What A Day - Should Dems Welcome The MAGA Defectors?

Episode Date: April 24, 2026

Earlier this week, What A Day talked about Tucker Carlson's "apology" for supporting President Donald Trump. Carlson's unexpected confession stemmed from a conversation on his podcast, The Tucker Carlson Show. But it sounds like the reason Carlson is disappointed in Trump is simply that Trump didn't do what he wanted. And there's a lot of Trump "regret" right now – from Alex Jones to former Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. But which part of Trump do they regret? And what if what they really want is Trump – but worse? To dive deeper into this topic, we spoke with Tim Miller. He's a writer-at-large for The Bulwark and host of The Bulwark Podcast. He recently wrote that Democrats should open the tent to people who once supported Trump, but regret it now.And in headlines, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin gets really loud on Fox News, Navy Secretary John Phelan is out, and the Iran war is somehow raising the prices of condoms.Show Notes: Check out The Bulwark  Read Tim's piece Call Congress – 202-224-3121 Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/y4y2e9jy What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/ For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

It's Friday, April 24th. I'm Jane Koston, and this is what a day. The show who wants you to know that President Donald Trump did not just have the Department of Justice reclassify recreational marijuana. Story is more complicated than that. So whatever you were thinking about doing, just don't. On today's show, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen, on Fox News. And it's time to wrap up the Iran War now that condom prices are about to skyrocket. But let's start with Tucker Carlson and Maga. Apologies. Earlier this week, we mentioned that Carlson said, sorry for supporting Trump. Carlson's unexpected confession came out of a conversation with his brother on his podcast, The Tucker Carlson Show. During the episode, Buckley Carlson, a former

Trump speechwriter, explained how his view of Trump changed when Trump started disrespecting his supporters. Here he is speaking from Trump's perspective. If you're insisting upon transparency and the things, you're insisting upon me making good on the promises that I made to you in this, you know, relationship that we have. I promise you something. You vote me into office so I can effectuate the change that you voted for. Then if you're insisting upon that, then you're a flippin' cuck and I don't need you. It's true. Trump has broken a lot of his promises to a and then he's insulted them for being upset. But hang on a second.

See, I listened to the entire two-hour episode, and what struck me was that Tucker wasn't apologizing for supporting someone who has acted in profoundly evil ways. Instead, Carlson was apologizing because he wanted Trump to do a whole host of other evil things, like cutting off the COVID vaccine. It's just killed too many people, and it made too many women infertile,

and that's just the most evil thing ever, and it's still on the schedule. And it's so immoral. It's hard to believe this is even happening. But he did exactly the same thing. Again, it's my fault for not being like, whoa, that's a red line. I can't cross it. In other words, Tucker is disappointed Trump didn't do what he wanted.

And that's what gets me about the Trump regret we're seeing right now, whether it's from Alex Jones or former Georgia Republican representative, Marjorie Taylor Green. I keep wondering, which part of Trump do they regret? And what if what they really want is Trump? but worse. Tim Miller is a writer at large for the bulwark and host of the Bullwork podcast. He recently wrote that Democrats should open the tent to people who supported Trump, but regret it now. We talked about what that would mean in practice. Tim, welcome back to what a day.

It's good to be here, girl. So Dr. Carlson made headlines this week with sort of an apology on his podcast, apologizing for, quote, misleading people by supporting Trump. what, if anything, surprised you about this? I think that just how far he was willing to go was definitely noteworthy. I have a lot of issues with the strange and new respects people have for Tucker, which we can get to in a second. I think that's important. But I do think it's noteworthy that he didn't just say, you know, this is a bad decision by Trump.

Like the MAGA mindset was right, but, you know, he got sent the wrong way by his neocount advisors. Like that's more, that's Tucker's, that's been his MO for a little bit now. Instead, he went all the way to, like, I feel regret. I am tormented by this. Now, I don't believe that he's actually tormented by it. It's all a show. But even for him to say that is like a level of acknowledgement of error that goes beyond what we've seen from basically everybody else in MaguWorld except MTG.

I was struck by your piece, which I want you to talk a little bit about, which was talking about, you know, hey, Democrats take yes for an answer from America firsters. And so first I want to hear your kind of elevator pitch for that piece. The case that I'm trying to make in the piece is that there are only two parties in the country. And there are a lot of bigots and cranks in the country. And we went through a period of time where they were like decently evenly divided between the parties. The Republicans maybe had an edge.

but a lot of the anti-vex, conspiracists were on the left. Yeah, but crunchy people used to be like Dems. That used to be like Ralph Nader's people. And so Trump ended up benefiting from, I think I'm stealing this from somebody, so I apologize who, but like a crank alignment. Like he took all the lefty cranks,

all the Robert F. Kennedy people, the Tulsi people, the Joe Rogan's who voted for Obama, and united them under his tent. And that has yielded a very, bad results for the country. I think that we can all agree since that was where his political power was based upon. And so my contention is only that I think it's okay to try to win over people that have conspiratorial or even wrong views, not by appealing to those particular views, but finding other areas of commonality. And I think that it's important to talk about now because a lot of the

cranks are mad at Trump over two things. One, no accountability for Epstein co-conspirators and no transparency in the Epstein files and the stupid war in Iran. And I just want to say that the cranks are right about that. And they don't believe that the Democratic Party or Democratic leaders are on their side on those issues, even though they are. And so I do think that it would be smart for democratic politicians and aligned commentators and such to engage with those folks in good faith and be like, yeah, no, your grievances about these dumb wars are right. Our party, like, we're not going to do this. We've learned. Like Trump made a promise. He betrayed you. And we need to go a different direction. I think that my question is when you say, take yes for an answer.

Yeah. What do we mean here? I'm just trying to. encourage an idea of saying, hey, you know, it doesn't mean I like to rub people's face in it. I like to dunk on people. It doesn't mean you have to be a perfect person at all times, but just generally speaking, if people are like, you know, I got fooled by this guy. I'm interested in hearing what you have to offer, then say, okay, great. Let's talk about it. Let's see if we can find area of common ground. Like, it's just a mindset of welcoming versus a mindset of, you know, saying burn the witch. Like, that is the mindset part. the policy side, again, I think that a lot of these voters that Democrats lost were these low

trust voters. Like they did not trust the institutions of government, you know, for good reason, in a lot of cases. They did not like the decision making around the wars. You know, they did not like the massive security state. You know, they don't like the government mandates, some better, some worse. And I think that Democrats now can take this opportunity and say, hey, for the last 10 years, you've seen us as the man, you know, that was defending all of these big institutions. And you are rebelling against us by going along with this bozo. Now, like, can we reposition ourselves by saying, no, they're in charge of all of this. Like, they're doing all the shit that Alex Jones warned about.

Right, exactly. You know, listen to it Alex Jones podcast for 20 years ago. And it's like, that's Palantir. Palantir is doing what all of the right wing cranks warned about. That's them now. That's mega. And Alex Jones loves Palantir. He did a whole episode of like, I don't understand why you're nervous about a thing named after a thing from Lord of the Rings that can see everything that you can do.

Yeah. So anyway, I just think that are you going to win over all those people? Of course not. But are there people out there that can be won back to the Democrats in ways in which Democrats can make cases that I just think that they should be making anyway, which is kind of separating the party brand away from the kind of stagnated establishment that people aren't happy with, particularly in areas of. you know, war. How do you think Democrats can move past the temptation to basically want to hold people accountable, which, again, you just said, like, you like dunking, I like dunking. I also, I never forget anything. There are certain like Manosphere people who've been talking currently about the war where I'm like, I know what you were doing in 2013. I remember. I have not for the

North remembers. How do you think that we can move past that as a party and as kind of individuals with platforms? Well, the first part of the question is easy. It's not easy because they haven't done it, but the answer is a little bit less nuanced, which is that Democrats should start running against the MAGA establishment, you know, and Democrats should distance themselves from the corporate elite and the military elite that have got us into these disasters. And Trump has made it very easy if the Democrats will just have to walk through the door. He's opened the door to letting Democrats take back the anti-establishment handle. They just got to walk through it.

And some of them are hesitant to do it. You kind of see it sometimes. They're like, well, you know, the Ayatollah was bad. And, you know, we do get some growth out of the tech companies. And it's just like, no, no. Just go after the corrupt mega establishment and the corrupt tech establishment and do it forcefully. And, you know, the details can work themselves out on the back end. So that's just like the smart political thing to do.

how to deal with this question of like being morally superior and having that turn people off? And I just, people, I know even my listeners, I hear this from folks, like, they don't like to hear this, which is just like, like, liberals can be kind of annoying. And, and they're like, this isn't, it shouldn't be that big of a deal. It's like, who cares that you got annoyed by somebody, you know, or that, you know, the school sent home a pamphlet that, you know, had, you know, some unnecessarily, you know, revised versions of the things that you feel comfortable with about history or race or gender or whatever. And it's like, it's like, well, it matters because when you're in a democracy,

like anything that people care about, like what matters to them is what matters, not what matters in a hierarchy of needs, right, or in a hierarchy of what's the most important things are for the society. And so I just think that like reframing the mindset from Democratic politicians to be like, Democratic politicians are responsible for what they say and do, not for what every supporter says or does, or not for what every podcast hosts that they go on says or does. And like this culture of like purity testing and finger wagging just doesn't do any good. What does that mean going forward? Because in 2028, there needs to be an affirmative message. There needs to be an affirmative message that is not, wow, that all sucked.

We just reverse everything that just happened. There needs to be like, and here's what we do moving forward. How do we include those people, the America First people, the people who were like, I really like this guy and then he disappointed me, how do we include them alongside our good friend, resistance moms, who were right the whole time? Yeah. I think it's again going back to areas of common interest and having a clear focus message on no really I'm going to be serious about going after corruption and no really we're going to stop

having our government be for sale by the tech billionaires. I think the resistance moms agree with that and the America firsters agree with that. And those folks exist in the world. And they'd voted for Democrats before and they voted for Trump. And I think that they would be open to a message from a Democrat who is passionate about kind of an anti-corruption, anti-stupid war message. I'm there are a couple of other things. I think that some economic populism, just more like demonstrating that we're going to care about the economic interests of these voters. And I think in those buckets, like, that's all stuff that they all agree with. The Devils ends up being the details. You know, do you end up turning those voters off because of some random cultural hot button issue that comes up?

Yeah, it's possible. But it's worth the try. It's worth the effort. And I think that in the past, we've seen that it has yielded results. Tim, as always, thanks so much for joining me. Thank you, Jane. Let's do it again soon. That was my conversation with Tim Miller, a podcaster and commentator at The Bullwork. A link to his piece in the show notes. Don't go anywhere. Any of you. Because everyone is welcome here. We'll get to more of the news in a moment. If you like the show, make sure to subscribe. Leave a five-star review on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

Watch us on YouTube and share with your friends. More to come after some ads. Water Day is brought to you by Our Frames. I've gotten to give Oriframs to multiple friends. I'm starting to think it's the best gift ever. With ORAFrams, you get free and limited storage. Add as many photos and videos as you want. You can preload photos before it ships and keep adding from anywhere, anytime.

You can personalize your gift, add a message before it arrives. And a gift box is included. Every frame comes packaged in a premium gift box with no price tag. ORAFrams, the perfect gift every time. Named number one by Wirecutter, you can save on the perfect gift by visiting oaframs.com.

For a limited time, listeners can get $25 off their best-selling CarverMet frame with code WAD. That's A-U-R-A-Frams.com promo code WOD. Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply. This podcast is brought to you by Wise, the app for international people using money around the globe. When it comes to sending money abroad,

many providers claim to offer free fees and competitive rates. But don't be fooled. This can be code for inflated exchange rates. With a Wise account, you can send, spend, and receive money in over 40 currencies, without ever having to worry about hidden fees. Sending pounds across the pond, most transfers arrive in 20 seconds or less. Spending Reals in Rio?

The Wise travel card gives you the mid-market rate on every purchase. No costly markups on your bill. Getting paid in dollars for your side gig, avoid hidden fees and get the real exchange rate every time. With 24-7 access to live support, your international transactions with Wise are quick, transparent, and safe. Plus, Wise runs over 7 million daily checks to catch and prevent fraud. 15 million people already trust Wise to manage their money internationally. Be smart. Get Wise. My husband and I use Wise when we travel and it couldn't be easier.

Download the Wise app today or visit Wise.com. Terms and conditions apply. Here's what else we're following today. Joining me as Crooked's news editor, Greg Walters, to talk about the big stories. Hey, Greg. Hello, Jane. Greg. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Mark Wayne Mullen has been hitting the ground running since he was confirmed.

And by running, I mean, screaming. on television. Always my favorite way to wake up to the news. Just wait. Here's Mullen on Fox News, reacting to comments from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on the Senate floor. Adding $140 billion to an agency that nobody, to two, two groups, border patrol and ICE, that nobody respects in this country.

Chuck Schumer, no one respects you. The definition of a lying scumbag politician, that is you. You would be the definition if you Googled you right now. You're for open borders and you're for the criminals running amok in our cities. And for you to say that is so disrespectful to the law enforcement that is out there protecting you. It sounds like Fox News trying to interview a blowtorch. I mean, where to start with all this? First of all, DHS remains jammed in the longest government shutdown in history.

And apparently the big plan to get their funding back is not be super nice to Congress. Yeah, I think Mullen's plan is to just be louder than Christianome was and have worse hair. And, you know, maybe that's worth a shot. Who knows what'll work? But in any case, we all know Trump has a special fondness for loud men who talk too much on television, which brings me to another recent development. So on Wednesday night, I was out having dinner with Matt Berg, Crooked's DC correspondent, and we saw this headline pop up on our phones.

The Secretary of the Navy, John Phelan, is out. Now, Greg, I don't know about you, and I have never run the Navy. But ousting the Navy secretary in the middle of an intense naval operation doesn't feel great. Not super great. I mean, this isn't the kind of thing you typically want to see in the middle of a war. But then there's the next beat. Things are taking a very Trumpy turn. The new guy, assuming the role as acting secretary, is Hongkow.

And, oh boy. Greg, is he a real one? He's a real one by certain MAGA standards, yeah, something like that. In an interview in 2023, he had some thoughts that were giving Salem witch hunt vibes. There's a place in Monterey, California, called Lovers Point. Yeah. The original name was Lovers of Christ Point. But now it's become, they took out the Christ, it's Lovers Point.

And it's really Monterey is a very dark place now. A lot of witchcraft and the Wiccan community has really, taken over there. And we can't let that happen in Virginia. We can't let that happen in Virginia. Jane? Wicca has no home here in Virginia. Well, in any case, to be clear, that claim was quickly debunked by local press. An outlet called Monterey County now concluded, quote, Monterey and Pacific Grove are not overrun in darkness, and they are not cursed.

The only thing cursed is cow's campaign, as long as he keeps going around making weird claims. I mean, as far as I know, Monterey is only overrun by one thing, and that's otters. And I love otters. An otter never put a hex on anybody who didn't deserve it. I've been saying this for years. Now, in a continuing series I call things I never thought I'd say, the oil shortage caused by the Iran War is having consequences for everyone, including people who use condoms. You heard me. Condoms. Here's the BBC explaining how Trump's ego war is about to ruin your sex life. The world's biggest condom maker,

Karex, which produces more than 5 billion condoms each year. Supplying brands like Jurex and Trojan, says it will raise its prices by up to 30% or more. Why? Because of disruption caused by the Iran wars. Karex relies on materials derived from oil, including ammonia, which is used to preserve latex and silicone-based lubricants. Karex's chief executive, Go Mia Kiat, said, for condoms has risen about 30% this year.

He told Bloomberg that in bad times, the need to use condoms is even more. Because you're uncertain with your future, whether you still have a job next year. Okay. Why is that this news sounds even weirder and more dystopian in that British accent? I don't know. And I don't know why saying condom in a British accent is so funny. But, you know, point still stands. This is weird.

Look, you know things have gotten truly weird when Trump's war accidentally blows up our nation's supply of condoms. I mean, what's next? What is next, Jane, beer pong, glow sticks, are bong prices about to shoot through the roof? If this hits the glitter economy, we will never hear the end of it. As always, thanks for hanging out, Greg. Good to see you, Jane. And that's the news. Before we go, we're excited to.

announce something big to our beloved members of the Crooked Media Extended Universe. Last year, the first ever CrookedCon blew our expectations out of the water. This year, we'll be coming out of the midterms and heading into a presidential election where the stakes will be total. So we realized, we're going to need a bigger CrookedCon. Join us for a bigger, and yes, we're saying it, even better CrookedCon, this November, 5th or 7th in Washington, D.C. We're talking bigger stages, more panels, more ways to plug in where you're needed most, and more opportunities to connect with people who believe a better America is worth fighting for. In the days following the midterm elections, we're going to have a lot to

learn, and even more to do to prepare us for the two years ahead, so we'll need all hands on deck. So head to crookedcon.com and sign up for all the updates to come, like ticket release dates, dates, lineup announcements, and more. We'll be there, and so should you. That's all for today. If you like the show, make sure you subscribe, leave a review. Don't look inside the wrappings of ancient mummies and tell your friends to listen. And if you're into reading, and not just about how archaeologists unwrapped a 1600-year-old Egyptian mummy and found a fragment of the Iliad, like me, what a day is also a nightly newsletter. Check it out and subscribe at cucket.com slash subscribe. I'm Jane Koston, and look, I'm sure this is very exciting for those archaeologists,

but obviously that fragment is cursed, and this will all lead to us being haunted by super ghosts who will also recite poetry, and we can't have that. Water Day is a production of Crooked Media. Our show is produced by Caitlin Plummer, Emily Four, Erica Morrison, and Adrian Hill. Our team includes Haley Jones, Greg Walters, Matt Berg, Joseph Dutra, Johanna Case, and Desmond Taylor. Our music is by Kyle Murdoch and Jordan Cantor. We had helped today from the Associated Press. Our production staff is proudly unionized for the Writers Guild of America East.