White House staffer explains Trump’s panic as polling gets even worse

The David Pakman Show - July 18, 2025

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Donald Trump is facing mounting challenges from within his own base, with several recent developments exposing cracks in his political image and raising questions about his leadership. From immigration failures to the Epstein scandal, Trump is increasingly struggling to deliver on past promises—and even his most loyal supporters are beginning to notice. His approval ratings on immigration are faltering, despite a renewed push for mass deportations. Yet, deportation numbers remain far lower than during the Obama administration, with legal bottlenecks, court rulings, and logistical failures undermining Trump’s tough-on-immigration image.

The Epstein scandal has further fueled discontent. Trump once promised transparency and justice but is now calling the entire controversy a “hoax,” blaming Democrats and even attacking his own followers for questioning him. Former aides like Sarah Matthews say Trump is panicking, and speculation—including from figures like Elon Musk—that Trump may be named in the documents is only escalating the fallout. What was supposed to be a key part of the MAGA narrative—the exposure of elite pedophile networks—now threatens to turn on Trump himself, with Steve Bannon warning that mishandling this could cost Republicans 40 House seats in 2026.

Fox News has found itself caught in the crossfire, with host John Roberts now echoing Trump’s new claim that the Epstein files don’t exist—despite earlier MAGA figures insisting they did. Pam Bondi, once claiming to have hundreds of pages of related documents, is now saying there’s nothing to release. Even Charlie Kirk has had to walk back attempts to downplay the issue after pushback from his own audience. The movement appears to be fracturing, with conservative media caught between loyalty to Trump and accountability to viewers who feel betrayed.

Meanwhile, a softball interview between Trump and his daughter-in-law Lara Trump reveals just how deeply out of touch he’s become. Even with fawning questions about his legacy and cabinet, Trump rambled incoherently, offering bizarre responses and shifting blame for tragedies like the Texas floods. The interview, designed to flatter, ended up highlighting Trump’s growing inability to stay on message—or even sound coherent.

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On today’s bonus show:

The White House finally confirmed that Trump has chronic venous insufficiency after months of visible swelling and bruising. Meanwhile, CBS announced it will cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert in May 2026, calling it a financial decision—though speculation is growing that it was linked to Colbert’s criticism of CBS’s $16 million settlement with Trump over an edited 60 Minutes segment. Finally, right-wing figures like Charlie Kirk and Dinesh D’Souza abruptly stopped discussing the Epstein scandal after Trump urged MAGA media to drop the topic.

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