Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

By Righteous Media | BleavNewsNews CommentaryPoliticsDaily News
Download on the App Store
  • Favorites

    600

    Followers

  • Typical duration

    25 min

    per episode

  • If it hooks

    46%

    finish an episode

Based on Podcast App listening data

Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff episodes

  • Expect the Unexpected. The Independent Wave. 6 Indy Vets Look to Make History. New Iran Strikes. Mark Cuban Nailed It. Haley Stevens is the new Tulsi Gabbard. Trump on Vietnam. Election Day Breakdown.

    It is election day 2026, and Paul Rieckhoff is wide awake before sunrise in New York with one message: expect the unexpected. The Wall Street Journal is reporting the US has been quietly striking Iran for weeks. The Pentagon hasn't held a routine press briefing since May 5th. Tucker Carlson is warning that Netanyahu is pressuring Trump toward a tactical nuke strike on Pickaxe Mountain. And a cornered Trump — if the walls close in tonight — is the most dangerous Trump we have ever seen. This is no-BS analysis from a combat veteran and institutional watchdog who refuses to let the election news cycle bury the war machine cranking up behind it.

    From there Paul breaks down the political theater: Trump's embarrassing closing argument at what he dubs the Trump reflecting pool, Haley Stevens breaking with Democrats to endorse Mike Rogers, Kathy Hochul shine-vampiring Mamdani and AOC with a Buffalo Bills bit nobody from the Bronx is buying, and Mark Cuban channeling the growing none-of-the-above energy. Then the real headline: 35 independent veterans running for office this cycle, every one of them endorsed by Independent Veterans of America, from Dan Osborn in Nebraska to Seth Bodnar in Montana to Todd Achilles in Idaho. This is the independent wave the cable networks won't name. Tune in, then go vote.

    -WATCH full video of this episode here.

    -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

    -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

    -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

    -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

    -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

    -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

    -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

    -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

    Connect with Independent Americans:

    • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
    • Read more at Substack
    • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
    • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
    • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

      -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

      -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

      Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

      And now part of the BLEAV network! 


      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

      31 min
    • Ty Pinkins on Obama, Clinton, Schumer — and the Democrats who sacrifice Black voters every cycle.

      On the eve of election day, Paul Rieckhoff sits down with Ty Pinkins — Army veteran of 21 years, three combat tours, Bronze Star recipient, Georgetown-trained attorney, and the independent candidate for U.S. Senate in Mississippi — for a no-BS conversation about what the rigged two-party system actually does to Black voters in the South. Pinkins lays out, with receipts going back to 1982, how the national Democratic Party keeps running doomed candidates in Mississippi not to win, but to harvest Black turnout for the next presidential cycle. He names names: Obama, Clinton, Schumer, Warnock, Booker, Benny Thompson. And he reveals that the only people who have offered him money to drop out are Democrats.

      The conversation widens into the bigger story of 2026: six independent veterans running for Senate in six states, a media establishment that literally refuses to put independent candidates on its election maps, and a generation of young Americans leaving both parties at a rate of 10,000 a week. Paul and Ty get into the smears, the phone calls, the Christian conservative women crossing over, the Black elders in Vicksburg saying "this is what we've been waiting on," and why loyalty in politics has to run both ways. This is a dispatch from the front lines of the independent revolt — and a preview of the reckoning coming to both parties whether they're ready or not.

      -WATCH full video of this episode here.

      -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

      -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

      -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

      -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

      -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

      -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

      -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

      -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

      Connect with Independent Americans:

      • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
      • Read more at Substack
      • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
      • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
      • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

        -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

        -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

        Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

        And now part of the BLEAV network! 


        Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

        39 min
      • Obama snatches the mic. Trump’s casting goes off a cliff.

        Darlene Graham, Ken Paxton & the Herschel Walker problem. PLUS: Alaska’s dirty trick and the indy surge. Media Blitz Pod

        Obama snatched the mic. That's the story heading into the final stretch — a more popular, more charismatic communicator back on the trail hammering corruption in Georgia with Jon Ossoff, while Trump's approval craters near 30 and his hand-picked candidates collapse under their own weight. Darlene Graham is on the ticket because she's Lindsey Graham's sister. Ken Paxton is Ken Paxton. The Herschel Walker problem is back, and independents — 37% of voters in Ohio alone — are fleeing in droves. Meanwhile Trump gives safe harbor to Flavio Bolsonaro while Kansas farmers wonder if they'll be able to plant in the spring.

        Then there's Alaska, where New York Times reporting caught Democrats plotting to run a same-name decoy against Senator Dan Sullivan to confuse voters. It's the kind of dirty trick that reminds everyone why they're sick of the rigged two-party system — and why independent veteran candidates like Dan Osborn, Seth Bodnar, Brian Bengs, and Todd Achilles are surging against incumbents. Paul and the panel — Wendy Davis, Shermichael Singleton, and Stephanie Grisham — break down the casting disasters, the Obama resurgence, the Alaska scandal, and the independent surge that could reshape the Senate map.

        -WATCH full video of this episode here.

        -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

        -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

        -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

        -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

        -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

        -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

        -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

        -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

        Connect with Independent Americans:

        • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
        • Read more at Substack
        • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
        • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
        • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

          -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

          -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

          Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

          And now part of the BLEAV network! 


          Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

          15 min
        • Can Obama save the Dems in the final stretch? Trump’s Bolsonaro problem. Ohio, Georgia, Alaska down to the wire.

          One week out from Election Day 2026, the country is staring at a split screen that tells you everything about the rigged two-party system. Barack Obama is finally deployed to Georgia and Michigan trying to pull Jon Ossoff and Keisha Lance Bottoms across the line. Donald Trump is on the same stage at the same hour cracking jokes about men's backsides while his approval sits near 30 and Flavio Bolsonaro — under investigation for financial crimes and screaming rigged election — gets safe harbor from the White House. Ohio, Georgia and Alaska are all down to the wire, and a bizarre New York Times scoop just revealed Democratic operatives engineered a second "Dan Sullivan" onto the Alaska ballot to sow confusion against the Republican incumbent.

          Paul Rieckhoff brings the no-BS read across two News Nation panels, breaking down why corruption is now the single most powerful issue cutting across left, right and center — and why independent veterans like Dan Osborn in Nebraska, Seth Bodnar in Montana, Todd Achilles in Idaho and Brian Bengs in South Dakota are the real story of this cycle. He takes on the spin from both sides, warns Democrats about spiking the ball early, and lays out why 45% of Americans aren't looking to switch jerseys — they're looking for a door out of the whole stadium.

          -WATCH full video of this episode here.

          -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

          -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

          -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

          -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

          -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

          -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

          -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

          -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

          Connect with Independent Americans:

          • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
          • Read more at Substack
          • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
          • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
          • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

            -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

            -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

            Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

            And now part of the BLEAV network! 


            Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

            25 min
          • Election predictions, leadership & lessons from running for President w/ Senator Bob Kerrey.

            AI’s threat to both parties? Osborn’s race in Nebraska. Trump loves talking about asses. Friday Football.

            Two days out from the election, Paul Rieckhoff sits down with one of his longest-standing mentors: Senator Bob Kerrey. Combat-wounded Navy SEAL, Medal of Honor recipient, former governor of Nebraska, former presidential candidate, and one of the sharpest no-BS voices in American politics. Kerrey lays out why trust, not ideology, is the dominant issue on the ballot, why Elon Musk's $150 million bet on Ken Paxton in Texas should alarm every American, and why the unauthorized war in Iran may be the most tragic of the three forever wars this generation has lived through.

            From Dan Osborn's neck-and-neck race in Nebraska to the dark-money avalanche crushing independent candidates in every battleground state, Kerrey calls it straight. He talks veteran isolation, the vortex of self-pity, and why hanging onto your tribe is a matter of life and death. He makes the case for divided government, warns Democrats not to overreach if they win, and reminds everyone that the political leadership asking us to do easy things will never produce the America worth fighting for. Then Paul and Bob roll into Football Friday with Georgia-Florida, Nebraska-Washington, Lions-Vikings, and Chiefs-Broncos.

            -WATCH full video of this episode here.

            -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

            -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

            -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

            -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

            -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

            -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

            -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

            -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

            Connect with Independent Americans:

            • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
            • Read more at Substack
            • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
            • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
            • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

              -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

              -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

              Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

              And now part of the BLEAV network! 


              Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

              39 min
            • Can Indy Vet Todd Achilles Pull It Off in Idaho? Does Sen Jim Risch Hate Veterans?

              Deadlock in Israeli Elections. Bolsonaro Lands in Miami After Fleeing Brazil. Remember Alex Pretti?

              Idaho is one of the most independent-minded states in America, and for the first time in a generation it has an independent on the ballot who can actually win. Todd Achilles — army veteran, longtime public servant, and the first candidate endorsed by Independent Veterans of America — is within single digits of Jim Risch, an 83-year-old incumbent who won't debate, refuses town halls on the Iran war and the farm bill, and voted against the PACT Act. Paul Rieckhoff gets under the hood with Achilles on how a one-man-band truck campaign became a national story, why Republicans and Democrats alike are breaking toward him, and what the dark money machine is about to unload in the final days.

              This conversation is a field report from the front line of the independent movement. Achilles and Rieckhoff dig into the closed-primary trap that forces Idahoans to register Republican just to vote, the 45%-plus of Americans who no longer have a party, and the coordinated attacks from Trump and Hillary Clinton alike warning voters not to "waste" their vote on independents. Paul also hits the day's headlines — Bolsonaro landing in Miami after fleeing Brazil, the deadlocked Israeli elections, and the forgotten murder of Alex Pretti. If you want to know what the next America looks like, it looks a lot like Todd Achilles grinding out two yards at a time in Idaho.

              -WATCH full video of this episode here.

              -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

              -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

              -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

              -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

              -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

              -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

              -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

              -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

              Connect with Independent Americans:

              • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
              • Read more at Substack
              • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
              • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
              • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

                -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

                -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

                Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

                And now part of the BLEAV network! 


                Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                37 min
              • Trump is Already Attacking the Election. The stupid arch vs Arlington & Vets. JD Vance Continues to Suck.

                MS Senate Race Tightens—the Indy is Ignored. Jay-Z for Super Bowl Halftime. Brewers Fever!

                We are less than one week from the most consequential election of our lifetime, and Trump is already attacking it. Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the three-plan playbook for election interference — the military (and why Chairman Dan Caine may say no), ICE at the polls, and plan C: a million-dollar bounty paid out to any 'wahoo' who claims to spot voter fraud. Bolsonaro is reportedly fleeing Brazil for Florida. Netanyahu may be next. Mar-a-Lago is becoming a safe harbor for strongmen, and right-wing podcasters are pre-loading the 'rigged' narrative in case Democrats win.

                From there: Trump's proposed 250-foot triumphal arch would darken 75,000 graves at Arlington Cemetery for 280 days a year — another unpopular move veterans will fight. JD Vance continues his 'why I should clearly never be president' tour. In Mississippi, independent veteran Ty Pickens is polling 6% in a Senate race the media refuses to acknowledge is a three-way. And a viral No Kings protest clip is a reminder that independent does not mean neutral. Anger alone is not enough — turn it into impact. Four independent veteran Senate candidates — Achilles, Bengs, Osborn, Bodnar, Pickens — need boots on the ground right now.

                -WATCH full video of this episode here.

                -Check out the important work happening at  Independent Voter News at IVN.us.

                -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

                -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

                -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

                -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

                -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

                -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

                -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

                Connect with Independent Americans:

                • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
                • Read more at Substack
                • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
                • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
                • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

                  -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

                  -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

                  Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

                  And now part of the BLEAV network! 


                  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                  26 min
                • Can Obama close the deal? Lawler on the ropes. Cait Conley’s breakout ad. And why independents decide it all one week from now.

                  Seven days out. The marathon is almost over, and the 90 million independents who have been written off, condescended to, and told they don't really exist are about to decide every close race in the country. Paul lays out why this moment belongs to independents, why the Democrats need Barack Obama as their closer, and why Republican incumbent Mike Lawler is in genuine trouble in New York's 17th against combat veteran Cait Conley — whose breakout ad ran straight through the Giants game this weekend.

                  From there, Paul connects the dots to Israel's election this week, where Netanyahu faces former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot in what looks increasingly like Israel's own referendum on extremism — a mirror of the test American voters face at home. He closes with a straight talk on the fake-work theatrics choking the final week — the McDonald's cosplay, the bus-driving photo ops, the pretend-to-dig-a-hole ads — and why voters want politicians who understand what it's like to only be able to afford McDonald's, not politicians who dress up to serve it.

                  -WATCH full video of this episode here.

                  -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

                  -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

                  -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

                  -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

                  -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

                  -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

                  -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

                  Connect with Independent Americans:

                  • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
                  • Read more at Substack
                  • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
                  • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
                  • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

                    -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

                    -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

                    Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

                    And now part of the BLEAV network! 


                    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                    24 min
                  • Hillary Clinton Stupidly Smears McConaughey. Sara Haines Follows Matthew’s Lead on The View.

                    Hegseth Broke Eisenhower’s World. Bloomberg - $80M to Dems. Vance Sells Out Ukraine and Continues to Suck.

                    The partisan machine is scared, and it's showing. In episode 658, Paul Rieckhoff goes solo to answer the growing chorus of independent-haters — from Hillary Clinton's smear of Matthew McConaughey on Kara Swisher's show to the online pundits recycling the tired "hidden partisan" talking point against the 45% of Americans who refuse to put on a jersey. Paul lays out why that smear falls apart the second you look at Nebraska, South Dakota, Idaho, and Montana, where a vote for the Democrat is the actual spoiler. He also celebrates Sara Haines doing on The View what McConaughey did on Kara Swisher — breaking the seal, giving millions of Americans permission to declare their independence out loud.

                    From there it's a full media blitz: Pete Hegseth's staff physically broke General Eisenhower's World War II globe trying to haul it into the SecDef's office, Mike Bloomberg cut Democrats an $80 million check while independent candidates fight on fumes, JD Vance went on tape telling Ukraine to stop bombing Russian energy facilities, Steve Witkoff called Vladimir Putin a "humanitarian" to his face, and new reporting shows the GRU hacked Jared Kushner's phone and watched the money flow in from MBS and MBZ. Corruption is the story. Independents are the answer. And the duopoly's chokehold is dying faster than they want you to know.

                    -WATCH full video of this episode here.

                    -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

                    -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

                    -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

                    -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

                    -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

                    -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

                    -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

                    Connect with Independent Americans:

                    • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
                    • Read more at Substack
                    • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
                    • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
                    • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

                      -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

                      -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

                      Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

                      And now part of the BLEAV network! 


                      Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                      29 min
                    • Trump’s billion dollar ballroom vs $6 diesel. Dan Osborn vs.Pete Ricketts.

                      Something is cracking in the Midwest. Iowa farmers are staring at $1,000 fill-ups for their tractors, fertilizer costs through the roof, and a White House that only remembers rural America two weeks before an election. Meanwhile Donald Trump is spending $1.2 billion of taxpayer-adjacent money on an East Wing ballroom, a triumphal arch, a Garden of Heroes, and a plan to repaint the Eisenhower building because he thinks it should be whiter. Paul Rieckhoff joins Katie, Carrie Dan of the Cook Political Report, Mike Nellis, and McKay Coppins to connect the dots between the vanity projects, the $8 billion farmer bailout nobody trusts, and a corruption narrative that is finally landing with independent voters.

                      The panel digs into Dan Osborn's independent run against Cubs part-owner Pete Ricketts in Nebraska, Tarek the wheelchair-dragging Iowa Democrat scrambling the governor's race, and why Trump is campaigning in the one Iowa district that isn't competitive. McKay Coppins unpacks the sea change in evangelical politics — how "Christian values" quietly became a political signifier instead of a religious one. And Paul lays out why eat-the-rich sentiment, the same force that just took down Orban in Hungary, is coming for an American political class that forgot who it works for. If you want to understand the terrain heading into the next cycle, this is the conversation.

                      -WATCH full video of this episode here.

                      -Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker.

                      -Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that.

                      -Visit Kalshi and trade on anything. Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

                      -Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

                      -Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

                      -Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

                      -Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area. Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

                      Connect with Independent Americans:

                      • Subscribe on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and all podcast platforms
                      • Read more at Substack
                      • Support ad-free episodes at Patreon 
                      • Connect: Instagram  • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook 
                      • Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X, Instagram, Threads, and Bluesky

                        -Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community of Independent Americans. Get extra content, connect with guests, meet other Independent Americans, attend events, get merch discounts, and support this show that speaks truth to power. 

                        -And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

                        Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media. 

                        And now part of the BLEAV network! 


                        Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

                        26 min

                      About Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

                      From the publisher's feed

                      Independent Americans is a daily news show hosted by Paul Rieckhoff. He’s a fighter, a patriot, and an independent political and media force to be reckoned with. After serving as a soldier in Iraq in…

                      Best of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

                      Ranked by our users in the last 21 days

                      More shows like Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

                      The Michael Steele Podcast by Michael Steele

                      The Michael Steele Podcast

                      3,367 Listeners

                      The Bulwark Daily by The Bulwark

                      The Bulwark Daily

                      12,480 Listeners

                      Talking Feds by Harry Litman

                      Talking Feds

                      4,594 Listeners

                      The Al Franken Podcast by The Al Franken Podcast

                      The Al Franken Podcast

                      8,031 Listeners

                      The MeidasTouch Podcast by MeidasTouch Network

                      The MeidasTouch Podcast

                      50,408 Listeners

                      Impolitic with John Heilemann by Audacy | Puck

                      Impolitic with John Heilemann

                      4,646 Listeners

                      #SistersInLaw by Politicon

                      #SistersInLaw

                      10,409 Listeners

                      The Lincoln Project by The Lincoln Project

                      The Lincoln Project

                      9,222 Listeners

                      Legal AF by MeidasTouch by MeidasTouch Network

                      Legal AF by MeidasTouch

                      5,945 Listeners

                      Everybody & Their Mother Has a Podcast by Righteous Media

                      Everybody & Their Mother Has a Podcast

                      0 Listeners

                      The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra by Righteous Media

                      The Firefighters Podcast with Rob Serra

                      24 Listeners

                      The Focus Group Podcast by The Bulwark

                      The Focus Group Podcast

                      2,642 Listeners

                      The Next Level by The Bulwark

                      The Next Level

                      3,190 Listeners

                      Main Justice by MS NOW, Andrew Weissmann, Mary McCord

                      Main Justice

                      6,908 Listeners

                      The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell by The Bulwark

                      The Illegal News with Sarah Longwell

                      3,444 Listeners

                      To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes by Charlie Sykes

                      To The Contrary with Charlie Sykes

                      784 Listeners

                      The Dispatches with Paul Rieckhoff by Righteous Media

                      The Dispatches with Paul Rieckhoff

                      19 Listeners

                      Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed by Righteous Media

                      Uncle Montel - The OG of Weed

                      6 Listeners

                      B Dorm Podcast by Righteous Media

                      B Dorm Podcast

                      18 Listeners

                      The Best People with Nicolle Wallace by MS NOW, Nicolle Wallace

                      The Best People with Nicolle Wallace

                      4,271 Listeners