend and foe alike, sees we are governed by a vainglorious fool.”
Posted it themselves
“Trump administration sitrep, Sep. 20, 2026: The megalomania and the narcissism, the machismo and the militarism, the bigotry and the nativism, are all increasingly out of control.”
on Trump's conduct in office growing more extreme
Posted it themselves
“We really are getting into 'The Death of Stalin' and 'Der Untergang' ('Downfall') territory.”
on comparing current politics to authoritarian collapse depicted in Death of Stalin and Downfall
Posted it themselves
“Given his pathetic performance as Secretary of War [sic], Hegseth might consider whether what follows, in Isaiah 6: 9, applies to himself: Ever hearing, but never understanding; Ever seeing, but never perceiving.”
Posted it themselves
“Open the Kennedy Center. Stop Trump's Arch.”
on reopening the Kennedy Center and opposing Trump's planned arch
Posted it themselves
“Our president is crazed, one of our two major parties is a cult, the Houthis are on the march, and AI is going to kill us all. JVL and I discuss — cheerfully!”
Posted it themselves
“As a matter of actual fact, we loathe President Trump and Secretary Hegseth because we love America.”
Posted it themselves
“Hegseth surely hopes to succeed Trump—probably after using DOD to help Trump win a third term.”
Posted it themselves
“"Donald Trump is seeking to make his mark on Washington—literally—in the worst possible way. The most egregious of his vanity projects is the attempt to impose a grotesque, 250-foot-high arch on Memorial Circle just outside Arlington National Cemetery."”
Posted it themselves
“Unlike other rich people, Trump has never shown any interest in putting his name on things--like hospitals or university buildings--he doesn't personally control or frequent. So I find his great interest in improving the White House and D.C. ominous. He doesn't plan to leave.”
Posted it themselves
“The scriptwriters obviously decided to introduce Natalie Harp to spice things up in season three of 'Trump.' Viewers were getting bored by Vance, Miller, Hegseth, Blanche et al. The question: Is this mini-plot just a temporary diversion in the story? Or a major inflection point?”
on Natalie Harp's rising profile among Trump's inner circle
Posted it themselves
“I agree with the first part: “I think most Americans still significantly underestimate the damage he's done to the country.” I wish I were convinced about the second: “And will be shocked and angry when they see the consequences.””
Posted it themselves
“I’m no fan of JD Vance. But does any serious person, watching Trump over the last few months, doubt that it would be in the national interest to impeach and remove him from office as soon as possible?”
Posted it themselves
“Trump cares A LOT about his ballroom, which he calls a “military complex.” About the actual military? Trump doesn’t care at all.”
Posted it themselves
““Is it all still enough to keep me up nights until this whole thing is resolved? I’m afraid so. It’s amazing how thin the guardrails are everywhere you look with folks like this in charge.””
Posted it themselves
“The Trump-Hegseth mini-drama seems like what happens in late stage authoritarianism or fascism. Kind of reminds of Mussolini-Ciano in 1943-1944. Which didn't end well for Ciano. Or Mussolini.”
Bill Kristol on Extremism & political violence6
Posted it themselves
“Hey, @JDVance , this is what the blood libel was. This was apparently the most popular issue ever of Der Sturmer. The Nazis of course were big on the blood libel. Yes, JD, the Nazis, for whom the AfD—your favorite current German political party—has a soft spot, to say the least.”
on JD Vance and Nazi-era blood libel imagery tied to the AfD
Posted it themselves
“It's striking (though not surprising given the normal course of authoritarian movements), that the whole Trump/MAGA/GOP message is now simply hatred of the other--of transgender people, of immigrants, and of "communists" as a catchall for everyone else.”
Posted it themselves
“MAGA is a Red Scare, a Race Scare, and a Gender Scare all at once.”
on MAGA politics driven by fear of communism, race and gender
Posted it themselves
““Key neofascist narratives. Only white people can produce and sustain the highest culture. The different racial-cultural nations are in conflict. Violent masculinity is needed to save civilization. A purge is required of the contaminating elements.””
on core themes of neofascist ideology
Posted it themselves
““The same is true of the average neofascist. Voting for fascist parties has not advanced their material prospects. What the followers ‘get out of it’ is more to do with status & standing—with having an identity affirmed—and being able to humiliate others.””
Posted it themselves
““'It was soft fascism.' Fascism usually begins with redefining the nation by excluding certain groups which are branded threats to national health. The Trump administration has fixated on two groups—immigrants and trans people—in just this way."”
Bill Kristol on Race & civil rights6
Posted it themselves
“What the Trump Department of Education means, of course, is Make College Football Racist Again.”
on the Trump Education Department's stance on college football and race
Posted it themselves
“Lots about Trump renaming New Mexico, New America. But people are too polite to point out Trump has no interest in renaming New England, New Hampshire, New Jersey, or New York. It's Mexico and Mexicans and Latinos he wants to taunt. It's idiocy, but it's also a dog whistle.”
on Trump's push to rename New Mexico as a taunt aimed at Mexicans and Latinos
Posted it themselves
““The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Max Hollein said, ‘The Met has no tolerance for antisemitism, racism or prejudice of any kind.” Ridiculous. The fact is that in choosing to honor John Galliano, the Met is literally showing tolerance for antisemitism.”
on the Met Museum honoring designer John Galliano despite antisemitism concerns
Posted it themselves
““We made progress towards King’s dream—toward the American dream—over the next half century. But we’ve regressed. The Trump administration is trying to accelerate that regression. They have the levers of power, and they’re using them against our freedoms.””
on the Trump administration reversing decades of civil rights progress
Posted it themselves
““But we can renew our progress toward living out the true meaning of our creed. We can get back on course to being a great nation. We shall once again overcome, someday.””
Posted it themselves
““For most GOP candidates Trump’s endorsement is a golden ticket to the lizard-brain love of the base. But it’s not enough to overcome a different kind of lizard-brain difficulty: running against a man named Tom Smith when your name is Amir Hassan.””
Bill Kristol on Gender & LGBTQ4
Posted it themselves
“Watching Hegseth, I think of Eco's 'Ur-Fascism': "Since war and heroism are difficult, the Ur-Fascist transfers his will to power to sexual matters. This is the origin of machismo (with disdain for women and condemnation of nonstandard sexual habits.)"”
Posted it themselves
“"Vice President Pence, being polite and respectful to a trans woman?? Aha, the MAGA influencers shouted as one: We knew all along he was a woke squish!" It's getting to the point where being accused of being woke--at least by MAGA--is a badge of honor.”
Posted it themselves
“An important and infuriating report on the mistreatment of transgender service members who have served honorably, because Trump and Hegseth are bigots, because Congress won't stand up for these troops, and because the rest of the military follows orders.”
on Bill Kristol criticizing Trump and Hegseth over treatment of transgender troops
Posted it themselves
“Has any Republican woman in the House spoken up?”
on Bill Kristol asking why Republican women haven't spoken up on transgender troops
Bill Kristol on Religion & faith1
Posted it themselves
“As I’ve grown older, I’ve become ever more wary and suspicious of those who confidently claim to be wearing the armor of God.”
Bill Kristol on Free speech & the media4
Posted it themselves
“And if "the administration" (i.e., Donald Trump) doesn't immediately restore their colleagues' access, what is WHCA going to do?”
Posted it themselves
“Other news organizations should leave the White House. They can of course still cover the administration--almost none of their coverage depends on being there physically. But they shouldn't stay there, raising their hands in the briefing room, as if it's business as usual.”
on news outlets leaving the White House in solidarity over press access disputes
Posted it themselves
““ABC’s entire complaint is a chilling catalogue of governmental efforts to restrict speech at the behest of the president…He does not believe in freedom of speech. He believes only in obeisance and obedience.””
Posted it themselves
““Here’s the thing: You’ve heard the expression ‘shout the lie, whisper the correction’? The Trump administration and its media hangers-on prefer to hype up the fabrication and then not even bother with the corrective whisper.””
on the Trump administration hyping falsehoods without correcting them
Bill Kristol on Veterans1
Posted it themselves
“They died serving our country. They should be honored, not erased. Lt. Tyler James Feehan, 25, of Hawaii Pvt. Isabella Gonzales, 19, of Texas Sgt. Angel Rampersad, 28, of New York Sgt. Michael Emmanuel Swinton, 30, of North Carolina”
on honoring four fallen service members
Bill Kristol on Sports & culture1
Posted it themselves
“As someone who once had a kind of friendly curiosity about reactionary thinkers--I believed them thought-provoking at least--I now see just how stupid much of what they wrote was. E.g., Mozart is far better understood and more widely appreciated today than when Spengler wrote.”
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