The Rob Carson Show

Episode: Ken Matthews & Gen. Blaine Holt on Hostile Nations
Date: December 29, 2025
Host: Ken Matthews (filling in for Rob Carson)
Guest: Retired Brigadier General Blaine Holt, United States Air Force

Episode Overview

This episode of The Rob Carson Show, hosted by Ken Matthews, blends humor, news commentary, and personal stories before diving into a probing political discussion with retired Brigadier General Blaine Holt. The primary focus is the changing shape of global threats to the United States and where the real dangers—external and internal—may lie as America heads into 2026. Matthews and Holt dissect the old paradigm of “hostile nations,” the influence of globalist organizations, issues of political corruption, and the vital need for civic renewal.

Key Discussion Segments

1. Holiday Reflections & Pop Culture Touchstones

Timestamp: 01:01 – 11:00

• Ken Matthews opens the second hour with personal musings on the holidays, the bittersweet feelings after kids leave home, and the perspective this brings.
• He shares recommendations for TV shows:
  • Landman: “Some of the dialogue between Sam Elliott and Billy Bob Thornton brings you to tears, especially if you're a guy... When those manly men... start tearing up, you know, Paulie, I gotta tell you, Paulie, you know what I mean?” (Ken Matthews, 07:26)
  • Tulsa King: Praises the cast and storyline, highlighting the mental break these shows offer from “what's happening in this country.”

Tone

Conversational, nostalgic, humorous. Matthews uses these opening minutes to connect with listeners on a personal level while setting a relaxed, accessible tone.

2. COVID Reflections and Institutional Distrust

Timestamp: 11:00 – 17:25

• Vaccine Skepticism: Matthews strongly critiques the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, calling it the “scamdemic” and citing new studies he claims link mRNA vaccines to “genetic disruption linked to cancer and chronic disease.”
  • “Millions of people believed that the COVID vaccine was both safe and effective. And it's been proven repeatedly. It's. It's not.” (Matthews, 11:41)
• Censorship & Misinformation: He laments the past media landscape where dissenting views were silenced and those who wanted information about vaccines were branded “science deniers.”
• Shift in Public Awareness: He describes a “great awakening” in 2025, stating, “Those of us that are awake, we outnumber the people that lie.” (13:06)
• Lockdowns & Policy Critique: Blasts “back halfwards” lockdown policies, mask mandates, and the treatment of various demographics.

Tone

Edgy, polemical, combative. Matthews expresses palpable skepticism toward the official pandemic narrative and encourages listeners to be wary of authority figures and mainstream consensus.

3. Comedy, Rebellion, and the New Year

Timestamp: 14:41 – 17:25

• Short comedic interlude featuring standup by Pete Holmes, lampooning New Year's Eve celebrations and the public’s blind compliance with authority:
  • “We deserve everything the shadow government is doing to us. ... We're 1098 people. And they know that. ... Do you think we could spy on them using their very own cell phones?... Then they turn on the TV on New Year's and we're like, three, two ... They're like, we could do it and tell them we're doing it and they still won't revolt.” (Pete Holmes via Matthews, 14:41–15:26)
• Matthews riffs on how the public accepts government surveillance and private data collection in exchange for convenience, comparing vaccine incentives to restrictions on consumer choices.

Tone

Satirical, irreverent, critical of apathy and compliance.

4. Callers on Accountability and Political Corruption

Timestamp: 17:25 – 21:00

• Caller Ken from Santa Clara: “Why have we uncovered so many dozen issues of fraud... and then nobody, not one person has ever been arrested?” (Ken, 17:27)
• Matthews responds: “It's one big club, and we ain't in it... The sad reality is Trump is not going to throw Biden under the bus. Biden's not going to throw Obama under the bus... every one of these major issues involves Democrats and Republicans.” (Matthews, 19:09)

Tone

Cynical, resigned, urging listeners to see beyond partisan theatre—a recurring theme that will deepen during the interview with Gen. Holt.

5. Interview with Brigadier General Blaine Holt: Hostile Nations, Global Threats & the Fourth Estate

Timestamp: 21:05 – 37:15

A. Rethinking the “Boogeyman”

• Holt challenges conventional wisdom on international threats:
  • “Throughout history... our military industrial complex... has always needed us to have a boogeyman... The Chinese have always been a favorite... but there may be some strategic opportunities here... We may find out that we can actually work with China as it sorts out its own problems...” (Holt, 21:36)
• Suggests the real threat now is less about nations and more about “globalist consortiums” and “transnationalists, City of London types, World Economic Forum types... that are very interested in dominating people, taking away their freedom.” (Holt, 23:05)

B. The Complexity of International Affairs

• Holt: “Is Russia bad and the West good? It’s complicated... We have to think for ourselves.” (24:22)
• Warns against simplistic tribalism encouraged by “seven-second soundbites.”
• Matthews and Holt discuss the missed post-Soviet opportunities with Russia. Holt notes, “If you go to all these countries, you'll find people are just there. They want to make a living and ... live in peace. And that is most of them.” (Holt, 26:14)
• On Russia’s vast resources: “They're sitting on 75 trillion in natural resources. And these globalists, they want that... It’s insanity.” (Holt, 27:02)

C. New Era of Warfare and Threats

• Matthews: “Russia has nuclear missiles... keep them out of our airspace.”
• Holt warns of Russia’s advanced weaponry: “They actually now have a nuclear cruise missile that's nuclear powered, meaning it has unlimited range.”
• Cautions the next wars may not play out like old ones—potential for conflict at sea, Chinese naval buildup, and uncertainty around the Chinese Communist Party’s future leadership.

D. The “Fourth Estate” and Internal Threats

• Matthews’ million-dollar question: “What entity do you think poses the biggest internal threat to the United States?”
• Holt: “It’s not a country... It’s the fourth estate. Many call it the deep state. But these unelected bureaucrats hailing across every single agency we have. And the most dangerous ones sitting in cubicles in the intelligence community... It's this fourth estate that's not a branch of government that is imperiling our union as we speak.” (Holt, 30:42-31:33)
• Advocates for a return to servant-leadership and non-career politicians.
  • “There’s no aisle in the swamp... The Dems and the Republicans: we're supposed to believe they're ideologically different. They're not. It’s the same damn thing.” (Holt, 33:03)
  • Calls for Americans to stop falling for the red/blue divide and to put America and God first.

E. Memorable Quotes

• On political division:
  • “They intentionally put the red ants into the jar, they put the blue ants into the jar, and then they close the jar and they shake the jar. But the people don't look up to ask who the heck is shaking the jar?” (Holt, 34:29)
• On reclaiming identity:
  • “When somebody asks you, are you a Democrat or a Republican? You need to say, I'm an American.” (Holt, 34:42)
• On the Trump era:
  • “This is the ninth inning for America. We will save it here or we won't.” (Holt, 35:29)
• On action:
  • “Turn off the damn mainstream media and the CNN talking points that come straight to you from the deep state. ... Recognize your responsibility as an American and the Constitution and do something about it.” (Holt, 35:42-35:48)

F. Civic Renewal

• Holt and Matthews both champion grassroots involvement—encouraging regular citizens, not career politicians, to run for local office.
• Holt: “Go find Billy the Mechanic down the street... start there.” (36:30)

6. Closing Thoughts

Timestamp: 37:15 – 39:59

• Matthews reflects on the “awakening” when people discover the deep interconnections of banks, tech, industry, and the “deep state.”
• Emphasizes the power of the collective American people, “There's over 300 million of us. There's gotta be some power in numbers. Oh, there is. We just have to get people to unplug their phone for at least a day.” (Matthews, 39:14)
• The show closes with encouragement for listeners to embrace critical thinking, civic responsibility, and unity beyond party lines.

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:01 – Ken’s holiday reflections, TV recommendations
• 11:00 – COVID skepticism and “awakening”
• 14:41 – Pete Holmes comedy bit on public compliance
• 17:25 – Callers on fraud, lack of accountability, “it’s one big club”
• 21:05 – Gen. Holt interview begins: China, globalist threats, military-industrial complex
• 30:42 – The "fourth estate," deep state as internal threat
• 33:03 – Need for servant leaders, end of the left/right paradigm
• 34:29 – Red/blue ants analogy, “I’m an American”
• 35:29 – The “ninth inning” for America
• 36:30 – Grassroots civic renewal (Billy the Mechanic)
• 37:15 – Final thoughts on realizing the “deep game”

Notable & Memorable Quotes

“Millions of people believed that the COVID vaccine was both safe and effective. And it's been proven repeatedly. It's. It's not.”
— Ken Matthews, 11:41

“Throughout history... our military industrial complex... has always needed us to have a boogeyman... The Chinese have always been a favorite, but... there may be some strategic opportunities here...”
— Gen. Blaine Holt, 21:36

“It's one big club, and we ain't in it. That's the sad reality of it.”
— Ken Matthews, 19:09

“It's the fourth estate... These unelected bureaucrats... are imperiling our union as we speak.”
— Gen. Blaine Holt, 30:42-31:33

“There’s no aisle in the swamp... The Dems and the Republicans: we're supposed to believe they're ideologically different. They're not. It’s the same damn thing.”
— Gen. Blaine Holt, 33:03

“When somebody asks you, are you a Democrat or a Republican? You need to say, I'm an American.”
— Gen. Blaine Holt, 34:42

“This is the ninth inning for America. We will save it here or we won't.”
— Gen. Blaine Holt, 35:29

Summary

This episode balances humor, nostalgia, and pop culture commentary with substantive critique of American politics, media, and foreign policy. It challenges listeners to think beyond partisan divisions, recognize the real internal and external threats to liberty, and embrace a new kind of civic engagement—one that roots out entrenched, unelected power and champions leaders of character and integrity. General Holt’s warnings about the “fourth estate” and globalist influence, combined with Matthews’ plea for personal responsibility and discernment, frame the episode as a call to action for a politically weary but potentially awakening America.