Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Redefining Real Toughness and Modern Manhood. Pop Culture vs. Authoritarians. The 10% Problem. Santa and Steinbrenner. From Walter Reed to the Road.  

WWE Hall of Famer and hardcore legend Mick Foley returns to join Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff for an EXCLUSIVE, extended, a no-holds-barred conversation about his powerful and viral Instagram post, leaving the WWE, Trump’s reckless push toward war with Iran and why it’s time for a new wave of independent veterans to step into the political ring. 

From Ohio hotel rooms and horror conventions to Capitol Hill and chaotic war rooms, Mick and Paul break down how we got here, why so many Americans feel politically homeless, and what it will take for principled veterans to challenge both parties—and stop another disastrous forever war before it starts.​

And Mick tells some amazing, wise and fascinating stories about the Undertaker, character, courage,  the World Baseball classic, playing Santa Claus, meeting Reggie Jackson on a plane, fatherhood and compromise; the dangers of treating the military like a toy; and how an unlikely alliance between a grizzled veteran advocate and a hardcore wrestling icon can help America find its backbone again—and maybe even have a nice day. 

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Join IVA and stand up to Trump’s Forever Wars.

-Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America.

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here.

-Remember Independent is an Attitude.

-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.

Joe Kent Speaks Out. Polls Get Worse. Is Colombia Next? Where’s VA’s Budget Request? Cesar Chavez Exposed. Drones Over Hegseth & Rubio’s Homes. HBD Iraq War. RIP Chuck Norris. Madness is AMAZING.

It's episode 470 and Paul Rieckhoff is solo in New York on the first day of spring, bringing his trademark mix of independence, insight, and righteous outrage as March Madness tips off across America. From Kurtis Blow’s “Basketball” to bracket-busting Cinderella stories like 12-seed High Point, Paul lays out his “fab five” vibes—integrity, independence, information, inspiration, and impact—and explains why this tournament is one of the few things still uniting the country. But he also exposes a much darker kind of March madness: Trump’s escalating war with Iran, the Pentagon’s stunning 200 billion dollar funding request, and the hidden lifetime costs of traumatic brain injuries and VA care that the White House refuses to own.

Paul rips into Acting “Secretary of Culture War” Pete Hegseth’s propaganda briefings, selective right-wing media access, and dangerous religious extremism from the Pentagon podium, while highlighting the veterans, journalists, and unlikely allies—from Joe Kent to Shawn Ryan to Marjorie Taylor Greene—who are beginning to break with Trump’s forever war machine. He connects it all to attacks on the free press, the plan to keep National Guard troops in DC through 2029, new targets like Colombia, the fight for open primaries in Alabama, the breaking scandal around Cesar Chavez, and the explosive growth of America’s 45 percent of independents. Along the way, Paul previews an emotional upcoming conversation with WWE legend Mick Foley, celebrates the life and complicated legacy of Chuck Norris, salutes everyday toughness, and invites you to join Independent Veterans of America, Defiance.org, and a rising independent movement that is done with forever wars—and determined to stay vigilant.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Join IVA and stand up to Trump’s Forever Wars.

-Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America.

-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.

Defiance.org and Independent Veterans of America Team Up to Defend Democracy. Plus Heated Hearings: Is a Non-committal Tulsi on the Firing Line? Markwayne Mullin’s Shady Co-Splaying Highlighted.

In this special episode, Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff joins former Trump DHS Chief of Staff and Defiance.org co-founder Miles Taylor from an undisclosed WeWork in Washington to announce a bold new partnership to elect 100 independent veterans to office this fall. As Trump escalates a reckless war with Iran and green-lights new military adventurism, Paul and Miles break down why veterans are uniquely positioned to challenge both parties, defend democracy, and finally end America’s forever wars.​

They dig into Miles’s journey from anonymous Trump insider to high-profile whistleblower, why true MAGA believers are now defecting, and how Independent Veterans of America and Defiance are teaming up to give disillusioned Americans a pro-democracy alternative to both Trump and the establishment. If you’re angry about this Iran war, worried about our national security, and looking for leaders who put country over party, this is your call to action to support independent veteran candidates and stay vigilant.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Join IVA and stand up to Trump’s Forever Wars.

-Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America.

-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.

Joe Kent Speaks Out…To Tucker Carlson. Shooting at Georgia VA and Holman Air Force Base. Mamdani Didn’t Skip This Parade. Banksy Exposed. Venezuela Spanks the USA. 

Independent Americans host Paul Rieckhoff is back with an urgent, fast-moving solo episode breaking down Trump’s escalating war with Iran, the threat around unsecured Iranian uranium, and what rising force protection levels at U.S. bases like MacDill really mean for your family and community. He spotlights the human cost of conflict with a powerful poem by Lucas Jones, digs into growing dissent inside Trump world from voices like Joe Kent and Tulsi Gabbard, and explains why confirming Markwayne Mullin to lead ICE would fuel more lawlessness instead of the culture change America needs. Along the way, Paul connects it all to your daily life—from global instability to soft targets at home—and reminds you why staying informed, engaged, and vigilant matters now more than ever.​

This episode also hits the intersection of sports, art, and politics—from Bon Iver’s protest music and Banksy’s bravery to the emotional World Baseball Classic finale where Team Venezuela stunned the U.S. and Bryce Harper modeled the kind of leadership our kids deserve to see. It’s a raw, unfiltered rundown of a “wild and weird” week: Trump’s decisions, Tulsi’s word salad, Senators who still fantasize about dueling, and the mounting pressure on American troops worldwide. Because every episode of Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the most important news stories and offers light to contrast the heat of other politics and news shows, this one helps you stay ahead of the curve—and stay vigilant.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America.

-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.

Joe Kent Resigns Over Iran. Hegseth is Losing It. More than 200 Troops Wounded Now. Drones Hit US Embassy in Baghdad. WBC: USA vs…Venezuela. QB Dante Moore Sets A Good Example on Mental Health. 

On a wild and weird St. Patrick’s Day, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down Trump’s expanding war in Iran and his shocking talk about “taking Cuba,” and explains why once you kick a hornet’s nest, the hornets—not Trump—decide when it’s over. From 50,000 U.S. troops in harm’s way, growing drone threats, and a widening conflict across the Middle East, to MAGA insiders breaking ranks like Joe Kent and an unraveling Pete Hegseth, Paul calls out dangerous weakness at the top, a feckless Congress, and the newest inductees into the 2026 Chickenhawk Club. No guest, no spin—just Paul, like your political pint of Guinness, giving you the independence, information and integrity you won’t get anywhere else.

Paul also focuses on the human cost of war: more than 200 wounded troops in seven countries, grieving Gold Star families like Cheryl Simmons, and the vital work of helpers like TAPS and Bonnie Carroll supporting survivors long after the cameras are gone. He connects that pain to a powerful story of a young quarterback opening up about depression, using his platform to fight stigma and prove that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. 

From St. Patrick’s Day in New York and Dropkick Murphys on the playlist, to mental health, March Madness and a packed slate of upcoming guests like Ken Casey, General Mark Hertling, Seth Bodner, Tim Mak and more, this episode will help you stay informed, stay engaged—and stay vigilant.

-WATCH full video of this episode here.

-Learn more about Paul’s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with Independent Veterans of America.

-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.