Trump’s billion dollar ballroom vs $6 diesel. Dan Osborn vs.Pete Ricketts.

Something is cracking in the Midwest. Iowa farmers are staring at $1,000 fill-ups for their tractors, fertilizer costs through the roof, and a White House that only remembers rural America two weeks before an election. Meanwhile Donald Trump is spending $1.2 billion of taxpayer-adjacent money on an East Wing ballroom, a triumphal arch, a Garden of Heroes, and a plan to repaint the Eisenhower building because he thinks it should be whiter. Paul Rieckhoff joins Katie, Carrie Dan of the Cook Political Report, Mike Nellis, and McKay Coppins to connect the dots between the vanity projects, the $8 billion farmer bailout nobody trusts, and a corruption narrative that is finally landing with independent voters.

The panel digs into Dan Osborn's independent run against Cubs part-owner Pete Ricketts in Nebraska, Tarek the wheelchair-dragging Iowa Democrat scrambling the governor's race, and why Trump is campaigning in the one Iowa district that isn't competitive. McKay Coppins unpacks the sea change in evangelical politics — how "Christian values" quietly became a political signifier instead of a religious one. And Paul lays out why eat-the-rich sentiment, the same force that just took down Orban in Hungary, is coming for an American political class that forgot who it works for. If you want to understand the terrain heading into the next cycle, this is the conversation.

-WATCH full video of this episode here .

-Track the IVA candidates on our poll tracker .

-Let Vets Vote: Millions of American veterans are being locked out of primary elections in the country they served. See what we’re doing to change that .

-Visit Kalshi and trade on anything . Use code INDEPENDENT to get $25 when you trade $25.

-Head to cozyearth.com and use the code AMERICANS for an exclusive 20% off.

-Join Noble Mobile today and get a $100 bonus when you use code PAUL and stay a member for 2 months!

-Learn more about American Veterans for Ukraine here .

-Learn more about The Headstrong Project for Veterans, Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) , and Department of Veterans Affairs resources in your area . Seeking support is not a sign of weakness. It’s a show of strength. If you or a loved one are in immediate crisis, dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255.

Connect with Independent Americans:

• Subscribe on YouTube , Spotify , Apple Podcasts , and all podcast platforms
• Read more at Substack
• Support ad-free episodes at Patreon  
• Connect: Instagram   • X/Twitter • BlueSky • Facebook  

Follow on social: @PaulRieckhoff on X , Instagram , Threads , and Bluesky

- Join the movement. Hook into our exclusive Patreon community 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. 

- And get cool IA and Righteous hats, t-shirts and other merch now in time for the new year. 

Independent Americans is powered by veteran-owned and led Righteous Media . 

And now part of the BLEAV network ! 

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.