Quote · The Bulwark Podcast
Bill Kristol: Trump Wants All-out Kleptocracy
Where this was said
All-of-Government Authoritarianism: FCC and Local TV License Threats
At 39:27 · chapter starts 38:15
Miller revisits the story of Brendan Carr's FCC threatening local ABC affiliates' broadcasting licenses as leverage against critical media — a campaign that continued even after Jimmy Kimmel returned to air. The Media Research Center, a well-funded right-wing group, is pursuing formal license challenges against local stations on grounds of 'communist propaganda.' [1] — Bill Kristol "The Trump administration is using every federal agency — not just the DOJ or White House — to pressure opponents. Brendan Carr's FCC is thr…" 39:00 Kristol contextualizes this through the lens of authoritarianism: the Trump administration is not operating through one central instrument of repression but deploying every regulatory agency simultaneously against opponents — a strategy he calls an 'all-of-government assault' that directly mirrors Orbán's Hungary and Putin's Russia. Each individual pressure point — the FCC, the DOJ, the ODNI — may seem manageable in isolation, but their cumulative effect is the comprehensive suppression of opposition that defines mature authoritarianism.
The Trump administration is using every federal agency — not just the DOJ or White House — to pressure opponents. Brendan Carr's FCC is threatening local TV stations' licenses. It adds up. Kristol calls it an all-of-government assault that mirrors Orbán and Putin: every institution becomes a weapon.
An Idaho mother was charged with murdering her 18-month-old twins one year after appearing on an RFK Jr.'s Children's Health Defense Fund podcast to blame the deaths on vaccinations.
