{"id":5986,"date":"2026-02-26T01:37:11","date_gmt":"2026-02-26T01:37:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/state-of-the-union-reaction-trump-makes-his-iran-war-pitch\/"},"modified":"2026-02-26T01:37:11","modified_gmt":"2026-02-26T01:37:11","slug":"state-of-the-union-reaction-trump-makes-his-iran-war-pitch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/state-of-the-union-reaction-trump-makes-his-iran-war-pitch\/","title":{"rendered":"State of the Union Reaction. Trump Makes His Iran War Pitch."},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm\/?e=\" width=\"100%\" height=\"210\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><b>Two Medals of Honor Awarded. Dem\u2019s Spanberger Response Better Than Usual. Cuban Government Shoots 4 Americans on a Speedboat. Obama Legacy\u2019s Signature a Slam Dunk.<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span>The State of the Union is over \u2014 but the real story is what Trump didn&#8217;t say. In Episode 449, Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the longest SOTU in American history: two hours of pageantry, 103 standing ovations, and a president who gave 20 seconds to Ukraine on the fourth anniversary of Russia&#8217;s invasion while quietly beating the war drums on Iran. Paul cuts through the noise to find the moments that actually mattered \u2014 including a 100-year-old Korean War hero finally receiving his Medal of Honor, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer honored for saving 169 lives, and Army veteran George Redis, detained by ICE and then released without a phone call or a lawyer, sitting in the chamber as a living indictment of an out-of-control federal agency.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>While most Americans tuned out before 11 PM, Paul stayed locked in. He breaks down the Democratic response \u2014 led by Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger, a former CIA officer who delivered arguably the strongest opposition address in recent memory \u2014 and the organized Democratic boycott that sent dozens of members to a counter-programming event on the National Mall. He also zeroes in on the Epstein files, where Representative Thomas Massie is asking the question millions of Americans want answered: why are there still no arrests in the United States while resignations pile up worldwide?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Then it&#8217;s below the radar: breaking news out of Cuba, where the Cuban government shot four Americans aboard a Florida-based speedboat. Paul connects the dots \u2014 Trump&#8217;s pressure campaign, Rubio&#8217;s long-stated goal of regime change, and how this incident could become the pretext for the next military strike. Back at home, he doesn&#8217;t let up on ICE, playing the raw interview with Elia Rahmet \u2014 the woman dragged from her car in Minneapolis, both shoulders torn \u2014 and demanding accountability by name. Plus: Mayor Adams failing the NYPD in Washington Square Park, Tommy Tuberville earning his &#8220;Senator Redneck&#8221; title again, and something good: the Obama Presidential Library&#8217;s basketball court and Bruce Springsteen bringing Tom Morello on every stop of his tour.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Paul also shares big news \u2014 he&#8217;ll be appearing on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert in the coming weeks, and Sebastian Junger is confirmed for next week&#8217;s episode. If you believe America&#8217;s future belongs to independent thinkers, not party loyalists \u2014 this is your show. Country over party. People over politics. Stay vigilant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-WATCH <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/KRrFdl0Tl1M\"><span>full video of this episode here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-Learn more about Paul\u2019s work to elect a new generation of independent leaders with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/independentveteransofamerica.org\/\"><span>Independent Veterans of America<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>-Learn more about <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/americanveteransforukraine.org\/\"><span>American Veterans for Ukraine here<\/span><\/a><span>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Connect with Independent Americans:<\/b><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span>Subscribe on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@independentamericans\"><span>YouTube<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0F1lzdRbTB0XYen8kyEqXe\"><span>Spotify<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff\/id1457899667\"><span>Apple Podcasts<\/span><\/a><span>, and all podcast platforms<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Read more at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/independentamericans.substack.com\"> <span>Substack<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><span>Support ad-free episodes at<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/independentamericans\"> <span>Patreon<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span>Connect: <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/IndependentAmericansUS\/\"><span>Instagram<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0 \u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/indy_americans\"><span>X\/Twitter<\/span><\/a><span> \u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/indyamericans.bsky.social\"><span>BlueSky<\/span><\/a><span> \u2022 <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/IndependentAmericansUS\/\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/a><span>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span>Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/PaulRieckhoff\"><span>X<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/paulrieckhoff\/\"><span>Instagram<\/span><\/a><span>, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.threads.com\/@paulrieckhoff\"><span>Threads<\/span><\/a><span>, and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/rieckhoff.bsky.social\"><span>Bluesky<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8211;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.patreon.com\/independentamericans\/posts\"><span>Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community<\/span><\/a><span> 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.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>&#8211;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/independentamericans.us\/merch\/\"><span>And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch<\/span><\/a><span> now in time for the new year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/righteous.us\/\"><span>Righteous Media<\/span><\/a><span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span>And now part of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/bleav.com\/shows\/independent-americans-with-paul-rieckhoff\/\"><span>the BLEAV network<\/span><\/a><span>!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See <a href=\"https:\/\/pcm.adswizz.com\">pcm.adswizz.com<\/a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the longest State of the Union in American history \u2014 what Trump said, what he buried, and why the war drums on Iran demand your full attention. From a 100-year-old Korean War hero finally receiving his Medal of Honor to Army vet George Redis sitting in the chamber after being unlawfully detained by ICE, Paul finds the stories that cut through the pageantry. Plus: breaking news from Cuba, the Epstein accountability gap, ICE lawlessness, and something good to get you through the week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5987,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5986","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-episodes","entry"],"rttpg_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449.jpg",1400,1400,false],"landscape":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449.jpg",1400,1400,false],"portraits":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449.jpg",1400,1400,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449-300x300.jpg",300,300,true],"large":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449-1024x1024.jpg",750,750,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449.jpg",1400,1400,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449.jpg",1400,1400,false],"post-thumbnail":["https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/ia-promo-square-ep449.jpg",1400,1400,false]},"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"admin","author_link":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/author\/admin\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/category\/episodes\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Episodes<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Paul Rieckhoff breaks down the longest State of the Union in American history \u2014 what Trump said, what he buried, and why the war drums on Iran demand your full attention. From a 100-year-old Korean War hero finally receiving his Medal of Honor to Army vet George Redis sitting in the chamber after being unlawfully&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5986","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5986"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5986\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5987"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5986"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5986"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.righteous-media.com\/IndependentAmericans\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5986"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}