Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller on the Bulwark Daily podcast, discussing how President Trump is potentially turning an already bad midterm election into a catastrophe for Republicans. The discussion centers around wave elections in 2006 and 1994, where the party in power suffered major losses, and how those similarities might apply to this year's midterms. The conversation touches on various topics, including Kristol's past experiences as a young Republican operative. The podcast is part of the Bulwark LIVE: Good Fight Tour, which features live shows with various guests across the country.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-08,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Bill Kristol joined Tim Miller on a podcast to discuss how former President Donald Trump is turning a potentially bad midterm election into a disaster for Republicans. They compared the current situation to two major wave elections in 1994 and 2006, where the party in power suffered significant losses. In 1994, it was largely about the end of an era, while 2006 was due to an unpopular war, scandal, and a disappointed base. The conversation also touched on personal anecdotes from Tim's time as a young Republican operative and Bill Clinton blaming his health care reform plan on Bill Kristol's efforts.
Written for “Trump's Midterm Catastrophe” on 2026-09-08,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score -0.85 for article 6978 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-09-08
Bill Kristol: Trump Is Turning a Bad Midterm Into a Republican Catastrophe
asserted
Trump → turn → Catastrophe
With just under two months until Election Day, Tim and Bill revisit the run-up to the midterms in 2006 and 1994, two major wave election cycles where the bottom just fell out from under the party in power.
asserted
bottom → revisit → power
With just under two months until Election Day, Tim and Bill revisit the run-up to the midterms in 2006 and 1994, two major wave election cycles where the bottom just fell out from under the party in power.
asserted
bottom → revisit → power
What do those wave elections suggest about the prospects for a big blue year in 2026?
asserted
elections → suggest → 2026
Plus: Do not miss either the war stories from Tim as a young Republican operative on the campaign trail or Clinton blaming Bill for helping to tank his health care reform plan.
asserted
Clinton → miss → plan
Bill Kristol joins Tim Miller for a special holiday pod.
asserted
Kristol → join → pod
show notes:
COME HANG WITH THE GANG—Sarah, Tim, JVL, Sam and friends—during our Bulwark LIVE: Good Fight Tour this October 16-20:
🎤Friday, October 16 at The Senate in Columbia, S.C.—Will Sommer joins the gang on stage.
asserted
Sommer → hang → stage
🎤Sunday, October 18 at the Carolina Theatre in Charlotte, N.C.—special guest Pete Buttigieg joins the gang with Catherine Rampell and Lauren Eagan.
asserted
Buttigieg → join → Rampell
🎤Tuesday, October 20 at The Eastern in Atlanta, Ga.—Gen. Mark Hertling and the Morning Shots duo—Andrew Egger and Bill Kristol—join the gang for this final stop.
asserted
Hertling → join → stop
At Bulwark LIVE we can promise you a night of fellowship and politics with lots of laughs—and maybe a few tears too.
asserted
we → promise → laughs
We’ll keep you sane.
asserted
We → keep → you
We want to hear from you.
asserted
We → want → you
Tim Miller’s Bulwark Daily is available wherever you get podcasts and on YouTube.
asserted
you → get → YouTube
New shows drop each weekday afternoon.
asserted
shows → drop → ?
If you like the show, leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐ wherever you listen.
asserted
you → like → comment
Join Bulwark+ to unlock the rest
Become a paying member of The Bulwark to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.
asserted
Join → join → post
A subscription gets you:
- Unlimited access to articles and newsletters including The Triad by JVL and Receipts by Catherine Rampell.
- Ad-free editions of our shows (with transcripts) and member-only shows like The Secret Podcast.
- Plus community chats and commenting features.
asserted
subscription → get → chats
Your support helps keep our work sustainable and available to those who cannot afford a membership.
asserted
who → help → membership
