In this Substack Live, David Pakman speaks with Alex Wagner about the Trump administration’s escalation with Iran, the role of Pete Hegseth, and the broader political danger of an erratic, ego-driven foreign policy. Wagner argues that because the public relies on the Pentagon for information about the war, Hegseth’s briefings, marked by what she sees as performative patriotism and evasiveness, are especially concerning. The two also discuss how opposition to the Iran intervention is increasingly understood as separate from any sympathy for the Iranian regime, with both suggesting that the legacy of Iraq has made skepticism of regime change and endless war more politically legible across ideological lines.
The conversation then turns to the Democratic Party’s uncertain direction heading toward 2028. Wagner suggests the bigger issue isn’t whether Democrats move left or center, but whether candidates communicate authentic conviction about what they believe and want to accomplish. They also discuss the growing influence of younger Democratic figures like AOC and James Talarico, and close by considering the Republican future, noting that while Trump still dominates the party, it remains unclear who, if anyone, can inherit his political coalition.
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