12/15/25: A dark weekend as reality collides with denial
The David Pakman Show
David Pakman
4.6 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 15 December 2025
⏱️ 62 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
-- On the Show
-- A weekend of mass violence spans a Brown University shooting, an antisemitic terror attack in Sydney, and the killing of Rob Reiner and Michele Reiner
-- Sloppy circulation of misleading Jeffrey Epstein related images weakens real accountability by allowing Donald Trump and allies to dismiss verified evidence
-- The Federal Reserve unanimously reappoints regional bank presidents early to protect institutional independence and blunt Donald Trump's influence over interest rates
-- New NBC News polling shows Republican identification with MAGA slipping as economic frustration drives quiet disengagement ahead of the 2026 midterms
-- Kevin Hassett reveals Donald Trump is shielded from bad economic data, leaving him detached from voter reality and worsening Republican electoral losses
-- Donald Trump delivers a rambling Christmas event speech filled with delusions, distractions, and broken promises that leaves the audience visibly uncomfortable
-- Donald Trump repeatedly falling asleep during official meetings raises unavoidable questions about stamina and fitness for future office
-- Erika Kirk refuses to condemn Donald Trump's violent rhetoric during a heavily promoted town hall that collapses into incoherence and low viewership
-- On the Bonus Show: Australia moves to strengthen gun laws after the Bondi Beach shooting, The Washington Post launches an AI-personalized podcast, a JetBlue flight narrowly avoids a collision with a US military aircraft near Venezuela, and much more...
🖼️ Aura Frames: Use code PAKMAN for $35 off Carver Mat frames at https://auraframes.com/pakman
🥐 Wildgrain: Use code DAVID for $30 off & free croissants FOR LIFE at https://wildgrain.com/david
-- Become a Member: https://davidpakman.com/membership
-- Subscribe to our (FREE) Substack newsletter: https://davidpakman.substack.com
-- Get David's Books: https://davidpakman.com/echo
-- TDPS Subreddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/thedavidpakmanshow
-- David on Bluesky: https://davidpakman.com/bluesky
-- David on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/davidpakmanshow
(09:03) Misleading Epstein images circulate
(17:56) Fed protects independence
(23:28) GOP support slipping
(29:56) Trump shielded from economic reality
(37:21) Trump's rambling Christmas speech
(46:40) Trump falling asleep in meetings
(52:27) Erika Kirk avoids condemning rhetoric
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | It was a genuinely disturbing weekend on planet Earth. |
| 0:04.0 | And today's show does reflect that. |
| 0:06.0 | We are going to talk about mass violence in the United States, anti-Semitic terrorism abroad, |
| 0:12.0 | and really what it all says about where humanity is right now. |
| 0:17.0 | We are also going to talk about moments that can cut through that darkness. |
| 0:21.7 | And you'll see what I mean very quickly on today's program. |
| 0:25.4 | And then we do have to talk about the Epstein photos that are now circulating after another |
| 0:30.2 | dump of pictures last week because I think that some are playing their hand in a way that is not going to go well, including |
| 0:40.8 | misleading images, very sloppy claims, and a lot of lack of verification. |
| 0:47.7 | And this may hand MAGA and Trump an easy escape hatch, which I don't think we want to give |
| 0:53.5 | them. And I'll talk about that. |
| 0:55.6 | We're also going to get into an interesting move from the Federal Reserve, which has quietly |
| 1:01.3 | trump proofed itself, even as we know Donald Trump is seeking the replacement for Fed |
| 1:06.8 | Chairman Jerome Powell. |
| 1:08.7 | And it is a really interesting move. |
| 1:11.3 | And we also learned that the people around President Trump are regularly hiding bad economic |
| 1:18.8 | news from him. |
| 1:20.7 | We'll talk about how that happens. |
| 1:22.3 | And then soon I will speak to Sarah Matthews about it. |
| 1:25.3 | He used to work in the first Trump White House, plus |
| 1:27.8 | a holiday party at the White House during which Trump rambles incoherently. |
| 1:35.3 | And the Erica Kirk Town Hall that CBS hyped for a week, barely anyone watched and is really |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 18 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from David Pakman, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of David Pakman and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.