The David Pakman Show — September 17, 2025
Episode: "Our worst fears are coming true"
Main Theme & Purpose
David Pakman dissects the mounting anxieties surrounding American democracy, political violence, and authoritarian tendencies in the wake of the murder of Charlie Kirk. He scrutinizes the charging of Tyler Robinson, the unraveling media and political narratives, the far-reaching implications of Trump-era justice department maneuvers, and the increasing global unease with U.S. leadership. The episode is laden with critical analysis, direct commentary, and sharp critique, particularly of how the Trump administration and its loyalists weaponize power and public perception.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Tyler Robinson Charged in the Murder of Charlie Kirk
[01:13–03:46]
- Utah County District Attorney Jeff Gray announces the charges: aggravated murder (capital offense), multiple counts of obstruction of justice, felony discharge of a firearm, and witness tampering, with death penalty on the table.
- Aggravating factors: crime occurred in the vicinity of children and was allegedly motivated by Kirk’s political expression.
"I am filing a criminal information charging Tyler James Robinson, age 22, with the following crimes. Count one, aggravated murder, a capital offense... The state is further alleging aggravating factors... because the defendant is believed to have targeted Charlie Kirk based on Charlie Kirk's political expression and did so knowing that children were present."
— Jeff Gray, [01:44]
Pakman's Analysis:
[03:46–08:15]
- Pakman firmly reiterates his anti–death penalty stance, regardless of Robinson’s guilt.
- He notes the speculation about the motive, particularly whether Robinson's act was driven by Kirk's anti-transgender views.
- Released text messages allegedly from Robinson express longstanding animosity toward Kirk; however, their authenticity and timeline are publicly questioned.
- The absence of a clear motive opens the door to conspiracy theories, notably from right-wing commentators eager to brand the act as "left-wing violence."
"The political motivations in the sense of they are disgusting and disgraceful and condemnable no matter what they were. Whether this guy was angry with Charlie Kirk because of Charlie Kirk's views on transgender or ... taxes... this is a deplorable action regardless."
— David Pakman, [07:18]
2. Conspiracy Theories Proliferate
[08:15–10:55]
- The far right, including Candace Owens and Alex Jones, instantly reject the official story, fueling their standard narrative of cover-up and false flag.
- Pakman highlights that such theorists often cast doubt as routine, regardless of evidence.
"Candace Owens believes none of this and doesn't believe the story. She also believes that the wife of the French president is biologically male... Alex Jones believes that we can't trust the official story here..."
— David Pakman, [09:31]
3. Cash Patel’s Unhinged Senate Hearing
[10:55–15:21]
- FBI Director Cash Patel (a Trump loyalist, inexperienced for the role) erupts during a Senate hearing, clashing with Senators Adam Schiff and Cory Booker.
- Patel repeatedly refuses to answer about the transfer of Ghislaine Maxwell to a lower-security prison, instead attacking the motives and record of the Democratic senators.
- Pakman decries Patel’s theatrical "performance for the dear Leader" (Trump), calling it deeply unprofessional and reflective of MAGA authoritarianism.
"Putting an inexperienced conspiracy theorist in charge of the FBI is a very, very bad idea... What a humiliation."
— David Pakman, [12:14], [12:51]
Memorable Exchange (Quoting):
- Adam Schiff: "Do you think they're stupid?" [11:56]
- Cash Patel: "No, I think the American people believe the truth, that I'm not in the weeds on the everyday movements. What I am doing is protecting this country, providing historic reform, and combating the weaponization of intelligence by the likes of you." [11:58]
- Patel: "You are the biggest fraud to ever sit in the United States Senate..." [12:31]
4. Trump’s Broken Economic Promises: Soaring Grocery Prices
[21:00–26:00]
- New macro data: food prices rose 0.6% in August, the biggest monthly spike since 2022.
- Trump had repeatedly promised to lower grocery prices via tariffs and "ending inflation" but failed to deliver; many food categories have seen prices climb sharply while wage growth lags behind.
"Trump made the promise that he would lower grocery prices. Trump made the promise that tariffs were going to lower costs... every serious economist knew that that wasn't going to happen."
— David Pakman, [22:34]
- Pakman critiques the limited presidential power over grocery prices, clarifying that while certain tariff or supply chain policies can have marginal impact, most factors (commodity prices, weather, global shipping) are outside the White House's control.
- Trump’s central failing, Pakman insists, is not the lack of results, but overpromising: “He didn't promise a slower rate of price increases. He promised price reductions. That means the inflation rate needs to have a minus sign in front of it.” [25:28]
Notable Quote:
"It's a bag with different things in it. Groceries went through the roof and I campaigned on that. I talked about the word groceries for a lot."
— Donald Trump (mocked by Pakman), [25:17]
5. Manipulation of Domestic Terrorism Data
[27:00–36:50]
- The Department of Justice, now under Trump, removes a crucial report documenting that the majority of domestic terrorism in the U.S. originates from far-right groups.
- Pakman underscores that the memory-holing of such data is a hallmark of authoritarianism — not just controlling people, but also their access to information and collective memory.
"Inconvenient truths are not allowed under authoritarian rule. And the data that Trump is trying to hide is really, really clear..."
— David Pakman, [29:14]
- Pakman draws parallels with historical authoritarian regimes that "burn the books" or otherwise erase historical record to consolidate power and shape narrative.
- He notes that the vast majority of politically motivated murders in the U.S. (about 70%) are perpetrated by the far right, and attempts by MAGA to brand the Kirk murder as a left-wing phenomenon are quickly collapsing amid emerging facts.
6. Trump and Free Speech: Authoritarian Moves and Hypocrisy
[38:15–44:43]
- Trump, en route to the UK, is asked by ABC’s Jonathan Karl about hate speech crackdowns and chillingly suggests that media critical of him could be targeted.
- The contradiction: Republicans have long insisted there’s no such thing as hate speech law in America—until it suits Trump's desire to crush dissent.
"The hypocrisy is the following. Republicans have spent decades telling us there's no such thing as hate speech in America... The second that Trump hears criticism, suddenly hate speeches, whatever makes him look bad."
— David Pakman, [38:46]
- Pakman repeatedly draws the line between defending free speech and enabling government-backed censorship; he warns of the dangers when "personal grievance becomes state power."
7. International Humiliation: Trump’s UK Visit
[44:43–49:00]
- Trump lands in the UK to widespread protest, including projection of images linking him to Jeffrey Epstein on Windsor Castle.
- UK public, according to polling, holds an overwhelmingly unfavorable view of Trump.
- The episode illustrates the gap between Trump’s claims of “restoring respect” for America and the reality of eroded trust and damage to soft power.
"So, you know, we see Trump arriving in the UK, there's the pomp, there's the ceremony, the circumstance. But he's arriving into protests, he's arriving into distrust, public skepticism... global favorability down."
— David Pakman, [44:43]
8. Tucker Carlson Breaks with Trump: Danger of Hate Speech Laws
[49:48–53:55]
- Pam Bondi (Attorney General) asserts that law enforcement will "crack down" on hate speech in the aftermath of Kirk’s death, blurring lines between protected dissent and violence.
- Tucker Carlson strongly rebukes this, warning that any hate speech law is a denial of Americans' humanity and calls for civil disobedience if enacted.
"Any attempt to impose hate speech laws in this country... is a denial of the humanity of American citizens and cannot be allowed under any circumstances."
— Tucker Carlson, [51:12]
- Pakman speculates whether Carlson's opposition is principled or about safeguarding his own business model, which relies on incendiary speech.
"Tucker needs the outrage machine running. And if Trump guts the First Amendment, might affect Tucker Carlson personally."
— David Pakman, [53:40]
9. Trump’s Fact-Challenged Attack on Gavin Newsom
[55:01–59:30]
- Trump launches a rambling attack on California Governor Newsom, falsely claiming new low-income housing is being built in Pacific Palisades and rehashing tired NIMBY tropes.
- Pakman checks each assertion, exposing them all as inaccuracies or outright lies.
"There is no attempt being made right now to build new low income housing in Pacific Palisades... The governor doesn't issue housing permits... the water in the Pacific Northwest simply doesn't connect to the water systems of California..."
— David Pakman, [55:19]
- Pakman unpacks the racialized and class-based subtext to such panic-mongering, branding it a classic right-wing scare tactic.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
| Time | Speaker | Quote/Context | |-----------|----------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 01:44 | Jeff Gray (DA) | "Count one, aggravated murder, a capital offense... targeting Charlie Kirk based on his political expression..." | | 07:18 | David Pakman | "Political motivations are disgusting and condemnable no matter what they were..." | | 12:14 | David Pakman | "What I am doing is protecting this country...combating the weaponization of intelligence by the likes of you." | | 22:34 | David Pakman | "Trump made the promise that he would lower grocery prices... every serious economist knew that that wasn't going to happen." | | 25:17 | Donald Trump | "It's a bag with different things in it. Groceries went through the roof and I campaigned on that..." | | 29:14 | David Pakman | "Inconvenient truths are not allowed under authoritarian rule. And the data that Trump is trying to hide is really, really clear..." | | 38:46 | David Pakman | "They ranted about cancel culture, about how dangerous it is to silence voices. And now Donald Trump is promising government backed cancel culture." | | 44:43 | David Pakman | "But he's arriving into protests, he's arriving into distrust, public skepticism..." | | 51:12 | Tucker Carlson | "Any attempt to impose hate speech laws in this country... is a denial of the humanity of American citizens and cannot be allowed under any circumstances." | | 53:40 | David Pakman | "Tucker needs the outrage machine running. And if Trump guts the First Amendment, might affect Tucker Carlson personally." |
Key Timestamps
| Segment | Start | End | |-------------------------------------------------------|----------|----------| | Announcement of charges in Kirk case & analysis | 01:13 | 08:15 | | Conspiracy theories, texts, and legal ambiguities | 08:15 | 10:55 | | Cash Patel’s Senate meltdown | 10:55 | 15:21 | | Trump’s grocery price failures and analysis | 21:00 | 26:00 | | DOJ scrubbing right-wing terror data | 27:00 | 36:50 | | Trump, free speech, and hate speech hypocrisy | 38:15 | 44:43 | | Trump humiliated in UK | 44:43 | 49:00 | | Tucker Carlson vs. Trump on hate speech laws | 49:48 | 53:55 | | Trump attacks Newsom/low-income housing lies | 55:01 | 59:30 |
Overall Tone & Takeaway
Pakman’s tone is urgent, direct, and unsparing—concerned about the consolidation of power and erosion of norms under Trumpism and its acolytes. The episode mines the overlap of political violence, manipulated narratives, economic anxiety, and free speech threats. There is a consistent thread of holding both government and media figures to account, and warning of the dire consequences for democracy if such trends continue unchecked.
For Listeners:
This episode provides context, fact-checking, and sober warnings about the future of the U.S. should current trajectories persist—particularly regarding political and social freedoms, economic realities, and America’s standing abroad.