9/24/25: United Nations embarrassment as Jimmy Kimmel returns

Summary

The David Pakman Show: September 24, 2025

Episode Theme: United Nations embarrassment as Jimmy Kimmel returns
Host: David Pakman | Guests: Jimmy Kimmel (clip), Gavin Newsom (clip), Colin Allred (interview), Caroline Levitt (clip)

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Episode Overview

On this episode, David Pakman dives into three major stories:

• The return of Jimmy Kimmel to ABC and Donald Trump’s extraordinary and legally threatening response
• Donald Trump’s controversial and embarrassing appearance at the United Nations
• A substantive interview with Texas Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred
  Pakman unpacks the intersection of politics, free speech, and media, with a particular focus on authoritarian overreach and its chilling downstream effects.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Jimmy Kimmel Returns: Trump’s Threat and the Free Speech Fight

[00:07–11:02]

• Return of Kimmel & Trump’s Reaction:
  Jimmy Kimmel resumed hosting his ABC show after a brief absence, prompting Donald Trump to post a furious rant on Truth Social threatening legal action. Trump lambasted ABC, calling Kimmel’s content "99% positive Democrat garbage" and suggested his return constituted an illegal campaign contribution.

  • "He is yet another arm of the DNC and to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major illegal campaign contribution. I think we're going to test ABC out on this." – Donald Trump (cited by Pakman, 00:50)

• Pakman’s Analysis:
  Pakman points out the hypocrisy of the situation—if Kimmel’s removal was purely business, why would Trump now threaten lawsuits? He highlights the “Streisand effect,” noting that Trump’s outrage is boosting Kimmel’s audience and giving broader attention to the controversy.

  • "All of a sudden I’m eagerly awaiting Jimmy Kimmel’s monologue last night... It has given millions in new audience to Jimmy Kimmel." – David Pakman (02:01)

• Larger Implications for Free Speech:
  Pakman emphasizes that the case isn’t about Kimmel personally but is illustrative of deeper attacks on free speech from the executive branch. He questions whether the White House should have any say in what shows remain on air and warns of chilling effects beyond just major celebrities.

  • "The question is, in what ways is this going to be used to intimidate, to suppress other speech, and to limit the diversity of the voices that we hear?" – David Pakman (04:23)

• Jimmy Kimmel’s Monologue Highlights:
  Kimmel emotionally addresses criticisms of his earlier remarks, clarifies his intentions, and decries government pressure on comedians.

  • "It was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man... I posted a message on Instagram... sending love to his family and asking for compassion." – Jimmy Kimmel (05:24)
  • Kimmel stands firm that ‘government threats to silence comedians are anti-American’ and references historic defenders of free speech.
  • "A government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn’t like is anti-American." – Jimmy Kimmel (08:05)

  Pakman notes Kimmel specifically calls out FCC chair Brendan Carr for public threats and makes light of Cruz comparing Carr to a “mafioso.”

  • "Brendan Carr is the most embarrassing car Republicans have embraced since this one." – Jimmy Kimmel, referencing a Cybertruck photo (09:30)

• What’s Really at Stake:
  Kimmel and Pakman agree: this story’s resonance is about defending the space for satire, dissent, and independent voices—especially those without Kimmel’s resources.

  • "This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this." – Jimmy Kimmel (09:53)

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2. Gavin Newsom’s Warning: Democracy at a Crossroads

[13:30–17:17]

• Newsom on Colbert:
  The California governor asserts the future of American democracy is at risk, expressing fears there may not be a presidential election in 2028 if anti-democratic trends persist.

  • "I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul, unless we wake up to the code red." – Gavin Newsom (13:30)

• Pakman’s Perspective:
  He respects Newsom’s directness, citing the rarity of Democratic officials willing to state the stakes so bluntly and to criticize the party’s communication failures.

  • "It is hard to think about too many other elected officials in the Democratic Party... who are speaking with this strength and directness." – David Pakman (12:43)

• Newsom Critiques Democratic Weakness:
  Newsom admits Democrats “have had a difficult time pushing back” and that the party is perceived as weak—acknowledging the need for both substantive and symbolic fights.

  • "Democrats, frankly, have had a difficult time pushing back... at times there's sort of this weakness that dominates our brand and our party." – Gavin Newsom (15:54)

• Pakman: Historical Warning:
  Pakman invokes Plato, noting democracies unravel when citizens lose faith. He appreciates Newsom’s ‘code red’ message and general alarm at rising authoritarianism.

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3. Trump at the United Nations: Humiliation on the World Stage

[22:09–27:46]

• Pakman’s Recap:
  Trump used his UN speech to rant about poll numbers and repeat baseless boasts, drawing both laughter and derision from world leaders.

  • "The other world leaders, if you're wondering, did not talk about their poll numbers at the United Nations." – David Pakman (22:31)
  • Trump claims: “Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements...” (24:54)

• Fact-Checking & Reaction:
  Pakman corrects Trump’s claims about the economy, poll numbers, and international accomplishments, noting that Trump’s rambling “word salad” verges on incoherence.

  • "This is a speech more relevant to a 72 hour psych hold than to the United Nations General Assembly." – David Pakman (23:40)
  • "Your countries are going to hell." – Donald Trump (24:19)

• Victim Narrative:
  Trump and his press secretary quickly blame technical issues—the infamous “stopped escalator” and teleprompter malfunction—on supposed sabotage, a theory debunked as his own staff's error. Pakman highlights the absurdity of the grievances and the self-victimization at play.

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4. Pakman Interviews Colin Allred: Texas’s Senate Race, Voting Rights, Social Security, and More

[34:39–53:23]

• The Texas Senate Challenge:
  Allred, a fourth-generation Texan, former football player, congressional representative, and voting rights lawyer, explains why he believes Texas may finally be “in play” for Democrats.

  • "For me, it's personal to fight for my state... I was a voting rights lawyer because I wanted to make sure every Texan and every American would have a chance to make their voice heard." – Colin Allred (35:19)

• Coalition Building and Working Class Appeal
  Allred emphasizes bringing disaffected Black, Latino, and working-class voters into the fold, as well as persuading independents and moderate Republicans.

  • "It’s policy, but I also think it’s personal... I'm not coming at this from some lofty position." – Colin Allred (39:26)

• Policy Highlights: Social Security Reforms
  The plan includes removing the cap on taxable income for Social Security after a gap, so the wealthy pay more without increasing their benefits, which would instead go up across the board.

  • "We would expand the benefits by $2,400 a year for every senior." – Colin Allred (45:06)

• Gerrymandering and Political Reform
  Allred supports fighting gerrymandering—“I hate it with a passion”—and champions nonpartisan redistricting, referencing the John Lewis For the People Act.

  • "We have to fight fire with fire so they can't rig the election, but… end gerrymandering forever." – Colin Allred (45:38)

• Democratic Party’s Present and Future
  Pakman presses Allred on the perceived lack of clear vision within the Democratic Party. Allred responds by referencing 2018’s wave elections as a blueprint for finding strong candidates and focusing on working-class issues.

  • "We've been considered to be too online, too elite, too out of touch..." – Colin Allred (50:54)

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5. The Escalator "Sabotage" Fiasco

[56:24–64:39]

• Trump’s Team Pushes Sabotage Claims
  White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt claims the UN intentionally stopped Trump’s escalator and sabotaged his teleprompter, despite evidence it was Trump staff or self-inflicted error.

  • "If someone at the United Nations intentionally stopped the escalator... they need to be fired and investigated immediately." – Caroline Levitt (57:00)

• Fox News Amplification
  Jesse Watters: “It does appear to be sabotage…”
  Caroline Levitt: “…UN globalist staffers were basically plotting to set up the President of the United States…"

• Pakman’s Take
  Pakman mocks the spectacle as pure victimhood theater and points out that such narratives, even when debunked, get amplified to serve the authoritarian narrative of persecution and “strength under siege.”

  • "Classic of authoritarianism... you are so strong, but at the same time, so much time is spent attacking others for the smallest things." – David Pakman (62:00)

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Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• Pakman on Streisand Effect:
  "It has given millions in new audience to Jimmy Kimmel who now all of a sudden feel like they have a stake." (02:01)
• Kimmel’s Recourse to History:
  “One thing I did learn from Lenny Bruce and George Carlin and Howard Stern is that a government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn’t like is anti-American.” (08:05)
• Newsom’s Dire Warning:
  “I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul, unless we wake up to the code red.” (13:30)
• Colin Allred’s Policy Summary:
  “We would expand the benefits by $2,400 a year for every senior.” (45:06)
• On the UN Escalator Incident:
  "If someone at the United nations intentionally stopped the escalator as the president and first lady were stepping on, they need to be fired..." – Caroline Levitt (57:00)
• Pakman on Authoritarians’ "Victimhood":
  "They lose their minds over the most minor thing, like the escalator stopped, the teleprompter didn’t work. Put aside for a second, whether it’s their fault or someone else’s…" (62:00)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Jimmy Kimmel’s Return & Trump’s Lawsuit Threat: 00:07–05:09
• Kimmel’s Monologue – Address & Free Speech: 05:09–10:04
• Pakman on Bigger Picture, Indie Media: 10:04–11:02
• Newsom on Democracy’s Crisis: 13:30–17:17
• Trump’s UN Speech (Humiliation & Lies): 22:09–27:46
• Colin Allred Interview (Texas, Social Security, Voting, Dems): 34:39–53:23
• Escalator Scandal: Sabotage Claims: 56:24–64:39

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Episode Takeaways

• The Trump–Kimmel–ABC debacle is less about late-night TV and more about out-in-the-open government pressure on speech, satire, and the media.
• Authoritarian narratives rely on grievance—even over trivialities—to justify attacks on opponents and stoke loyalist outrage.
• The future of American democracy, voting rights, and basic political norms—from free comedy to fair elections—is seen by both Pakman and his guests as under unprecedented threat.
• Importantly, real stakes for smaller, less-resourced independent voices are underscored—what happens to Kimmel today might happen to a podcaster or local journalist tomorrow.

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[This summary covers the essential themes, major discussions, notable statements, and key timestamps from the September 24, 2025 episode of The David Pakman Show: "United Nations embarrassment as Jimmy Kimmel returns."]

Transcript

[David Pakman]

Jimmy Kimmel is back on ABC hosting his show as of last night. And Donald Trump is losing his mind and threatening to sue. Which is interesting because we were told ABC's short lived decision to get rid of Kimmel was only a business decision. Why would Trump be suing then? If Trump has nothing to do with, with Jimmy Kimmel and abc, it doesn't really make sense. We're going to hear from Jimmy Kimmel's monologue in a moment, but first I want to put up on the screen Donald Trump's truth social post about this where he says, quote, I can't believe ABC fake news gave Jimmy Kimmel his job back. The White House was told by ABC that his show was canceled. Oh, so the White House is in touch with the network. Something happened between then and now because his audience is gone and his talent was never there. Why would they want someone back who does so poorly, who's not funny, who puts the network in jeopardy? Oh, by playing 99% positive Democrat garbage. He is yet another arm of the dnc and to the best of my knowledge, that would be a major illegal campaign contribution. I think we're going to test ABC out on this. That's a threat right there. That's a lawsuit threat. Trump continuing. Let's see how we do. Last time I went after them, they gave me $16 million. This one sounds even more lucrative. A true bunch of losers let Jimmy Kimmel rot in his bad ratings. So again, if this was merely the business decision MAGA told us it was, why is Trump now threatening to sue? But there is a serious like a Streisand effect here. I could not care less about Jimmy Kimmel's show and other late night shows. I haven't watched these shows in 15 years. There's occasionally something funny. Sometimes I'll get a clip of something that we use on this show. But all of a sudden I'm eagerly awaiting Jimmy Kimmel's monologue last night, which we're going to look at in a moment. And all of a sudden I'm following while ABC is putting the show back on the air. But our next Star station is going to broadcast it. Our Sinclair stations going to broadcast it. What's Trump's reaction going to be? Is the White House going to take an official position on all of this? And so this is incredible because it has given, it's hard to put a dollar figure on it, but it has given millions in new audience to Jimmy Kimmel who now all of a sudden feel like they have a stake. And in A moment, you're going to hear Jimmy Kimmel even say, this really isn't about his show. Like, in the grand scheme of things, Jimmy Kimmel's show isn't what matters here. What matters is, do we live in a country where the White House and the president can influence what shows are on the air and where they try to suppress speech or suppress criticism or suppress satire and making fun of a president? Things which the Supreme Court, by the way, have found and reinforced are completely legal and constitutional and really part of the fabric that this country was built on. So Donald Trump being triggered. Donald Trump losing it. Yes, it's a reminder that clearly the government is involved. Excuse me. Yes, it's a reminder that Donald Trump has an extraordinarily thin skin. Yes, it's a reminder that the basic pillars on which this country was built, which included, on the one hand, due process, on the other hand, states rights and federal supremacy, as appropriate, which Donald Trump is totally demolishing, and also free speech and freedom of the press, all of those basic pillars are being smashed. They are being destroyed by this president and by this administration. And so on the one hand, I love it when Trump is triggered. He's triggered so often, he's triggered so easily. But on the other hand, you know, Jimmy Kimmel's financially independent. He's going to be fine no matter what happens to his show. The question is, in what ways is this going to be used to intimidate, to suppress other speech, and to limit the diversity of the voices that we hear? So Trump losing it. Let's now go to Jimmy Kimmel's monologue. Jimmy Kimmel back last night, pounding, just relentlessly pounding, pounding Trump and the suppression of speech into oblivion. We're going to look at a couple of parts of Jimmy Kimmel's monologue. I am not a watcher of late night shows. I don't find them particularly funny. I find the interviews to be extraordinary, cringe. But what I do care about is that anyone be able to do the show that they want to do. And if the show is good or not good or funny or not funny or what, it doesn't matter because the government should be playing no role in influencing or pushing around what shows are on the air. So here is Jimmy Kimmel overcome with emotion over this entire fiasco.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

I've been hearing a lot about what I need to say and do tonight. And the truth is, I don't think what I have to say is going to make much of a difference. If you like me, like me, if you don't you? Don't. I have no illusions about changing anyone's mind. But I do want to make something clear because it's important to me as a human.

[David Pakman]

And.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

And that is, you understand that it was never my intention to make light of the murder of a young man.

[Colin Allred]

I don't.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

I don't think there's anything funny about it. I posted a message on Instagram on the day he was killed sending love to his family and asking for compassion. And I meant it, and I still do. Nor was it my intention to blame any specific group for the actions of what it was. Obviously a deeply disturbed individual. That was really the opposite of the point I was trying to make. But I understand that to some that felt either ill timed or unclear or maybe both. And for those who think I did point a finger. I get why you're upset. If the situation was reversed, there's a good chance I'd have felt the same way. I have many friends and family members on the other side who I love and remain close to, even though we don't agree on politics at all. I don't think the murderer who shot Charlie Kirk represents anyone. This was a sick person who believed violence was a solution, and it isn't. Ever. And also, selfishly, I am. I am a person who gets a lot of threats. I get many ugly and scary threats against my life, my wife, my kids, my coworkers, because of what I choose to say. And I know those threats don't come from the kind of people I the right, who I know and love. So that's what I wanted to say on that.

[David Pakman]

All right, so Jimmy Kimmel doing a bit of a mea culpa and saying even though his. His intentions weren't what they were portrayed and so on and so forth, he understands if people didn't like his comments. Now, then he gets into what I think is the critical aspect of this and he starts going in on Trump and he starts going in on the suppression of speech in the completely anti American way that this administration is carrying itself. He says government threats to silence comedians are anti American. This is really good stuff.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

He's gunning for our journalists who he's suing them. He's bullying them. Over the weekend, his foxy friend Pete Hegseth announced a new policy that requires journalists with Pentagon press credentials to sign a pledge promising not to report information that hasn't been explicitly authorized for release. That includes unclassified information. They want to pick and choose what the news is, is. I know that's not as interesting as muzzling a comedian. But it's so important to have a free press and it is nuts that we aren't paying more attention to.

[David Pakman]

Walter.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

Cronite must be spinning in his grave right now. He's dead, right? Look, I never imagined I would be in a, a situation like this. I barely paid attention in school. But one thing I did learn from, from Lenny Bruce and George Carlin and Howard Stern is that a government threat to silence a comedian the president doesn't like is anti American. That's anti.

[David Pakman]

Trump. Clearly not liking this, as evidenced by his truth social tirade that we looked at. And then Kimmel going in even more specifically on Brendan Carr.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

Ten years ago, this sounded crazy. Brendan Carr, the chairman of the fcc, telling an American company we can do this the easy way or the hard way, and that these companies can find ways to change conduct and take action on Kimmel or there's going to be additional work for the FCC ahead. In addition to being a direct violation of the First Amendment, is not a particularly intelligent threat to make in public. Ted Cruz said he sounded like a mafioso, although I don't know if you want to hear a mob boss make a threat like that. You have to hide a microphone in a deli and park outside in a van with a tape recorder all night long. This genius said it on a podcast. Brendan Carr is the most embarrassing car Republicans have embraced since this one.

[David Pakman]

And, and it's a picture of a cybertruck. And Kimmel is completely correct here. He, he even makes the point that I alluded to, which is it gets a lot of attention when it's a late night comedian with a huge staff and huge show. But the question is, do we live in a country where you can just do the show you want, even if you're criticizing the president or don't we?

[Jimmy Kimmel]

This show is not important. What is important is that we get to live in a country that allows us to have a show like this.

[David Pakman]

And this is why, even if you don't care about Jimmy Kimmel and I don't, I mean, I haven't watched the Jimmy Kimmel show and I don't even know how long it's been on. I just, I just don't watch it. It's not about that. This is about what comes next. And not everybody has the financial independence and the resources to defend themselves and to beat back such an attack as does Jimmy Kimmel. And so at minimum, remember, like, and subscribe on YouTube, on Spotify, on Apple, to the shows that you support I would love it if this were one of them. But beyond that, we've got a bigger fight ahead of ourselves here now. Jimmy Kimmel then also very pointedly referring to now the Epstein files are going to have to come out.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

He tried, did his best to cancel me. Instead he forced millions of people to watch the show that backfired. Big Lee, he might have to release the Epstein files to distract us from this now.

[David Pakman]

Anyway, so Kimmel is back as we talked about on the award winning bonus show yesterday.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

Oh, the bonus show where you want to make money.

[Donald Trump]

Everybody else that makes money to fund themselves is bad, right?

[David Pakman]

As we spoke about on the bonus show yesterday, it's not clear how many of the ABC affiliate stations are ultimately going to be broadcasting this show. Some nexstar in Sinclair stations not running it. But this is a step in the right direction. Although I also don't want to miss the fact that Kimmel, as a privileged multimillionaire, getting his show back. It's the right thing from the standpoint of government suppression of speech. But the real concern for us needs to be the small and independent media outlets, those that are doing investigative reporting and investigating reporting, investigative reporting of the sort of, that cuts directly to the core of what is wrong with this administration. Those are the bigger concerns. So the independent producers and content creators that you follow, they, we, we all really need your support right now. And hopefully Kimmel coming back is not going to unleash a subsequent layer of attacks on all of the sorts of shows that are critical of and that make fun of this administration and the president. Part of what is resonating with Americans about Gavin Newsom's approach over the last several months is that he's doing two critically important things. Number one, from a tone perspective, he's willing to fight. He's willing to fight Trump. He's willing to go after these people in the way that they deserve to be gone after. And the other thing that I like about what Newsom is doing is that he is accurately explaining the stakes. Now, Newsom appeared on the Stephen Colbert show last night and he said he's afraid there will not be an election in 2028. He says this is the code red moment. Now. Whether his personal aspirations are to be a candidate in the 2028 election, we don't know. Sort of increasingly pointing in that direction. Whether he, he has other plans. I mean, we're going to have to wait to find out. But part of what I think he is doing right is that it is hard to think about too many other elected officials in the Democratic Party at his level right now who are speaking with this strength and directness and that I appreciate. Take a look.

[Gavin Newsom]

They are struggling to communicate. We're struggling to win back now the majority in the House of Representatives. And that's a big part of what I'm doing, not just today in terms of the work out here, raising money, but also raising awareness around how Donald Trump is trying to rig the midterm elections and how I fear that we will not have an election in 2028. I really mean that in the core of my soul, unless we wake up to the code red, what's happening in this country, and we wake up soberly to how serious this moment is.

[David Pakman]

Now, listen, I disagree with Newsom in that I do believe we will have an election in 2028. The question is, will the circumstances of that election lead to a result that properly and accurately reflects the will of the American people? Will everyone who would like to have voted have been able to vote and have their vote counted or not? And that doesn't mean that it's like election machine manipulation or anything like that. It just means do the circumstances of this country. Does the clampdown on speech, does the punishment of people in the media, does all. Will all of that dissuade certain people from even going to vote? Because they are terrified? Now, Newsom went on one more clip I want to play where he was critical of the Democratic Party. And this is another thing that I think Newsom is doing right. I think there are lots of people in the Democratic Party that are complete and total duds right now. And I spoke about it yesterday and I spoke about it last week, and I've been ringing alarm bells every opportunity I get. I think there are a bunch of people that make up this deep bench that is strong, very strong. You know, not only is it Gavin Newsom, it's Josh Shapiro, it's Gretchen Whitmer, it's aoc. It's. There's a whole bunch of people. One of the things Newsom is including in his critique of the state of affairs and his demand, his desire for something other than the status quo, is a criticism of the Democratic Party. Listen to this. Why do you think it's so deeply resonates with people? Why do you think this has made such a difference? I mean, you're glad it is, but what do you think people are responding to?

[Gavin Newsom]

Just the fight. I think, you know, this. It's been a. This is a tough time.

[David Pakman]

I'm aware.

[Donald Trump]

Just.

[Gavin Newsom]

No, but there's A lot of anxiety, a lot of stress. A lot of folks that honestly just don't know we're going to get our country back. And I get it, people, this guy is flooding the zone. He's dominating the narratives. Facts don't seem to matter. And Democrats, frankly, have had a difficult time pushing back. And Democrats feel that, you know, times there's sort of this weakness that dominates our brand and our party. And I think what people appreciate is that we're willing to fight and not only fight symbolically by having a little bit fun, but fight symbol substantively. We have 41 lawsuits against this son of a bitch. We're pushing back and we're winning.

[Jimmy Kimmel]

And.

[Gavin Newsom]

We'Re filling a void on a lot of issues. I'm out here for Climate Week. California is the tent pole in terms of climate policy in this country. As he walks away from Paris, he walks away from leadership, moral authority around the rest of the world. California is trying to assert itself on health policy. Same thing. We created this West Coast Collaborative. We're not going to listen to this guy. We're not going to listen to trying to pronounce acetaminophen or we're not going to sit there. Listen.

[David Pakman]

Now, sadly, sadly, Newsom mispronounced it. He. Instead of acetaminophen, he pronounced it acetaminous in. Put that aside for a second. Okay, Right. When you mispronounce the thing, you're criticizing someone else for mispronouncing. And actually, let me just make sure I heard that correct.

[Gavin Newsom]

We created this West Coast Collaborative. We're not going to listen to this guy. We're not going to listen to him trying to pronounce acetaminous.

[David Pakman]

And yeah, he mispronounced it, unfortunately. But listen, overall, Newsom is admitting Democrats have been weak in how they communicate. That's a rare acknowledgment, and it's a blunt acknowledgment. And I like his emphasis on we need to fight substantively and we need to fight symbolically. That could be taken as a critique of the Biden style, certainly a critique of the broader democratic status quo. And one of the things we've learned from history is that collapses of democracy often are preceded by too many people saying, this can't really happen here. We don't need to worry. I like that Gavin Newsom is cutting against that denial. And Plato warned that democracies collapse into tyranny when citizens stop believing the system is working. And Newsom is warning in that vein that that's the direction that we may be going. We're going to take a very quick break. I'll have more about this on my substack, which you can [e-mail] pakman.com I don't have a cat myself, but many friends and family do and lately they have all been talking about Smalls. So when Smalls came on as a sponsor, I wanted to learn more. Smalls is a fresh take on cat food because their recipes are protein packed, made with ingredients you would actually recognize from your own fridge. No preservatives, nothing artificial. Real food made for cats. That's why cats.com and Forbes both named it best overall cat food. Friend of mine recently mentioned their cat seems excited when the Smalls boxes show up. They tried putting it side by side with the old food. The cat went straight for Smalls, which is a pretty good sign. For a limited time. My audience gets 60% off your first smalls order plus free shipping. Just go to smalls.com and use the code Packman. The link is in the description. Let's be honest, when it is hot outside, the way it's been, bad underwear makes it really much worse. Our sponsor, Sheath Underwear has completely rethought how men's underwear should function in the heat. Sheath's boxer briefs are designed with a dual pouch system keeping everything in place separate, ventilated. This means less sweat, less sticking, less of that awkward adjusting. And if you're not using the pouches, the fabric alone is a game changer. Soft, stretchy, moisture wicking now available in cooling materials like bamboo and mesh. I wear these at the gym during long work days, especially when I know it's going to be hot outside and it just keeps you dry and comfortable. And they've really raised my expectations about how good good underwear can be. Wearing sheath is like having built in climate control for the lower half of your body. Everything stays cool, dry and where it should be. If you've never thought much about your underwear, this is the one brand that might make you start. Go to sheathunderwear.com/pacman. Use the code PAKMAN for 20% off. The link is in the description. The David Pakman show continues to be primarily funded by our audience. We have something called membership. There are two iterations of it. You can sign up on my website, join pacman.com or you can become a substack paid [e-mail] pakman.com you can also do both. We have a few hundred people that are subscribed to both and I really appreciate all of you. Also want to mention the last day of this month will mark three years, three months and three weeks until the end of Donald Trump's term. We also have 3.33 million YouTube subscribers. And so on the last day of this month, we're doing something 333 related. It'll be the biggest membership discount of the year. I would love for you to sign up on that day. All you need to do to be notified about that membership discount is get on my newsletter substack dot David Pakman Dotcom Donald Trump spoke before the United Nations General assembly and suffered a total psychotic episode. Yes, he was more orange than we've ever seen. Yes, his eyes were almost completely swollen shut into slits out of which I don't even know how he could read his teleprompter with which, by the way, malfunctioned because of his staff screwing it up. Not anybody sabotaging him, but Donald Trump speaking in front of world leaders and talking about what? Talking about polling. I know, I know. It's another global humiliation for the United States.

[Donald Trump]

The American public agrees with it. I mean, I was very proud to see this morning have the highest poll numbers I've ever had. Part of it is because of what we've done on the border, I guess. The other part is what we've done in the economy. Joe Biden's policies empowered murderous gangs, human smugglers, child traffickers, drug cartels and prisoners. Prisoners from all over the world.

[David Pakman]

You know, it's bad enough that he's talking about poll numbers at the United Nations. The other world leaders, if you're wondering, did not talk about their poll numbers at the United Nations. But he's also lying about his poll numbers. His poll numbers are completely in the toilet. Record low approval, not only overall, but also specifically on the economy. The issue which he said he was going to be great on, Trump then said he's great at predicting things. He's just such a good predictor of stuff. Like, for example, remember when he said that if Biden won in 2020, we would no longer have heating in the winter or air conditioning in the summer? Oh, wait, that didn't come true.

[Donald Trump]

If you don't get away from this green scam, your country is going to fail. And I'm really good at predicting things. You know, they actually said during the campaign they had a hat, the best selling hat. Trump was right about everything. And I don't say that in a braggadocious way, but it's true. I've been right about everything. And I'm telling you that if you don't get away from the green energy scam, your country is going to fail.

[David Pakman]

Remember when Trump told us if Biden becomes President In 2020, the stock market will collapse like the recession of 1929, the Great Depression, rather, of 1929. And we had dozens of stock market records under Joe Biden. No one would have jobs under Biden. And we had record low unemployment. Anyway, something is very wrong with this guy. This is a speech more relevant to a 72 hour psych hold than to the United Nations General assembly. Now, after 20 minutes of ranting, raving and rambling uncontrollably, Trump told the assembled world leaders, your countries are going to hell.

[Donald Trump]

You have to end it now. Sid, I can tell you I'm really good at this stuff. Your countries are going to hell. In America, we've taken bold action to swiftly shut the room.

[David Pakman]

Audibly laughing at Trump. This is a theme. If there is any consistency to Donald Trump's United nations speeches, it's that the room always ends up laughing at him. And he seems to think that they're laughing with him. Classic narcissist. And speaking of narcissism, Trump also said, everybody's saying I should get the Nobel Peace Prize.

[Donald Trump]

Wars is action. Now, after ending all of these wars and also earlier negotiating the Abraham Accords, which is a very big thing for which our country received no credit, never receives credit. Everyone says that I should get the Nobel Peace Prize for each one of these achievements, but for me, the real prize will be the sons and daughters who live to grow up with their mothers and fathers because millions of, of people are no longer being killed in endless and on glorious wars.

[David Pakman]

How is that working out with Russia and Ukraine, by the way? I hate to break it to you, if you're part of the everyone who is believing that Donald Trump deserves the Nobel Peace Prize, you are going to be up for a big, big disappointment. The topic of immigration came up during the United nations speech that Trump delivered. And at this point, he stopped making any sense. Just an impenetrable, impenetrable word salad. Can you figure out what he's saying here?

[Donald Trump]

But, you know, we have a border strong and we have a shape. And that shape doesn't just go straight up.

[David Pakman]

That's right. The shape doesn't go straight up. What?

[Donald Trump]

That shape is amorphous when it comes to the atmosphere. And if we had the most clean air, and I think we do, we have very clean air. We have the cleanest air. We've had in many, many years. But the problem is that other countries, like China, which has air that's a little bit rough, it blows. And no matter what you're doing, it blows down here. The air up here tends to get very dirty because it comes in from other countries where. Where their air isn't so clean. And the environmentalists refused to acknowledge that.

[David Pakman]

Right? Yes, Donnie, of course. Come with me. We're going to pick up your Nobel Peace Prize. Ok. You're a big boy. This is a guy with something very, very wrong. This guy's sick in the head. And finally, finally, Trump with a powerful declaration that we must protect the most persecuted people on the planet who today happen to be Christians. I did not get that memo. I admit.

[Donald Trump]

In honor of this momentous anniversary, I hope that all countries who find inspiration in our example will join us in renewing our commitment values and those values, really, that we hold so dear together. Let us defend free speech and free expression. Let us protect religious liberty, including for the most persecuted religion on the planet today. It's called Christianity in honor.

[David Pakman]

There is no one more persecuted today than the Christians. I didn't get that memo. The world laughing to avoid crying in horror at another completely demented speech from the guy who supposedly is the world's envy. Everybody wants to be Trump and be with Trump and be doing the things Trump is doing. Mostly dictators. And this went so poorly that Donald Trump ended up lashing out about escalators and teleprompters, which we'll get to later, but also left this speech and immediately posted a disgusting word salad about foreign policy to Truth Social, which really should send chills down our spines. The first post of Donald Trump to Truth Social after his totally horrifying speech to the United nations, at which he was literally laughed at by world leaders, was such a bonkers word salad about foreign policy that it should terrify anyone who believes that we are slowly advancing as a species and as a society. It really makes me question the evolution of Homo sapiens. Trump posting the Truth Social quote after getting to know and fully understand the Ukraine, Russia military and economic situation, and after seeing the economic trouble it is causing Russia, I think Ukraine, with the support of the European Union, is in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back in its original form. With time, patience and the financial support of Europe, and in particular Naito, the original borders from where this war started is very much an option. Why not? Russia has been fighting aimlessly for three and a half years, a war that should have taken a real military Power, less than a week to win. This is not distinguishing Russia. In fact, it is very much making them look like a paper tiger. When the people living in Moscow and all of the great cities, towns, and districts all throughout Russia find out what is really going on with this war, the fact that it's almost impossible for them to get gasoline through the long lines that are being formed and all of the other things that are taking place in their war economy, where most of their money is being spent on fighting Ukraine, which has great spirit and only getting better, Ukraine would be able to take back their country in its original form, and who knows, maybe even go further than that. Putin and Russia are in big economic trouble, and this is the time for Ukraine to act. In any event, I wish both countries well. We will continue to supply weapons to Naito, for Naito to do what they want with them. Good luck to all. This is. This is absolutely nuts. Now, top level, you're not wrong if you interpret this and say, wow, this. All of a sudden, wow, this sounds much less pro Russia and all of a sudden much more pro Ukraine. Ukraine's got to take back all the land Russia took. And maybe even more Trump suggesting a war of aggression for Ukraine. And that's fine. I mean, listen, I'm glad to see that to the extent that it is Ukraine that's fighting this war defensively. But it's a completely incoherent post. I mean, first of all, the syntax is all over the place. Contradicting thoughts, not real clear point. Sounds like a parody of Trump trying to sound like a foreign policy expert. And instead, it's rambling filler and randomly capitalized words. But then after all of it, this sort of signals a reversal. Trump, who has been so pro Russia on this issue, all of a sudden he's like, no, Putin's screwing up. Ukraine can get all of its territory back. Maybe they can even get more back. That sounds like a 180. Then he goes, oh, I wish both countries well. Like, you know, it's the Chiefs versus the Patriots. I wish both teams really well. This is a brutal war, not a sporting event. And the swings are kind of manic. Ukraine's winning, Russia's collapsing. Good luck to all. It's unmoored to any reality. And if you bring this statement to allies and say, what is Trump's position right now? I don't think they can decipher it from this. One Moment he's praising Putin. Next he's saying Ukraine should take everything back and maybe even more. And so this is an example of that instability I've been talking to you about. This is what makes Trump dangerous in office. Foreign policy is dictated by mood swings. Incoherent rants lead us to start wondering, what exactly is it that's going on? What is the position? And then I think also it's interesting to mention he keeps talking about Naito should do this, that and the other thing. Ukraine really is fighting this war. Why is it now up to Naito? It's just sort of weird. Does Trump even really understand what's going on there now? To his credit, this is wacky enough and worded in such a way as potentially adversarial to Russia enough that Putin may see this and go, oh damn, I may be losing control of my, my, my pet project over there in the United States, completely whacked and incoherent. But maybe it'll get Putin to reconsider some of his belligerence. And by the way, we were told that the Putin summit with Trump in Alaska was really going to put Putin on the straight and narrow. We weren't going to see any outbursts from him since that. And of course, the attacks, the drones and the missile strikes strikes have only escalated since then. So at least up until yesterday's incoherent rant, Donald Trump not exactly striking fear into the heart of Vladimir Putin. Maybe the belligerence of this rant will actually make Putin scared. I don't know. A pending Supreme Court case could strip our Fourth Amendment rights and allow immigration agents to come into our homes for any reason. No probable cause needed. All while Republicans try to twist things so that you think this is all great for America. This should be the biggest story in the US Right now, but it's almost impossible to keep up with the millions of moves that Trump is making every single day. That's why Ground News exists. Ground News is an app and website that exposes the blind spots and spin before it takes control of our opinions. Ground News is the smarter, more reliable way to stay informed when MAGA is banking on us getting distracted. I'm partnering up with Ground News to give you 40% off the same vantage plan that I use, so you'll pay only five bucks a month for all of their premium features. Just go to Ground News slash Pacman or use the code Pacman in the app. When you sign up, the link is in the description or scan the QR code. It is great to welcome to the program today. Colin Allred, Texas Democratic Senate candidate and someone I've been looking forward to speaking to you for a while really appreciate your time today.

[Colin Allred]

Now. I appreciate you, David. Thanks for having me.

[David Pakman]

So I want to start zoomed out and then maybe zoom in to your campaign and the dynamics of it. I believe Texas has not elected a Democrat to the Senate since 1990. And every election cycle we all hear, you know, Texas is starting to be in play. Texas is purple. There's usually like one presidential poll that goes, oh, it's within the margin of error. But that, at least in the presidential elections, has not yet come to fruition. Talk to me a little bit about why now. What do you think is different in Texas that could sort of turn this around for the first time in, in 36 years?

[Colin Allred]

Yeah. Well, thank you, David. Thanks for having me on. Listen, I'm a fourth generation Texan. My boys are fifth generation Texans. So, you know, for me, it's personal to fight for my state. You know, I served us in Congress. But, you know, my story was made possible by folks here. Like when you're raised by a single mom who's a public school teacher and you struggle growing up, you have to have a lot of help. And so I had great teachers and coaches. I had a YMCA that I went to. That was really important for me. And so I believe in our state. And I also want to just be clear that Texas has, as many folks know, been a state where one of our struggles has been making sure that our folks come out to vote. And, you know, I was a voting rights lawyer before I ever ran for Congress, before I was, you know, in the Obama administration. And one of my, the reason I became a voting rights lawyer because I wanted to make sure that every Texan and really every American would have a chance to make their voice heard in our democracy. And I just want to say that, you know, that that is certainly part of what we're struggling against here in Texas is voter suppression. But that's not the only thing. You know, I talk to a lot of folks even during my voting rights work who felt like, well, you know, what is it going to matter? What's going to change if I jump through all these hoops, if I've worked in two or three jobs, why should I go vote if nothing's going to change for me? That's why I think it's really important that we talk about what's happening right now with families, particularly working families, how they can't afford to get by, how they're working harder and harder for less. That's my story as well. And how they're spending less Time with their kids, they feel like they're swimming upstream.

[Donald Trump]

And.

[Colin Allred]

And the answer needs to be that this is how we're going to do something about this for you. This is how we're going to lower your costs. And I put out a plan today for more affordable Texas, you know, based on some policies that I worked on in Congress, but that I also know that we have to put in place for my conversations all around this state to deal with the fact that folks are struggling to get by. In the last election, they were lied to. They were told that their costs were going to go down. It was not true. There was never any intention to do that. And this election, we have to tell folks that they were lied to and that we're going to do something about it. And I think that's going to be powerful here in Texas, in addition to many of the other things that are going on that I'm sure we'll talk about.

[David Pakman]

So I love that. I want to offer some hopefully constructive pushback because I know that a lot of my audience are going to go. You know, David, I don't know that he really answered your question right there. Because Texas has way more Republicans than Democrats. The map is not favorable to this. That's why it's an uphill battle. We want to hear what. You're going to have to win some more Republicans unless you are able to, like, you know, increase democratic turnout by 50%, which is tough enough, your elections. Right. What specifically is going to get Texans to go, hey, you know what? I voted Republicans for a really long time. This time I'm voting for a Democrat, which are the policies that will achieve that.

[Colin Allred]

Yeah, I'm glad, I'm glad you asked that. Because, you know, in 2018, I, I had never run for office. I had just finished serving in the Obama administration, and I decided to run for Congress in my hometown, in the district where I was born and raised or the hospital that I was born in, where the high school I went to was. It was a gerrymandered Republican district. They had a Republican who'd been there for 22 years.

[David Pakman]

Yep.

[Colin Allred]

No Democrat had even run against him in the previous election because they thought that he couldn't be beaten. And I thought, you know, I. I think I know my community and I think I know the folks that I grew up around. I think we can beat this guy. And no one in the press thought we could. You know, this was not one of the districts that people were like, oh, yeah, we're definitely going to win that district. And we beat him by nearly seven points. And I represented a true swing district in Texas and kept winning in that district. And it was a coalition, and to your point, was a coalition of Democrats, but also independents and Republicans and especially black and Latino Texans who were too, too often written off who we got out to vote in that swing district. You know, in the last election, I outperformed our presidential ticket in Texas. You're running, you know, eight points ahead of the top of the ticket in the Rio Grande Valley. But Republicans were also making gains at the same time. We, we flipped some traditionally Republican held counties here in Texas. And so I do think that we have to expand our coalition, that it has to be a broad one. I think it does include certainly independents and Republicans. I've shown that I can do that. But I also think that the folks who were not getting out and who, who I think our struggle I think has to be, our fight has to be to get them to the polls, are largely working class black and Latino voters in Texas who are what we're fighting. There is not so much Republicans. It's oftentimes despair. It's oftentimes how can we push through a message that, yes, something can change that, yes, I know what you're going through. I don't have to read about it. No one has to tell me about it. I live the same way you're living. I went to the same schools your kids are going to. My mom taught in those schools. I know what you're going through and I know what we can do about it. And there I do think it's policy, but I also think it's personal. And this is something I've been doing when I work in restaurants around our state, which I've been doing when I go on construction sites around our state, which I've been doing, talking to working people and making sure that they know that I'm not coming at this from some lofty position and being like, yeah, yeah, I know what you need. I'm like, no, I remember what you need. And that's why I think we can win here.

[David Pakman]

If I understand your position on Social Security correctly, you want the wealthy to pay this. What I saw written was to pay the same rate as everyone else. Now, my question is, when you say that, are you looking to uncap Social Security contributions? And then if so, would that also mean that the benefits that those wealthy people get at the end when they retire would also be higher?

[Colin Allred]

Listen, and I want to be clear about this, because I don't think we have to Be prescriptive. But I do, I do support raising the cap with a gap for, you know, certain working folks to kind of get above that. And I think that what we're seeing here is that we should treat all income basically the same in many ways when it comes to Social Security, that it shouldn't just fall on working people to pay into it. And that if you want to get above a certain level or if your wealth comes, if your income comes in a different form, that, you know, you're not paying into Social Security, that to me is unfair and it targets working people and makes it harder for them. And so my goal is to expand and to protect Social Security into the future. And I, we, there's several different ways to go about it. And I, in my plan that we put out today, we have, you know, the Social Security Expansion Act. That's one way to do it. But what I ultimately want to do is make sure that, that we protect Social Security and that we make it better. Because I talked to, when I was in Congress, the folks who called into my office who were, it was most heartbreaking were the folks who were relying on Social Security every month to get by. And if their check was delayed by a week or even two weeks, they could have a cascading effect where all of their bills went unpaid, where they could lose so many things that they had worked so hard for. And listen, this is something that folks are really, really relying on. And so when I hear people say, you know, we should raise the age for Social Security, I think, I don't think that you've ever met working people. I don't think you've met the folks who are working outside and making their living and then showering after work instead of before work because they're counting their days until they get to that point to where they can then rely on this thing that they've been paying into out of their hard earned paychecks. And so that, to me, is the commitment that we have to keep.

[David Pakman]

But so if I may, I want to go back to the specifics. So right now the cap is at 176,000. You pay in up to 176. You want a gap and then it kicks back in at what income level?

[Colin Allred]

Yeah, and I think, I think it's around 450,000 or somewhere around there. But I think this is to make sure that when we're talking about the ultra wealthy that we are still paying into the Social Security trust fund. And I think that's the most important thing. And again, you Know, having been in Congress and worked on these things, what I think is important is that we have a goal that we put down and we say this is what we're going to work towards. The details, quite honestly, will often have to be, you know, hammered out while you're trying to get enough votes to get it through the Congress. And that's kind of my, always my approach. But I want to make sure people know that Social Security does not have to be. To go insolvent, that we don't have to keep it where it is. And that, to be honest with you, keeping it where it is is, is the equivalent of sticking your head in the sand and just hoping nothing bad happens. Because we have a wave of older folks who are going to be hitting Social Security coming up in the coming decades that's going to make this something that we have to deal with. So let's put a stake in the ground now and say this is how we should deal with it. We should ask the wealthiest to pay more into it. We should also make sure that we expand these services for folks who really need it.

[David Pakman]

Okay. And then. And the reason I ask about this is a lot of people have not thought about some of this stuff, and it makes it sort of, when voters hear it, they go, I don't know how well thought out. That is so perfect. We've got a gap. 450 kicks back in. Now you make a million bucks a year. You're paying in up to 176. Not between 176 and 450. Again, between 450 and a million. When that person retires. Do. Do we have to expand the benefits table so that because they've paid in so much more, they also get a higher benefit at retirement?

[Colin Allred]

No, no, we're not getting a higher benefit. No, that's not.

[David Pakman]

No.

[Colin Allred]

Yeah. No, there's no. No higher benefit. It's a higher benefit for everyone. Right. So that's, that's the way Social Security works, is that it's, it's universal. So we would expand the benefits by $2400 a year for every senior. Right.

[David Pakman]

Okay.

[Colin Allred]

It's not specific for people who are paying more in, if that's what you're asking. And I'm not sure if I got your question right, but.

[David Pakman]

No, no, you got it. Yeah. No, it sounds like your answer is no. Very, very clear on that. Okay.

[Colin Allred]

Yeah.

[David Pakman]

Let's talk a little bit to pick one other thing about what's going on in California with the redistricting, and it relates directly to what's happening in Texas. So I think it's highly salient for a lot of your voters. Do you support what Governor Newsom is trying to do there with Proposition 50?

[Colin Allred]

I'm smiling because I hate gerrymandering. I hate it. Like, I hate it with a passion.

[David Pakman]

Yep.

[Colin Allred]

If you asked me, like, if you had a magic wand, what would you do to fix the House of Representatives.

[David Pakman]

I would do make it go away.

[Colin Allred]

I would get rid of gerrymandering and I would change campaign finance. Right.

[David Pakman]

Yep.

[Colin Allred]

And as a voting rights lawyer, I literally fought against gerrymandering. Right. But my position has been, and I think this is what we have to do, that we have to fight fire with fire so they can't rig the election, but that we use the power that we get that the people will give us to end gerrymandering forever.

[David Pakman]

Right.

[Colin Allred]

And. And so to me, we can do that. We had a bill that I worked on that we passed out of the House called the John Lewis for the People act that was. That would have banned gerrymandering and required every state nationwide to have independent, nonpartisan commissions to draw their districts that at that time, we had 50 votes in the Senate for it, but we couldn't get it through the filibuster. When I'm in the Senate, I'll make sure we pass that. But I, you know, to answer your question, yes, I think we have to make sure that we respond to this and not let them just, you know, rig this election. And as you know, what they're doing here in Texas is. Is more than. How do I say this? It's worse than just numbers on. On a. You know, in the House Representatives, it's black and brown voices that are being silenced. Every district that they targeted, and, and your viewers probably know this, but every district that they targeted was a majority minority or majority black, majority Hispanic district. And what they're doing there is reducing the overall voting power in the United States Congress for the fastest growing communities in our state. Right. And they're also messing with historic accomplishments and historic districts like Barbara Jordan's district in Houston that Sheila Jackson Lee held and that I served with her and that Mayor Turner held most recently until he passed away. These are historic districts that particularly African Americans in Texas gave blood for. And so it's incredibly personal. It's incredibly upsetting. I do think there's a chance that the courts will invalidate some of these districts. So that fight is not over.

[David Pakman]

Yeah.

[Colin Allred]

I think we can't let them rig the election.

[David Pakman]

Last thing I want to ask you about the. The stock of the Democratic Party is not particularly high right now. And I hear from so many in my audience, overwhelmingly Democratic voters who say, David, I want to like what's coming up in 2026. I want to look and say, there's clearly a path here. There's a plan. It's an emotionally salient plan. It's tractable that I can tell you what are the five pillars, and they're not getting that right. And we've interviewed everybody from governors to senators and members of the House, mayors, everybody in between. And the biggest feedback I get from my audience is, you know, David, I had such high hopes for this interview, and I kind of heard talking points dancing around questions. And I don't know what is your. If you were grading what's going on right now in the Democratic Party as we push to what is arguably a critical midterm, because taking the House, for example, will neuter the remainder of Donald Trump's second term. I mean, he will get nothing done if Democrats are able to take the House, for example. It's so critical. How would you grade how it's shaping up for Democrats based on what you're seeing so far?

[Colin Allred]

I want to just go back to 2017.

[David Pakman]

Okay.

[Colin Allred]

And if we were having this conversation in September 2017, it was not quite the same, but you would have largely said the same things to me then.

[David Pakman]

Okay. Probably.

[Colin Allred]

And we did not know that we were on the verge in a year from then of flipping 40 congressional seats, including the one that I was running in.

[David Pakman]

Yep.

[Colin Allred]

Of winning several couple Senate races, winning a bunch of state House races all around the states and the country. And we, we did not know that was coming. And you look at the folks who got elected in that election, you know, folks like me, folks like Mikey Sherrell, Abigail Spamberger, Alyssa Slotkin, Andy Kim, you know, we were all folks who had never run for office. We were not politicians. And we ran because we were worried about the country. And we were worried and we had served in government or we'd served in the military, and we wanted to take back what we knew was right about the country and also fight the party itself that we were a member of, and say, hey, listen, let's get back to what folks really care about. Right. And that's where I think we are now also, is that there's all over the country, there'll be really strong public servants running, many of whom are not the names, you know, right now, particularly in these congressional races, who I think will emerge and who will rest the party back to what I think its roots have to be, which is a focus on working people and working families. We, we've been considered to be too online, too elite, too out of touch, and, and honestly looking down and speaking down to working people. And in the last election, there was a cry heard in which Donald Trump won working people for the first time, like, you know, in decades. Yeah, right. And if we don't take that incredibly seriously, and not only, you know, nominate candidates who are focused on that, but also who come from some of those backgrounds like I do, or who understand them and have direct plans on how to deal with folks who are going through that, then we will not have the election that we should have. But I remember what the 2018 election ultimately was about with everything that was going on from childhood, separation with child separation, which was a horrible policy, the Muslim ban, many of the horrific things that were being done then.

[David Pakman]

Yeah.

[Colin Allred]

That election was about the Affordable Care act in the end, and about meat and potatoes issues. And the guy who I was running against, who had voted to repeal the ACA like, 56 times by the time the election came up, he was for the aca. Right, Right. This election, to me, is also going to be about meat and potatoes, issues about working people, about affordability, about an economy that has been rigged against them and a system that's rigged against them. And I'm, I'm running to unrig it here in Texas. And I think all across the country, you'll see leaders emerge to do that. It may not be the party, but the party will follow folks who are successfully making this pitch to working people, because that's also, I think, the best policy. But it's, it's good politics. Right. And so my message to everyone is instead of looking for the party to be your vehicle for your hopes or the nebulous, like, constellation of whatever that means, identify the people who are really talking about affordability and working people and who are connecting on that and who are trying to, you know, there's a reason why, you know, I've been, you know, working in, on these work sites and doing these things. It's. And going to football games and talking to people in the stands at, at the games about their kids and what's going on in their lives is because I'm, I'm, I'm trying to center us and center this campaign back in on the ground that I'm most comfortable in, which is the folks who I grew up around, who are people who work hard, who play by the rules and who want to be able to get ahead and have their kids get ahead but feel like they can't. And if we do that, maybe we'll win the election and do a lot of good things. But at the very least will be speaking for people who should be spoken for.

[David Pakman]

This is a high stakes and potentially critical senate race in 2026. If you look at the map, it's hard not to not to see that. We've been speaking with Democratic Senate candidate Colin Allred. You can learn more about the campaign@colin allred.com really appreciate your time today. We're watching this one closely.

[Colin Allred]

Thank you and congratulations to you on the new arrival.

[David Pakman]

Thank you. I appreciate that. And our sponsor, Magic Spoon has been with us a long time. They do the high protein, zero sugar cereals and treats nostalgically reinventing some of my favorite childhood snacks. Many of you know, for me cereal was not breakfast, it was a snack. And that is still the case. And what Magic Spoon has done is taken your favorite sugary cereals from when you were a kid and turn them into something you can feel good about. Magic Spoon is also launching a brand new high protein granola, true to the Magic Spoon promise, packed with protein, crunchy 13 grams of protein, zero added sugars, and in delicious flavors like dark chocolate, almond, honey almond and peanut butter. They've got their high protein treats as well. Crispy, crunchy, airy, with 12 grams of protein in many flavors. And and of course, if you don't love Magic Spoon as much as I do, and our team does, Magic Spoon will refund all of your money, no questions asked. Get $5 off your next order at magic spoon.com/pacman or look for Magic Spoon on Amazon or in your nearest grocery store. The link is in the description. White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt. I almost feel bad for her, but I don't. She's still choosing to keep this job. She has done the unthinkable. And she went out and issued a threat saying if anybody deliberately sabotaged Donald Trump's escalator or sabotage Donald Trump's teleprompter at the United nations, oh boy, they need to be fired. Now you might be saying, what the hell is she talking about? Well, let me explain. Caroline Levitt put out the following tweet quote, if someone at the United nations intentionally stopped the escalator as the president and first lady were stepping on, they need to be fired and investigated immediately. The Times reported this on Sunday. Now here is Donald Trump getting onto the escalator and you will see. This is at the UN Speech. I can't believe we're in this stupid of a timeline, but we are. And remember, when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. When all you have is authoritarianism, everything looks like someone you need to threaten. Here is Trump getting on the escalator yesterday at his speech. And you will see, indeed, the escalator stops. Oh, my goodness. President Trump Schumer. Ok, the escalator stopped. And God forbid, Trump had to walk up the stairs. He almost missed his speech by having to walk up the stairs. Okay, so what exactly happened here? Well, Donald Trump has a perspective. He actually ranted about this during his United nations speech.

[Donald Trump]

All I got from the United nations was an escalator that, on the way up, stopped right in the middle. If the first lady wasn't in great shape, she would have fallen. But she's great shape, by the way.

[David Pakman]

It stopped in the middle. It stopped like one step up from where it started.

[Donald Trump]

We're both in good shape. We both stood. And then a teleprompter that didn't work. This is. These are the two things I got from the United Nations. A bad escalator and a bad teleprompter. Thank you very much.

[David Pakman]

These people are the perennial victims. We are the victims of everything. And also others need to be punished. Now, unfortunately for Trump and Caroline Levitt's narrative, we got a reality check from Furnish Amiri, a UN Correspondent for the Associated Press, who was able to report, quote, a United nations officials. A United nations official said the UN Understands that someone from the president's party who ran ahead of him inadvertently triggered the stop mechanism on the escalator. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the White House was operating the teleprompter for Donald Trump. As usual, Trumpism, we are the biggest victims in the world. We are the most poorly treated people in the world. Everyone's discriminating against us, and everything is someone else's fault. Except it was a Trump staffer that stopped the escalator inadvertently, and it was the White House, Trump's team controlling his teleprompter during the speech. But for Caroline Levitt, there is no lie too unbelievable, there is no distortion too incredible for her to just go along with it and say it. And when she appeared on Fox News, it actually got even worse. And I want to talk about that now. Caroline Levitt went on Fox News, and the incredible circumstances of this led to a wow, wow, wow. We're the victims Scenario. Jesse Watters suggests, after it has already been declared by an AP reporter, that Trump's escalator at the UN Stopped because one of his own staffers triggered the stop, that Trump's teleprompter stopped working correctly during his UN Speech because of something that was done by the White House staffers controlling the teleprompter. Jesse Waters says, I believe this is sabotage. And Caroline Levitt is quick to agree that that's the way it looks. The escalator is part of Antifa.

[Jesse Watters]

All right, Caroline, it does appear to be sabotage with the escalator and the teleprompter. What is the White House going to do about that?

[David Pakman]

This is at 8:15 Eastern Time. Okay. This was hours after we found out the real cause.

[Caroline Levitt]

Well, Jesse, that's definitely what it appears to be to me, and that's why I put out a statement earlier. There were some cases concerning reporting over the weekend from the London Times, as you pointed out, that UN Globalist staffers were basically plotting to set up the President of the United States. And first it was the escalator, then it was the teleprompter. And then Katie Pavlich from Town hall, who we offered a seat in the press pool to cover the President's historic speech today, noticed that the audio inside of the room was much lower. And.

[David Pakman]

And, oh, these people are incredible.

[Colin Allred]

These.

[David Pakman]

The audio was lower.

[Caroline Levitt]

Side of the room was much lower and different for the President of the United States than the previous speaker.

[David Pakman]

So, yeah, they made it sound like he was constantly sniffing. Oh, wait a second. That's exactly what he was doing.

[Caroline Levitt]

You put all of this together. It doesn't look like a coincidence to me. And I know that we have people, including the United States Secret Service, who are looking into this to try to get to the bottom of it. And if we find that these were UN Staffers who were purposefully trying to trip up, literally trip up, the President and the first lady of the United States, well, there better be accountability for those people. And I will personally see to it, Jesse.

[David Pakman]

Good. Oh, man. You know, they. They can't just go, oh, we, we just. Like one of our staffers who was walking up ahead triggered the stop mechanism. That's all. It's not a big deal. No huge deal. And Jesse Watters just builds, builds, builds on this as well.

[Jesse Watters]

Daddy's not happy. He came to the UN Today and it was a total mess. Everything was broken. The escalators weren't even working. Trump and Melania were riding it up, and it just stopped the first lady lost her balance a bit, but she.

[David Pakman]

Lost her balance a bit, steadied herself.

[Jesse Watters]

Thankfully, and then marched to the top. She could have been.

[David Pakman]

She marched hurt.

[Jesse Watters]

And the president looked over at the press and knew something was up. At first, we thought the escalator just malfunctioned, but then so did the teleprompter.

[David Pakman]

Very, very suspicious. Now, again, all of this is happening hours after all of these narratives have been debunked. This is a classic of authoritarianism, which is that on the one hand, you attempt to project strength with this whole alpha beta male thing. These are the alpha males, these are the emblems and pinnacles of strength and fortitude and all of it. But at the same time, they lose their minds over the most minor thing, like the escalator stopped, the teleprompter didn't work. Put aside for a second, whether it's their fault or someone else's, it happens to be their fault in this particular case. How is it that you are so strong, so strong, so much stronger than everybody else, but at the same time, so much time is spent attacking others for. And with Jesse Waters, it's on the behalf of Trump, defending him and going after those over such minor, inconsequential things. And the bigger of. Bigger picture of this kind of gets us to the next thing that Caroline Levitt said. The real reason she was there is that this speech was a fiasco and the room full of world leaders was laughing at Trump and it was not well received. And he ranted about polling and lied about it and told people their countries are going to hell and all of this stuff. The real reason that Caroline Levitt was there is to argue that this was really a great speech. And she talks about how the room was packed and everybody wanted to see it and all of this stuff, but the room was laughing at him. And so she's really doing damage control. And if she can add in there, they also were so unfair. They sabotaged the escalator and they sabotage the teleprompter. All the better to show that this guy is the ultimate victim.

[Jesse Watters]

The President was blunt, very blunt today. It was definitely useful because these people.

[David Pakman]

Have to get their act together.

[Jesse Watters]

Do you think the UN Heard the president loud and clear?

[Caroline Levitt]

Absolutely. In fact, the room was absolutely packed.

[David Pakman]

Now, what's funny is she argued they did something to the audio so he wasn't going to be as audible, but then it's like, oh, no, they heard.

[Caroline Levitt]

Him loud and clear to the walls. Every single leader showed up for President Trump's speech today and they heard him loud and clear. And I am proud to work for President Trump every day, Jesse. But I, I was especially proud watching the President of the United States of America bring common sense to an organization that has made no sense for far too long. And the president gave some tough love. He said, you are all destroying your own countries and the United States of America was just being destroyed by one of your own. He took one of your own, A globalist in Joe Biden who had no idea what he was doing.

[David Pakman]

So anyway, it was the best speech ever and everybody loved it. Nobody was laughing, nobody was shocked by the level of self serving authoritarianism and egocentrism. And then finally, the no new wars guy, we are told by Caroline Levitt is ready for a fight. And that's a warning to Vladimir Putin.

[Caroline Levitt]

But the President has said if Vladimir Putin wants to keep fighting, well, the president knows how to fight. But ultimately always, Jesse, the president has wanted peace. He's wanted this war to come to an end. And he's made that very clear since he came into office in January.

[David Pakman]

The no new wars guy is ready to fight and has not exactly been able to end that war in one day the way he promised. You have to remember, in the world of authoritarianism, the more they tout the strength of the leader, the more they realize the leader is being seen as increasingly weak. And Caroline Levitt, you know, we've said, is she going to regret this when she's older? I don't know. I don't know. But I do know that with that huge cross she wears, there is nothing Jesus like or godlike about the facility with which she lies every single day. Now, unfortunately, while we've been filming the show, there's been a mass shooting. Three people have been shot at a Texas ICE facility. The suspected gunman has been killed. And we're going to talk about that on the bonus show today. A jury has also convicted Ryan Ruth on all charges in the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. And finally, California has issued a historic fine over a lawyer's chat fabrications. Could this be the new thing? Major, major fines when chat GPT hallucinates. And what is the legal liability here? An interesting discussion that we will have. Remember that this individual YouTube clip, if that's what you're watching, is part of a daily podcast. You can get that podcast for free anywhere podcasts are available. Spotify is one option. Apple podcasts is another. But use your pick. Get the full hour show in audio form on the podcast app of your choice. I'll see you on the bonus show. I'll see you back here tomorrow.