Part Of The Problem — 2025 Year End Recap

Host: Dave Smith
Co-host: Robbie "The Fire" Bernstein
Date: December 31, 2025

Episode Overview

In their annual tradition, Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein take a deep dive into the biggest political and cultural events of 2025. They reflect on the rapid developments of the past year, analyze the collapse of Trump’s political coalition, the mainstreaming of alternative media, the exposure of the Israel Lobby, and more, all with their trademark mix of sharp insights and irreverent humor.

Major Themes & Discussion Points

1. The Three Biggest Stories of 2025

00:59–04:39

• Based on Dave’s audience poll, the overwhelming top stories were:
  • The Charlie Kirk assassination
  • The Epstein “hoax” revelations and ensuing coverup
  • The US-Iran conflict (and, conflated with Gaza/Israel)

Dave Smith [03:19]: “At the risk of sounding like an anti-Muslim bigot, they [Gaza and Iran] kind of feel like the same story, you know what I mean? Like, there’s just... obviously it’s Israeli wars with US backing/slash involvement.”

• Robbie and Dave employ heavy sarcasm mocking establishment narratives around Epstein and foreign policy.
  • Robbie: “Epstein was a hoax. And we've got a million documents proving that it was a hoax.” [03:56]
  • Dave: “I just got off the phone with the President and he informed me that Gaza is a hoax... There’s nothing next to... there’s nothing in between Egypt and Israel.” [04:15]

2. The Collapse of Trump’s Second Administration

04:46–13:30

• 2025 started with Trump’s historic comeback, forming a new coalition appealing to youth and culture.
• By year’s end, Trump’s administration, media backing, and base all fractured.

Dave Smith [06:13]: "Donald Trump came into the year... the greatest political comeback story in American history... And man, like, did 2025 for Donald Trump... come in like a lion and is going out like a lamb. I mean, now after one year later and Donald Trump is just left humiliated."

• Key moments leading to the collapse:
  • Mishandling the Epstein files (damaged Trump’s aura most)
  • Failed foreign policy in Iran/Gaza and broken promises of non-intervention
  • Broad dissatisfaction over the economy, met with dismissive messaging identical to Biden's previous talking points

Dave Smith [09:58]: “His response was... the identical ridiculous propaganda that Joe Biden just the previous year... had been running on the entire year: ‘Why is the economy so bad? Because it’s not. And you’re stupid. And you haven’t seen these charts and graphs that tell you it’s actually really good.’ Just a horrible losing message.”

3. Israel, Gaza, and the Rise of the Israel Lobby Exposure

13:30–18:39

• Dave notes a shift: 2024 exposed Israeli actions against Palestinians, but 2025 revealed the machinery of the Israel Lobby in the US—APAC, think tanks, and pro-Israel commentators losing legitimacy.
• Public sentiment turned as media narratives became untenable.

Robbie Bernstein [17:24]: “You can go into a restaurant wearing a mask, but once you sit down, you could take it off... I think we’ve hit a threshold with what Israel’s been doing in Gaza... Most individuals look at that and go, ‘no one should be allowed to do that.’”

• Major right-wing media personalities—Ben Shapiro, Mark Levin—lost immense subscriber counts in the process.

4. The Fall of the Corporate Press & Rise of Independent Media

18:39–32:56

• 2025: The first full year where legacy media (CNN, MSNBC, etc.) no longer holds a “mainstream” monopoly.
  • Trump’s 2024 win, driven by online/alternative media, forced mainstream media to acknowledge their lost influence.

Dave Smith [19:21]: “After the election, at 24, CNN was saying, ‘we got to find our own Joe Rogan’. The Democrats needed a Joe Rogan... In a way, 2025 was the first full year where there’s no illusions anymore that ‘we are the captain now. We are the media now,’ as Elon Musk said.”

• Fox News, after losing Tucker Carlson, is at half its previous influence in the conservative sphere.
• Discussion of big media investments failing to show results:
  • Robbie: “They just gave $130 million to Barry Weiss... does she bring in $130 million worth of value?” [28:17]
  • Dave: “...You bought the name. Well, the name, the brand is the worst part of it, man. It’s any one of those brands or like a terrible brand to own.” [31:02]

5. Alternate Debate Culture and Soft Censorship

32:56–41:41

• New censorship campaigns targeting alternative hosts and right-wing personalities.
• Efforts for “soft censorship” and pressure on platforms (e.g., Joe Rogan, Nick Fuentes, Candace Owens) illustrate establishment insecurity.
• "Buying up" failing legacy outlets—an implicit admission of losing the “information war.”
• Example: Barry Weiss accused of spiking critical stories unless adding “more context,” aligning with admin censorship tactics.

6. Government Waste, Fraud, and Proposed Solutions

45:13–47:08

• Robbie proposes citizen-driven anti-fraud incentives: 5% finder’s fee to sleuths/lawyers who uncover fraud in government spending; solution aims to root out waste via crowdsourced accountability.

7. "Gayest Debate Opponent" & Personal Year-in-Review

50:54–58:25

• Dave, with irreverent humor, ranks his debate opponents of the year:

  • Winner: Alex Berenson
  • Honorable mentions: Josh Hammer, Douglas Murray, Dave Rubin (for dodging debates)
  • Mockery of failed debate tactics (“gay tricks” = evading real discussion)

  Robbie [52:16]: “Douglas Murray didn’t even debate you. He just went, ‘I’m a gay man and I’m going to play gay tricks.’” Dave [52:42]: “Gay tricks don’t work on me, bro. A lot better gays than Douglas Murray have tried those—doesn’t work on me.”

• Praises good-faith opponents (Coleman Hughes, Konstantin Kisin) and thanks listeners and supporters.

8. The Charlie Kirk Assassination

61:28–64:03

• Largest political assassination in recent US history.
• Created cultural shockwaves; increased scrutiny of Turning Point USA, spawned conspiracy theories.
• Dave notes the vacuum led to a surge in popularity for Candace Owens, Nick Fuentes.
• Long-term impact still unknown—seen as part of the Israel Lobby’s exposure.

9. The ‘Epstein Hoax’ & Unfinished Scandals

64:03–64:19

• Robbie jokes about hoping for the full Epstein story to break in 2026, quipping wildly about a “Bridget Macron sex tape” as an example of the year’s bizarre, unresolved stories.

10. Legacy & Outlook

64:21–67:28

• Recounts a particularly satisfying “Wormser meltdown” (neocon architect of Iraq war threatening to call cops over harsh criticism).
• Plug for Scott Horton Academy for deep dives into foreign policy “criminals.”
• Dave thanks audience, co-host Robbie, and producer Natalie.
• Looks ahead optimistically to 2026: “Let’s go have another one in 2026, man. What do you say?” [67:26]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Dave Smith [06:13]: “Trump came in like a lion and is going out like a lamb.”
• Robbie Bernstein [17:24]: “There are certain things that you can’t lie away. And we hit that threshold with COVID… I think we’ve hit a threshold with what Israel’s been doing in Gaza…”
• Dave Smith [19:21]: “There’s no illusions anymore that we are the captain now. We are the media now, as Elon Musk said.”
• Robbie Bernstein [28:17]: “They just gave $130 million to Barry Weiss... do you think she was worth that investment?”
• Dave Smith [31:02]: “You bought the name… the brand is the worst part of it, man. They’re known as the enemy of the American people who lie us into wars and lockdowns.”
• Dave Smith [55:50]: “Murray’s was particularly bad... it was just like a moment that had arrived because I had a pretty monster year... you got to debate their best guy, you know.. And then as you said, he just didn’t want to debate. He just wanted to do nothing but gay tricks.”

Brief Timeline (Timestamps)

• [00:59]–[04:39]: Top three stories identified; humor and sarcasm toward establishment narratives.
• [04:46]–[13:30]: Trump’s historic reentry and administration collapse.
• [13:30]–[18:39]: Israel’s loss of moral standing, exposure of Lobby, right-wing media meltdown.
• [18:39]–[32:56]: Decline of corporate press, rise of decentralized/alt-media.
• [32:56]–[41:41]: Legacy media’s failed adjustments, growing preference for independent analysis.
• [45:13]–[47:08]: Robbie’s proposal for fraud-fighting bounty.
• [50:54]–[58:25]: Recap of Dave’s debates, humor around opponents.
• [61:28]–[64:03]: Charlie Kirk’s assassination and implications.
• [64:21]–[67:28]: “Wormser meltdown,” audience gratitude, prepping for 2026.

Memorable Moments

• Dave and Robbie's Satire on Official Narratives:
  (“Gaza is a hoax. No such place. Never did exist.” — Dave [04:15])
• Meta-commentary on Media Landscape:
  (“We are the media now, as Elon Musk said.” — Dave [19:21])
• Personal Touch & Gratitude:
  (“It was the best year for this show by far... just excited to go into 2026 and... make this year even bigger than last year.” — Dave [58:25])

Conclusion

The 2025 year-end episode of Part Of The Problem offers a robust, candid, and often hilarious look at political upheaval, narrative collapses, the death spiral of legacy media, and the ongoing reconfiguration of American political coalitions. With sharp analysis, in-jokes, and strong libertarian skepticism, Dave Smith and Robbie Bernstein paint a vivid picture of a tumultuous year—leaving listeners ready (and perhaps a bit hopeful) for whatever 2026 throws their way.