The David Pakman Show: “Another Jobs Fiasco as 2028 Secret Plan Exposed”

Date: December 4, 2025
Host: David Pakman

Episode Overview

In this episode, David Pakman takes a sharply critical look at the current economic landscape under the Trump administration, focusing especially on the troubling jobs report and growing challenges for small businesses. The episode dissects the Republican narrative about red versus blue states, analyzes collapsing Trump approval ratings, and pulls back the curtain on alarming plans for a possible Trump third term, as promoted by Steve Bannon. There is also a detailed analysis of the blue-collar job crisis, the collapse of the “alpha male” myth in the modern MAGA movement, media misinformation about inflation, and Costco’s lawsuit against the Trump administration over tariffs. Throughout, Pakman maintains his candid, fact-based, and slightly acerbic tone, peppered with memorable critiques and a strong progressive viewpoint.

Key Segments & Discussion Points

The Dire Jobs Situation (02:40–08:27)

• Jobs Data Reality Check:
  The episode opens with a breakdown of newly released ADP job numbers showing a loss of 32,000 private payroll jobs in November, falling well short of the estimated gain of 40,000.

  • "The miss was minus 32,000 jobs in November. ... That is 72,000 jobs short of the estimate." — David Pakman [03:01]

  • CNBC and Fox Business both covered the numbers, but Fox quickly pivoted to other topics, downplaying the bad news.

• Why Jobs Are Being Lost:
  Small businesses are hit hardest, down 120,000 jobs, while medium and large businesses posted gains. Sectors hardest hit: manufacturing, information, and professional business services.

  • "Virtually all of the job losses have come from small business, which has been negative in six of seven months since April. Without those losses, ADP numbers would actually be positive. But you can't ... exclude small business." — CNBC Analyst [03:22]

• Political Patterns of Job Growth:
  Pakman contextualizes the numbers historically, noting a strong pattern: Democratic presidents consistently outperform Republicans on net job creation.

  • "Under Democratic presidents, the economy creates an average of 164,000 jobs a month, dating all the way back to World War II. Under Republican presidents, ... about 61,000 jobs per month." — David Pakman [07:13]

• Presidents’ Real Influence:
  Pakman reminds listeners that while presidents can’t simply “wave a wand” to create jobs, Trump’s specific actions have predictably negative effects.

  • "We can't really be that surprised that when we have a Republican president ... moving the few levers presidents have ... in a way that will ... reduce [jobs], we can start making an assessment ..." — David Pakman [08:11]

Red State vs. Blue State Economics (08:27–16:32)

• The “Move to Red States” Fallacy:
  Pakman criticizes right-wing commentators, notably Scott Besant, who promote relocating to red states for marginal cost-of-living reductions while ignoring factors like lower salaries and worse public services.

  • “[Besant] was proposing for a savings of $25 a month, uproot your family to a state that … pays lower salaries, has inferior education and less access to health care. Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.” — David Pakman [09:00]

• Inflation & Cost of Living Debate:
  Pakman shares a heated debate between Besant and Andrew Ross Sorkin about whether inflation is worse in blue or red states. The host points out the flaws in Besant’s short-term logic and offers context on why blue states are more expensive (higher demand, higher wages):

  • “Blue states are more expensive because there is on average more demand and people make more money in those blue states.” — David Pakman [12:43]

• Benefits of Blue State Living:
  Pakman notes higher-quality public services, infrastructure, education, health care, wages, and innovation as reasons people “vote with their feet” for blue states, despite higher living costs.

  • “Labor standards are better, more worker protections, better public services ... amenities are more desirable, public schools are better, public transit is better, … culture is on average more rich.” — David Pakman [14:38]

Trump’s Polling Catastrophe (16:32–26:24)

• Historic Approval Lows:
  Citing Gallup, Pakman details Trump’s cratering approval:

  • “Donald Trump's approval has hit yet another low of 36%. … the lowest ... this entire term ... and as low as right after the January 6 riots.” — David Pakman [17:20]

  • Democrats: 3% (!!) approval

  • Independents: 25% approval

  • Even among Republicans: down to 84% — "the worst support among Republicans that Donald Trump has ever had."

• Implications for Midterms:
  Pakman muses on potential historic losses for Republicans in the upcoming congressional elections, likening structural disadvantages and polling to “genetic predispositions” that require strategic “nurturing” from activists for maximum impact. [23:45]

The “Secret” 2028 Third-Term Plan (26:24–32:04)

• Steve Bannon’s Alarming Rhetoric:
  Pakman features a clip where Steve Bannon openly claims Trump will serve a third term, despite the 22nd Amendment, hinting at plans to “redefine terms.”

  • [QUOTE] "There’s many different alternatives. At the appropriate time, we'll lay out what the plan is. But there's a plan and President Trump will be the president in 28. … He's a vehicle of divine providence … We need him for at least one more term." — Steve Bannon [26:24–27:11]

• Normalization & Authoritarian Trial Balloon:
  Pakman highlights how Bannon works to normalize the unthinkable, “soft-launch” authoritarianism, and test the MAGA base’s loyalty, warning about long-term attempts to seize institutions rather than follow democratic norms.

  • “You are conditioning people to think these rules don’t really matter ... If it was legal, they wouldn’t need a plan … this is the language of people who know the plan isn’t legal.” — David Pakman [28:00]

Blue Collar Job Collapse (34:09–44:57)

• Promises vs. Reality:
  Trump’s campaign promises of a “blue collar renaissance” are juxtaposed with new data: four out of five key blue-collar sectors have lost jobs, with only minor gains in construction offset elsewhere.

  • “The blue collar sectors are not only not booming, they are shrinking, they are collapsing, they are diminishing at a, an accelerating rate under the President and under the administration that said, hey, we’re going to protect these jobs.” — David Pakman [34:09]

• Causes:

  • Tariffs (“rhymes with barracks”) are creating massive uncertainty and suppressing investment.

  • Restrictive immigration policies constrict labor supply in construction.

  • Long-term secular trends: manufacturing jobs are disappearing and are unlikely to return, regardless of policy—unless companies raise wages significantly.

  • "There is no industry out there that is going ... 'these tariffs have really helped us.’" — Dean Baker, cited by Pakman [38:00]

  • "Hundreds of thousands of manufacturing jobs open right now ... part of it is people don't like the wages. Part of it is a skill gap." — David Pakman [41:54]

• Project 2025 & Labor Weakening:
  Pakman links collapsing blue-collar opportunities to Project 2025, suggesting the GOP wants a more desperate, less organized workforce.

  • “That collapse in blue collar employment is effectively creating a captive and desperate workforce force, and that’s what large corporations want.” — David Pakman [42:50]

The “Alpha Male” Illusion in MAGA (44:57–51:06)

• Parodying Right-Wing Masculinity:
  Pakman skewers the MAGA movement’s obsession with “alpha males,” citing a viral video of Pete Hegseth, JD Vance, and Stephen Miller trying to project “strength.”

  • “In reality, it’s all kind of bootlicking intellectual surrender ... what unifies them … is that they are completely subservient to one person. And that one guy is obese and covers his entire body in makeup … doesn’t exercise, and is, quite frankly, the image of what the prototypical alpha male seeks not to look like.” — David Pakman [48:58]

• Hypocrisy and The Redefinition of Alpha:
  The “alpha” is now defined less by strength and more by willingness to unquestioningly serve Trump.

  • "Instead of being alpha for having strength, they want to be seen as alpha for essentially being vassals.” — David Pakman [51:00]

Media Lies about Inflation (52:05–55:34)

• Fox News Misinformation:
  Pakman plays a short Fox News clip with Kayleigh McEnany falsely claiming, “it was 9.1% inflation, Trump brought it down to the 3% range.” [52:38]

  • Pakman deconstructs this misleading talking point, noting:
    • Inflation peaked at 9% during COVID under Biden.
    • Inflation then dropped (mostly pre-Trump), and has hovered around 2.4–3.5% for two years.
    • "If inflation is okay now, it must have been okay for that entire latter part of Biden's presidency. Or if it was a problem at the end of Biden’s presidency, it must still be a problem now, because it’s the same. Which is it?” — David Pakman [55:00]

• Memorable Analogy:
  “Imagine you are on the highway driving 75 mph and slow down to 60. … You have brought your speed down but you are still moving forward toward your destination. ... Similarly, if inflation goes from 4 to 3, inflation has come down, but prices are still going up." — David Pakman [55:43]

Costco Sues Trump Over Tariffs (55:35–end)

• Why Costco is Suing:
  Costco and other major companies are suing the Trump administration, claiming tariffs were illegally imposed under "national emergency" pretense—impacting businesses and raising prices for everyday Americans.

  • "Trump said the tariffs would punish China. And they punished Costco, they punished American businesses, they punished American consumers." — David Pakman [57:52]

• Irreversible Harm:
  Even if tariffs are repealed, some economic damage can't be undone—China has found new trade partners.

• Supreme Court Angle:
  The Supreme Court may rule against the tariffs, resulting in potential hundreds of billions in refunds—posing a massive problem for Trump.

  • "The most worker friendly, customer-protecting … retailer in the United States is saying, the policies failed and we want our money back." — David Pakman [59:45]

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “[Trump’s] approval is now as low as it has ever been … other than the last two weeks of his first term, meaning right after the January 6 riots, which is a very unusual situation.” — David Pakman [17:20]
• “Bannon is doing three things here. One, normalizing the idea of a third term by continuing to talk about it… Two, he's testing the base. …Three, it is just more of this kind of soft launching authoritarianism.” — David Pakman [28:00]
• “The blue collar sectors are not only not booming, they are shrinking, … under the administration that said, hey, we’re going to protect these jobs.” — David Pakman [34:09]
• “You are conditioning people to think these rules don’t really matter. They shouldn’t matter. Don’t worry about it.” — David Pakman [28:00]
• "The dominant men in this ecosystem end up being those who command the most profound level of fealty from their subordinates ... The alpha male has been redefined as the man most willing to suck up to the right people." — David Pakman [51:00]

Where to Find What

• Jobs crisis coverage: 02:40–08:27
• Red vs. blue state debate: 08:27–16:32
• Trump polling collapse: 16:32–26:24
• Steve Bannon/2028 plan: 26:24–32:04
• Blue-collar job collapse: 34:09–44:57
• Alpha male/MAGA critique: 44:57–51:06
• Media disinformation on inflation: 52:05–55:34
• Costco & tariffs lawsuit: 55:35–end

Tone and Takeaway

Pakman’s delivery is incisive, highly critical of Trump and the Republican Party, and often wryly humorous. He focuses on factual analysis and debunking of right-wing talking points, blends in historical data, and frequently challenges listeners to think critically about political rhetoric and policy outcomes.

Listeners will come away with:

• A deep understanding of why current economic conditions are grim, especially for workers and small businesses
• Insight into the mechanisms and risks of creeping authoritarianism
• A clear debunking of right-wing economic and cultural narratives around jobs, inflation, and masculinity
• A warning about the “trial balloons” being floated around Trump’s possible 2028 run and post-constitutional rhetoric