Trump Returns from China with Nothing. Xi’s Warning on Taiwan.

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Righteous Media | Bleav

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

4.6 • 906 Ratings

🗓️ 16 May 2026

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Paul Rieckhoff closes the week with a solo briefing on a scoreboard the cable shows won't put on screen. Trump returned from Beijing with no real wins, while a confidential U.S. intelligence assessment — first reported by The Washington Post — details how China is exploiting the war in Iran to gain ground on the United States militarily, economically, and diplomatically. Xi looked Trump in the eye and warned that mishandling Taiwan would lead to a clash with America. Trump, asked about promised arms sales to Taiwan on the flight home, sounded ready to sell them out the same way he sold out Ukraine. That's not partisan spin. That's the read from the no-BS chair.

Transcript

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0:00.0	He hasn't stopped China from doing anything either in Ukraine or in Iran, and we'll get to Taiwan in a second because Taiwan will get to it now.
0:08.3	Taiwan is always on the table.
0:10.8	More now than ever before, because China's very patient.
0:14.7	They'll wait for America to punch ourselves out.
0:16.8	They'll wait for America to fall in standing.
0:19.0	They'll wait until America to fall in standing. They'll wait till America can't stop them.
0:36.6	Welcome to Independent Americans. Welcome to episode 523. I am your host, Paul Reikoff, and it is finally Friday.
0:46.7	Thank God it's Friday. They can't stop Friday. It is Friday May 15th, and I'm coming to you from New York City, USA.
0:55.5	And the weather here is up and down.
0:58.1	It's sunny, then it's cold.
0:59.6	It's sunny, then it's cold.
1:01.2	Up and down.
1:02.2	Kind of like this week.
1:04.0	But it is Friday, and they can't stop Friday.
1:06.5	And my artist of the day is building on that.
1:08.9	It is Eric Paisley, the country music singer and songwriter, who's had a number of hits
1:14.7	coming out of Nashville, including the hit single Friday night.
1:18.8	Friday night's a fun, kind of pop a beer and go for a drive kind of song.
1:23.6	I want to be your lemonade in the shade, money in your pocket because you just got paid.
1:29.2	That's what Friday is all about. He also sang a song about a girl and she don't love you.
1:34.8	A bunch of hit singles that he wrote for other artists and has collaborated with Amy Grant,
1:39.3	Dirk Spentley, Charles Kelly and others. He was born in Abilene, Texas and started playing guitar at the age of 15.
	...

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