The David Pakman Show - Trump lies about 9/11 and $5,000 checks

Episode Date: September 12, 2026

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BetMDM and Game Sense remind you to play responsibly, 19 plus to wager. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. If you have questions or concerns about your gambling or someone close to you, please contact connects Ontario at 1-866-531-2,600 to speak to an advisor, free of charge. BetMGM operates pursuant to an operating agreement with Eye Gaming Ontario. Welcome to the weekend edition of the David Pacman Show. Today, bringing you a look at the top moments, biggest stories and best segments from the last week. If you love what we do, and you. you want to support our independent coverage, head over to join pacman.com to become a member today. Donald Trump made a promise, which is if Republicans keep the House and Senate, Trump will issue a dividend to every adult in the United States of $5,000 per person. That only I can make this promise to you. And here is my promise. if the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate, both of them,

because of our economic, tremendous economic success, like in history, we've never had anything like what's happening. But because of our tremendous strength and success economically, I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000. So it's like everybody gets a pony kind of thing. Yeah. So that would cost about $1.3 trillion. Trump doesn't really say where the money would come from. He just goes like, we're making so much money, you know, tariffs and all this stuff. Now this is a promise that Donald Trump can safely make because they're not going to take

the house. They're going to lose the house. But remember the entire, oh, Democrats are trying to buy by votes. They're trying to, but can buy votes for people. They sent JD Vance out there to explain how is this thing supposed to work anyway. And Brett Bayer on Fox News immediately identifies the problem. It's like $1.3 trillion. How does JD defend it?

Well, let's see him try. But if your Republicans win the house, $5,000 for every adult citizen. So you do the quick math, that's about $1.3 trillion. I can hear the critics' heads exploded. They're saying out loud, I guarantee you. President is bribing voters to vote for Republicans to take over the House. True. And then he's bankrupting the country because the deficit debt is huge.

And inflation would come back if this comes into play. So how do you answer those criticisms? Well, I say first of all, what the president's talking about is fundamentally a dividend for American workers. We're taking in an extraordinary round of revenue because the president of United States is actually standing up to both foreign companies. Remember that we're not taking in revenue from tariffs. it's being paid by American businesses. We're not taking it in. We're collecting it from Americans.

But also foreign countries who've been taking advantage of America's workers for pretty much my entire life. What the president's just saying is if you keep it going to the American people, if you keep us in power and allow us to continue to do these things, then you're going to share

in some of the benefit of this incredible wealth that we're creating in the United States of America. I don't think it's a controversial idea. It's actually the president of the United States saying we're all working together. Yeah. Imagine if a Democrat proposed that. No, no, no, it's not a controversial idea. Laura Ingraham asks him an incredibly simple question. You're promising everyone five grand if Republicans win the midterms. Well, if we already have the money, if we took in all of this

record money from tariffs and all of this stuff and Republicans control Congress, why wait until after the election? Listen to Donald Trump's answer and see if you can decipher what on earth he is talking about? Or is this a medical event where he is losing control of his mental and oral faculties? Why not just give the money now? If you have the money, why not give it now? Because they can't, I'll tell you what, because the Democrats can't do it. Because with them, it's negative growth. With us, it's so positive. So we're taking in $21 trillion. Nobody, no country's ever taken in anywhere near that. It's four or five. What? Why can't you give people five grand now? Because the Democrat.

can't do it, he says, because with them it's negative growth and we're taking in $21 trillion dollars because of tariffs. What? I don't understand. What does any of that mean? The question is, why aren't you giving people the money now? And Trump's answer is, I'm not giving people money now because Democrats can't do it. Democrats aren't president. Democrats don't control the House. Democrats don't control the Senate. So what does the answer have to do with the question? And then he goes, It's negative growth and we're taking in 21 trillion. What does that have to do with why you can't send the checks now? Trump stood in front of an arena, not a full arena, I have to admit, and asked thousands of people

to put up their right hands and repeat after me. Don't believe me? Take a look at this dystopian, authoritarian, rancid nightmare that has become the Republican party of 2026. Please raise your right hand. I pledge to the greatest president in the history of the United States

that loves us so much he can't even breathe that I will go out with my family, my friends. I'll do it anyway. I don't care if I'm registered or not. I'm going to try and cheat like hell. like they do. They've never, there's never been bigger cheaters that don't care. I am going to go out and I'm going to get my friends, my family, and we are going to vote on November 3rd or we are

going to vote before that. If you care about what this country was founded on, if you care about the Constitution, if you care about democracy, you have to see this as the disgusting debasement of what the founding fathers worked to create. Trump is now rewriting 9-11. He's re-he is telling stories about being physically rescued by firefighters and bringing an entire construction crew to ground zero that no one has been able to substantiate. Trump says he was basically lifted out of the rubble on 9-11. He goes, two firemen, big strong guys, they grabbed me under their arms and they said,

you got to get out of here. I forget two firemen, we thought it was coming down on top of us and two firemen, big, strong guys, and I'm not the smallest guy in the world. They grabbed me under the arms and said, got to get out of here. And they literally lifted me up. This is not easy to do. I'm big. They lifted me up and they started running with me. I said, fellas, I can run myself.

But they were amazing. But they thought it was coming down. It didn't come down. So Trump says that two firefighters grabbed him under the arms and carried him. away because a nearby building was imminently going to collapse. The only problem is, I mean, listen, like, could that have happened? Sure, anything could happen, as long as it's physically possible. The problem is there's no corroboration of this incredibly dramatic story.

Ted Cruz made an attempt just hours ago on CNN to defend Donald Trump's uncorroborated stories about 9-11 and listen to the explanation. Listen really closely to the explanation that Ted Cruz gives. On the president's 9-11 story today, he's saying that there is evidence that he was there right after. I mean, he's kind of making it sound like he was pulled out of the rumble, though, with the firefighters. Do you think that's appropriate? September 11th was 25 years ago. It was a horrific moment for our entire country.

And you could doubt whatever you want about Donald Trump. But the man is a New Yorker. He loves New York. And I have every doubt that what he's conveying there is what he experienced. And that was a traumatic experience for all of us. Yeah. Some people might just hear that and think he's exaggerating his role. Should anyone exaggerate what happened on 9-11?

Look, I think when you're sharing your feelings, your sentiments, I remember I was in D.C. on 9-11. September 11th was 25 years ago. It was a long time ago. That's the defense. If the suggestion here is that Trump can't accurately remember where he was or what he was doing during September 11th because it was a long time ago, That is not a reassuring explanation that Ted Cruz seems to think he's giving. It's Republican Senator Tim Scott speaking at night one of the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, Texas.

And there are really no words where is this a seizure or a stroke? Or is it a cult member's last gasps of cult loyalty to a fading, swollen orange. cult leader. You tell me, I can't tell. Democrats, extreme candidates won't rip that heart out of our chest. Culture, they hate what it means to be American. Hear me, Dallas. Watch. We grow weary.

I said are you the majority? You know, it's not just the volume. It's not just the gestures. It's not just the ripping open his jacket or the pacing or the sudden glitchy movements. The entire thing is indistinguishable between a devotional cult speech and a seizure or stroke. As I watched Donald Trump endorse Ken Paxton for Senate yesterday, I could come away with only one conclusion. Trump hates this guy. If you heard only the first part of Donald Trump's endorsement, you might reasonably wonder whether someone handed him the opposition research on Ken Paxton. Listen to this.

In the whole United States. So I am very sorry, Ken. I hated to do. And I'll go backstage. Sir, you shouldn't have said that. You've given them a say, let me tell you. It's true. He may not dress right. He may not talk exactly. perfectly and he may not be the best looking guy I've ever seen. But you know what he is? He's the greatest attorney general in America and he deserves to be your next senator. Ignore all of this stuff that I think is terrible about the guy that I begrudgingly and very late in the game endorsed. Not exactly a ringing endorsement. It's the president of the United States talking about the guy he wants Texans to elect.

And he's like he doesn't dress the best. He doesn't speak the best. He's not particularly good looking. Usually you start with the accomplishments. You go, this is a great leader. This is a great fighter. It's what the state needs. But Trump is leading with the weaknesses.

Donald Trump sort of getting triggered actually when he is asked about all of the Republicans choosing to skip his convention. And Trump's explanation is we don't even have room for all of them. It's not that they don't want to come. They all want to be here. We just it's so busy and full. We don't have room. This is a lie.

by the way, I'll show you video later of a half empty arena. Until after the midterm. I think it's going to take a little bit longer than the midterm. And Mr. President, several Republicans in competitive races are not coming to the convention. Do you understand why they're deciding not to come? Everybody that's coming to the convention. Everybody wants to come, but we only want and the people that are coming. By the way, we're going to be sold out tonight just so you understand.

Who you with? ABC news, sir. ABC fake news. One of the worst. You are the worst of all, in my opinion. The reason that some people are not coming is because we don't have room for 500 politicians. It's too full. We have room for the ones that have a close race if they're slightly behind or slightly ahead or tied.

But we don't have rooms for people that are 35 points up and don't need to be there. We said stay back in campaign. There is no evidence that that's the truth. Reuters has said vulnerable Republicans are choosing to skip it because they think it'll hurt them. Other reporting says Republicans don't want to be tied too closely to Trump because his approval rating is in the toilet. Mullen was on Fox News this morning. Of course, they are in a very somber and professional way, preparing for the 25th anniversary of the 9-11 attacks. And he attempted to explain his feelings about the day and attempted is really the right word to quote Howard Stern.

What is he saying, Robin? What is this guy saying? Take a listen to this. I'm not a big anniversary person, Brian. And to be honest with you, 9-11 isn't a day that I just love to celebrate. Who's talking about celebrating? Because some people do celebrate the success that American has. For me, it puts kind of a bad taste in my mouth,

and I think it does to a lot of other people. But to be in this position today, Brian, as the Secretary of Homeland, it does hit home even harder. What is he talking about? Like what, what is the thought, 9-11 isn't a day that I love to celebrate? All right. I mean, it's not a festive occasion. When we, when we mark an anniversary, we're not celebrating.

You don't wake up on September 11th and go, kids get dress. We're celebrating 9-11 today. It's a day of remembrance. Ted Cruz was asked a very simple question on the view. How do you grade the economy? How do you grade Trump on the economy and prices? And there was an audible gas when Ted Cruz was pressed and he was pressed again and he gives Trump an A. This is an A rated economy. How do you justify that? Well, listen to him try.

What grade from A to F would you give the president on the economy and prices, prices especially. Look, if you look at prices, let's take gas prices. When Biden was president, gas prices were over $5 a gallon. When Trump came in, they dropped to about $3 a gallon. They're now about $4 a gallon. So there's still about... Five near me.

Well, but that's because New York and New Jersey and California, they're about $350 in Texas. No, and diesel is even... Ohio is about $6. Diesel is higher, but they're still about $1 a gallon less than they were under Biden. But they are more than they were the first year of Texas. Trump. That is an improvement. I can tell you the data show during the four years Biden was president, median family income did not move at all. So is that like a D? No, it's, no, it's not a D.

I actually think if you look at the biggest tax cut in American history that was passed, if you look at trillions of dollars of new investment, and I'll tell you, look, facts matter. See? I would give him an A. No, no. Come on. Come on. It's us. It's just us. I recognize that the day he came in, you guys didn't like him and you still don't like him. That's okay. That's the beauty. There are a few factual problems with the case that Ted Cruz is making. I'm not going to get in the way of people screwing themselves. If what Republicans want to run on for these midterms is that this economy is an A, go ahead. Go ahead and do that. that is extraordinarily risky for them to do. That does it for this week's top moments. Today's roundup is free for everybody, but our daily operations do depend on support from listeners

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