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Bill Kristol: They're F*cking Thieves

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Cite

Miller, T. (2026, September 28). Bill Kristol: They're F*cking Thieves. The Bulwark. https://www.thebulwark.com/p/bill-kristol-theyre-fuking-thieves

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

The Bulwark · collected 2026-09-28 · by Tim Miller commentary

Quick Summary

Bill Kristol criticizes the Trump administration for using taxpayer funds to air political advertisements during NFL games on Sundays, which he contends is illegal based on congressional funding restrictions. The article also includes updates from an event in Dayton where attendees made donations to support Haitian immigrants and features interviews and discussions about various political topics with Tim Miller and guest speaker Patrick Gaspard.
Written by AI on 2026-09-28, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

In mid-October 2018, the Trump administration began airing a series of ads on major networks like Fox News and CBS that praised President Trump's achievements. These ads were funded by taxpayer money and included phrases such as "Paid for by the U.S. Government." The first ad aired on Fox News, denouncing communism while highlighting domestic manufacturing, tax cuts, and law enforcement support.

The ad featured images of Trump at various events with patriotic music in the background and text stating, “America will never be a communist country.” It drew criticism from Democrats like Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who accused it of violating federal rules against using government funds for political campaigns. Raskin said such use could constitute "felony criminal theft" and violate the Hatch Act.

By October 19, AdImpact reported that spending on these ads had increased from $14,000 to $430,000 over three days, running in markets across the country. The White House defended the ad as a "public service announcement," arguing it was educational and patriotic rather than political.

Critics argue that with midterm elections approaching, these ads blur the line between government messaging and campaign propaganda, raising concerns about ethical violations and misuse of taxpayer dollars.

Written for “Taxpayer Funded Pro-Trump Ads” on 2026-10-31, grounded in this article and the 43 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Taxpayer Funded Pro-Trump Ads
Politics · 44 article(s) covering the same event. Compare every outlet's account →

Compared with similar articles

This article reads leans left and hedges 0% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.
The Straits Times
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 0 of 17 claims Outlet record 66/100
TIME
Hedges 3 of 36 claims Outlet record 59/100
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 5 of 81 claims
The Bulwark
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 2 of 72 claims
The Independent
⚖️ Leans left Hedges 2 of 29 claims Outlet record 59/100
Washington Examiner
⚖️ Leans right further right than this Hedges 3 of 19 claims Outlet record 70/100
“Article A describes Bill Kristol's criticism of the Trump administration using taxpayer funds for campaign ads during NFL games, while Article B reports on President Trump defending these ads in response to critics.”
CBS News
Hedges 0 of 2 claims Outlet record 66/100
The Guardian
Hedges 3 of 30 claims Outlet record 66/100
“Article A discusses Senator John Kennedy criticizing taxpayer-funded Trump ads on CBS News, while Article B is a commentary by Bill Kristol regarding stolen tax dollars for campaign ads during NFL games.”
Zeteo
⚖️ Leans strongly left further left than this Hedges 4 of 23 claims
“While both articles discuss taxpayer-funded campaign ads by the Trump administration, Article A specifically focuses on a single incident of running such an ad during NFL games on Sunday, while Article B refers to a broader pattern and ongoing efforts leading up to midterms without specifying that particular Sunday's event.”
How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted
15
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
expected in commentary, which argues a position · beta estimate
Publisher signals
not measured
these signals count newsroom corrections; Commentary has none to count
Outlets on this story
44
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-09-28 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability
Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

The Bulwark · 560 article(s) · 0 correction(s) detected
No corrections detected for this publisher. That may mean careful reporting, or simply that nothing has been checked.

Who wrote this

Tim Miller
65 article(s) here · 0 carrying a prediction
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🔮 The gang runs through the whole Senate map and how big the Democratic wave could get, then they react to reports that Pete Hegseth has his eye on Marsha Blackburn’s Senate seat.
🔮 Plus: The Bulwark and "Pablo Torre Finds Out" teamed up for a new poll on the intersection of sports and politics, Pablo shares the skinny on how Vivek is exactly the kind of person who would use that ad against Amy Acton, Republicans are using straight racism as their closing message against El-Sayed, Hegseth's High T schtick is landing with no one, Trump can't quit his obsession with Comey, and Clay Travis stole his Cheesecake Factory valor.
🔮 Elon Musk threatens The Bulwark, a MAGA candidate’s humiliating videos resurface, and Mike Rogers defends Trump’s war. Tim Miller responds to Elon Musk’s threats to The Bulwark’s after Musk said “if you want to live by the sword, that is how they will die too.”
🔮 GOP Senate Candidate Mike Collins Has Some Explaining to Do | The Trio Tim Miller, Sam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes on the latest chaos from the MAGA universe. Tim Miller, Sam Stein and Will Sommer give their takes on the latest chaos from the MAGA universe.
🔮 They discuss Sarah’s interview with Pete Buttigieg, why Jon Ossoff might be history’s choice for 2028 whether he likes it or not.
🔮 Plus: The obsession at Fox over Abdul El-Sayed is getting embarrassing, Mike Rogers is a POS, Tim and Bill share their new round of long shots (in North Carolina and Mississippi), and the tech oligarchs will be among the last to break with Trump.
2026-10-19 · assertive framing · Bill Kristol: You Can't Hide Your Lyin' Eyes, JD
🔮 Recorded live in Columbia, South Carolina, on October 16, 2026, Tim Miller, Sam Stein, and Will Sommer take a hilarious tour through the latest MAGA madness: Kimberly Guilfoyle’s increasingly messy scandals, Tucker Carlson’s inexplicable horse commentary, James O’Keefe’s $3,000 journalism awards, the mystery of $60,000 in missing beef, and the growing civil war among young Republicans.
🔮 Plus: Tim Miller explains why Trump’s final years could be his most dangerous.
🔮 Sam Stein, Tim Miller, and Will Sommer give an update on the MAGA influencers caught pushing a false story about Texas Democrat James Talarico, and why those behind the smear may face few consequences.
Also by Tim Miller
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 65 articles by Tim Miller →

Topics

Bulwark Dayton Haitian NFL The Bulwark Daily

Subjects

Bill Kristol PERSON · 2× NFL ORG · 2× Patrick Gaspard PERSON · 2× The Bulwark Daily ORG · 2× Tim PERSON · 2× Trump PERSON · 2× Bulwark ORG · 1× Dayton GPE · 1× Democratic NORP · 1× Haitian NORP · 1×

Narrative

Plus: Tim and Bill launch a new segment on longshot picks to back in the midterms, Trump is being unbelievably irresponsible on AI, the media is still not talking about the Iranian green card-holding family being held at the Dilley detention center, and Americans need a reminder of the Parable of the Good Samaritan.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-28
2026-09-28 · The Bulwark
Bill Kristol: They're F*cking Thieves · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 0 hedged)

Bill Kristol: They're F*cking Thieves asserted
They → f*cke → ?
The Trump administration stole our tax dollars to run a campaign ad during NFL games on Sunday. asserted
administration → steal → Sunday
The Trump administration stole our tax dollars to run a campaign ad during NFL games on Sunday. asserted
administration → steal → Sunday
They're also breaking the law on congressional funding appropriations—and enjoying rubbing the public's face in all the illegality they're getting away with. asserted
they → break → illegality
In Dayton, The Bulwark had its largest live show ever, and the community came through in a huge way with donations for Haitian immigrants in Springfield. asserted
community → have → Springfield
For a taste of the event, we're sharing Tim's interview with Democratic strategist Patrick Gaspard. asserted
we → share → Gaspard
Plus: Tim and Bill launch a new segment on longshot picks to back in the midterms, Trump is being unbelievably irresponsible on AI, the media is still not talking about the Iranian green card-holding family being held at the Dilley detention center, and Americans need a reminder of the Parable of the Good Samaritan. asserted
Americans → launch → Samaritan
Bill Kristol and Patrick Gaspard join Tim Miller. asserted
Kristol → join → Miller
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
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