The High Cost of Hegseth and Trump's Forever War Hits Home

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff

Episode: The High Cost of Hegseth and Trump's Forever War Hits Home

Date: May 3, 2026

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Overview

This episode focuses on the growing controversy surrounding Pete Hegseth, the Trump administration's embattled Secretary of Defense, and the spiraling U.S. conflict with Iran. Paul Rieckhoff and guests, including Ben Rhodes, dissect the political, financial, and societal costs of what is increasingly seen as a "forever war." The conversation explores the lack of Congressional accountability, the mounting $25 billion price tag (with requests for over $1 trillion more), and the war's impact at home—particularly rising inflation and gas prices. The hosts also touch on the chilling effects of political prosecutions (including James Comey’s indictment and attacks on free speech), shifting U.S. alliances, and the need for robust political oversight.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hegseth's Struggles and Accountability for the War

• Hegseth Under Fire: Both parties, especially Republicans, express frustrations over the lack of clear results from the Iran war and Hegseth’s inability to answer direct questions about strategy, costs, or outcomes.

  • Quote: “Hegseth has kind of jumped the shark here, and it's easier for Trump to make a move on him, try to stop the bleeding, maybe change the narrative, than to continue to try to ride this out and take accountability himself, which he's clearly not going to do.” — Paul Rieckhoff [00:00]

• Performance in Hearings: The recent Congressional hearings featured tough questioning from real veterans, contrasting the usual softballs from politicized media.

  • Quote: “The hard questions he's gotten have been from the MyPillow guy and the propaganda Pentagon press corps. So this is long overdue.” — Paul Rieckhoff [11:07]

2. The Costs of War: Military, Economic, and Political

• Financial Toll: Enormous sums ($25 billion so far, $1.5 trillion requested) are producing little progress. The Strait of Hormuz remains closed, Iran’s government is stable, and domestic costs (fuel, fertilizer, etc.) are soaring.

  • Quote: “$25 billion is an insane amount of money. And what you've gotten is the Strait of Hormuz is still not clear. Your gas prices are up, fertilizer's up, diesel's up… So it doesn’t look like a very good return on investment.” — Ben Rhodes [01:28]

  • Quote: “Fertilizer's up, diesel's up. So the American public is asking, okay, we got nothing for $25 billion and you want $1.5 trillion. I mean, it's insane.” — Paul Rieckhoff [12:07]

• Impact on Veterans: No additional funding has been proposed for the VA, despite a new generation of veterans being created by the conflict.

  • Quote: “They haven't even talked about the Department of Veterans Affairs. You're creating a whole new generation of veterans, and nobody’s even asking for a plus up.” — Ben Rhodes [02:53]

3. Failures of Oversight & Authorization

• Bypassing Congress: The war effort has proceeded with minimal transparency or oversight, circumventing Congressional approval.

  • Quote: “They've blown past Congress. Now they want to go back to Congress and ask for the money. It should go the other way. They should ask for congressional approval, get bipartisan support, get money.” — Ben Rhodes [02:54]

• Finally, Some Oversight: Only after 60 days are real hearings being held, largely thanks to pressure from combat veteran members of Congress.

  • Quote: “Now we finally have some oversight, some accountability, some hard questions, and importantly led by combat veterans.” — Paul Rieckhoff [11:07]

4. Political Fallout & Hegseth’s Future

• No More Trust: Hegseth’s credibility has cratered, damaging Republican prospects for the fall elections.

  • Quote: “The world doesn't trust him. Our allies don't trust him. Our troops don't trust him. And they've gotta make a change. And they've especially gotta make a change to appease the Republicans, who are really concerned about how Iran's going to impact them and how inflation and these prices are going to impact them if we do have free and fair elections in the fall.” — Paul Rieckhoff [00:00, 12:28]

• Possible Replacements: Discussion about how Trump may fire Hegseth to change the narrative and pick a less radioactive successor.

  • Quote: “He could put somebody who's below the radar, who's accepted by the Senate, who can still move stuff forward and not get the radioactive attention that Hegseth does every day.” — Paul Rieckhoff [13:49]

5. Broader Implications: Alliance, Media, and Free Speech

• Shifting Alliances & Leadership Style: An analysis of Trump’s approach versus traditional allies and references to the King of England’s visit, emphasizing unity and alliance.

  • Quote: “Yesterday, [the King] sent a very strong message about unity, about supporting NATO, about supporting Ukraine. It was in direct contrast to what we've seen from the president, who sometimes thinks he's a king.” — Ben Rhodes [05:11]

  • Quote: “They want to try to be above politics… They want to remind people that they appreciate our leadership, especially around 911 and in Afghanistan. They're reminding us they're a really good ally.” — Ben Rhodes [07:03]

• Attempts to Shift the Narrative: Discussion about attacks on James Comey, Jimmy Kimmel, and media outlets as attempts to distract from the war’s unpopularity and shift public focus.

  • Quote: “There's a real, I think, attack on free speech and attack on trying to silence people who are speaking out specifically against this administration.” — Ben Rhodes [08:25]
  • Quote: “They continue to score wins, too. They've hurt pbs, they've hurt. They've changed cbs. He's driving toward changing the entire media landscape. And so far, he's had some pretty big wins.” — Ben Rhodes [09:21]

• Public Unrest Over Costs: Rising gas prices remain the real pressure point affecting perceptions of the war.

  • Quote: “Especially when gas is four and a quarter, I think is the average now in America. Yeah, that's a hard one to deny.” — Ben Rhodes [10:01]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you're explaining, you're losing.”
  — Ben Rhodes [01:28]

• “I've always called Pete Hegseth the acting Secretary of Culture War because he's acting. He's not really an effective Secretary of Defense, and he's a culture warrior.”
  — Paul Rieckhoff [13:49]

• “The war in the Middle east has become a sucking chest wound for our military and for our economy. $25 billion and what did we get?”
  — Paul Rieckhoff [11:07]

• “I think the red and blue are dead and independent is an attitude… and the left and right are dreams for those without a clue.”
  — Paul Rieckhoff [15:01] (show closing lines)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• [00:00-01:28] – Breakdown of Hegseth’s struggles, war’s limited results, and frustration from both parties.
• [01:28-02:54] – Financial and military costs, future risks, and lack of return for enormous war expenditures.
• [02:54-04:31] – Procedural failures: congressional power circumvented, impact on veterans, growing Republican dissent.
• [04:31-05:55] – Foreign relations: Trump-Putin dynamic, contrasting leadership styles between Trump and the King of England.
• [08:25-09:44] – Attacks on Comey and Kimmel, chilling effect on free speech, Trump’s record of punishing critics.
• [10:00-10:53] – War’s effect on gas prices and American pocketbooks.
• [11:05-12:28] – Heated panel: oversight arrives, public discontent, and Hegseth’s loss of trust.
• [13:49-14:57] – Hegseth as “Secretary of Culture War,” Trump’s approach to Pentagon and media management.

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Final Insights

The episode frames the current U.S.-Iran war as an emblematic, costly, and ill-managed "forever war" with massive domestic consequences. Both panelists agree that the administration’s lack of strategy, transparency, and effective leadership—especially by Hegseth—has eroded confidence among troops, allies, and voters. Meanwhile, Trump’s attempts to divert attention with prosecutions and media battles only add to fears about weakened democratic norms and a dangerous chilling effect on dissent. The hosts ultimately stress the importance of oversight, alliances, and honest governance—reminding listeners that "independent" voices and vigilance matter now more than ever.

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Transcript

[Paul Reikoff]

They've especially got to make a change to appease the Republicans who are really concerned about how Iran's going to impact them and how inflation and these prices are going to impact them if we do have free and fair elections in the fall. But I feel like Hegseth has kind of jumped the shark here, and it's easier for Trump to make a move on him, try to stop the bleeding, maybe change the narrative, than to continue to try to ride this out and take accountability himself, which he's clearly not going to do.

[Podcast Host]

Foreign. The host of the Independent Americans podcast, and, you know, Hannah, went through some of the numbers there on the on the war and the firings, which you and I have talked about when you've been on with Pete Hegseth. But the other thing, this was much earlier in a very long hearing. I don't know if you'd heard the back and forth with Adam Smith, ranking Democrat on the committee and talking to Hegseth essentially about nuclear ambitions in Iran and whatnot, but it was interesting. Part of this here. Here's Adam Smith and Pete Hegseth from earlier. We had to start this war. You just said 60 days ago because the nuclear weapon was an imminent threat. Now you're saying that it was completely obliterated. They had not given up their nuclear ambitions, their ambitions continued. All right, so basically, hey, what about this whole obliterated stuff? What do you make of Hegseth today?

[Ben Rhodes]

Not a good day. Not a good day. I mean, this is like watching a fighter in the corner just getting pummeled. I mean, he's had a good run at times where he can control the message and he takes friendly questions from the new Pentagon propaganda press corps, which has like the My pillow guy in it. Now he's in a real hearing, and the war is not going well and is an incomplete at best. And I think the question is going to be for most Americans, what have we gotten for $25 billion? $25 billion is an insane amount of money. And what you've gotten is the Strait of Hormuz is still not clear. Your gas prices are up, fertilizer's up, diesel' they haven't gotten the enriched uranium. The military's not obliterated, and the regime is still in place. So it doesn't look like a very good return on investment. And the bigger issue, they want more. They want $1.5 trillion. And I think most Americans, all political backgrounds, say, hey, that could go towards schools, that could go toward fixing roads, that could go maybe toward lowering prices Here at home. It just doesn't look like a good investment. And I think Hegseth is really struggling cuz he doesn't look truthful. He's not answering questions directly. He's playing a lot of politics. And if you're explaining, you're losing.

[Podcast Host]

Well, timeline wise too, people are starting to think, Bo, we could be in this for a while because, you know, President Trump now seems to have rejected what Iran's offer was, which was basically open up the strait and, you know, get rid of this blockade. But we're not talking about nuclear right now. So he wants a nuclear deal, but that. So that means the blockade stays. He says so.

[Ben Rhodes]

Yeah.

[Podcast Host]

That means extended war.

[Ben Rhodes]

Right. And more money.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Ben Rhodes]

Extended war. 41% of our Navy is now in the Gulf region. And I've said before, this can become a sucking chest wound for our military. That's true. Now it's pulling in more resources, pulling in more dollars, pulling in more attention. And yesterday, Margo Rupio is talking about hitting Cuba. So this is bigger than Iran. This is about forever war. It's about continuing to go forward without congressional approval, without authorization. And they've blown past Congress. Now they want to go back to Congress and ask for the money. It should go the other way. They should ask for congressional approval, get bipartisan support, get money. And here's the other side of the ledger, too. They haven't even talked about the Department of Veterans Affairs. You're creating a whole new generation of veterans, and nobody's even asking for a plus up at the Department of Veterans affairs to care for them. I think it's another sign of how plan is half cooked and in many ways starting to unwrap.

[Podcast Host]

Well, we'll go back to what you just said, going to Congress. I mean, we're at the 60 days now. This is right around now, pretty much. We've been in it for a period of time where they, you know, whatever you think of the war effort, whether you support it or not, you probably should support the fact that they should at least have Congress weigh in on it or Congress should push to weigh in on it a little bit more maybe than they are.

[Ben Rhodes]

Yeah, I mean, they haven't even really had hearings. This is the first time that they're kind of having an open hearing about all the issues surrounding Iran. And I think here's what's really important. The President's watching. We all know the President watches television. He watches his Cabinet secretaries, and he's watching Hegseth struggle. Hegseth has been the TV guy For a long time, but now he's really struggling. And Republicans are calling for him to be removed. And Republicans see him dragging them down around the midterms. And that could force Trump to finally pull the trigger on removing Hegseth and putting out the fire and putting someone else in there who's less radioactive and gives him time and space to do the other things he wants.

[Podcast Host]

Well, if he was watching, he took a break to have this chat with Vladimir Putin today. The Kremlin came out as she heard, and they said that Putin put forth these ideas about Iran's nuclear program and this temporary ceasefire as a possibility in Ukraine. Here's more from Trump in the Oval on Putin. Just a short time ago, I talked about Ukraine and I talked a little bit about Iran. I talked about a few different subjects, mostly about Ukraine, and we had a very good conversation. I think we're going to come up with a solution relatively quickly, I hope. I assume he's talking about Ukraine there with a relatively quick solution, but it's been going on a while.

[Ben Rhodes]

Yeah, we've heard this before. And now Putin's the peacemaker. Putin's the guy we're gonna go to for a peace on Iran. Putin's a bad actor. He's no friend of America. Despite the relationship that he has with Trump, he continues to pummel civilians and bomb cities. And the best way toward peace is for Putin to just stop. Stop bombing civilians, stop hitting Ukrainian cities, pull back from the lines of Ukraine. That's a great step toward peace. And I think there's also a contrast here. We've got the king of England in town j downtown here. Right. Yesterday, he sent a very strong message about unity, about supporting NATO, about supporting Ukraine. It was in direct contrast to what we've seen from the president, who sometimes thinks he's a king. And I think it really appealed to a lot of people's moderate senses on how America used to sound, how Ronald Reagan used to sound, especially when it came to talking about Russia.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, we were talking about it after we covered it live. It was right around this time yesterday. As soon as he wrapped up, we were talking about it. I think everyone on the panel seemed to agree. There were some subtle jabs or shots. It seemed like at the. Maybe not the president personally, but about his policies, the way, his worldview, you know, how he rejects alliances. I mean, a number of times it seemed like the king was kind of, in his own way, taking some shots at that.

[Ben Rhodes]

Yeah, I think they were pretty direct shots. Yeah. I mean, some of them weren't even that subtle. And I think it's really important too. I think the King is taking a long view here. He's talking to the American people. He's talking to the world. And today going to ground zero, going to 911 memorial is important. Right. I'm a 911 first responder. Anytime a world leader comes and pays

[Podcast Host]

their respects, this is them live. By the way. Continue in a moment. Just screen right, I believe is the Queen Camilla shot. She's at the New York Public A Lot Library, which is just down the block on Fifth Avenue, speaking to some, some children there, reading, participating in a panel that's there. And then screen left is in Harlem where the, the King is attending an event up there speaking to children as well about I believe something to do with conservation and the like. So they've made a point to come to New York, but they started to your point, downtown at the 911 memorial.

[Ben Rhodes]

Yeah. And they want to speak to all Americans. I think they want to try to be above politics, whether it's a Republican or a Democrat or maybe one day an independent in office. They want to talk to all Americans. They want focus on children. They want to remind people that they appreciate our leadership, especially around 911 and in Afghanistan. They're reminding us they're a really good ally. They're a really important ally. And I think it's a good reminder that you need allies, especially in times like this.

[Podcast Host]

Yeah, you need good friends. But you know, again, that's been an issue during this war. One other thing before you go. Let's talk about Jim Comey for a moment. He was, we talked about it yesterday, was indicted again, you know, again there have been legal questions about whether there's going to be any, including from conservatives validity to the case. But today he surrenders to authority, authorities. And again the president in his appearance last hour spoke about this, this Comey case and said this. If anybody knows anything about crime, they know 86, you know what 86amob term for kill him. People like Comey have created tremendous danger, I think for politicians and others. He, you know, Comey is a dirty cop. Dirty cop. So the, the idea he posted or put a post up on social media, had a bunch of seashells arranged and it said 86, 47, you know, 86 get rid of something 47 for there it is, 47th president and that this could be a threat against the president is the claim. What do you make of all this?

[Ben Rhodes]

I think it's an overreach. I think he's continuing to target his political enemies. He's also targeting Jimmy Kimmel for what he's saying. I mean, we're supposed to protect free speech in this country. I mean, this is a murky area where anybody who posts anything on social media that might be construed as a threat to the president could now face the wrath of the Justice Department. I mean, this guy was the FBI director. He can call him whatever he wants, but he's gonna have to prove his case. And last time he tr. He failed, so he's gonna try again. I'm not a legal expert, but I don't know if you're gonna put Comey in jail over this. But the more important point is he's sending a chilling effect across the country, whether it's the FBI director or Jimmy Kimmel. There's a real, I think, attack on free speech and attack on trying to silence people who are speaking out specifically against this administration. That's not a direct assassination threat. That's something very different. We saw that in Washington this weekend. But I think the President has a bit of the wind at his back after the shooting in Washington this weekend. And I think he's gonna try to capitalize on that momentum and continue to

[Podcast Host]

do what he owes to from come

[Ben Rhodes]

after his enemies and continue to come after the free press. I mean, they're coming after Jimmy Kimmel, but they're also coming after Stars and Stripes. He's always talking about CNN and other networks. They continue to score wins, too. They've hurt pbs, they've hurt. They've changed cbs. He's driving toward changing the entire media landscape. And so far, he's had some pretty big wins. And I think he'd like to see Kimmel go down and he'd like to see Comey in jail, but so far, he hasn't been able.

[Podcast Host]

But I also wonder, the media landscape, broadly, is what you're talking about. I wonder about the immediate media landscape in terms of what's talking. What's being talked about, what conversation is about an unpopular war that you and I just talked about and whether the timing of all of this surrounding that means anything.

[Ben Rhodes]

Yeah, I mean, you know, he always wants to drive the narrative.

[Podcast Host]

Right.

[Ben Rhodes]

And I think the challenge for Trump is the war has gone sideways, and he hasn't been able to control that narrative. Especially when you see the price tag of $25 billion. You see the straight up removes his clothes. He can talk about Comey, he can talk about other things, but I think the world is going to keep coming back to gas prices. And America, especially when gas is four and a quarter, I think is the average now in America. Yeah, that's a hard one to deny

[Podcast Host]

the gas prices here. You're right on Telus Trader. We can pop it up. 423. So you're not far off. And the big thing for people is this. The increase. Right. 42% since the 27th of February. But now we're lingering. You thought maybe you would pull back? No. Oil's up well over 100. Gas at 423. Thank you, Paul, as always. Let me do two things. Let's first remind people about the latest episode of Paul's podcast. Then we'll go back to Hegseth for a moment. Independent Americans. There it is. Cost of Iran. Todd Achilles is running as an independent in Idaho. The latest guest

[Guest or Panelist]

during our coverage, Paul Reikoff is here. He's the host of the Independent Americans podcast and the founder and CEO of Independent Veterans of America. Ben Rhodes is still here as well. What did you think of today?

[Ben Rhodes]

It was not a good day for Pete Higsett.

[Paul Reikoff]

No, But I think maybe it was a good day for our democracy because it took 60 days. But now we finally have some oversight, some accountability, some hard questions, and importantly led by combat veterans. Seth Moulton's a combat veteran. Pat Ryan's a combat veteran. And they, they put him through the wringer, as he should be, because he wants a blank check. He wants no accountability from Congress. He wants no authorization for anything he's doing. And so far, the hard questions he's gotten have been from the MyPillow guy and the propaganda Pentagon press corps. So this is long overdue. I think Trump was watching and I think J.D. vance is watching. I think the Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, who might be his successor, is watching. And I think they realize they've got big problem. The war in the Middle east has become a sucking chest wound for our military and for our economy. $25 billion and what did we get? I think that's what the American public is asking. The Strait of Hormuz is not open. The regime is not gone. You haven't found the rich uranium and gas prices are now over four and a quarter.

[Guest or Panelist]

418.

[Paul Reikoff]

Yeah. And fertilizer's up, diesel's up. So the American public is asking, okay, we got nothing for $25 billion and you want $1.5 trillion. I mean, it's insane. And I think most of the country is pushing back. And Congress did that on behalf of the people today.

[Guest or Panelist]

What does it say that The Atlantic reporting suggests that JD Vance thinks Hegseth is a liar.

[Paul Reikoff]

I think everybody thinks Hegseth is a liar. I think the whole world can see that. I think his two ex wives think he's a liar. I mean, why would he not lie when he's under pressure? Now, he's always been a liar, and he's being held accountable. I think JD Vance and others are looking toward the future, and they realize they have a problem with Hegsett. The world doesn't trust him. Our allies don't trust him. Our troops don't trust him. And they've gotta make a change. And they've especially gotta make a change to appease the Republicans, who are really concerned about how Iran's gonna impact them and how inflation and these prices are gonna impact them if we do have free and fair elections in the fall. But I feel like Hegseth has kind of jumped the shark here, and it's easier for Trump to make a move on him, try to stop the bleeding, maybe change the narrative, than to continue to try to ride this out and take accountability himself, which he's clearly not gonna do.

[Guest or Panelist]

You know, it's interesting, and we were talking about Tom Blanch. I mean, Trump has wanted to indict Jim comey since Don McGam was his white House counsel and Jeff Sessions was his Attorney General. Blanche is the fifth person. And the only difference between Sessions, Barr, Bondi, and Blanche is that Blanche was this douche that said, yes, Trump's wanted the same thing. I mean, same. You know, to Ben's point, he's wanted the same thing out of the melt. He told General Kelly he liked the German generals, and Kelly reportedly said, which ones? I mean, he's wanted the same crazy things out of a military that only works for him since the beginning. Hegseth is the variable, not Trump. He finally found someone that'll do it.

[Paul Reikoff]

Yeah. I've always called Pete Hegseth the acting Secretary of Culture War because he's acting. He's not really an effective Secretary of defense, and he's a culture warrior. And he was installed to take over the Pentagon, to change the culture there and use it as an instrument, the tip of the spear for the culture war in America and across the world. The problem is he went too far, right? They went too far on Iran. They've gone too far on the culture war stuff. And Hegsett is not Trump, and he can't get away with the same stuff that Trump can, especially with the voters and especially with the media. And I think the shine has worn off. But I also say he has been extremely effective and Trump is ahead of plan in terms of Iran, in terms of getting rid of the generals, in terms of the purge. Imagine how far he'd be if Hegsett wasn't screwing up all the time. There is an alternate reality where he could pick Tom Cotton or Joni Ernst or someone more moderate. And now that the cleansing is done and he's got an effective instrument he could still make, he could put somebody who's below the radar, who's accepted by the Senate, who can still move stuff forward and not get the radioactive attention that Hegseth does every day. And I think politically that would actually be the smart move for Trump now, is to respond to the voters, make a change and take the heat off of the Pentagon and put it somewhere else.

[Guest or Panelist]

That's a scary thought, though. Paul Rykov, thank you for being here.

[Podcast Host]

Tells me the left and right are dreams for those without a clue and when you wait it's time to grow and it's not cool to believe in school but if I can say one thing I've seen the children of the revolution and the good trouble they can bring he says the red and blue are dead and independent is an attitude an island in the sea of rhetoric and left and right Our dreams for those without a clue and when you wait, it's time, time to grow Powered

[Ben Rhodes]

by Righteous Media if you like the

[Podcast Host]

show, please take a moment to rate review and subscribe. It really does help the show to grow. Thank you for listening.