Bulwark Takes - 4: HUMILIATING: JD’s Iran Spin Obliterated by Trump

Episode Date: June 23, 2025

Tim Miller unpacks how JD Vance, Rubio, and Hegseth got undercut in real time after defending Trump’s Iran strike.

Hey everybody, Tim over from the Bulwark here. Donald Trump has humiliated all of his top advisors and cabinet officials today with regards to his posture on Iran. He has done so in a way that leaves open the door to regime change. Actually, I guess more than leaving the door open to pushing for regime change in Iran. He explicitly says that he wants it, using the new phrase, MIGA, or maybe it's MIGA, make Iran great again, M-I-G-A. He bleeded that out. And he bleeded that out after a series of of assurances from those three men behind him who he made to walk with him down that hallway to the announcement of the attack on Iran. Those three men, the three key advisors, the three people that all probably somewhere in their mind want to be the one that carries the torch for MAGA, assuming Donald Trump ever goes away. And he has tied them to this policy, he has tied them to himself, and this morning he's

forced them to go out and offer a defense of the policy and then pull the rug out under them within a minute. So let's go through exactly what we're talking about here. First the MIGA tweet that I'm referencing. I'm going to go with MIGA. Here it is, a bleat rather. It's not politically correct to use the term, quote, regime change, but if the current Iranian regime is unable to make Iran great again, why wouldn't there be a regime change mega exclamation point

exclamation point exclamation point I mean it's not like he's declared war but we did bomb them yesterday weaving the American government and and there's been chatter about the need to change regimes coming from our ally Israel, who we participated in these attacks with. And Trump has threatened to assassinate the Ayatollah. So you put all this together, and whether or not he's planning on an Iraq-style regime change war, you certainly couldn't fault Iran or our European allies or the other countries in the region for preparing for that. I mean, he's threatened an assassination and said that he wants regime change and he's bombed them. So those are the facts on the table that we have so far. Obviously, we had some more nuanced discussion on this channel from experts,

Merrick Edelman and others, from people who understand the region and have deeper schooling and foreign policy than I do. I don't claim to be the person who has, you know, who could answer Tucker Carlson's quiz about Iran. I would have done better than Ted Cruz. But I can tell you what I see with my own eyes, which is Israel chomping at the bit for regime change in Iran and our president going along with it so far, at least rhetorically and also, I guess, militarily last night with those strikes. So, okay, back to the three stooges that I'd referenced earlier. I want to just read for you some of these quotes here.

JD Vance had said, our view has been very clear that we don't want a regime change. Pete Hegseth says the mission was not and has not been about regime change. Marco Rubio referencing regime change, he says it's quote, certainly not the goal of what we're working on here. Notice the Rubio quotes a little bit, a little bit, it's like in the passive voice. Rubio seems a little bit more intrigued than the other two. I've got some thoughts about all this, but let's watch their extended remarks together and then we'll get to it on the other side. Our view has been very clear that we don't want a regime change.

This mission was not and has not been about regime change. What can you tell us about your expectations with regard to regime change in Iran? Well, that's certainly not the goal of what we're working on here. Okay. My favorite part about all of it is just JD just is dripping with condescension no matter what. JD is like, his tone is, how dare you even accuse us of that? Oh, you stupid. Everyone besides me, JD Vance, and the failed casino owner turned reality show star that we made the fucking president of the United States, everyone else besides us two is stupid. We are so smart, though. We're so smart. You're stupid for even asking me a question.

And another presidents have been stupid, but the Trump Vance Hegsath team, now that, that's where the brains of the operation is. Um, so that part's funny for me. I mean, it's loathsome, but it's funny. But the best part is just like these guys, they're just, they're grasping. They're grasping. I referenced earlier, look, maybe this thing works out. The smarts, the smarts who know what's happening inside Iran and have better intelligence than I do, say this is an opportune moment to strike.

Okay. But this is a clown show. The guys we have in charge are a bunch of clowns. And clowns can succeed by accident. I mean, Donald Trump got elected president. So yeah, I mean, people can do the wrong thing and get rewarded for it. One time I was driving down the highway when I just turned 16 or just turned 21. I just turned 21. I was going for a 21st birthday trip and we decided to drive through some pretty treacherous weather rather than just kind of waiting it out. Driving down the highway and my car spins out and I spin around and do a 360 and then another 360 and then the car stops on the side of the mountain that I was driving over in Colorado kind of lands on the side aiming forward. I just looked at my buddies and I was like on we go. You know I ended up having a

great birthday trip. Did that mean it was smart to drive like an asshole into a snowstorm at age 21? No, it wasn't smart. It was dumb. The people in the car, were we all judicious? No, we were dumb. Did it work out? Yeah. Sometimes things work out. So who knows? But these guys, I mean, look at this. These guys literally like all went out in the morning with a clear message to the Sunday shows. No, only the derangement, the Trump derangement syndrome people in the libs and the media think this is for regime change.

This isn't for that. This is a targeted strike. Three hours later, Trump's like, I don't know, maybe it's for regime change. We'll see what happens. Okay. I mean, it is truly remarkable that he does this to these guys every time. They're willing to humiliate themselves. And your JD, here's a kicker for JD.

Here's JD Vance, three years ago now, and his condescending voice tweeting about Biden. Joe Biden went to Europe and advocated for a nuclear powers regime change. And then 10 minutes later, his own White House had to contradict him. Seems like a big deal. It does seem like a big deal, JD. It seems like an even bigger deal when the vice president of the United States the secretary of the defense and the secretary of state are all out saying that we're not interested in regime change and then the president of the United States two hours later says sorry buckos i'm interested in it mega yeah it seems like a big deal it's a big and it's hard for me to feel very confident about this operation when we've

got these guys at the helm of it. So we shall see. There are contrary views. I'll be hashing them out on the podcast this week, but I had to at least take a moment to chuckle at Trump just completely and utterly humiliating all three of his most top advisors on the subject of regime change on this Sunday afternoon. So that is that. Congrats to the LSU baseball Tigers. I'm winning the college world series. Go Tigers. And we'll continue to monitor all this and I'll pop back on as needed. And we'll see you back here soon.

Make sure to subscribe to the feed.