Transcript of Chairman of Joint Chiefs Gives Warning on Trump Losing War New

I previously shared with you warnings from the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, C.Q. Brown Jr., on Donald Trump's catastrophic and unlawful war in Iran and Donald Trump's use of our troops in order to intimidate people here in the United States. You know that former chairman of the Joint Chiefs, C.Q. Brown Jr., was forced out of his position by Donald Trump and Pete Hegseth because he was black and the Trump regime is racist. Let's not mince words and call it what what it is. And despite being not just qualified but overly qualified for the position of the Joint Chiefs, C.Q. Brown Jr. was unceremoniously pushed out of his position and replaced with an individual named General Dan Cain, who they call Raisin Cain, a white guy who was a 3-star general, not a 4-star, and had to get a statutory waiver to hold his position because he had not served as a combatant commander, vice chairman, or service chief, which is the requirement before you could be the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. And if you looked at CQ Brown Jr.'s background, CQ Brown Jr. did everything you were supposed to do and more.

So we gave you CQ Brown Jr.'s warnings. Now I want to talk about the warnings though, by Dan Raisin Caine, Donald Trump's guy, warning about the catastrophic and unlawful war in Iran., and warning that the U.S. really does not have the capabilities, uh, to defeat Iran. Now, much attention was paid to Hegseth's disastrous performance when Hegseth testified the other day in the Senate. Very little attention was given to the words of, uh, Dan Raisin Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the current chairman of the Joint Chiefs. But I think that's a mistake because when you go through what Raisin Cain, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, said he gave some very serious warnings. Let me show you what happened, for example, when he was being cross-examined or asked questions by Senator Reid. And you'll see right over here, chairman of the Joint Chiefs Raisin Cain says that, yeah, you know, using airstrikes alone probably won't be able to, uh, you know, achieve the, the so-called objectives that I guess Donald Trump has in Iran. I mean, by the way, I don't call them objectives. I call them war crimes, to be clear where I stand on these issues.

And so he says that's why we need a toolkit of diplomacy and other political tools. He says, in other words, the current strategy doesn't work. Listen to him say it for yourself. Let's play it.

General McCain, uh, these airstrikes have not yet deterred and defeated the Iranians. Do you think airstrikes alone will do that?

Sir, I think academically, as you look across the totality of history, air power's got limits, and we always have to be mindful of those. I think where America's area of exclusivity is, is when we bring the totality of the diplomatic, informational, economic, and pair that with the military. And there's a lot of that work going on.

Well, the military— the next step would be escalation by ground combat. Do you anticipate that escalation?

Sir, I think it'd be unhelpful for me to opine on hypotheticals. What I can tell you is we always develop an unbelievable amount of options and the associated risks. And then my main job is to always ensure that leaders understand those options and the risks.

Now, if you employ ground troops to seize objectives, which I would assume would be the first stage, Are you prepared for an extended guerrilla war, which would likely happen in that area?

Sir, with all due respect, I think it'd be unhelpful for me to opine on hypothetical situations on whatever decisions the president may or may not take in the future.

Have you advised the president that a ground combat would be very expensive in the lives of our soldiers, sailors, Marines, airmen, and also could probably lead to an extended unconventional war in that area. I don't see the Iranians sort of throwing their hands up saying, you know, welcome to Iran.

Senator, I always advise the president on a range of military options and all of the risks that are contained within that, but I have to keep my military advice to the president private, sir.

But—

Well, thank you.

Then he was asked some questions by MAGA Republican Senator Kennedy, and you'll hear Dan Raisin Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, state that Iran still maintains the capabilities to control the Strait of Hormuz, that it has those capabilities. And he doesn't say specifically Trump's lying, but it's basically what he says right here. Let's play this clip.

Will they put tolls on the strait?

I don't know, sir. That's a decision. That's a hypothetical and will depend on what happens.

Not hypothetical. We got a blockade to stop them.

We do, sir. That's putting economic pressure on.

I'm not asking you for— I'm not trying to get you in trouble. I know your advice to the president is, is, is private, but this is serious as 4 heart attacks and a stroke. Now, what happens if we come home and end the blockade?

To the world, sir, Iran has the potential to continue to be a threat, and we will need to prepare militarily.

Will they toll the strait?

Sir, that's a hypothetical question, and I don't know the answer to that.

Oh, it's not hypothetical. You come— we come home, It's not going to be hypothetical. You know that, General, and I do too. And, and I, I appreciate your discretion, but we're down to it. We need some hard answers and some straight talk.

More questioning over here. This time, I think, some very powerful question from Senator Merkley. And Senator Merkley again cross-examining Hey, did you know that Iran would have the capabilities to shut down the Strait of Hormuz? You did realize that bombing Iran would actually make their resistance stronger? Like, you, you realize that? Are you telling this to Donald Trump? Are you explaining to Trump what's going on right now? And you'll see Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, current Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, he won't admit Oh, yes, I tell Donald Trump this specific thing. But he basically says, you'll hear him, I tell him candid advice. I let him know what's going on. And in other words, he's admitting that he's— that he gave the advice that exactly what's happening is happening. And he was basically overruled by the idiot sitting next to him, Pete Hegseth. You can watch for yourself and tell me if you believe this is what he's saying. But I mean, I think it's fairly obvious. Let's play this clip right here.

I think there was a sense that the president expressed at the start of the war that the US military power was overwhelming and would likely produce unconditional surrender quickly by Iran. And that obviously hasn't happened. Was it your opinion as well? Did you feel like our military force could produce an unconditional surrender in quick order?

Sir, I won't, uh, I, with due respect, I won't share my private advice to the president. What I will assure you and the American people is I always speak truth to power and offer an accurate assessment of what my assessment is of both our readiness, the plans and activities that might be undertaken, the associated risks, and the secondary and tertiary considerations that go with those opinions or options.

Thank you. So you feel like the various risks that Iran would close— could possibly close the Strait, despite the destruction of their navy, that the possibility of assassinating their political leaders and their military leaders could produce a strengthened hardline and weaken the reformers, that Iran would have the ability to sustain its ability to attack sites throughout the Middle East, that the initial requirements of the war could surely deplete our basically high-end standoff munitions, that this could affect our, our relations with our allies. All those were factors well considered in this decision to go to war.

Sir, as I said, I won't opine on or share my private advice to the—

I'm not asking about your vice president. I'm asking you, did you understand these issues, or have these become revelations as the war's unfolded?

Sir, my job is to understand all of the considerations that go into the carefully considered use of military power.

Let me ask you this then.

Yes, sir.

I understand why you don't want to respond, but these are, these are all massive risks that seem to be poorly weighed in the, in the beginning of this, uh, misadventure.

Ever wake up sweaty, freezing, or just uncomfortable? The temperature in your bedroom can make or break your sleep. That's why I switched to Miracle-Maid sheets. They're inspired by NASA technology and use silver-infused temperature-regulating fabric to help you sleep perfectly all night long. Here's the thing. Thanks to their antibacterial silver technology, Miracle-Maid sheets stay cleaner and fresher up to 3 times longer than regular sheets. That means fewer odors, fewer wash cycles, and way less laundry. All that hidden bacteria in regular sheets, it can clog your pores and cause breakouts. Miracle-Maid's antibacterial design helps you sleep cleaner and clearer night after night, and they feel just as good, if not better, than sheets you'd find at a 5-star hotel. But without that steep price tag. Smooth, breathable, and ridiculously comfortable. Miracle-Made sheets are crafted with NASA-inspired silver-infused fabric that helps regulate your body temperature. Hot sleeper, cold sleeper, it doesn't matter. These sheets help keep you in the comfort zone all night long. Upgrade your sleep or give the gift of better rest. Go to trymiracle.com/midas to try Miracle-Made sheets today. You'll save over 40% And when you use promo code MIDAS, you'll get an extra 20% off plus a free 3-piece towel set.

They make an amazing gift, and with a 30-day money-back guarantee, there's no risk. That's trymiracle.com/midas, code MIDAS at checkout. Thanks to Miracle Maid for sponsoring this episode.

And then he speaks about how, or talks about how, you know, in modern warfare drones and cheaper technology are able to be just as effective sometimes as the weapons that the United— the bigger weapons. And this to me is also a warning. You know, Trump and Hegseth, they're asking for this $1.5 trillion, you know, they want $1.5 trillion because they want big battleships and big this and big that. It's like, You realize that's the exact wrong lesson from all of this, right? Where the money should be going— and again, I'm not for war, let me be very clear. I think Trump's a war criminal, so I'm not endorsing lethality and weapons and killing people. I always want to find peace first. That's my own view. I still think we need to strongly defend ourselves, of course, and we need to, you know, make sure that people are safe. But I want to be very clear that I don't like when that's used as pretext to do what the— what Trump regime is doing. But the lessons to learn is that drones, unmanned submersive drone interceptors, FPV drones, Lucas Shaheed style drones, that's the future. Not big clunky battleships, aircraft carrier groups, you're just wasting money.

And you'll, you'll see over here, I think that he is acknowledging this as well. Let's play this clip also.

We find ourselves living and leading in complex and dynamic times. Our adversaries are aligning in their interests, creating simultaneous challenges across multiple domains. They are sharing intelligence, combat capabilities, and technology— technology that is accelerating the speed of war. Isn't it— it is an imperative that Americans understand that the character of war is changing. Advances in technology are fundamentally and irreversibly changing the way we fight, which necessitates capital to properly arm America's military. Rapid advancements in AI autonomous systems deliver critical technological advantages to our national defense and simultaneously introduce unprecedented strategic vulnerabilities and uncertainty across the world, to include right here at home. The low barrier to entry created by affordable, ubiquitous unmanned systems means our adversaries, rogue actors, state and non-state actors, and violent extremists have access to disruptive and potentially lethal technologies at scale. We've seen this in Ukraine, and we must adopt elements of this fight for our future fights. Conflict is never confined neatly to the land, sea, or air domains. The modern battlefield stretches from the seabed up to cislunar space and beyond, cyberspace, and in the information domain, all at the same time.

And then finally, when questioned by Senator Merkley about war crimes being committed by the Trump regime, And by the way, I mean, you're the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. You're complicit in these war crimes also. But he shifts the blame to CENTCOM, and he's like, I'm just the guy, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. I give the advice. I'm not— I trust that CENTCOM is doing what it needs to be doing. And this is very significant to me because Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of CENTCOM, has turned CENTCOM into this fascist clown show. It's sad to see what CENTCOM has become. And I've spoken to top military people. They see these Brad Cooper social media posts, his press conferences about, we control the Strait of Hormuz.

False.

Iran doesn't control it.

Truth.

We control it. Feel free to go, ships. Meanwhile, you have captains of these tankers saying, get the F out of here. The fact that in the pecking order of maritime law, you have captains of these VLCC tankers telling these supercarrier groups, Abraham Lincoln and George H.W. Bush, get the F away, shut the F up, tells you just no one trusts this Trump regime. And Brad Cooper, when he testified in Congress, I mean, he was getting grilled because he was saying the biggest, dumbest Hegseth-like lies. And I think that— tell me what you think— that Raisin Caine realizes that, you know, Cooper may be tried in The Hague one day. I mean, these are the war crimes, these are war crimes. So he's trying to I think, distance himself over here. Tell me what you think. Let's play this clip.

Currently, there are reports that we have hit the Banji desalination plant that provides water to about 20 villages or about 10,000 people. And we also damaged the desalination plant at Keshem Island. Were these deliberate targets by the United States?

Sir, I'm not aware of those as being particular targets, nor am I aware of those reports. And I'll have to go back and get back to you on that.

If you could, I'd appreciate that. You are aware that infrastructure that civilians rely on to survive is not generally considered legitimate military targets?

Sir, as you know, we have a robust process which considers a target that goes through a system that looks at a variety of considerations to include what you're alluding to around both purely civilian or dual-use targets. I have trust and confidence in CENTCOM that they're looking at the range of those things on a daily basis.

It sounds like you are assuring us that we will the United States not target, even in retaliatory sense, infrastructure that is generally considered to be primarily for civilian survival?

Sir, as I mentioned, we have a robust process and, you know, we have the most professional military force.

It would just be nice to have you say yes, because this is international law. Yes, sir. You understand the international law?

I do, sir. I've got a lot of lawyers that help me understand.

Thank you.

Yes, sir.

Uh, and you'll— will you get back to us on that question of whether we targeted the desalination plants? And if so, uh, if so, why?

Now, as I noted at the beginning of this video, Dan Cain, Raisin Cain, he got the job after the Trump regime pushed out, uh, C.Q. Brown Jr., like the most qualified guy for the job imaginable. Let me go back though to March 24th, 2026, March 24th, 2026, when Donald Trump said the following about Hegseth and General Caine.

Let's play it.

And that's exactly what we're doing in historic fashion. Thank you, Mr. President.

Thank you. Appreciate it. Thank you, Richard. Mr. President, you know, the only two people that were quite disappointed— I don't want to say this, but I have to— I said, Pete and General Raisin Caine, I think this thing's going to be settled very soon. Here they go. Oh, that's too bad. Pete didn't want it to be settled. It's— it's— these guys are doing a great job. That's a good attitude, though, Tom Rank. They were not interested in settlement. They were interested in just winning this thing. Yeah, please, Mr. President.

And if you want to know why Donald Trump picked General Caine back when Donald Trump was campaign, you know, back, back when Donald Trump was campaigning. And Trump liked Cain for the following reasons. Here's what he said. He said Cain— he said that Cain said, I love you, sir. I love you. I think you're great, sir. Who can I kill for you, sir? Here, play this clip.

And this is why I flew. So I met generals I didn't know. General 1, General 2, General 3. I mean, these generals There's no person in Hollywood that could play the role. These guys are like perfect people. I said, what's your name, sir? My name is Raisin. What the hell kind of a name? I said, Raisin, like the fruit? He goes, yes, sir, Raisin. What's your last name?

Kane.

Raisin Kane. I said, you got to be kidding. It's true. Raisin Kane. I just made him a big star, just like I did with Mattis when I said, we're going to give you a new nickname because Chaos is not a good nickname. So we changed his name, called him Mad Dog, but it wasn't working too well.

Here's what Hegseth previously said back in February after they filed CQ— after they fired CQ Brown Jr. Let's play it.

And I have a lot of respect for CQ Brown. I got to know him over the course of a month. He's an honorable man, not the right man for the moment. And ultimately, the president made that call. And Dan Raisin Kaine is going to be a fantastic chairman. I look forward to working with him, and he will give straightforward advice, as he did to President Trump on the defeat of ISIS. No one else said it could be done in a matter of weeks. Raisin Kaine said it could. And guess what? It happened. And the president respects leaders who untie the hands of warfighters in a very dangerous world. I think Dan Kaine's the man to meet the moment.

And this is what Caroline Levitt Donald Trump's disgusting propagandist. Here's what she had to say. Let's play.

There have been some personnel moves that have been announced by the president, and I wanted to ask you about them. One was the president replacing the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General C.Q. Brown Jr. What was the reason for the president naming a replacement for General Brown?

And then I'll follow up with another personnel announcement that's been made over the last few He thinks he's doing a bad job and it's time for a shakeup at the Pentagon. They failed 7 audits in a row. The trust in our United States military amongst the warfighters is low. The president is shaking up the Pentagon and the Department of Defense, of course, with Secretary Hagseth leading, and he has the right to do that. It's actually quite common from administration to administration to do such a thing.

The president, when he swore him in as the The chief of staff for the Air Force called him a great man and a great gentleman. Does he distance himself from the remarks that he made back in August of 2020?

I think replacing him speaks for itself.

Well, let me know what you think, everybody.

Hit subscribe.

Let's get to 7 million subscribers. Thanks for watching, everybody. We really appreciate you. Thanks for watching.

Breaking news right now. My brothers and I wrote a book. It's called WTF America. And well, doesn't that just say it all? It comes out officially this October. But you can preorder your copy today. Just scan the QR code or click the link in the description below.