A blockbuster shakeup to the world order

The David Pakman Show

David Pakman

News, Politics

4.8 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 5 January 2026

⏱️ 61 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

-- On the Show -- Donald Trump orders a U.S. military operation that captures Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores in Venezuela and brings them to New York despite lacking clear legal authority -- Reporting says Donald Trump escalates to military action after Nicolás Maduro dances on Venezuelan state television and aides treat it as personal mockery -- Donald Trump bets the Maduro seizure will unlock Venezuela's oil, but allies, businesses, and markets resist a plan with no clear political transition -- Donald Trump gives rambling, conflicting answers about Venezuela, oil, and military escalation that raise questions about his decision making -- Donald Trump admits he did not brief Congress yet says he spoke with oil companies and calls the Maduro seizure a kidnapping -- The Wall Street Journal reports Donald Trump shows visible signs of decline, disputes doctors, and mislabels a CT scan as an MRI while aides manage optics -- The Wall Street Journal says Donald Trump takes more aspirin than doctors recommend and blames bruising on superstition instead of updated medical guidance -- Marco Rubio tells Kristen Welker the United States is running Venezuela but cannot explain elections, governance, or the legal rationale in real time -- Marco Rubio and Lindsey Graham indicate Cuba is a likely next target after Venezuela, signaling escalation rather than containment -- On the Bonus Show: Oil markets steady after Trump's Venezuela strike shocks the world, speculation grows that Donald Trump Jr. is being groomed for a 2028 run amid tension with J.D. Vance, and Minnesota politics take a twist as Governor Tim Walz looks ready to exit and Amy Klobuchar eyes a comeback. ⚠️ Ground News: Get 40% OFF their unlimited access Vantage plan at https://ground.news/pakman 🛡️ Incogni lets you control your personal data! Get 60% off their annual plan: http://incogni.com/pakman 😺 Smalls cat food: Use code PAKMAN for 60% off & free shipping at https://smalls.com 🩺 Wild Health: Get 20% OFF your membership at https://wildhealth.com/pakman -- 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 (00:00) Start (01:30) Trump kidnaps Maduro in midnight raid (08:31) Dancing "mockery" triggers raid (12:59) Trump's Venezuelan oil plan meets resistance (21:52) Confused answers, risky threats after strike (28:41) Trump admits to skipping over Congress (36:52) Trump's cognitive decline, scan confusion (44:17) Trump is stuffing himself with aspirin (49:37) Rubio claims U.S. runs Venezuela, no plan (56:33) Cuba floated as next target Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Donald Trump has crossed the line that no modern president has crossed and he did it without
0:04.8	a plan, without guardrails, and no concern for what happens next.
0:09.0	I'm talking about the U.S. kidnapping the sitting president of Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro,
0:14.2	a terrible guy, admittedly, not through extradition, not through international law, through
0:19.8	a military operation in the middle
0:22.1	of the night.
0:23.1	And we're learning that one of the things that pushed Trump to do it was being mocked on TV
0:28.1	and Maduro dancing.
0:30.4	That is reporting, not hyperbole.
0:32.8	We are then going to talk about why this violates US lawS. law, international law, and why the idea
0:39.7	that this somehow solves Venezuela is complete fantasy, politics.
0:45.1	We're also going to look at Donald Trump's own words, where he admits that he has no plan
0:49.1	timeline or idea what happens next, but he has a couple more ideas for invasions. How could the winner
0:55.6	of the FIFA Peace Prize be looking at invading so many countries? And then new reporting shows
1:01.5	Trump never had the MRI that he and the White House have been talking about for months. He's ignoring
1:07.7	doctors. He's self-medicating with handfuls of aspirin.
1:12.1	And meanwhile, he's got the nuclear codes.
1:14.4	This is really not an episode about left versus right.
1:17.9	This is about what happens when there is no strategy and just impulsivity. There are only a few political events a year that we remember five, 10 years down the line.
1:36.8	And this weekend was one of them in a move that completely shocked not only the world,
1:41.0	but put the entire future of the international order at risk.
1:45.8	The United States under Donald Trump executed a military operation in Venezuela that captured
	...

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