Al Franken Welcomes David Pakman to His Podcast
Independent political commentator joins senator discussing key Trump’s legislative battles!
Image: Instagram
This Week’s High-profile Guest
In this week’s edition of The Al Franken Podcast, former U.S. Senator Al Franken hosts his first-time guest David Pakman, the driving force behind The David Pakman Show. With over 3 million YouTube subscribers, Pakman laid out his take on the “Big, Beautiful Bill” still facing an uncertain fate after pushback from some Republicans—and even a public takedown by Elon Musk. He also challenged the logic behind the new travel ban proposed by the administration, calling Trump’s justifications “flawed” and “contradictory.”
Dissecting Legislative Fights
Franken and Pakman dove deep into what has surprised Pakman most about Trump’s second term, from unconventional executive actions to unpredictable legislative negotiations. The conversation offered fresh insights into how Democrats might sharpen their message to win more seats and rebuild voter confidence ahead of upcoming elections. A preview snapshot from Franken’s Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/p/DK3XWsPN0MA/) shows the pair animatedly engaged, with Pakman pointing to notes as Franken listens intently.
Building On A Winning Formula
This episode builds on Franken’s track record of hosting diverse voices. Previous guests have included The Atlantic’s George Packer unpacking J.D. Vance (https://www.instagram.com/p/DKYTWxCtwpb/), Michael Lewis warning on federal workforce cuts, and Dahlia Lithwick explaining judicial pushback against executive overreach. Franken, an SNL writer turned Minnesota senator from 2009 to 2018, launched the podcast after leaving office to maintain a platform for substantive political debate.
Listeners can stream the full episode with David Pakman now on all major podcast platforms.
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