The Tom Woods Show

Ep. 2723: The Off-The-Rails US Foreign Policy

Date: January 3, 2026
Host: Tom Woods
Guest: Daniel McAdams (Executive Director, Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity, Co-host of the Ron Paul Liberty Report)

Episode Overview

This episode features a wide-ranging discussion between Tom Woods and Daniel McAdams on the increasingly erratic trajectory of United States foreign policy as 2026 begins. They cover recent political controversies—particularly the internal fissures within the political right and the implications for US foreign relations, electoral politics, and international perceptions of the US. The episode moves through topics like midterm politics, shifting US alliances, the Trump administration's stances and appointments, the rising skepticism toward US interventionism (including in Venezuela and Ukraine), the domestic political struggle over the Israel/Gaza conflict, and the evolving attitude of the American public—especially younger generations—toward these global issues.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trump, Coalition Politics, and the Libertarian Rift

• Timestamps: 00:18–09:11
• Summary:
  • Woods opens by analyzing President Trump's political strategy heading into the 2026 midterms, highlighting his unpredictable treatment of various allies and critics, especially Libertarian-leaning figures like Rep. Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
  • Trump is criticized for alienating key segments of his broad coalition, particularly after making dismissive comments about Massie regarding the Epstein files and public arguments over foreign policy and government transparency.
  • Daniel McAdams reinforces that Trump’s seeming disregard for libertarian and antiwar voices is an unforced error, especially given his reliance on such groups for past electoral successes.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Woods [04:28]: “Well, now, the most libertarian guy in the Congress is the guy he...defecates on all the time...But you know what the funny thing is, Donald? I think you do need them.”
  • McAdams [03:27]: “He turns around and pals around with Lindsey Graham...the embodiment of all the worst aspects of US foreign policy...And so that is the hero of President Trump, promised no new wars, and people like Thomas Massie are the villains for simply holding him to his campaign promises.”

2. Internal Contradictions and Foreign Policy Appointments

• Timestamps: 07:25–13:19
• Summary:
  • The discussion moves to Trump's foreign policy team, specifically the unorthodox appointment of Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, which both Woods and McAdams find alarming but apparently somewhat toothless in practice.
  • They critique the inconsistency of Trump’s approach, both ridiculing and sometimes rewarding establishment, interventionist Republicans while sidelining his antiwar base.
  • McAdams draws historical comparisons, referencing the Reagan administration’s intellectual heft (albeit with "evil" intent) versus today’s shallow policy operatives.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Woods [07:25]: “He did take some risks. He did put some good people into some good positions...[but] then it just went off the rails in terms of absolutely unforced errors, fights. He doesn't need to be having...at every turn, and he's got nobody around him, apparently, who can tell him, this is going too far.”
  • McAdams [09:11]: “Under Reagan...you had people of some depth, some intellectual depth. Now, they were evil in many ways, but they were people who could say, Mr. President, this is what you need to consider...We don't seem to have that anymore.”

3. US Foreign Policy: Venezuela, Ukraine, and the “Official Reasons”

• Timestamps: 13:19–18:42
• Summary:
  • They analyze American policy toward Venezuela, dismissing the official rationale for intervention ("drugs," etc.) and instead pointing toward realpolitik: controlling oil, countering Chinese influence, and building a bloc of pro-Israel allies in South America for strategic purposes.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Woods [15:04]: “Apparently it's just a rule of life that whatever the official rationale given by the US Government for some intervention is always false. You just rule that one out instantly.”
  • McAdams [15:35]: “It's usually all of the above because you know how the neocons are. They pile it on...But I think what it really is, it's about the fact that the Chinese have been extremely active in Venezuela...So they're very, very heavily involved...now the US...is PO'd about the fact that China is involved...they want to chase the Chinese out of the Western hemisphere.”

4. Israel, Gaza, and Fractures on the Right

• Timestamps: 18:42–37:27
• Summary:
  • The rapid centrality of the Israel/Gaza conflict is discussed, focusing less on policy itself and more on how it has fractured domestic US politics—especially among the right.
  • Both speakers note how voices perceived as insufficiently “pro-Israel” are immediately demonized by former allies, leading to a wave of public re-examination and alienation from hardline pro-Israel positions.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Woods [20:11]: “...the key news item really is not even a foreign policy issue right now. It's the division within the right, which is a domestic issue. And that has an awful lot to do with...Israel...suddenly went front and center partly because of Gaza.”
  • McAdams [22:37]: “...people have tuned into a live genocide...they simply turned away from Israel and they've lost the plot...they've entirely lost the young generation. Generation Z is gone...There's no way to put this genie back in the bottle for them.”

5. The ADL, Victim Narratives, and Political Cynicism

• Timestamps: 25:47–31:17
• Summary:
  • Woods and McAdams critique the ADL’s public responses to antisemitism and their perceived victim-blaming narratives targeting those who voice disapproval of Israeli government actions or public figures like Ben Shapiro.
  • They argue that “anti-Semitism” accusations are now wielded politically to silence dissent, noting the shifting public reaction, especially online.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Woods [28:28]: “I could say that about people in my own...religious universe. I can say it about them. Why can't I say it about...Ben Shapiro is obviously making the anti Semitism problem worse...”
  • McAdams [30:17]: “They need antisemitism to survive. The Ben Shapiros of the world need antisemitism. So in fact they're doing it because they need to have that...to gin it up because it enables them to forward their agenda.”

6. Generational & Political Shifts: J.D. Vance, Young Conservatives, and the Media Landscape

• Timestamps: 31:17–37:27
• Summary:
  • The evolving attitude among younger conservatives—including those in academic settings—towards Israel/Palestine and US foreign entanglements is discussed.
  • J.D. Vance is highlighted as symbolic of emerging political tightropes—balancing between old-guard donor expectations and new, more skeptical sentiments among the right's grassroots.
• Notable Quotes:
  • McAdams [34:31]: “J.D. vance is very...in tune and understands this is not the political winner it was 20 years ago. And so he's got to look to the future.”
  • McAdams [36:04]: “...the young people that were there were wanting to push further rather than back. So it was really, for me, it was a real wake up call as well. They've gone way beyond where we are at. Made me feel a little bit old, I guess.”

7. Ukraine: Reality Versus Narrative in US Foreign Policy

• Timestamps: 37:53–41:52
• Summary:
  • McAdams provides a critical assessment of the US foreign policy consensus on Ukraine, arguing it is grounded in self-delusion and a refusal to accept basic geographic and strategic realities.
  • He elaborates on intelligence failures, manipulated analysis, and the mismatch between on-the-ground realities and Beltway talking points.
• Notable Quotes:
  • McAdams [38:33]: “The entirety of the U.S. foreign policy community is absolutely in a...circular firing squad intellectually with regard to this. Everyone believes what everyone else is saying and it's all completely untrue.”
  • McAdams [40:20]: “The fact of the matter is Russia is winning. It shouldn't surprise anyone. Russia would always win. Just look at a map.”

8. NATO, European Leadership, and Glimmers of Hope

• Timestamps: 41:52–45:42
• Summary:
  • One positive aspect McAdams sees in foreign policy is Trump's willingness to ridicule European leaders and expose the hollow nature of NATO and EU leadership.
  • Both hosts express dismay at the vapid, platitude-laden leadership within European governments, lamenting the lack of substance and courage in Western elites.
• Notable Quotes:
  • McAdams [41:52]: “President Trump did one great thing...he ridiculed NATO and ridiculed the Europeans. And they absolutely deserved it.”
  • Woods [44:31]: “None of them have anything interesting to say. It's just platitudes over and over and oh, if you don't like our platitudes, we're plotting ways to shut you up or imprison you. Oh, nice people.”

9. Alternative Media and Shifting Narrative Control

• Timestamps: 45:42–49:05
• Summary:
  • The conversation shifts to media dynamics: high-profile interventionist intellectuals (e.g., David Wurmser) now feel compelled to respond to alternative media figures like Scott Horton, signifying a shift in information control and grounds for optimism.
  • Nonetheless, state funding and the “military-industrial complex”—not public enthusiasm—remain the real drivers sustaining establishment foreign policy.
• Notable Quotes:
  • Woods [47:04]: “That is one way in which the world is better now than it was five or 10 years ago.”
  • McAdams [49:05]: “The sad answer...is that we do [support establishment figures like Wurmser], involuntarily, and that's through the military industrial complex.”

10. Hope for the Future: Grassroots Antiwar Sentiment

• Timestamps: 50:01–51:32
• Summary:
  • Woods and McAdams note that while skepticism toward foreign adventures is not yet dominant in either major party, anti-interventionism is growing among the American right, and eventually this might reflect in politics if momentum continues.

Notable Quotes & Moments (By Timestamp)

• Trump and Libertarians:
  • Woods [04:28]: “I think you do [need the libertarians], Donald.”
• On Lindsey Graham:
  • McAdams [03:27]: “He is the embodiment of all the worst aspects of U.S. foreign policy that we’ve tried so desperately over the years to put back in the toothpaste tube.”
• Israel-Palestine Gen Z Split:
  • McAdams [22:37]: “They've entirely lost the young generation...I don't mean on the left, I mean on the right. They've lost the right.”
• ADL and Antisemitism Dynamics:
  • McAdams [30:17]: "They need antisemitism to survive."
• On Ukraine:
  • McAdams [40:20]: “Russia is winning. It shouldn’t surprise anyone. Russia would always win.”
• Hopeful Note:
  • Woods [50:01]: “There is a solid core...on the right there's more skepticism about it. There’s no question about that.”

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:18] Introduction, purpose, and early election-year analysis
• [03:27] Critique of Trump coalition management, Lindsey Graham
• [09:11] Historical policy team comparisons (Reagan vs. Trump era)
• [13:19] Venezuela intervention motives & neocon pattern
• [18:42] Israel/Gaza, domestic political fractures, social implications
• [22:37] Loss of Gen Z, new dynamics of right-left Middle East divides
• [28:28] The ADL and weaponizing “antisemitism” accusations
• [34:31] J.D. Vance, new right-wing calculations on Israel
• [38:33] Ukraine war realities, intelligence failures
• [41:52] Trump’s ridicule of NATO, European mediocrity
• [45:42] Growth of alternative media, establishment on defense
• [49:05] Why the establishment still rules—funding, not real support
• [50:01] Broader antiwar movement’s momentum

Closing

The episode concludes on a note of guarded optimism: despite entrenched power structures and top-down narrative control, the intellectual and generational tide is turning. Grassroots antiwar sentiment, broader skepticism toward US foreign intervention, and the rise of alternative media may not yet have toppled the old guard, but they have forced even high-ranking figures to engage with criticisms for the first time in decades.

Daniel McAdams Final Note:

“We are making some headway on it.” [49:41]

Key Takeaway:
The 2026 political and foreign policy landscape is fractured, uncertain, and increasingly hostile to the “official narrative.” The antiwar right, younger conservatives, and alternative media voices are reshaping the discussion—sometimes faster than either host might have predicted.