4/11/25: Experts worry Trump is insane, Fox realizes tariffs hurt people

Summary

The David Pakman Show Episode Summary: April 11, 2025 Title: Experts worry Trump is insane, Fox realizes tariffs hurt people

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I. Experts Question Donald Trump's Mental Stability and Economic Judgment

In this episode, host David Pakman delves into growing concerns among Wall Street analysts and institutional fund managers regarding former President Donald Trump's mental stability and decision-making capabilities. Citing a report from financial research firm FS Insights, Pakman highlights alarming statements from the firm's founder, Tom Lee.

"[00:07] Tom Lee: In the last few days, we have had many conversations with macro fund managers and their concern is that the White House is not acting rationally, but rather on ideology. And some even fear that this may not even be ideology. A few have quietly wondered if the President might be insane."

Pakman emphasizes that these concerns stem not from partisan bias but from the tangible impact of Trump's erratic economic policies, particularly his handling of tariffs on China. The unpredictability of these policies has led to significant market volatility, leaving experts questioning whether Trump's actions are ideologically driven or indicative of deeper cognitive issues.

II. The Turbulent Tariff Saga and Its Economic Fallout

Trump's imposition of a 125% tariff on Chinese goods, followed by a sudden reduction to a flat 10%, has created chaos in the global markets. Pakman illustrates the resulting instability:

"[02:15] David Pakman: Trump declared victory even though it was only a partial recovery. The result is, of course, pure market chaos. Markets crashed, spiked. Down 1500 points, S&P up 7% in minutes."

Prominent figures across the political spectrum have voiced their concerns:

• Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, predicts a looming recession.
• Bill Ackman, a billionaire Trump donor, warns of an "economic nuclear war" with long-term repercussions.
• Elon Musk publicly opposed the tariffs, emphasizing their detrimental impact.
• Ben Shapiro and Ted Cruz also expressed skepticism about the efficacy of Trump's tariff strategies.

These voices underscore a bipartisan recognition that Trump's tariff policies are detrimental to the American economy, contradicting his rhetoric that they are beneficial.

III. Tulsi Gabbard's Residency and Voting Anomalies

Another significant topic discussed is Tulsi Gabbard's questionable residency status. A CNN investigation revealed that while Gabbard and her husband declared Texas residency to obtain a homestead tax exemption, she concurrently voted in Hawaii—a violation of voting laws.

"[04:03] David Pakman: Voters are required to have one residence for voting. Hawaii's rules say you claim homestead tax exemption elsewhere. You're presumed not to live in Hawaii, period. You don't vote here. That's what the law says."

This dual residency raises potential legal issues, including possible fraud and ethical breaches within the Trump administration. Pakman highlights the irony that Gabbard, a Trump ally, is implicated in actions that undermine the very voter integrity principles the administration champions.

IV. Trump's Unhinged Social Media Rants and Economic Disarray

Pakman critiques Trump's recent behavior on social media platforms like Truth Central, describing his rants as "unhinged" and devoid of substantive policy discussion. Trump’s erratic statements—ranging from urging businesses to move to the U.S. with promises of deregulation to inconsistent market advice—have further destabilized investor confidence.

"[19:37] David Pakman: Trump continuing Republicans, it is more important now than ever that we pass the one big beautiful bill. The USA will capital S soar like never before."

Pakman points out the lack of coherent economic strategies behind these proclamations, suggesting that Trump's actions verge on stock market manipulation, especially when he encourages buying stocks during periods of decline while holding vested interests in his own ventures.

V. The Dichotomy of Political Inclusion: Left vs. Right

The episode also touches on the broader political landscape, contrasting the inclusive coalition-building strategies of the right with the exclusionary purity tests prevalent on the left. Drawing from Will Storr's "The Status Game," Pakman explains how left-wing movements often prioritize moral purity over loyalty, leading to internal divisions and weakened political influence.

"[15:20] David Pakman: The right accepts all of it until the election in order to win. But what we see on the left often is that if you disagree on one issue even slightly, you'll sometimes end up being treated like you're not really part of the movement at all."

Pakman argues that this approach hampers the left’s ability to build broad-based support, contrasting sharply with the right's strategy of fostering loyalty and coalition despite internal disagreements.

VI. Russell Brand's Sexual Assault Charges and MAGA Loyalty

A significant portion of the discussion centers on comedian and activist Russell Brand, who faces serious charges of rape and sexual assault. Pakman draws parallels between Brand's unfolding legal battle and the MAGA playbook of unwavering loyalty despite allegations.

"[21:10] David Pakman: This is exactly the MAGA playbook. It's the Andrew Taint playbook. Serious Charges come down, you deny, you deflect, you say I'm being persecuted for my political beliefs."

Brand's supporters mirror Trump's base in viewing these charges as politically motivated attacks, thereby reinforcing a culture where loyalty supersedes accountability.

VII. Audience Feedback and Reflections on Political Dynamics

In the latter part of the episode, Pakman engages with audience feedback, addressing misconceptions and criticisms. Notably, listeners commend the show’s ability to provide clear, policy-focused discussions without evading tough questions—a trait they appreciate compared to other media outlets.

"[24:45] Greg Black: I remember you telling everyone that Kamala Toe Harris, so clever, so adult...Greg, I don't know if you've ever seen this show before, but I want to call your attention back to the couple of months leading up to the election."

Pakman also reflects on the enduring impact of Trump's policies on market perceptions and voter behavior, suggesting that the economic turmoil has irreparably damaged Trump's reputation, even as his base remains steadfastly loyal.

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Conclusion

This episode of The David Pakman Show provides a comprehensive analysis of the tumultuous political and economic climate shaped by Donald Trump's leadership style and policies. Through expert opinions, factual reporting, and critical commentary, Pakman underscores the precarious state of the U.S. economy, the erosion of political accountability, and the deepening divisions within American political discourse.

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Notable Quotes:

• "A few have quietly wondered if the President might be insane." — Tom Lee, FS Insights [00:07]
• "Trump declared victory even though it was only a partial recovery." — David Pakman [02:15]
• "I can't believe I'm saying this in April of 2025, but the president still seems to be confused between an insane asylum and political asylum." — David Pakman [05:50]
• "This is exactly the MAGA playbook." — David Pakman [21:10]

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Key Topics Covered:

• Donald Trump's mental stability and irrational economic policies
• The disastrous effects of Trump's tariff strategies on the U.S. economy
• Tulsi Gabbard's residency and voting irregularities within the Trump administration
• Trump's erratic behavior on social media and its impact on market confidence
• The strategic differences between left and right political movements regarding inclusion and purity
• Russell Brand's sexual assault charges and the MAGA-inspired loyalty response
• Audience feedback highlighting the show's strengths in policy discussion and communication

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For More Information: To stay updated with The David Pakman Show, subscribe to the newsletter at david pakman.com or follow the show on your preferred podcast platform.

Transcript

[David Pakman]

Well, welcome everybody. If you thought the English language couldn't take any more abuse after watching Donald Trump's latest public appearance. Just you wait. This week, a flood of Wall street analysts and institutional fund managers basically said out loud what many of us have been wondering about for years. Donald Trump might not just be wrong on this whole tariff thing. He might be mentally unwell. Not my words. Ok, this is a direct quote from financial research firm FS Insights, whose founder, Tom Lee said that there are fund managers now fearing that the President is, quote, insane. Check this out. Quote, quote. In the last few days, we have had many conversations with macro fund managers and their concern is that the White House is not acting rationally, but rather on ideology. And some even fear that this may not even be ideology. A few have quietly wondered if the President might be insane. This is not just snark. This is people whose job is to make money under any administration. And they are publicly sounding the alarm because Trump's latest economic decisions make zero sense. Unless you're either deliberately trying to destroy market confidence, you've lost touch with reality, or it's an insider trading pump and dump scheme the likes of which Senator Adam Schiff wants to investigate. Trump. Trump dropped new tariffs on China 125% because why not? China fired back with their own tariffs. And then in classic Trump fashion, as we talked about yesterday, he abruptly reverses course and pauses most tariffs except on China, announcing a flat 10% baseline tariff instead. But it's paused. The result is, of course, pure market chaos. Markets crashed, spiked. Trump declared victory even though it was only a partial recovery. Then another disaster, down 1500 points, S&P, up 7% in minutes. When the pause is announced, whiplash and sort of a bipolar nature doesn't even start to describe it. Tom Lee calls it a binary outcome presidency. Either Trump guesses right and this somehow works out, or the economy explodes, that there's no in between. There's no planning, there's no structure, there's no economic modeling of the things that are being pushed by this administration. And that might be the most terrifying part, that this might not be ideology. This might merely be, and I say merely, almost like it wouldn't be as bad, but it's actually very bad. This might merely be impulsive, erratic, increasingly detached behavior from a guy holding the global economy in a Twitter thumb, from lack of a better term, an X thumb. And it is not just left wing economists waving red flags. You've got people all over the place. I mean, you know, Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase said he thinks a recession is likely. A billionaire Trump donor Bill Ackman called it an economic nuclear war that could take decades to recover from. Elon Musk split with Trump earlier this week and said he wants zero tariffs and said he's against the trade war altogether. And even right wing media darling Ben Shapiro said the tariffs are no good. He said much more than that. Ted Cruz urged Trump to take a deal. Barstool Sports's Dave Portnoy, not a bleeding heart liberal, said he's down $7 million and can't understand what the hell is going on. So we should be clear that this is not like a leftist fever dream. This is Trump's own allies saying what has become very obvious. He doesn't know what he's doing. There's no master plan. And increasingly, people are starting to wonder, is Trump capable of even understanding what he's doing now? Meanwhile, while the markets were melting down, Trump was on troth central, doing what he always does when things go south. You know, be cool, start buying stocks right now. Weirdly joking about the size of Adam Schiff's neck and head. Not an exaggeration. While major global economies were retaliating with tariffs on soybeans, beef, car parts, Trump was riffing about whether it's Crooked Joe or Sleepy Joe. And does Adam Schiff's head look more like a watermelon or a papaya? And meanwhile, ICE is comparing mass deportations to Amazon prime deliveries. Not a joke. And half of the lawyers in Trump's own DOJ are resigning rather than defending this insanity in court. This is just what governance looks like in 2025. Erratic economic policy, purges at the DOJ, mass deportations, personal insults, and a stock market that's like a seesaw. Mostly down, mostly down. So I don't know, maybe if you're a billionaire hedge fund manager and you're wondering if the president has lost his mind, it's no longer political. It's just survival instincts at this point. But this is exactly what we predicted. It's authoritarian, it's incompetent, it's deranged, it's a lot of things. But the one thing we know is missing here is some kind of master plan. I can't believe I'm saying this in April of 2025, but the president still seems to be confused between an insane asylum and political asylum. I know, I know. It's. How is this reality? Donald Trump, when doing this whole thing about how stocks are up and he paused the tariffs and it's Such a big victory. He once again seems not to understand the difference between an insane asylum, or what we might call an inpatient psychiatric, psychiatric hospital and seeking political asylum. Take a listen of them were murderers.

[Donald Trump]

And drug lords and thieves and people from prisons from all over the world. And there were people from mental institutions, insane asylums. They were taking, they were taking their mentally insane and they were dumping them into the, into our country. And I'll tell you, Tom Holman and Kristi Noem are doing a fantastic job in removing them. And now the courts, the Supreme Court just gave us numerous good rulings where we have to be able to get them out. You had other judges trying to take over the system. And think of it, they take over, they want these people coming back trend. Iraqwa from Venezuela. Iraqwa, the Venezuela jails. That cut off the fingers of a man in Colorado that cut off his fingers because he called the police looking for help. They said, did you call the police? He said, yes, I did. Put your hand down. And they cut off the fingers. This is what they want to bring these people back now.

[David Pakman]

So listen, let me explain to you what this is all about. And some of you may recall that this kind of started with Trump talking about Hannibal Lecter and initially nobody could figure out what this was about.

[Donald Trump]

Did anyone ever see the lovely movie Silence of the Lambs? Did you see it? Did you ever hear of Hannibal Lecter? He was a lovely man. He would love to have you for dinner. He will take you. You had many people for dinner. Well, we have a lot of people coming in. They always say, oh, that's terrible that Trump would say he is rambling about Hannibal Lecter. No, I'm not rambling. That's who will. We are allowing people from insane asylums and mental institutions into our country by the tens of thousands.

[David Pakman]

So this, this was confusing from the get go. My best assessment, which now I hear a lot of, a lot of people agreeing with, is that Trump's confused when he hears people are seeking asylum. He thinks it has to do with a so called mental asylum. I believe Trump doesn't understand that when people come to the border seeking asylum, they're not coming from a psychiatric hospital. I don't think Trump understands that. And I will go even further. I don't believe a single journalist since this Hannibal Lecter insane asylum thing started, I'm not aware of a single journalist that has actually asked Trump, do you know the difference between political asylum and insane asylum? Why do you bring up Hannibal Lecter? What, which mental institutions are being Emptied out. And let's figure out once and for all, is Trump talking about this because he doesn't understand that saying I want asylum doesn't mean you're a patient from a psychiatric hospital. I'm convinced that that's what the guy believes. Oh, there's a little problem for Tulsi. Tulsi Gabbard is now Donald Trump's Director of National Intelligence. She swore under oath last year that she is a resident of the state of Texas. And then In November of 2024, she voted in Hawaii. Yes. According to a new CNN investigation, Tulsi Gabbard and her husband bought a house near Austin, Texas. They filed official documents declaring themselves residents of the state of Texas. That also lets them claim a Texas homestead tax exemption. That is something only available in theory to people living in a property as their primary residence, which is where you vote. And then Tulsi Gabbard cast her vote in Hawaii, a state whose voting laws are very clear. If you take a homestead exemption somewhere else like Texas, that's a signal that you have abandoned your Hawaii residency, meaning you can't vote here, here. So what's going on here? Because either Tulsi lied when she said she was a Texas resident to get the homestead exemption, or she lied by voting in Hawaii after officially moving to Texas. Both things can't be kosher. You can't have it both ways. And to make this even more absurd, Tulsi's lawyers have come up with an explanation. They say, no, no, no, she never meant to stop being a Hawaii resident. Despite the fact that when you swear an oath in Texas that your new house is your permanent home and declare a homestead exemption, you are saying exactly that. Tulsi's lawyers are also saying that the tax break was just to keep her address private. Apparently, it didn't matter that she signed a legal document saying otherwise. So let's pause here to remember Tulsi Gabbard is part of the same Trump administration cadre that has been screaming about voter fraud and election integrity now for a long time. Since she became a maga, Tulsi's been on the whole voter fraud train. Trump has spent years without evidence, claiming that Democrats abuse the system. But now his own intelligence director is pulling of real life. I live in two states when it's convenient sort of thing. Election law experts are sounding the alarm. One said that this raises a bunch of questions. Another said that this can trigger an investigation into either her Hawaii voter registration or her Texas tax tax filing. I would say, why not both? And this is not a technicality. Voters are required to have one residence for voting. 1. Hawaii's rules say you claim homestead tax exemption elsewhere. You're presumed not to live in Hawaii, period. You don't vote here. That's what the law says. And meanwhile, Tulsi Gabbard is spending a lot of time in Texas. She's been on Fox News with the Texas State Capitol in the background. She's filmed at a shooting range outside Austin. She lists her Texas home as her personal residence on every government disclosure. But she hasn't registered to vote in Texas. Why is that? Maybe because she already voted. Maybe just not in the state that she claims to live in. And of course, we already knew she had no business being Director of National Intelligence. And this only reinforces that. Think about if the shoe were on the other foot. If this were a Democrat MAGA world would be meant melting down. There would be congressional hearings, voter fraud, exposed Dem DNI voting in a state where she doesn't live. But it's a Trump official. It's crickets. This isn't a real concern. So we see the pattern. The pattern is always the loudest voices shouting about election integrity are often the ones breaking the rules or at least bending them as far as they can until they snap. Tulsi says she cares about voter fraud. She should look in the mirror. She oh, and this is another amazing detail. She may also have defrauded the va. Tulsi and her husband got a loan on their house in Texas. That loan was executed in 2024. At the time that she got that loan, she applied for Homestead as well. VA loans are for a primary residence. Tulsi's mortgage says by law for these VA loans, this is your primary residence. And yet she's not voting out of this residence. She's voting in Hawaii. Seemingly in contravention to Hawaii's laws about voting residency and homestead exemption. Will this go anywhere? I hate to say it, but probably not. I wish that I could say no. This stuff is taken really seriously. Nothing is taken seriously when it's a Trump official. That's the name of the game. So glad you're with us today. We've got a packed show. Make sure you're getting my newsletter. You can email info@david pakman.com and say, Sign me up, David. Or you can simply sign yourself up@david pakman.com youm'll see where to type in your email. Sort of near the top right of the page. We'll take a quick break and be right back. Today's show is sponsored in part by Lucy Breakers. 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To save about 50% off of the cost of a membership. If you thought that the English language has suffered enough at the hands of Donald Trump, you're right. But buckle up, because Donald Trump went on a truth social rant the likes of which it wasn't just weird truth central. It was unhinged, it was desperate. And even some of Trump's own allies don't know what to say. Let's walk through what is being described even in Republican circles as the social media meltdown of a man who is not well and who knows he's failing and who is desperate to find some purchase for his bad ideas. Trump, quote, this is a great time to move your company into the United States of America. Like Apple and so many others in record numbers are doing. Zero tariffs and almost immediate electrical energy hookups and approvals. No environmental delays. Don't wait. Do it now. Sounds like an infomercial. It really does. And what he's really doing here is saying that the plan is deregulation and corporate giveaways. Will those pesky little regulations about making sure you're not polluting the water that people will drink or the air that people will breathe. Don't worry about that. Bring your company here. We are open and we'll get rid of all of that. And the desperation bleeds through. This is not a presidential tone. It's more meth. Meth motivational speaker sort of sounding. Trump then goes, make America great again. This is just your classic Trump filler. No context, no substance. When he doesn't know what to say, he just presses the MAGA button and hopes it works. Sort of like this.

[Donald Trump]

I love Tesla.

[David Pakman]

When you don't know what to do, you just press the button. Trump continuing Republicans, it is more important now than ever that we pass the one big beautiful bill. The USA will capital S soar like never before. Trump is pushing House Republicans to pass something here. Even Republican leadership is confused as to what Trump is talking about. The one beautiful bill sounds more like a children's book than a piece of legislation. Just vibes, no policy details Trump continuing It is imperative that Republicans in the House pass the tax cut bill. Now our country will boom. Well, you know, Republicans have long wanted to push new corporate tax cuts, but this feels much more like a panic move to try to stimulate a collapsing market with empty rhetoric. Fixing trade and tariffs is a good thing. Trump continues here. Fixing trade and tariffs is a good thing. Jamie Dimon, JPMorgan Chase chairman and CEO on Maria Bartiromo Bartiromo show Trump's pulling a random quote from Jamie Dimon as if it validates his entire economic policy. What he leaves out is that Dimon has warned about Donald Trump's tariff policies in the past. And this is like a cherry picked line from Jamie Dimon which just reeks of insecurity. Okay, more Trump, be cool. Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be better, bigger and better than ever before. Now he's giving stock market advice. The market was in freefall for the fourth straight day when Donald Trump posted be cool. And as the stock market was collapsing, collapsing for that fourth day in a row, Trump posts this is a great time to buy. Donald J. Trump, arguably the most dangerous one yet. Trump explicitly encouraging people to buy stocks in a tanking market while having of course a massive personal financial stake in Truth Social's publicly traded shell company. This is getting into stock manipulation territory. It's not subtle. It's sort of a presidency by troth and it's very, very ugly. It turns out that the trade war has casualties and the casualty is not China, it's Trump's own voters. Fox News aired a segment this week that sort of accidentally did what we might marginally call journalism because they featured a small business owner who used to pay $26,000 in tariffs on imports from China and now is paying a lot more. Here's Fox News referencing a New York Post article. Take a listen to this.

[Maria Bartiromo]

There's an item in the New York Post that we all have in front of us. It's an exclusive story and it talks about how with these 104% tariffs and went into effect, you know, we think that China is going to have to pay for it. But it tells a story of a, a special needs toy importer and when the tariffs went into effect at midnight, his tariff, he's been paying a tariff because he gets stuff from China, $26,000 a year. His, his tariff bill went from $26,000 at midnight to $346,000. And that's money he's got. He's got to come gonna have to come out of his pocket. It sounds like he's going to have to go ahead and close down part of his business. He tried to make toys in the United States, but the tariff on that, his most popular Item, went from 0 to $17 at midnight. And what he told the New York Post is people don't understand the tariff situation. They think just foreign countries are paying for the tariffs. That's not true. Half of the tariffs are being paid for by US Based companies. So when you look at the big numbers and they look good, just remember that according to this guy, half of the small businesses and half of the tariffs are being paid by Americans.

[David Pakman]

Well, I love this idea. According to this person, some of the tariffs on China are paid by American companies. No, not some. All of it. That's what a tariff is. A tariff is a tax on the importing party. This is the lie that Trump sold for years. China's paying the tariffs. That was the whole pitch over and over and over again. Don't worry, China is going to pay. China is going to send us billions. China is going to send us tens of billions, maybe even trillions. Except that's not how tariffs work. It's never been how tariffs work. It never will be. Unless you change tariff to mean something completely different. Who pays? I pay. You pay. Your business pays. You want Chinese parts to assemble your product, going to pay more. Could be double, could be triple. This business owner, I guess, probably voted for Trump. I don't know if they were so surprised. I mean, I don't know that you go crying to the New York Post about tariff hikes if you're a Bernie bro, although I'd love to know a little bit more. And then now you've got the Trump tax, because that what? That's what. This is finally hitting home. Fox didn't mean to expose the truth, but they did. And this is, I believe, just the start, because we are going to see more stories like this. Trump's tariffs are going to slam any industry that relies on Chinese imports. That's electronics, furniture, clothing, small manufacturers of different kinds. And the MAGA cult doesn't really seem to get it. They're starting to blame Trump for the stock market instability. But on the tariffs, most of them are still cheering Trump being so tough on China while their own bank accounts are getting completely and totally obliterated. Fox News host Maria Bartiromo is back with more tariff skepticism. And she wants to know, why are we doing this? She frames it as, people are writing to me, why are you doing this? But Scott Bessant struggles to give a coherent answer as to why are you doing this? Take a look at this, people.

[Donald Trump]

Business leaders are saying to me, why are we doing this? Everyone was very excited about President Trump's agenda. Deregulation, tapping into energy tax cuts and.

[David Pakman]

Now boom, with these tariffs, everything has changed.

[Donald Trump]

Why are we doing this?

[David Pakman]

Well, Maria, I think it's as you said in the last segment, it's all of the above. You know, President Trump was elected with, with a mandate. He's closed the border. So check on that. We so I'm so sorry to have to interrupt. First of all, he's closed the border. The question was why are we doing this? Okay. Secondly, the Trump mandate. Trump got less than 50% of the vote in the November of 2024 election. Now we can argue about hyper partisanship making it difficult to really win any election by that much. Okay, save it. Because we saw the Biden results from 2020. Most of the people who voted in November voted for somebody else. Very difficult to argue that you have a mandate when that's the case. And this doesn't get any better are the doing the very large deportation of people, criminals and people who have overstayed their, their visits, their, their period. So we're in the, they've overstayed their periods. Poor people instead of that. And now President Trump is tackling the trade agenda. And this isn't done in isolation. Oh my goodness. The look on Maria most face right here when Besant can't explain a damn thing about why are we doing this? Tells you just about everything you need to know. What is he even saying? What is the argument that he's trying to make? He's fixed everything, so now they're doing this. The question is why this policy at all, not why this now after doing the border. And it just doesn't make any sense. And the critical part here is that you essentially have two categories of people that are defending this. Number one, those who have calculated that they will personally benefit. And it seems like that group is pretty small, to be perfectly frank. And secondly, people who are trading in the most important currency to Trump that there is, that currency is called loyalty. And to those trading in loyalty, you can see on their faces, they don't think that this is going to work. The real reason Bessant is fumbling. This answer is there is no sensible economic explanation as to why this is happening. So I continue to believe that the most likely off ramp, the off ramp that will most allow Donald Trump to save face is to say they all capitulated. They all came to me with tears in their eyes begging me to get rid of the tariffs and we made a deal. Ok, right, and then he will attempt to save face that way and try to save the economy. That's the most likely outcome in my mind. Not the only, but I think the most likely. Let me know what you think. Remember that my book the Echo Machine is available everywhere books are sold. If you've already bought it, remember to leave a review on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Goodreads. We'll take a very quick break and be back right after this. I want to introduce you to an amazing tool that has helped a huge number of people reach their health goals. It is called Lumen and it's the world's first handheld metabolic coach. 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Helix is giving my audience 20% off site wide at helix sleep.com/pacman that's H E L I X sleep.com/pacman the link is in the podcast Notes I've talked before about how the left sometimes has this instinct to exclude people over relatively small disagreements, while the right, at least when it's time to win elections, tends to really be inclusive in this just vote for us kind of way. Come on in. You can support Trump but hate vaccines, be anti tax but pro Labor. Think the 2020 election was stolen or just had issues, but you're still in their group, at least for the purposes of winning elections, getting power, and then getting to legislate. The right accepts all of it until the election in order to win. But what we see on the left often is that if you disagree on one issue even slightly, you'll sometimes end up being treated like you're not really part of the movement at all. You're other ized and it's what Sigmund Freud called the narcissism of small differences. We save sometimes our harshest energy for people who are mostly like us, just not quite enough. And this isn't some theory. This is really everywhere. Think about the Bernie vs. Warren feud from 2020 and how it got so vicious that supporters who agreed on 90% of policy, maybe 95% of policy, started treating each other like they were enemies. And the reality is that there was very little daylight between Bernie and Warren. In fact, they were assessed at the time as the two most left senators in the Senate. But from how their supporters were fighting with each other, you would have thought it was like, you know, Marx versus Milton Friedman or something like that. I even got sucked into it a little bit when I said in 2020 I prefer Bernie, but I'd be happy with Elizabeth Warren. These are the two most left wing senators in the Senate. I got furious emails. How dare you, you right winger. We knew you were a neolib this entire time. So that was Bernie Warren in 2020. Another example. Defund the police. For some, defund the police became a line in the sand where anyone like me who wanted reform but didn't like the slogan and maybe thought that actually just flat out defunding isn't really the solution, we were written off as compromised. Oh, you've been a big law enforcement is paying you the DNC has given you money so that you don't support Defund. Now, I mean, I laid out a 10 point plan which included reform response by non armed individuals to certain types of calls, training, ending low effort, policing, all this stuff. But I just didn't think that defund made sense as a slogan or as a practice. I was brutally attacked for that. I'm on the right, all this stuff. Another example, there are people on the left who have, maybe we'd call them more nuanced views on trans athletes in sports. Everybody would be pro trans rights in just about every way. We agree about dignity and all this different stuff. But there are some people who say, hey, you know what? There are some sports in which I think there's an issue of fairness here. Some of them get branded as bigots and told you're not part of the same movement they that I'm part of. Wow. And then even when people agree with the general direction of the left, the second they use the slightly wrong language or they're not loud enough at the right moment, they get accused of being only performative allies or whatever. As if being imperfect disqualifies you completely. This is personal too, by the way. I've spoken out strongly in favor of an independent Palestinian state against Israeli settlements, against Benjamin Netanyahu. But I've also said I don't support the BDS movement. I don't support calling for the elimination of Israel. I don't support those things. But I support all the other stuff I just mentioned. You all know I've had people say I'm not part of the real left. I, I'm actually a right winger with my beliefs. I've been excluded by people whose views I mostly share because I only signed off on 92%, not 100% of what they believe. So why does this happen? This is the critical part. I just finished reading the book the Status Game by Will Storr. And in the book he explains that a lot of this behavior is about how people try, try to gain status in their communities. And in many left wing spaces, the way to earn status is by being morally pure. This is where the phrase purity test comes from. By proving you're the most principled, you're the most correct, you're the most uncompromising, you're the most left wing. And Storr leans on the work of Jason Manning and Bradley Campbell, who describe a shift in what they call a victimhood culture. In that culture, status comes from being seen as a victim or defending victims more strongly than anybody else does. And when that's the game, what you end up with is people constantly calling each other out, not just to make things better, but to prove their own virtue, to win points because they are the ones doing the calling out. So what ends up is that instead of building coalitions, the left ends up policing its own ranks. The right rewards loyalty and the left often rewards purity. And that difference is showing up at the ballot box. If we want to win, we have to stop turning minor disagreements into disqualifications because then we'll just keep losing. If you don't build the tent, grow the tent, you shrink it, and then you lose power. And there's this idea that if you let more people in who aren't pure, you actually shrink the tent when in reality you're growing it. So I would like to see it go differently the next couple of election cycles. And let's see if it makes a difference. All right, it's happening. Russell Brand has been officially charged with rape, oral rape, and multiple counts of sexual assault. An indecent assault involving four women in incidents occurring between 1999 and 2005. He's due in court May 2. And right on cue, the right wing defense machine is in motion. If we think back to Russell Brand's sort of trajectory, you had the period during which he was in movies and in tabloids, he then had this sort of political awakening. He started critiquing capitalism, he was flirting with left wing populism, briefly dropped off the radar, and then he has reinvented himself like a phoenix rising over the horizon as a free thinker on YouTube. He's skeptical of vaccines and he did his anti lockdown rants and his conspiracies. And then ultimately he went full maga. Right wing shows, speaking at right wing events, cozy with Tucker, cozy with other right wingers. He has now become a folk hero for the anti woke crowd. And that's exactly why the charges are not being really looked at seriously by the right wing, that he's actually getting more support as a result of these charges. Now, of course, Russell Brand denies everything he gets his day in court. He says, yes, he was promiscuous at this time, but never did anything non consensual. He says the law is being used as a weapon against him. Who's been talking about the weaponization of the law? Lawfare as they call it. And his followers are saying he is actually the victim here, not the perpetrator. If it sounds familiar, it's the MAGA playbook. It's the Andrew Taint playbook. Serious Charges come down, you deny, you deflect, you say I'm being persecuted for my political beliefs and then your fan base turns you into a martyr for masculinity and everything that is good. This is not about free speech, okay? Russell Brand is not being charged for what he said. He's being charged for what he allegedly did. And he still says, and they still say that it's censorship and its cancel culture and it drowns out the women that say they were his victims. What does it say about MAGA culture that the default response to rape charges has been has become reflexive loyalty? Being anti woke is now enough to buy you full scale defense even when the accusations are extraordinarily serious. Now, another key factor driving the response to Russell Brand's allegations, our support for Donald Trump is support for Donald Trump. Trump is now the poster child for they tried to destroy me, but I won anyway. He was convicted of felonies and then he went on to win the presidency. And that outcome has rewired the brains of how the right wing now sees criminal charges. In their view, any charge against one of their own is proof that that they are the target for no reason. That is fair. It's not a legal issue. It's a badge of honor. They're now coming after me. I have all the right beliefs. And Brand supporters are using the exact same logic. If they're charging him, Russell Brand must be telling the truth about ivermectin or hydroxychloroquine. This is the post Trump effect. MAGA doesn't just tolerate these sorts of scandals anymore. They celebrate them. They say, look at how great this person is. They've now been charged with rape. And the worse the allegations, the more confident they are that their guy is being unfairly prosecuted. Brand isn't the exception. He's really the blueprint at this point in time. So when he says this is a political hit job, they believe it because that's what they were trained to believe. The Trumpian formula is guilt doesn't matter. Loyalty matters. Now, Russell Brand could face years in prison, but in the MAGA universe, he would be even more trustworthy. Rest assured that if he does get convicted and sentenced in accordance with the law, he will only become more innocent in the minds of the MAGA people and they will even more strongly defend him. How backwards things have really gotten. Every romantic relationship has periods where people get busy, struggle to find time to connect or find new ways to connect. And that's why our sponsor, Parrot, has been such a valuable tool for so many people. It's the app for couples who want to strengthen their relationship. Every day, Paired gives you personalized questions or quizzes or games to stay connected, deepen your conversations and have fun. The best part is you can't see your partner's answer until you answer, so it's a safe space to have an open and honest discussion about the relationship. No faking it or pretending, just genuine connection to keep the spark alive. My girlfriend and I have used Paired. Even if you've known your partner for years like I have, I still feel like Paired helps me learn new things and stay connected. Whether you're just a few dates in or you've been together a long time like me, find the time to connect with your partner. Nourish the relationship. Head to pear.com/pacman to get a seven day free trial and 25% off if you sign up for a subscription. That's P A I r e d.com/pacman for a seven day free trial and 25% off a subscription. The link is in the podcast Notes We've covered on the show extensively how more and more people are stepping away from organized religion. For some, it's just the realization I don't have to participate in that. And all of a sudden we have seen a serious shift. But not everybody is OK with that shift. Christian nationalism is on the rise. They are working overtime to put their beliefs into the law, into our schools, even into our personal lives. It's sort of like, hey, I respect your right to believe whatever you want, but just don't make me live by it. And that is where the Freedom From Religion foundation comes in. Our sponsor, the Freedom From Religion foundation, fights to keep church and state separate. This is what the founders intended. So whether you've always been secular or you've left religion behind or you have beliefs that you don't think should be part of our government, FFRF has your back. Join the David Pakman show in helping FFRF go to FFRF US/Freedom or text David to 511511 and become a member today. That's FFRF.us/freedom or text David to 515511 to join the Freedom From Religion Foundation. The info is in the podcast notes Text fees may apply. All right, it's Friday time for Friday Feedback. If you have anything you want to communicate to me, you can write to info@david pakman.com try to keep it polite. Many people don't. Will also sometimes feature YouTube comments or TikTok replies. Or sometimes we'll hear from someone on blue ski or substack, who the hell knows? It's all fair game. We start today with Gus Doohan, who says, whoever this guy is, he's just spreading more radical left bullshit. Not really an argument, sir. I would rather you tell me. Here are the facts that you get wrong, and therefore, here are the conclusions that you are incorrectly coming to. I would appreciate that much more, much, much more than this sort of nonsense, but we do get this sort of stuff. Ron Price wrote in and said, dude, it's April. Maybe lose the turtleneck sweater. You know, Ron, I don't know where you live, but the Northeast has remained chilly. Very, very chilly. And when it's chilly, my neck gets cold, and therefore I need the turtleneck. It's actually all joking aside, just for a second. Most joking aside, Most joking aside, it's actually shocking how many people are triggered by me wearing a turtleneck. Like, what's the big deal? What? What is the big deal with a turtleneck? I just don't get it. But the turtlenecks will continue until the morale improves, I think is the way that I would say it. All right, here's Greg Black with something marginally more substantive. Greg says, yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember you telling everyone that Kamala Toe Harris, so clever, so adult. Kamala Tow Harris was going to mop the floor with Trump. I sure hope you believe your own bullshit, little pack punk, because nobody else does. Greg, I don't know if you've ever seen this show before, but I want to call your attention back to the couple of months leading up to the election. My own audience was getting angry with me. Some people in the audience, of course, not everybody. There were people in my own audience getting mad at me because I was saying, guys, Trump looks like he's going to win this thing. When I came to my audience and said, okay, when Biden got out, Harris's campaign started strong. The polling looked good. It's not looking good right now. I have polling that shows Trump winning all seven key swing states. This is very bad. People wrote to me and said stuff like, david, we don't need negativity right now. We need positivity. Which I have to tell you, I think is just like the dumbest approach to winning elections. We need to be realistic about where we are. How is me saying, it looks awesome, guys? How is that going to get more people to vote? So, no, I don't know if you're referring to a different show. On this show, I was sounding the alarm, and many in the Audience were furious when I was not surprised by the results. On election night, November 5, 2024, there were people in my audience saying, how could we, how is this such a surprise? To which I was saying, guys, I've been telling you this for months and now it's happening. So maybe this is a criticism that applies to some other show, but sounds misguided here. Terry Schuck says people are getting paid to hate Elon and Tesla. Damn. All this time I've been doing it for free. Where do I sign up for a check? Easiest money I will ever earn. Yeah, this is tongue in cheek, but it does raise a good point, which is why would you need to pay people to go out and protest Tesla and Elon? Just look at all of the public survey data. Tens of millions of Americans hate Elon and by extension now want nothing to do with Tesla. Why would you need to pay them to just get them to go out and hold a sign for an hour? It just doesn't. Doesn't make any sense. People really do want to express their distaste. And there are people who are trying to destroy Tesla. Now you can look at that and take the Elon approach, which is, they're being so mean and Tim Walls is such a jerk. He's such a jerk. Or you can say this is people voting with their dollars and they're saying this is a bad company to support and it's free speech and it's what happens under capitalism. But of course, no evidence has been presented that anybody, anybody is getting paid to go and protest Tesla. And when Elon Musk talks about, oh, George Soros is funding it, we're going to find out who's really orchestrating this stuff. It's just Americans, Elon. That's all it is. It's Americans being activists. Martin Snow asks, hey, David, considering how well the Echo Machine is doing, are there any plans to publish it in other languages? It's a good question. So, first of all, I have no control over that. My publisher is fully deputized to explore translation opportunities. I know that right now Germany is a place where there is interest in the book. At a general level, the book is mostly about the situation politically in the United States. Now, that doesn't mean it's only interesting to Americans. People around the world do care about what's happening in the United States. Maybe less than some Americans thing, but they do care. English covers all of the countries in which we have the biggest audiences. So that. So Canada, uk, Australia. In a lot of countries where we have larger audiences. You have a large portion of the population that also speaks English. So Germany does seem to be kind of the natural next one, but we will see. It's not totally up to me, but I would love to see the echo machine in other languages. All right. On the topic of how long will the MAGA cultists stand by Trump, Scheffberg commented on substack. My thought is that as the pain spreads from his policies that some of his cult will peel off. There is a reason many Republican congressmen are asking for specific relief from these sanctions. They know the pain will have an effect on how some people view the president. Sadly, the damages to our markets and businesses will be long lasting. Does anyone think that Canadians are going to replenish their liquor stores with Kentucky bourbon? This is an excellent point. We sort of talked about this on the award winning bonus show on Monday. Even if Trump were to say no more tariffs, we're going back to the beginning of my second term. Tariffs are done. You can't undo the reputational damage that comes when you appear to be erratic and when you behave in this sort of bipolar way. And I use the term bipolar not as the mental illnesses, but with two polls, right, where it's one thing and then it's the opposite of that thing. We cannot undo that. That is now going to be the perception of Donald Trump. And in fact, Trump just canceling everything only furthers that. So I think Sheffberg is on to a couple of things. Number one, we actually would just seem extraordinarily erratic no matter what Trump does at this point in time. And number two, if all of a sudden the tariffs go away, if the US And Canada fix their tariff, the trade war, culturally, are Canadians going to say, bring back all of the Kentucky bourbon, let's go right back to the way we were? I don't think so, number one, because a lot of these Canadians are understandably disgusted with what Donald Trump has done and aren't just going to go, okay, great, we're just back, we're back fully. But in addition to that, because they would be right to be wondering, is the same thing just going to happen in another month, in six months or next year? So I think the, the, the sort of core of this is that irreversible damage has been done and to a great degree, irreversible damage has been done. Mark W. Says, dude, Greg Cassar, this guy has definitely joined the list of certain progressives that can message so, so well and doesn't get rattled. He doesn't circuitously Talk around a point and never answer the question like the right does and lands a reasonable stance to your average voter every time the Dems need to be plugging this guy everywhere. Great interview again. I think Congressman Greg Cassar is great. He's doing the town halls with the right tone and tenor. He's appearing on shows like this one and talking, clearly answering questions. When I ask him, how should we talk about, quote, men and women's sports as defined by the right, he gives me an answer. This is how we should talk about it. I found it very refreshing and I would include Greg Cassar on the list of folks that are setting the right. It's not just a question of tone. They're sort of combining messaging and optics with policy understanding and being able to engage and connect with people. Not the most common thing. Right. Even among some of the folks we've had on this show where, oh, they're really good on policy, but they're just kind of. They communicate awkwardly or they communicate really well, but they don't really directly answer questions in a way that there's an appetite for. Right now, I think Greg Cassar is doing some really great stuff and glad people in the audience are noticing it. Laurian said the books on David's Bookshelf, obviously the Echo Machine is there, but has anyone identified the other books? Well, there are dozens and dozens of books here. I've got a bunch of my copies of the Echo Machine on the bottom, but there are so many different books. Some may have noticed the tip here of some Hunter S. Thompson books in the top shelf. What else is interesting or relevant here? Some of these books I've also recommended Lawrence Wright's Going Clear. You know, you want to know the truth? My books are organized alphabetically by author's last name. This is the nonfiction section. This is just the end of it. So what you see here is it starts basically with last names, starting in S. And it goes down to Sergey Young's book. He's been on the show. So this is just like the tip. It's just the tip of the back tip. I guess you would call it my nonfiction library. Anything else interesting? Oh, here. Jeffrey West. This orange book here is Scale by Jeffrey West. We had him on the program to talk about that book. Charles Whelan's books, Naked Economics and Naked Money. He's been on the show. Those are there. Yeah, it's a. It's a mix of stuff. It's a mix of stuff. All right, but enough about that. We've got a great bonus show for you today. We have a great week of shows coming up next week. In fact, as far as interviews go, let me just pull up the schedule next week. We've got. Oh, everything is tentative next week, so let me not actually tease it. I don't want to tease stuff that doesn't happen. Thanks to everybody who bought my book and made it a bestseller. Please remember to review the book if you haven't yet. And remember that if the clampdown happens, the only way you can stay in touch with me is the one place we own our data, which is the substack newsletter. So please make sure to get on the newsletter David pakman.substack.com or just email info@david pakman.com will get you on the newsletter. See you on the bonus show.