A political analyst floated a disturbing theory about what American politics will look like after President Donald Trump exits.

David Pakman, host of the liberal "David Pakman Show" on YouTube, said in a new video on Sunday that there is a network of wealthy people who are debating whether America should remain a democracy post-Trump. Those circles have also been discussing Vice President JD Vance as the politician who can usher in that new era, Pakman said.

And it all might start right after the elections, he warned.

"The next chapter of MAGA and Trumpism is only about to begin," Pakman said. "What happens in these elections is going to determine how much political power Donald Trump has over the next couple of years, and how much influence Donald Trump is going to have over choosing his eventual successor for the 2028 Republican nomination."

Pakman pointed to "The Nerd Reich," a recent book by journalist Gil Duran, as an outline for his theory. The book details a network of individuals like Peter Thiel and Curtis Yarvin who are seeking to install a form of corporate dictatorship in America. He argued that Vance's connections to the groups of people detailed in the book add an "interesting" wrinkle to the reporting.

At the same time, Pakman claimed he's spoken to "between seven and 10 Republicans" who have expressed fear about a potential Vance administration.

"That is terrifying even to a bunch of these Republicans," Pakman said.

One aspect that some Republicans have expressed concerns about is that the group of people tied to Thiel and Yarvin has spent more time developing their theory of authoritarian governance. Unlike Trump, who is prone to acting out his personal grievances and seeking retribution, Pakman said.

The possibility that Vance becomes president only increases if the midterms go the way some polls suggest. Democrats have said impeaching Trump is one of their top priorities, which positions Vance just inches from the Oval Office.

"There's this other story that is here, and the two years that are going to follow the midterms, which are now only eight days away, are going to kind of set the direction," Pakman said.

A strange brag President Donald Trump let out during his rally in Iowa on Sunday immediately blew up in his face.

Trump traveled to Dubuque, Iowa, to rally for Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA) as she seeks higher office in the Senate against Democratic challenger Josh Turek. During his speech, Trump made an unsettling claim about his ability to "win" wars, and how he would have handled some of the biggest conflicts in U.S. history.

"I could have won Vietnam in a week," Trump said. "They dropped whatever the hell that crap is that hit the forest: Agent Orange! Instead of going after Ho Chi Minh and the other cities."

Trump also claimed he could have solved the war in Afghanistan in a "week" as well.

The president's comments didn't land well with several political analysts.

Gregory Brew, an Iranian oil analyst for the Eurasia Group, argued that Trump's comment was a "curious" one to make.

"Throughout the entirety of Trump's first term, the U.S. was at war in Afghanistan. Not only did he not win it, but his administration negotiated the deal that made the events of 2021 essentially unavoidable. This is a curious boast to make," he posted on X.

Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of The Dispatch, said that Trump had an opportunity to prove his boast true during his first term, but failed to do so.

"He could have 'won' Afghanistan during his first term. But he spent most of it trying to get out," Goldberg posted on X.

Alex Cole, a liberal news creator, highlighted a glaring irony in Trump's comments.

"Draft dodger Trump couldn't defeat algae in a swimming pool, but he was going to conquer the jungles of Vietnam in a week," Cole wrote in a post on X.

Alex Ward, a national security reporter for The Wall Street Journal, posted on X that Trump's deal with the Taliban during his first term set the stage for a disastrous end to another war Trump claims he would have better solved.

"Trump oversaw four years of the war in Afghanistan, and made a deal with the Taliban—cutting out the Afghan government—that set the table for Biden’s disastrous withdrawal," Ward posted.

A federal judge took the Trump administration's immigration apparatus to task in an emergency order filed Sunday demanding the release of a detained dentist.

Last month, Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a dentist from Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, identified in his habeas corpus petition only as "William L." The arrest was based on "faulty" paperwork provided by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that claimed the dentist was eligible for immediate removal based on a dismissed charge from 2012, Judge Michael J. Davis of the District of Minnesota found.

Davis bashed USCIS and ICE in his order granting William L.'s habeas corpus petition.

"The hubris of admitting that USCIS made a big mistake, but not even offering any sort of relief is galling, although not surprising," Davis wrote. "There is no combination of facts or legal argument that can support this position."

William L. has lived in the U.S. since 2019, when he enrolled at the University of Minnesota's dental school on an F-1 student visa. He graduated in 2023 and married his college girlfriend. The couple then welcomed their first child in 2025, and the dentist worked in federally designated “shortage areas” before USCIS drew up the order to remove him, according to the order.

William L. was also never arrested or charged with a crime while he was in the U.S., it added.

"Because the facts presented here are so appalling and so well supported, the Court could issue a long order, complete with colorful details about, and commentary on, the abuses suffered by Petitioner," Davis wrote. "However, because the Court is determined that Petitioner will not spend another night in the Sherburne County Jail, the following order cuts to the legal necessities."

For instance, Davis noted that USCIS' admission that the paperwork it used to justify the dentist's removal was errant meant the arrest had "no lawful predicate." Under such circumstances, USCIS and ICE bore the burden of proving that the dentist met specific criteria justifying a "warrantless removal," which Davis found both agencies failed to do.

The order required the dentist to be released by no later than 6:00 p.m. EST on Nov. 1. It also required the agencies to refile a petition to re-detain the dentist at any point in the future.

"No re-detention shall occur before the Court rules on such a motion," Davis wrote. "Respondents shall bear the burden on any such motion of establishing by clear and convincing evidence that no condition or combination of conditions will reasonably assure Petitioner’s appearance and the safety of the community."