IHIP News

Trump Admin Caught Lying About Iran As They Gear Up to Take Him Down

14 min
Feb 23, 2026about 2 months ago
Listen to Episode
Summary

The hosts critique the Trump administration's contradictory statements about Iran military strikes, alleging deception about nuclear capabilities. They analyze the influence of conspiracy theorists and wealthy oligarchs on foreign policy, questioning the competence of key advisors and the lack of public support for potential military action.

Insights
  • Contradictory messaging from administration officials on Iran's nuclear capabilities suggests either incompetence or deliberate deception to justify military action
  • Conspiracy theorists and ideologically-driven advisors are directly influencing U.S. foreign policy decisions with minimal accountability or expertise
  • Corporate influence and oligarch interests are overriding traditional Republican principles of limited government and laissez-faire economics
  • Public opinion is being ignored in foreign policy decisions despite rhetoric about democratic values and free speech
  • The administration is using character attacks on minorities and women to eliminate obstacles to corporate allies' interests
Trends
Erosion of institutional checks and balances on executive power in foreign policyRise of ideological and religious motivations (evangelical rapture theology) driving Middle East policyIncreased alignment between U.S. Republican Party and authoritarian regimes like RussiaCorporate oligarchs gaining direct access to presidential decision-makingConspiracy theorists transitioning from fringe to mainstream policy influenceWeaponization of racial and gender-based attacks to discredit political opponentsDisconnect between public opinion and military/foreign policy decisionsDismantling of traditional diplomatic frameworks (Iran nuclear deal) in favor of military solutions
Companies
Netflix
Trump called for firing Susan Rice from Netflix board; hosts discuss government interference in corporate governance
People
Donald Trump
Central focus; criticized for contradictory Iran strike claims, conspiracy theory alignment, and authoritarian govern...
Steve Whitcoff
Real estate broker serving as senior advisor on Iran, Ukraine, Russia; contradicts president's claims on Iranian nucl...
Benjamin Netanyahu
Israeli PM; hosts allege Trump administration is colluding with him to justify military action against Iran
Jared Kushner
Foreign policy advisor; accused of being compromised and personally enriching himself through Middle East policy
Mike Huckabee
U.S. envoy to Israel; justified Israeli expansion using biblical law; met with Tucker Carlson about Middle East policy
Lindsey Graham
Senator; mentioned as political sycophant supporting Israel-aligned foreign policy
Pete Hegseth
Defense Secretary; criticized as completely incompetent to lead military operations
Laura Loomer
Conspiracy theorist with direct access to Trump; influences policy decisions and Trump reposts her social media
Susan Rice
Netflix board member; Trump called for her firing, accused of racism and being a political hack
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
Arkansas governor; signed proclamation for state-Israel partnership; accused of giving millions to Israeli government
Barack Obama
Former president; negotiated Iran nuclear deal that Trump dismantled
Vladimir Putin
Russian leader; hosts note increased Republican Party alignment with Putin despite his authoritarian record
Tucker Carlson
Media personality; interviewed Mike Huckabee about Middle East policy and American public opinion
Larry Ellison
Oracle founder and billionaire oligarch; implied beneficiary of Trump's Netflix board interference
Quotes
"I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated."
Trump administration official (quoted)Early in episode
"They're probably a week away from having industrial grade bomb-making material. And that's really dangerous."
Steve WhitcoffMid-episode
"Trump dismantled it, and now he wants to start a war at the behest of Benjamin Netanyahu and the American political sycophants to Israel."
Jennifer (co-host)Early discussion
"We have the most extremist oligarchs colluding with the most co-opted, non-critically thinking rapture preppers conducting American foreign policy. And it would be a joke if it wasn't so incredibly dangerous."
Co-hostMid-episode analysis
"Donald Trump is the manifestation of what Republicans have always wanted right under the surface. They've always operated with a bit more politeness and a bit more decorum. But now that is completely off."
Co-hostLate episode
Full Transcript
According to reports, the United States is just days away from attacking Iran and starting a war. This from me, he is the president of peace. And I just want to take everybody back to what he said about the strikes against Iran just in 2025. I can report to the world that the strikes were a spectacular military success. Iran's key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated. We assess that the American strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities have set back Iran's ability to develop nuclear weapons for many years to come. The nuclear threat of Iran, that was totally obliterated. Okay, we get the picture. He is going on and on about how successful the military strikes were. Yet, we have Steve Wyckoff, who is the senior advisor to the president. He's a real estate broker, but he seems to be the advisor to the president on Iran, Ukraine, Russia, the whole nine. Here's what he said just yesterday about Iranian capabilities. It's up to 60 percent. They're probably a week away from having industrial grade bomb-making material. And that's really dangerous. So I can't have that. This is something that they... Okay, so what do you think? Which do you believe, Jennifer? Well, what I believe are the facts. The facts are that President Obama had an Iranian nuclear deal on the table. Trump dismantled it, and now he wants to start a war at the behest of Benjamin Netanyahu and the American political sycophants to Israel. I'm talking about Lindsey Graham. I'm talking about Whitcoff. I'm talking about Kushner. who these two, Kushner and Whitcoff, who are so compromised to be our main foreign policy attaches that now are proposing that we start a war with Iran simply so that they can get us back to a nuclear deal that we already had. This is utter insanity. I don't believe a word that comes out of Benjamin Netanyahu's mouth, Steve Whitcoff's mouth, Donald Trump's mouth. These people are liars. These people see all of this as how can we collude with Israel, lie to the American public, fleece taxpayer dollars, please, Vladimir Putin. It is a foreign policy face plant of the highest order as far as the United States of America goes. I completely agree. And here's the thing about it. We have no one in the U.S. military that is competent. Pete Hegseth is completely incompetent, Donald Trump completely incompetent, yet these two bozos will be in charge if we start a war with Iran. And Tucker Carlson went to Israel and he met with Mike Huckabee, who is a nut of the highest order. And so he asked him this question. I thought it was really interesting the way he spoke about the needs of America and how Mike Huckabee answered. How much does it matter what Americans think? Well it matters every bit what Americans think That why Americans vote It why Americans have the opportunity to have free speech We want them to have that Okay so what percentage of Americans support a war with Iran I don know Do you know I do I think it around I saw the numbers yesterday I think it was like 21 Okay. Is that enough to have a war with Iran? We don't live in a world where you have a poll taken to find out whether our policy should be a particular direction. I thought you just said that we vote. No, we care deeply about it. But on the other hand, do we make the decisions of foreign policy and even domestic policy based on what the latest poll number is? We care deeply about it in what sense? If we're ignoring it, then in what sense do we, quote, care deeply about it? Well, I think we care deeply. Here's the deal. He also, Huckabee, went on in that interview to talk about how Israel should control the Middle East. And I mean, all of the countries over there in the Middle East, they sent like letters and all of these things. Mike Huckabee has had to back off of those statements. But I loved how he said, if nobody supports this in America and you say their voice matters, why is it continuing? Well, what Mike Huckabee said in that interview that was of most importance to me was that he said, based on biblical law, that Israel could take over far more than even Gaza. And so what you have here is the alliance of far-right fascist Israeli government who is co-opting the right evangelical rapture preppers, such as the former governor of Arkansas, Huckabee. And he and his daughter are big time Bible thumping rapture preppers. They believe that the Jews have to be in Israel in order for Jesus to come back for them to be raptured. His foreign policy is based on this. The right wing fascist Netanyahu government co-ops the right evangelical base, much like the Republican Party, much like the oligarchs, much like Russia has co-opted because these people are emotionally stunted. They do not evolve critical thinking. And so you have foreign policy being conducted by Whitcoff and Kushner, who are seeing billions of dollars personally to enrich themselves. You have Huckabee, who his daughter is now currently the governor of Arkansas. And she has signed some proclamation that Arkansas is going to work hand in hand with Israel. And my question is this, how on earth does any of that help Americans? How does that help rural people from Arkansas that once they get a cancer diagnosis, they cannot go to work any longer, and then they face medical bankruptcy? We have the most extremist oligarchs colluding with the most co-opted, non-critically thinking rapture preppers conducting American foreign policy. And it would be a joke if it wasn't so incredibly dangerous. No, I completely agree. And I have even read that Sarah Huckabee Sanders has given millions of dollars to the Israeli government. And Arkansas is an extremely poor state. So that's a great question, what is that doing for her constituents? And then we talked on this program a lot about how the craziest conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists are right in the president back pocket And so we saw Laura Loomer post about Netflix and she's mad. Donald Trump reposts her. You guys, it cannot be stressed enough how nutty Laura Loomer is and how close she is to the president. got a national security advisor demoted. She is in the presidency or she talks about it all the time. Well, she's mad at Netflix. So then Trump reposts her and says Netflix should fire racist Trump deranged Susan Rice immediately or pay the consequences. She's got no talent or skills, purely a political hack. Her power is gone and will never be back. How much is she being paid and for what? Thank you for your attention to this matter. President DJT, it is so disturbing to me that the eating the dogs, eating the cats person who started that conspiracy put it in his ear. He's taking policy advice from her. And now he is trying to fire people in private corporations. I'm sorry. I thought that was like communism. All right, listener, nothing hits like home cooking. The problem is I don't really cook at home, which is why I'm so excited to share with you that I use HelloFresh. HelloFresh makes it easy to do more of your home cooking this year with recipes that feel good and taste delicious night after night. You can bring everyone together with meals that are simple and rewarding on a busy weeknight. You can also choose from more than 100 recipes every week, including cuisines from around the world and meals that help you beat the winter blues and bigger portions that satisfy everyone listener go to hellofresh.com ihipnews 10 fm to get 10 free meals plus a free zwilling knife a 144.99 value on your third box offer valid while supplies last free meals applied as a discount on first box, new subscribers only varies by plan. So here's the problem that I think we're all doing is we are applying, why is this man taking advice from a conspiracy theorist? And we have to go back to the inception. This man launched his political career on a conspiracy theory that Barack Obama was born in Kenya, that he wasn't American. So then we cannot be surprised that one conspiracy theorist is finding comfort in another conspiracy theorist because birds of a feather flock together. And so we always need to take it back to the buck stops with Trump. And the people surrounding him are so insane that if he is even going further deep into insanity, which he did with the MyPillow guy at the end of Trump 1.0, now he's colluding with Laura Loomer. But the situation with Susan Rice that really offended me is Donald Trump has a history of calling successful black people racists. And this is such a fundamental problem and also red meat to the white base It plays into this white entitlement that black people can criticize white people or black people can criticize structures power structures that have been rigged against them His meddling in the Netflix board of directors is not so much communism to me as it is fascism as it is oligarchy as it is government intervention Republicans for years have had this laissez-faire economic policy, deregulate, we have to stay out of business. They bail out corporations and never help the United States citizen. And then they say, oh, we can't have the government meddling in corporations. But they do whenever they want to. Donald Trump is the manifestation of what Republicans have always wanted right under the surface. They've always operated with a bit more politeness and a bit more decorum. But now that is completely off. And his whole administration has been rigging the entire system for he and his cronies. And if Susan Rice is an obstacle for his friend, Larry Ellison, then he is going to besmirch her character. He is going to besmirch her race and he is going to besmirch her gender. This is what he does. It's what he's done for over a decade. And I don't know how to keep talking about this other than to say, we're going to wake up tomorrow. We will have showered, we will have brushed your teeth and there will be our teeth. And then there's going to be another story just like this. So my thing is, where are the people that are going to put up stops to this? Are the Democrats going to put up a stop? Are Republicans going to put up a stop? these stories about the dipshits that he has conducting foreign policy and the rapture preppers that he has conducting foreign policy and then his friends that are you know crazy crazy crazy wealthy that want more it's not enough for larry ellison that he's a multi-billionaire it's not enough these people are so broken they have exploited people from day one in order to become billionaires and they're not benevolent these are horrible people who every day wake up and exploit from the minute they wake up to the minute they go to bed and they have found a man who is as broken as they are and who's stupid who's easy to guide and so this is going to continue every single day uh the supreme court's put up a little bit of a stop but i don't trust them as far as I can throw them. So I don't know how to keep reporting on him doing this, other than to shift the focus on where are the Republicans that care about laissez-faire economics? Where are the Republicans that care about decorum? And then where are the Democrats that are willing to stand up to corporations? Yeah. And where are the Republicans that want a small government, a strong international defense, where are they? I mean, those people are gone. Because I was reading over the weekend that more people in the Republican Party are yaw-yaw Russia and Vladimir Putin than they have been in decades. And that is terrifying because Vladimir Putin is a murderous dictator. The economy in Russia is in the shitter. There is nothing attractive about Vladimir Putin or his country. All right, please, like this video and we will be back with more news.