They’ll try to steal 2026, but we aren’t looking away

The David Pakman Show - August 6, 2025

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As the 2026 midterms approach, Donald Trump’s MAGA movement has ramped up efforts to undermine democracy by restricting voting access, especially for Democratic-leaning groups. While voter suppression isn’t new, it has intensified through false claims of election fraud and the placement of loyalists in key election roles. After refusing to accept election losses, Trump and his allies have focused on changing the rules to maintain power, revealing just how threatened they feel by a fair democratic process.

Trump’s influence didn’t destroy the Republican Party—it exposed what it had already become. For decades, the GOP shifted from Lincoln’s ideals toward a politics of division and resentment, exploiting racial, cultural, and economic anxieties. The groundwork laid by figures like Newt Gingrich and the Tea Party helped create a base primed for Trump’s message. He didn’t reshape the party overnight; he simply activated long-brewing forces and stripped away any remaining pretense of moderation or institutional respect.

The MAGA right has also fueled a manufactured culture war to divide the electorate and distract from real policy issues. Topics like critical race theory, trans rights, and school curricula are used not for genuine debate, but to enrage and mislead. By turning every disagreement into a moral crisis, these culture war battles dominate headlines while healthcare, climate, and inequality are sidelined.

Donald Trump embodies all seven deadly sins: pride in refusing to admit defeat; greed by using politics for personal gain; wrath in attacking opponents and pardoning rioters; envy of rivals’ success; lust for control; gluttony in craving power and attention; and sloth by avoiding work and relying on others.

Finally, the MAGA world’s fixation on “alpha masculinity” is one of its most ironic failures. Figures like Trump, JD Vance, and Andrew Tate preach strength and dominance but rely on performance, privilege, and spectacle. Their version of manhood is hollow and designed more to sell an image than embody real courage or responsibility.

On today’s bonus show:

Right-wing media figures like Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes are publicly clashing, revealing divisions in the MAGA movement. The Trump administration is easing drone rules to boost commercial use. And Fox News’ Rachel Campos-Duffy wants to extend the native-born citizenship rule to all federal offices.

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