Trump police state grows as health concerns explode
The David Pakman Show - August 25, 2025
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Donald Trump has escalated his use of federal power by deploying thousands of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officers to U.S. cities, including Washington, D.C., with plans for Chicago, New York, and Baltimore. These actions risk creating a de facto police state and violate the Posse Comitatus Act, which restricts military involvement in domestic law enforcement. While supporters claim the presence deters crime, local leaders note crime rates are already falling, showing the deployments are more about political theater and testing presidential authority.
Ghislaine Maxwell’s recent interview, meant to clear Trump of ties to Jeffrey Epstein, backfired. She claimed never to have witnessed wrongdoing, contradicting evidence of Epstein’s sex trafficking and her own conviction for enabling it. Legal experts and victims’ families condemned the interview as insulting and self-serving, with speculation it aimed at securing a pardon. Instead of exonerating Trump, her statements raise new questions about his connections to Epstein.
Concerns about Trump’s health have intensified after videos showed swollen, red eyes, bruising on both hands, and an unsteady gait. The White House attributed right-hand bruising to handshakes, but similar left-hand bruising undermined that explanation. Medical observers note potential issues related to blood thinners, corticosteroids, diabetes, liver or kidney disease, or obesity. Trump’s attempts to hide bruising with gestures and makeup have only drawn more attention to it.
JD Vance misrepresented history and downplayed Russian aggression during an NBC interview, claiming that wars, including World War II, are typically resolved through negotiation, despite the historical reality that World War II ended with the unconditional surrender of Germany and Japan.
Trump reacted theatrically to Maryland Governor Wes Moore’s challenge to walk Baltimore streets, criticizing Moore’s tone, threatening federal funding, and falsely claiming credit for the Francis Scott Key Bridge repair.
Finally, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis misrepresented history by blaming the Biden administration for Florida receiving fewer congressional seats after the 2020 census, which actually occurred under Trump.
On today’s bonus show:
Hispanic support for Donald Trump is dropping sharply, with recent polls showing his backing among Hispanic voters sliding from the mid-40s during the 2024 election to the low 30s. Cracker Barrel has drawn right-wing outrage after updating its logo, with critics tying the change to broader culture-war battles. And in Florida, multiple cities have been ordered to remove rainbow crosswalks celebrating LGBTQ pride, over supposed safety concerns.
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Trump's physical and mental deterioration are accelerating as fast as the collapse of his Big Lie of defending Americans' freedom and rights when in fact his behavior exposes a psychotic, hellbent drive to overthrow democracy in favor of totalitarian dictatorship. He is fated to experience the standard denouement of the protagonist in an ancient Greek tragedy -- the hubristic megalomaniac who overreaches and crashes to the ground in a wicked reversal of fortune.
This authoritarian regime is doing insane things that were almost unthinkable, only seven or eight months ago. This is truly turning America into one of those shit-hole countries that Trump's always going on about. Actually, arguably worse because we could do better, but because of greed and incompetence, we get screwed. Truly weaponized stupidity.