The David Pakman Show — Episode Summary

Episode Date: September 29, 2025
Title: Right Wing Violence Hits Church, White House Scrambles
Host: David Pakman

Episode Overview

David Pakman delves into a tragic mass shooting at a Mormon church in Michigan perpetrated by a Trump-supporting Marine veteran. The episode focuses on the human and political dimensions of the event—directly challenging right-wing attempts to frame violence as predominantly left-wing, examining partisan responses, and dissecting media misrepresentation. Pakman also interviews Rahm Emanuel on the future of the Democratic Party and scrutinizes recent political developments, including government shutdown rhetoric and Trump's economic policies.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Michigan Church Shooting and Right-Wing Violence

• Event Recap:
  • A "Trump supporting Marine veteran opened fire in a Mormon church in Michigan." (00:07)
  • At least four killed, eight wounded; perpetrator Thomas Sanford (40-year-old white male) rammed his truck into the church, opened fire, and set the building on fire before being killed by police.
  • The shooter’s background: ex-Marine, pro-Trump and MAGA affiliations, with strong right-wing views—anti-vax, anti-lockdowns, anti-abortion, pro-Turning Point USA, pro-Charlie Kirk.
  • Pakman notes, "Every bit of information we have at this point contradicts that and indicates this was a very clearly ardently pro-Trump individual." (01:50)
• Narrative Struggles in MAGA World:
  • Previously, right-wing pundits had been pushing the narrative of increasing left-wing violence, especially after the killing of Charlie Kirk.
  • Pakman argues the right now faces trouble maintaining this narrative given the clearly right-wing motivation of the Michigan shooter.
  • Quote: "They're going to pull out their proverbial sharpies and make this what they need it to be and make this what they want it to be." (07:44)
• Media Coverage and Analysis:
  • Coverage frequently omits the attacker’s right-wing identity; Fox News focuses solely on his military background, omitting political affiliations (29:04–29:53).
  • "The absence of information is its own form of bias. We call it bias by omission." (28:54)
• Patterns of Violence:
  • Political violence in the US is “overwhelmingly right-wing,” Pakman asserts, citing data from The Violence Project: “26% of mass shooters had military experience,” though only 6% of the population are veterans. (10:36)
  • Demographics of mass shooters: “...overwhelmingly... male, mostly under 30, disproportionately white. This guy happened to be 40.” (10:09)

2. Donald Trump and the White House Response

• Trump's Messaging:
  • Trump’s Truth Social post is read in full (16:30), with the key line:

    "This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States."

  • Pakman critiques the “Christian persecution complex” and notes that, statistically, religiously motivated violence in the US overwhelmingly targets Jews, not Christians.
  • Pakman: "They are trying to make you believe anyone who attacks a church must be a left winger." (19:42)
• Press Secretary Caroline Levitt’s Spin:
  • On Fox News, Levitt avoids mentioning right-wing motives, instead emphasizing Sanford’s military service and framing the event as anti-Christian, despite the shooter’s own likely Christian identity.
  • Quote: "What a good job she's doing, right?... Number two, while saying we need to wait for motive. If you're going to assume anything that's not good for Trump... she says it seems pretty clear that this was an individual targeting Christians." (23:12)
• Media Selectivity and Coverage
  • Contrasts between wild speculation when a shooter is assumed left-wing (as with the Kirk event) and muted, motive-agnostic coverage when the perpetrator has clear MAGA ties.

3. Political Violence Statistics and Axios/CSIS Data

• Right-Wing vs. Left-Wing Violence Stats:
  • MAGA-aligned voices now point to an Axios headline promoting a spike in left-wing violence, but Pakman shows how this is misleading—actual CSIS data continues to show right-wing violence as dominant.
  • "Most domestic terror in the United States is right wing. In every single year, the right wing domestic terror blows out of the water the left wing domestic terrorist." (20:44)
  • Pakman notes MAGA's willingness to twist or misrepresent data, relying on followers not to fact-check.

4. Government Shutdown Rhetoric

• Republican Blame Game:
  • Caroline Levitt and other Republicans preemptively blame Democrats for an impending shutdown despite the GOP holding the White House and both chambers.
  • (Coffee shop anecdote at 25:43: "And then one of the women goes, and now Democrats are going to shut down the government...")
  • Pakman reflects on how media spin shapes public perception: "Perception is reality, rather, and that a lot of this entire shutdown game is who gets the blame at the end of the day." (26:43)

5. Ty Cobb (Former Trump WH Counsel) on Trump’s Authoritarianism

• Ty Cobb’s Public Rebuke:
  • On CBS's Face the Nation, Trump's own former counsel “torches” Trump regarding the prosecution of James Comey:

    "America needs to learn from the mistakes and lessons that we've had. And one of the biggest mistakes that America ever had was reelecting President Trump." — Ty Cobb (32:00)

  • Cobb describes Trump's attempts to rewrite history, noting the unconstitutionality and authoritarian nature of Trump's actions.

6. FEATURE INTERVIEW – Rahm Emanuel on the Democratic Party’s Future

• Emanuel’s Critique of Establishment Failures:
  • Economic instability, war in Iraq, the 2008 bank bailout, failed COVID responses, and more have led to public distrust.
  • "There's a big appetite, thirst for candor, authenticity and strength... Everything I've done over my life is take on powerful interests that have held a chokehold on the system, broke it and made progress." — Rahm Emanuel (59:39)
• Centrality of Education Reform:
  • Emanuel emphasizes a return to educational “fundamentals”—citing the “Mississippi miracle” in reading, advocating for free community college, and requiring high school graduates to have a post-grad plan.
  • "You can't be a party that espouses equity as a core value and be complicit or complacent with academic failure." (51:41)
• Economic Policy vs. "Woke" Social Issues:
  • Acknowledges the importance of messaging on concrete economic policies.
  • “If you don't think the crisis that was the nation's report card is a wake up call, I'm not your guy and that's okay by me.” (55:00)

7. Trump’s Tariff Policy and Farmer Bailouts

• Tariff Backfire:
  • Trump’s tariffs harm American farmers, now requiring bailouts derived from tariff revenue.
  • "You break it and then you have the taxpayers who are paying the tariffs try to fix it." (66:33)
  • Pakman ridicules claims of “free markets,” noting tariffs and bailouts are antithetical to conservative economic orthodoxy.

8. Trump, QAnon, and AI-Generated Med Bed Hoax

• Trump Amplifies AI Health Conspiracy:
  • Trump shares (and later deletes) a fake AI video promising “med bed” cards—advanced healing pods—for all Americans, feeding QAnon fantasies.
  • Pakman warns of the growing threat of deep-fake media in politics:

    "We are going to be dealing with fabricated presidential statements. They are going to go mainstream." (71:07)

• Pakman’s Tone:
  • Disbelief and mockery of the MAGA base’s vulnerability to conspiracy theories and technological deception.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Overwhelmingly, political violence in the United States is right wing.” — David Pakman (10:09)
• “This appears to be yet another targeted attack on Christians in the United States.” — Quoted from Donald Trump’s Truth Social Post, read aloud by Pakman (16:30)
• "The right functions a little bit differently. After Charlie Kirk was killed, Donald Trump was out there. Liberal scum this and left wing perpetrators that... But this time it's, we are going to keep everybody posted. We must pray for the victims and their families. The violence must stop. No partisanship." — Pakman (18:08)
• “When your followers don't have any idea what's going on, it is easy to lie to them.” — David Pakman (20:54)
• "The absence of information is its own form of bias. We call it bias by omission." — David Pakman on Fox News coverage (28:54)
• “America needs to learn from the mistakes and lessons that we've had. And one of the biggest mistakes, that America ever had, was reelecting President Trump.” — Ty Cobb, former Trump White House lawyer (32:00)
• "You can't be a party that espouses equity as a core value and be complicit or complacent with academic failure." — Rahm Emanuel (51:41)
• "If you don't think the crisis that was the nation's report card is a wake up call, I'm not your guy and that's okay by me." — Rahm Emanuel (55:00)
• “Tariffs are not free market. Bailouts are not free market. None of it is free market. But they claim that at some point we're going to get to that free market thanks to what they're doing. It's pathetic.” — David Pakman (66:33)
• "We are going to be dealing with fabricated presidential statements. They are going to go mainstream." — David Pakman (71:07)

Timestamps for Important Segments

• 00:07 — Immediate aftermath and coverage of the Michigan church shooting
• 16:30 — Reading and analysis of Donald Trump’s Truth Social post on the shooting
• 23:12 — Breakdown of Caroline Levitt’s Fox News appearance and rhetorical strategy
• 28:54–29:53 — Example of Fox News’s “bias by omission” in reporting
• 32:00–33:13 — Ty Cobb on Trump’s history, authoritarian actions, and Comey prosecution
• 37:54–62:24 — Rahm Emanuel interview (Democratic strategy, education reform, economic challenges, “woke” issues)
• 66:33 — Trump’s tariff policy backfires and Pakman eviscerates the GOP argument
• 71:07 — Trump posts AI-generated “med bed” video and Pakman discusses the danger of deepfakes

Overall Tone and Style

Pakman maintains his characteristic blend of incisive analysis, pointed skepticism, and dry wit. He exposes right-wing media tactics, challenges establishment failings, and critiques the political class’s treatment of gun violence and public policy. Memorable quips and sharp commentary make complex topics accessible without compromising depth.

Summary for New Listeners

This episode is a comprehensive crash course in the current state of American political violence, media coverage, and partisan spin. Pakman methodically debunks right-wing narratives, explores how both political and media establishments deal with tragedy, and contrasts these responses with hard data. The Rahm Emanuel interview focuses on the Democratic Party’s economic and educational policy imperatives while candidly addressing “woke” controversies. Anyone seeking sharp, fact-based, and humor-laced progressive commentary will find this episode both informative and original.