They think we’re stupid as Epstein panic grows, grift falls apart

The David Pakman Show - October 31, 2025

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The Trump administration and Republican leaders are running a massive distraction campaign to divert attention from crises like a government shutdown, economic instability, and the unreleased Epstein files. They’ve invented “Operation Arctic Frost,” framed as “100 times worse than Watergate,” but it’s really just the FBI investigating Trump and his allies for trying to overturn the 2020 election.

A moment with 92-year-old Senator Chuck Grassley highlighted America’s political gerontocracy. Struggling to hear and respond to reporters, Grassley inadvertently answered a different question, while Republicans around him looked uncomfortable. The gap in age between leaders and the population raises serious questions about competence and generational balance in American democracy.

Vice President JD Vance openly embraced xenophobia, claiming it’s reasonable for Americans not to want neighbors who speak a different language or come from another culture. Framing it as a concern over overcrowding, Vance is normalizing racist attitudes. The irony is that his wife comes from an immigrant family.

Kelly Loeffler, head of the Small Business Administration, claims the economy is in a “historic comeback” thanks to Trump, even as small businesses struggle under tariffs, supply chain issues, and inflation. She repeats Trump’s alternate reality instead of acknowledging real problems, which is a pattern in his orbit.

Farmers and small businesses are feeling the consequences of Trump’s tariffs. One Kentucky farmer testified that falling commodity prices and rising input costs are pushing farmers to the brink. Soybean growers face losses of $109 per acre after China turned to Brazil and Argentina. These policies hurt the people Trump claims to support, and if farmers abandon him, it could mark a significant political and economic turning point.

Despite all of the harm he has done, Many MAGA voters will never abandon Trump, even when harmed by his policies. Their identity, loyalty, and purpose are tied to him. Like cult members, they reinterpret suffering as devotion and deny evidence. Emotional attachment, repeated messaging, and social reinforcement can make reality hard to accept.

On today’s bonus show:

Trump wants to end the filibuster to end the government shutdown. MAGA demands weight testing for SNAP benefits, and much more...

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