John Frankman is a former US Army Special Forces Green Beret and Captain who spent four years in Catholic seminary discerning the priesthood, got selected to 7th Group, refused the COVID vaccine on moral and medical grounds — and lost his career over it. Now he's running for Florida's 1st Congressional District (Matt Gaetz's former seat) to fight the deep state from the inside.
In this episode, Reed and John go deep on the Iran war and whether it was a just strike, Joe Kent's resignation and what it signals, the Chinese influence operation in Latin America and on US campuses, why COVID was the greatest infringement on American liberty in our lifetime, the military vaccine mandate purge that kicked out 8,600 service members with only 1 in 1,000 reinstated, and why the Epstein files being buried is a political betrayal the Republican base won't forget.
John also breaks down why he believes America is at a Roman Empire moment, what's actually required to fight the deep state from within Congress, why he refused to fake his vaccination status when almost everyone else did, and what he'd tell Trump if he had five minutes with him today.
Topics covered: Iran conflict, Joe Kent, Venezuela/Monroe Doctrine, Chinese land purchases near US military bases, COVID red-pilling, big tech censorship, surveillance state, Palantir, Anthropic and the military, immigration and mass deportations, H-1B visa reform, Mexico as a narco state, abortion and federal vs. state power, the deep state defined, JFK and the Green Berets, Robin Sage unconventional warfare training, AIPAC money and special interest corruption, Epstein files and the two-tiered justice system, vaccine mandate purge and the reinstatement failure, and what it actually takes to not flip once you get to DC.
Find John Frankman at frankmanforflorida.com and on X/Instagram/Facebook @JohnFrankmanFL
CHAPTER TIMESTAMPSTimeChapter0:00Introduction — John Frankman: Green Beret, Seminary, Congress0:24Growing Up Between LA and DC — Faith, Divorce, and Finding God4:30Can a Christian Be a Warrior? Catholic Just War Theory9:15Afghanistan and Iraq — Were They Just Wars?12:30The Iran Conflict — Joe Kent's Resignation & the 3,000 Troops19:15Venezuela, Monroe Doctrine & Rooting Out Chinese Influence23:00America's Debt Crisis — Are We at the End of the Roman Empire?26:00Why Younger Generations Don't Trust the Government Anymore29:45COVID Was the Great Red-Pilling of America34:00Running for Congress — Jumping Into Matt Gaetz's Seat38:00Illegal Immigration, Mass Deportations & the Border Wall47:00Mexico as a Narco State — How Should the US Approach It?53:50H-1B Visas, Outsourcing Jobs & Chinese Students on US Campuses1:02:00Human Trafficking, the Border & the Cartel Billion-Dollar Industry1:10:00Palantir, Anthropic & the Danger of Big Tech in the Military1:13:00The Surveillance State — Smart Cities, FISA & Losing Our Freedoms1:17:00John's COVID Story — Seminary, Moral Conviction & the Shot1:26:30Media Censorship, Joe Rogan & How They Overplayed Their Hand1:30:00AI, China's Smart Cities & the New Cold War1:41:30100% Pro-Life — Abortion, Federal vs. State Power1:49:00Defining the Deep State — Who's Actually Compromised?1:51:30JFK, Green Berets & Training to Overthrow a Government1:58:00Why John Won't Flip When He Gets to DC2:06:30AIPAC Money, Special Interests & Draining the Swamp2:11:30Epstein Files — Full Transparency or Political Betrayal2:24:00The Military Vaccine Purge — 8,600 Out, 1 in 1,000 Reinstated2:34:00What He'd Tell Trump Today2:36:00Where to Find John & How to Support His Campaign