The David Pakman Show
Episode: Desperation peaks as 2026 isn't looking so good
Date: December 31, 2025
Host: David Pakman
Overview:
In the final show of 2025, David Pakman explores the escalating desperation within the Republican Party as the 2026 midterms approach. He examines current conservative propaganda tactics, the MAGA movement’s cult dynamics, and the waning energy among Trump’s base. The episode also provides critical media analysis, notably around drug policy misrepresentation, medical misinformation, and recent viral right-wing talking points.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Republican Desperation Heading into 2026
- Timestamps: 00:44–02:00
- Pakman sets the tone: 2026 looms large for Republicans facing internal panic, declining support, and questionable fundraising strategies.
- Pam Bondi's failed propaganda is emblematic of a panic-driven, "vibes over facts" approach.
Quote:
"We are on the precipice of 2026 and it is looming very large for Republicans... It is pure panic and it's all happening during a cost of living crisis."
—David Pakman [00:44]
2. Pam Bondi’s Propaganda and Chart Fail
- Timestamps: 01:00–09:58
- Pakman details how Trump’s former Attorney General Pam Bondi accidentally praised Biden with a chart meant to highlight Trump’s achievements on overdose deaths. The chart actually showed fatalities rising under Trump, then falling under Biden.
- Bondi deleted the tweet when called out, revealing propaganda tactics: start with the desired conclusion and hunt for confirmatory evidence, regardless of what the data shows.
Insights:
- Overdose deaths are minimally connected to the sitting president; changes lag policies and are influenced by broader factors like fentanyl purity, economic stress, and regional health capacity.
- The incident exemplifies the manipulation of statistics—ignoring substance in favor of loyalty signaling.
Quote:
"You don't start with facts. You start with the conclusion: Trump good. Then you go hunting for...a chart that appears to support my conclusion."
—David Pakman [06:30]
3. Dr. Oz Spreads Medical Misinformation
- Timestamps: 09:58–17:15
- Dr. Mehmet Oz, now heading Medicare and Medicaid, appears on Newsmax with questionable advice about the flu—downplaying the flu vaccine’s efficacy and instead promoting sunlight, vitamin D, zinc, and sleep.
- Pakman systematically debunks these claims, emphasizing that the flu shot (even in less effective years) is vital for preventing hospitalization.
Quotes:
"He just goes, the flu shot doesn't work very well. But here's a bunch of other ideas...This is a real doctor."
—David Pakman [09:58]
"The flu vaccine is not particularly good at preventing you from getting the flu, but it is still extraordinarily good at reducing the chances that you end up hospitalized because of the flu."
—David Pakman [13:30]
4. Trump’s Frantic Fundraising & the Cost of Grift
- Timestamps: 17:15–22:37
- Discussion of a Trump fundraising email, which uses scare tactics: falsely claiming Democrats will redirect "tariff checks" to "illegals" and sowing urgency with imaginary deadlines.
- Many donation forms have recurring boxes checked by default, potentially tricking supporters.
- Pakman draws parallels between Trump’s grift and televangelist prosperity scams.
Quotes:
"It's a message that's relying on panic, imaginary deadlines, and completely made up stuff like communism has taken over the Democratic Party."
—David Pakman [18:42]
"At some point you've got to ask, is there any juice left to squeeze out of his followers for Donald Trump? And if the answer becomes no, they become useless to Trump."
—David Pakman [21:31]
5. Trump Signal-Boosts Foreign Troll Accounts
- Timestamps: 22:37–27:15
- Over the holidays, Trump reposts content from troll accounts based in South Asia and Eastern Europe masquerading as American supporters.
- Pakman highlights this as evidence of waning organic enthusiasm and the risks of cultivating a base fueled by grievance and fantasy.
Quote:
"A third of this country, I estimate, doesn't care what's true anymore. And the signal boosting of foreign troll accounts only further entrenches those problematic beliefs."
—David Pakman [26:15]
6. Caroline Sunshine: Trump As ‘Daddy’—Cult Dynamics on Display
- Timestamps: 31:27–36:00
- Pakman plays a viral clip of ex-Trump staffer Caroline Sunshine on Fox News, asserting "Donald Trump is daddy and daddy cut you off," in reference to withholding federal funds from California.
- He analyzes the deep cult psychology at play: the infantilization of followers, the leader as strict father and provider, and the normalization of extortion logic.
Quote:
"This is how the Trump movement sees power... The leader is a sort of parent. The followers are the children. The leader doesn't so much govern, he rewards and punishes."
—David Pakman [33:40]
"The real Trump derangement syndrome are people like Caroline Sunshine. So deranged that they surrender their agency as adults to Donald Trump."
—David Pakman [35:50]
7. Megyn Kelly and the Absolving of Trump’s Character Flaws
- Timestamps: 37:52–41:45
- Pakman dissects Megyn Kelly’s claim that allegations against Trump are “complicated” and irrelevant next to his (perceived) policy wins.
- Pakman points out the minimization of serious allegations, the fallacy that outcomes erase persistent moral failings, and the through-line between Trump’s personal misconduct and governance.
Quotes:
"If someone privately abuses power, they're probably going to abuse power institutionally as well."
—David Pakman [40:45]
"She says she wants someone who closed the border... he promised a wall that Mexico would pay for. He didn't build the wall and obviously Mexico didn't pay for it."
—David Pakman [41:25]
8. Double Standards: Biden’s Retirement vs. Trump’s Leisure
- Timestamps: 46:05–50:10
- Fox News host Tomi Lahren tries to scandalize retired, ailing former president Biden taking a vacation, while Trump's excessive golfing as sitting president was defended.
- Pakman notes the hypocrisy and cruelty, observing that any move by Biden will be framed as a failure by right-wing media, while Trump’s rest is valorized.
Quote:
"What should an 83 year old retired gentleman with stage 4 prostate cancer be doing exactly. These people are broken. Their brains are broken."
—David Pakman [46:45]
9. Karl Rove, GOP Fatigue and the 2026 Midterm Warning
- Timestamps: 51:00–56:20
- Karl Rove warns that even Republican voters are tiring of Trump’s self-obsessed, revenge-driven antics. Key constituencies are peeling off, softening Trump's base.
- Pakman points out internal polling has the GOP quietly worried; turnout and motivation threaten their 2026 prospects.
Quotes:
"The broader public has been fatigued by Donald Trump for years... What's new is that the fatigue is no longer limited to swing voters or Democrats. It's beginning to show up with Trump's own coalition."
—David Pakman [52:15]
"Trump doesn't course correct... When Karl Rove is willing to say this publicly, it means that he's already seen the data behind the scenes."
—David Pakman [55:10]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
-
On propaganda:
"If you get called out because it turns out that it doesn't, you delete it. And that is exactly what happened here." [07:50] -
On cult psychology:
"In cult psychology, one of the defining traits is infantilization... The leader doesn't so much govern, he rewards and punishes." [33:45] -
On Fox outrage over Biden:
"Even after he's gone, even after he's sick, even after he's retired... There is no version of Joe Biden's existence that will satisfy these people, because the point was never consistency..." [49:00]
Timestamps for Key Segments
- Pam Bondi chart blunder: 01:00–09:58
- Dr. Oz flu misinformation: 09:58–17:15
- Trump’s fundraising grift: 17:15–22:37
- Foreign troll amplification: 22:37–27:15
- Caroline Sunshine’s 'Trump is Daddy': 31:27–36:00
- Megyn Kelly on Trump’s character: 37:52–41:45
- Tomi Lahren, Biden vacation 'scandal': 46:05–50:10
- Karl Rove on GOP fatigue: 51:00–56:20
Final Thoughts
Pakman wraps with a warning: the cracks in Trump’s base, the intensifying grift, and the shift from spectacle to a weary, transactional movement spell trouble for Republicans in 2026. He cautions against complacency, urging vigilant engagement as the political climate careens toward a critical midterm year.
This summary captures the episode’s thread: a sharp, facetious critique of right-wing tactics, cult-like loyalty within GOP circles, the weaponization of misinformation, and the emerging vulnerabilities in the Republican coalition.