Declaring victory when you’re losing is a bad idea

The David Pakman Show

David Pakman

Politics, News

4.8 • 6.2K Ratings

🗓️ 16 March 2026

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

-- On the Show -- New GDP data shows the U.S. economy slows sharply to 0.7 percent growth as Donald Trump faces rising oil prices, weakening job numbers, and economic uncertainty -- Donald Trump claims the United States has already defeated Iran while missiles continue flying, the Strait of Hormuz remains disrupted, and global oil markets surge past $100 per barrel -- Donald Trump lashes out at reporters, dodges questions about sending troops to the Middle East, and struggles to explain his strategy as the war with Iran intensifies -- Karoline Leavitt defends Donald Trump’s policies on Fox News but pivots to culture war talking points like transgender athletes while avoiding questions about the administration’s broader agenda -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent abruptly leaves a live interview after being summoned by Donald Trump to the White House Situation Room and returns hours later visibly shaken -- Karoline Leavitt claims Donald Trump is responsibly releasing oil from the strategic petroleum reserve even though the move closely mirrors a similar action taken earlier by Joe Biden -- Donald Trump struggles to answer basic questions about the length of the Iran war, the meaning of unconditional surrender, and his energy price predictions as the conflict escalates -- Donald Trump tells Jake Paul the United States attacked Iran first because Iran was about to attack, while the interview veers into bizarre stories and product promotion -- On the Bonus Show: The State Department slashes the fee to renounce US citizenship to $450, Republicans plan to disrupt Congress to pass the SAVE Act, Missouri changes state law to allow pregnant women to get divorces more easily, and much more... 🧳 Ekster: Get up to 45% off + extra 20% off with code PAKMAN at https://davidpakman.com/ekster 💪 AG1 is offering you $126 in FREE gifts at https://drinkag1.com/pakman 🧠 Try Brain.fm totally free for a month at https://brain.fm/pakman 😺 Smalls cat food: Use code PAKMAN for 60% off & free shipping at https://smalls.com -- 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(01:23) U.S. economy slows sharply(08:41) Trump claims Iran defeated(18:13) Trump dodges reporters’ questions(26:14) Leavitt pivots to culture war(36:32) Bessent leaves interview shaken(41:58) Leavitt defends oil reserve release(49:21) Trump struggles on war questions(56:57) Trump tells Jake Paul attack Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What I've dedicated my life to is revenge.
0:04.0	A brand new drama based on the best-selling novel.
0:07.0	They think they're better than us.
0:08.0	Who do you think you are?
0:10.0	I'm going to prove to them that they're wrong.
0:12.0	She's punishing me.
0:13.0	You destroyed my family.
0:14.0	I will not rest until I've destroyed yours.
0:17.0	A woman of substance on Channel 4 starts tonight at 9.
0:20.0	We have new economic numbers and the growth of the American economy has collapsed to
0:25.8	0.7%.
0:28.4	This is a massive slowdown and importantly, this is before the economic damage from the Iran
0:33.0	war even started to show up.
0:35.6	Meanwhile, Donald Trump is now claiming the United States has completely decimated Iran
0:40.3	and won the war, but the missiles are flying.
0:43.3	The strait of Hormuz is incomplete and total chaos.
0:47.3	And oil prices are at $100 a barrel.
0:50.3	When reporters try to ask basic questions about the war, Trump melts down, Caroline
0:55.8	Levitt melts down, the insults fly. Reporters are called obnoxious. And Trump actually
1:01.8	admits the most important point of all of it, which is maybe the United States shouldn't
1:07.6	even be there at all. We will talk about it. We will also look at a bizarre moment when Donald Trump's Treasury Secretary is yanked out
1:15.4	of an interview, rushed to the situation room.
	...

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