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Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Trump, Iran, And The Draft: Independent Veterans, Young Voters, And The Cost Of Another Middle East War.​

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Righteous Media | Bleav

Politics, News, National Security, News Commentary, Daily News, Veteran

4.6907 Ratings

🗓️ 23 March 2026

⏱️ 8 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this all‑new episode of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff takes you behind the scenes of his latest appearances on MSNBC’s Katy Tur Reports and NewsNation with Connell McShane to break down Trump’s Iran war, talk of a draft, and what it all means for a new generation raised in the shadow of Iraq and Afghanistan. From rising gas prices and billion‑dollar‑a‑day war spending to the specter of regime change and who would actually secure a post‑war Iran, Rieckhoff brings the blunt, experience‑driven analysis you won’t hear anywhere else.

Transcript

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0:00.0

They saw Donald Trump come out and say he was always against it, even though he wasn't.

0:04.3

He saw him campaign on never starting a foreign war and not being like these other dummies out there.

0:09.8

So when they say they feel duped, I mean, they have a point, don't they?

0:15.8

Yeah, welcome to politics, bro.

0:32.9

Yeah. Politics, bro. Talk to me about,

0:35.0

I mean, we started off with this.

0:36.9

This generation grew up in the shadow of what you had to do in Iraq and Afghanistan, what folks like you had to do. The war was a mess. It was a mess. It cost a lot of American lives. It costs a lot of local lives. It costs a whole lot of money. And it did a bad number on our

0:57.0

reputation. They saw this. They were raised on it. They saw Donald Trump come out and say he was

1:02.7

always against it, even though he wasn't. He saw him campaign on never starting a foreign war,

1:07.5

not being like these other dummies out there. So when they say they feel

1:11.7

duped, I mean, they have a point, don't they? Yeah, welcome to politics, bro. Like,

1:18.4

welcome to America. Every generation at some point kind of feels like they've been duped by a

1:22.9

ridiculous war. And this is their turn. I think it's important to note that today is the anniversary

1:29.0

of the Iraq War. And we got the Iraq War a present for its birthday, a whole new war.

1:35.3

And now we've got a generation of young people who understand maybe a bit more that it's not a

1:39.7

video game, that it's real. They've been in their mom's basement playing call of duty and maybe not tracking on politics or maybe buying what Trump was pushing. And now he's actually saying draft. It may not be probable, but it's possible, right? I mean, at least it's out there. It's not something an American president would ever talk about. They're not dismissing it. Right, right. And I think that's hitting hard with people while at the same time that same demographic can't afford gas, is having a hard time finding a job, can't afford a house, and they see a billion dollars a day being spent in Iraq. So I think it's becoming more real for them. It's not yet personal because there's not a specter of a draft because most of their friends haven't been killed or wounded yet, but they know people who serve. They know people in the National Guard.

2:17.7

And I think as longer this goes on, it's going to come more and more personal.

2:20.6

And a reminder, Trump's kid's not going.

2:22.5

He's of age.

2:23.6

You know, he's in that demographic.

2:25.0

And instead of playing video games in Dad's White House, he could be signing up to go if the family was so committed to this effort.

2:37.9

Stay vigilant. Solid, solid reporting on all of that, Kelly gives us a lot to talk about.

...

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