Crowds vanishing and prices rising as Trump has terrible week
The David Pakman Show - December 12, 2025
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Trump’s Mount Pocono rally was supposed to be a big “MAGA comeback,” but instead it exposed a weakened, confused president. He promised to talk about affordability and instead denied rising prices, contradicted himself, drifted off-topic, and failed to energize a visibly bored crowd. Supporters were leaving early, and the media continues to sanitize the event, but the reality is clear. Trump’s stamina, clarity, and appeal are fading.
A new Politico poll shows half of Americans can’t afford groceries, and 55 percent blame Trump directly. Not Biden, not Congress, just Trump. He promised food prices would fall quickly, and that hasn’t happened. Nearly half of Americans also can’t afford healthcare, and many skip appointments or prescriptions. Tariffs and austerity messaging are failing, and even Trump’s voters are starting to notice.
Farmers are turning into a political problem for Trump. His tariffs have destroyed demand and exports, forcing an $11–12 billion bailout. Farmers describe the money as a temporary “band-aid” on a self-inflicted wound. Many are already facing foreclosure. Industry leaders emphasize that the real solution is restoring market access, not endless rescue checks or tax cuts for the wealthy.
Trump’s self-given economic grade of “A-plus-plus-plus-plus-plus” is now a punchline. Even Fox News anchors struggled not to laugh. Polls show roughly 70 percent of Americans think the economy is worsening. Networks debunk his claim that he inherited record inflation, showing it was lower when he took office and has risen under his tariffs.
ICE under Trump is now recruiting unqualified officers. Some can barely read or write. One recruit weighed nearly 500 pounds and was medically unfit for any physical activity. Standards for literacy, fitness, background checks, and training have collapsed. ICE is creating a militarized, undertrained force with enormous power, a direct consequence of Trump’s law-and-order rhetoric failing in practice.
Finally, Glenn Beck’s latest project is AI George Washington, and it is astonishingly ridiculous. Beck is trying to give moral authority to his own critiques of America by having a fake Washington agree with him. The AI parrots Beck’s talking points word for word. The whole thing is bizarre, awkward, and empty, and it seems almost impossible that even Beck’s followers would take it seriously.
On today’s bonus show:
Right-wing media influencers turn on each other over conspiracy theories about Charlie Kirk’s death, accusations of being gay, and much more...
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Amidst terrible news like folks having great trouble affording food, there is a silver lining: all the gaslighting and ineptitude and graft is apparently wearing thin amongst some followers. That will mean Trump's power will decline, but his danger will increase.
I suspect anybody who goes to a Trump rally these days is there simply to watch a train wreck.
I think it’s important for Americans to realize that if Trump were to be gone tomorrow, the problem of corporate criminal activity and lawlessness will still remain. At this point Trump is a rodeo clown and a puppet for corporate and a tonsillitis jockey for his boyfriend Vladimir.