House passes Trump tax cuts, Trump threatens journalist
The David Pakman Show - May 22, 2025
This installment of The David Pakman Show newsletter is free for everyone. I send these daily. If you’d like to receive it, join the newsletter today.
Note: This is totally separate from website Membership and does not affect your website Membership in any way.
Trump TOTAL MELTDOWN, SHOUTS at South African President
In a surreal and chaotic Oval Office meeting, Donald Trump launched into a confused and inflammatory rant about supposed white genocide in South Africa, baffling President Cyril Ramaphosa. Trump’s tirade included factually incorrect and racially charged claims, culminating in the presentation of a dramatic video meant to bolster his narrative. Ramaphosa responded calmly, emphasizing the importance of rejecting the baseless allegations.
House passes Trump tax cuts at 4am, “USA, USA” CHANTS
In a chaotic overnight session, House Republicans narrowly passed Trump’s massive tax and spending proposal—the “Big Beautiful Bill”—by just one vote, triggering chants of “USA” on the House floor. The bill includes $4.5 trillion in tax cuts, Medicaid and food stamp work requirements, Trump-branded savings accounts and missile funding. While celebrated by Republicans as a political win for Trump, the bill is widely expected to die in the Senate.
From yesterday’s show:
Senator: What is habeas corpus? Kristi Noem: IMPLODES
In a Senate hearing, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrongly defined habeas corpus as a presidential power to deport people. Senator Maggie Hassan corrected her, explaining it's a constitutional protection against unlawful detention. Noem’s confusion highlights a broader trend of ignorance or distortion of civil liberties in Trump’s cabinet.
From yesterday’s show:
Elon says he’ll spend way less on future campaigns after Trump DISASTER
Elon Musk says he’s stepping back from political spending after pouring hundreds of millions into controversial campaigns. In recent interviews, Musk claimed he's "done enough" and blamed negative media coverage for damage to his reputation, sidestepping direct questions about whether his actions were worth it. The broader takeaway is that Musk's political and cultural involvement backfired, damaging his brand and his companies.
More on the show:
-- Eoin Higgins, writer and historian based in New England, joins David to discuss his new book “Owned: How Tech Billionaires on the Right Bought the Loudest Voices on the Left." Get the book: https://amzn.to/4moaJmp
— AOC warns that “there will be consequences” for this cruel and chaotic bill — and she’s right
— Trump’s own party starts revolting over the bill, with hardliners and moderates both rejecting the Frankenstein package Speaker Mike Johnson tried to jam through
— In a surreal moment, Trump says he wishes Ramaphosa could give him a plane — confirming, yet again, he’s totally fine being bribed
— Trump threatens an NBC reporter who asked about the Qatar jet, shouting that “fake news” should be investigated
-- On the Bonus Show: Jake Tapper accuses Biden’s team of a cover-up, Target warns of major tariff-related losses, and Canada considers joining Trump’s “Golden Dome” defense plan, much more...
-- Become a Member: https://davidpakman.com/membership
We are dealing with a mental illness https://thistleandmoss.com/p/maga-menality-as-a-dsm-disorder-candidate
Let me get this right. The value of Tesla does not come from selling cars. It comes from the brilliance of the name. It is valued more than the combined value of most all the other makes combined. So you sell a lot less, you are somehow more valuable? No wonder corporate America and main street do not see eye to eye. What more evidence do you need, the rich make the rules. The "value" has made Elon and his board of directors fabulously wealthy. The ironic part is that a lot of that "franchise (name) value comes from the very populous that now hates him and his cars. This is the modern day version of the "Emperor's New Clothes".
For those who do not get that expression. It comes from a fable. A king (Elon/Trump) has more money than he knows what to do. He orders his servants (cabinet) to come up with something that will show everyone how great and smart he is. They come up with magic, invisible clothes. This is really just his naked body . King then parades around expecting everyone to love and admire his new clothes (birthday suit). What they see is a shallow, self-absorbed person showing off and making a total fool of himself.