Is Trump Fascist? Tim Miller & Coleman Hughes Debate

Tim Miller is a political commentator and former GOP strategist who became one of the most outspoken “Never Trump” conservatives in the country. Tim and I talk through the Republican Party’s transformation, from the guardrails John McCain tried to hold in place, to the anger and conspiratorial thinking that helped fuel Donald Trump’s rise. We get into what it was like to be an openly gay Republican in the 2000s, why Trump’s favorability is collapsing, and the administration’s bizarre new policy of blowing up alleged drug boats in the Caribbean. I also ask him about his recent interview with journalist Olivia Nuzzi and more.

0:00 - Intro
1:18 - Ad
1:48 – Tim Miller’s Path Into Republican Politics
4:37 – Being a Closeted—and Then Openly Gay—Republican Operative
7:25 - Has America Really Moved Past Homophobia?
10:10 – Are Anti-Gay Republicans Often Closeted?
12:03 – John McCain, Guardrails, and the Road to Trump
16:00 – Populism vs. Fascism: How to Understand Trump
17:50 – Immigration, Borders, Deportations, and First Principles
25:17 – Is Trumpism a Blip—or the Future of the GOP?
28:34 – Why Trump’s Favorability Is Cratering
31:48 – The Venezuela Drug Boat Strikes Explained
40:46 – Nick Fuentes, Young Republicans, and the MAGA Pipeline
44:20 – Conspiracy Media, Tucker Carlson, and the Post-Truth Right
51:42 – Social Media, Gatekeepers, and the Collapse of Trust
56:33 – Power, Hypocrisy, and Why Trump Gets Away With Everything
59:55 – Olivia Nuzzi, RFK Jr., and the Ethics of Power
1:02:44 – Who Tim Wants Democrats to Become in 2028
1:06:17 – Where to Find Tim Miller and The Bulwark Podcast