Guests - Stephen Mundt
Trump's Middle East Peace Deal: Phase One Implementation Begins
The first phase of President Trump's peace deal between Israel and Hamas is now underway, with significant developments occurring on the ground. Retired General Stephen Mundt joins to provide military and geopolitical perspective on this historic agreement. The situation has dramatically changed in recent months, with surrounding nations around Israel creating conditions for potential success.
"Hamas says they're not going to give up their arms and want to be in the next government. I can't find anybody in that region except Iran who supports that concept," explains Mundt. "You cannot be armed and you may not participate in the future governance of Gaza or the West Bank. And they signed on to that. That's what they agreed to."
The two-part deal has already seen progress in its initial phase. Israel has withdrawn troops to another line, as verified by CENTCOM commanders in the region. Under the agreement, Hamas must release all hostages by midnight Sunday, including both living captives and the remains of those who didn't survive. Israel has produced a list of approximately 350 Hamas and Hezbollah prisoners who will be released from Israeli prisons.
"Phase one is complete when they release the hostages, and then we go into phase two," Mundt explains. If Hamas fails to keep their commitments, President Trump has reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu he could take whatever action he deems necessary.
Palestinian civilians are already returning to their homes, with miles-long processions of people heading back to cities. Remarkably, some Palestinians are demonstrating in support of President Trump, calling him "the peace president." This stark contrast between reality on the ground and rhetoric on American college campuses highlights a disconnect in perception.
"You have our universities and campuses still demonstrating about how he's a Hitler, how he's a Nazi, how he starts wars, and nobody wants to talk about the fact that he's settling wars and has been doing it since he came into office," notes Mundt.
First Lady's Diplomatic Efforts with Putin
In other international news, First Lady Melania Trump has been working with Vladimir Putin to return Ukrainian children to Ukraine. The First Lady revealed she had written to President Putin personally, opening a dialogue that has remained active.
"She came on today to say she's been working with Vladimir Putin to get children restored and recovered back to their families," Winn shares. "That war has gone on for three years... and it was something substantive that she was doing."
Melania Trump is focusing on several humanitarian causes, including child abuse, child trafficking, child education, and child obesity. This active approach marks a departure from her first term as First Lady, when media coverage was often hostile.
"She tried very hard to stay in the First Lady Lane... I mean the woman speaks seven languages, they want to talk about her accent, the woman's got degrees, has been a fashion model, she's not good enough being on top of the fashion magazines," notes Mundt.
Government Shutdown Impact and Democratic Accountability
The discussion turns to the current government shutdown and its impact on American workers, particularly military personnel. The House passed a clean continuing resolution (CR) for 90 days, but negotiations have stalled over healthcare funding.
"The Democrats have lied about what the Republicans are fighting for," Winn argues. "And the fact that Schumer had the audacity to come out yesterday and say 'We're winning. The longer the government says stay shut down,' was insensitive, especially as you start to see all these workers in our military and our border patrol who are not going to get paychecks next week."
Mundt highlights the real-world consequences for service members: "We literally have some folks in the guard reserve that because of this are now showing up at food shelters to be able to take care of their families, especially the brand new soldier in the army. It makes $2,000 a month... and they're probably living paycheck to paycheck and they're trying to serve their country."
The conversation criticizes Congressional work schedules, with members typically working only three and a half days per week while receiving generous benefits like lifelong health insurance. Meanwhile, essential workers face financial hardship during the shutdown.
China Relations and Economic Strategy
President Trump has threatened to cancel his upcoming meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping after China announced potential restrictions on key exports to the U.S., particularly rare earth minerals critical for technology manufacturing. Trump responded by threatening increased tariffs.
"China has been a toad in the road for some time," Mundt states, before detailing concerning patterns of Chinese influence in America, including:
Chinese purchases of farmland around key U.S. military installations
Drones and balloons flying over U.S. military facilities
Electronic devices found in port infrastructure that function as transmitters/receivers
Chinese-owned trucking companies operating throughout the United States
Shipping containers designed as potential launch facilities
"The Chinese are not here to do good, they are here to do harm," Winn warns. "We've proved it over and over and for two years we've proved it every Wednesday."
While acknowledging that tariffs may cause short-term economic pain through higher costs, both argue the long-term security benefits outweigh these challenges. "If we don't do it and we don't do it now, the cost later is going to be unaffordable," Mundt explains. "Pay me now or pay me later."
Arizona Politics and Elections
The discussion concludes with observations on Arizona politics, including the situation with Adelita Grijalva, who was elected to replace her late father, Raúl Grijalva, who died on March 13th. Her swearing-in has been delayed, which Democrats blame on Speaker Johnson.
"The letter says, 'continuing to delay Representative Elect Grijalva's ceremony has left her constituents without representation.' Really? Well, maybe her father shouldn't have run when he was on his deathbed," argues Winn. "And by the way, her Democrats are the reasons that the government's not open."
The hosts also discuss Arizona's upcoming gubernatorial race, where Republican Congressmen David Schweikert and Andy Biggs are challenging Karen Taylor Robson, creating what Winn describes as a "Republican blood bath" in formerly safe districts.