Global abandonment of Trump as he passes 1 year in office
The David Pakman Show - January 20, 2026
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New research undercuts Donald Trump’s tariff claims in plain terms. A study cited by the Wall Street Journal finds about 96 percent of tariff costs are paid by Americans, not foreign exporters. The tariffs function like a regressive consumption tax, raising prices for consumers and U.S. importers. Manufacturing jobs have declined, prices have continued to rise, and the outcome is higher costs for Americans.
New CNN and SSRS polling signals real danger for Republicans in 2026. Fifty eight percent of Americans call Trump’s first year back in office a failure, and his approval sits at 39 percent. Presidents below 50 percent almost always drag their party down in the midterms. The House looks especially vulnerable, and even a Democratic House alone would launch investigations and weaken his presidency.
A reported letter from Trump to Norway raises alarms about stability and judgment. In it, Trump ties global peace to his anger over not receiving the Nobel Peace Prize and suggests U.S. control over Greenland while questioning Denmark’s sovereignty. This frames foreign policy as a personal grievance rather than a national interest.
Trump’s public comments are reinforcing concerns about mental fitness. He threatened France with 200 percent tariffs, and obsessed over the Nobel Prize while insisting he does not care about it. He falsely claims prices are falling and inflation is solved, declaring his first year a historic success.
That same instability shows up online. Trump unleashed late night posts during a market drop, threatening tariffs, demanding Greenland, sharing private messages, and posting AI images of U.S. expansion. This reflects a president driven by ego and grievance, willing to rattle allies and markets at the same time.
Immigration rhetoric follows the same pattern of distortion. Kristi Noem claimed 70 percent of ICE detainees are violent criminals, even when confronted with her own agency’s data. In reality, most detainees have no criminal convictions, and many others committed only minor offenses.
The First Amendment is also under strain. People protesting or filming ICE operations are being shoved, detained, or tackled under vague claims of interference. The result is arbitrary punishment for lawful speech. When exercising basic rights carries the risk of physical harm, free speech exists in theory but not in practice.
Finally, a viral video of far right influencers singing a pro-Nazi song shows how extremist culture empties history of meaning. Fascism is sold as strength and rebellion, even though its ideology would target most of its fans.
On today’s bonus show:
Don Lemon covers an anti-ICE protest at a church, small Minneapolis businesses hit by ICE crackdown, Jon Stewart entertains a question about running for president, and much more...
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I'm embarrassed to call myself an American because of this dumb pervert. Hey orange douchebag, the next life is calling and you probably shouldn't keep it waiting
Drowsy Donald is making a trip to Greenland. This would be a great opportunity for law-enforcement from the international community like maybe interpol to grab him and keep him locked up indefinitely. It would be an absolute joy to interrogate him and show him the same treatment that his ICE thugs are doing to law abiding Americans with their illegal detentions and brutality. Maybe justice will change the current karma?