Independent Americans with Paul Rieckhoff
@independentamericans·13.4K subscribers·3.5K videos
EXCLUSIVE: Jesse Ventura. The Body vs Trump. Jesse for Governor Again? Senate?
Posted
February 4, 2026
Views
49,205
Likes
1,886
Comments
339
February 4, 2026
49,205
1,886
339
4.52%
Every word spoken in this episode is indexed. Type any phrase to jump straight to the moment it was said.
Type any word or phrase that may have been spoken. Click a result to seek the player to that exact moment.
Try a name, a topic, or a quoted line
1:17:23Now PlayingIn this powerful new episode of Independent Americans, host Paul Rieckhoff welcomes former Minnesota Governor, pro wrestler, actor, Navy SEAL and all‑around badass Jesse “The Body” Ventura for an extended, unfiltered conversation that hits harder than a steel chair.
Ventura breaks down the ICE raids rocking Minneapolis—including the operation at his own Roosevelt High School—and explains why he’s calling Trump’s ICE “the Gestapo” and accusing them of trampling the Constitution and Bill of Rights. He shares emotional stories about his Vietnam service, his parents’ WWII heroism, and how that family history shapes his willingness to call out authoritarian tactics in his hometown today.
Jesse also takes you inside his personal history with Donald Trump: from Trump flying to Minnesota after Jesse’s 1998 upset win, to their surreal dinner in New York with Woody Harrelson, to how Trump “stole” Jesse’s outsider playbook to capture the GOP instead of building a real independent movement. He blasts Trump’s WWE Hall of Fame spot, calls out fake tough guys, and talks about the threat of Trump invoking the Insurrection Act and turning the U.S. military on American citizens.
Rieckhoff and Ventura then zoom out to the future: how Jesse won as an independent with just $300K vs $12M from the two parties, why name recognition and smart media strategy matter, and how independent veterans can follow his blueprint through Independent Veterans of America in 2026 and beyond. Jesse even floats a wild path that could land him in the U.S. Senate—forcing Trump world to deal with a Navy frogman on the Senate floor.
If you’re part of the 45% of Americans who are independent—or just independent‑curious—this is your show. Subscribe for more independent news, politics, inspiration and hope.
🔔 Subscribe to Independent Americans
👉 Learn more about Independent Veterans of America and IVA candidates:
👉 Join our Patreon community for extra content, events, merch discounts and more:
Merch, links and more
#JesseVentura #IndependentAmericans #ICE #Minneapolis #Veterans #Politics #StayVigilant
Sentinel Indexing in Progress
Metadata and chapters are available. Claim extraction for this episode is pending.
All video content is delivered via YouTube embedded players in accordance with the YouTube Terms of Service. Sentinel provides research tools that promote discovery and accountability across political media.
