Rogan Rips MAGA - March 27, 2026

March 28, 2026·1 hr 7 min·5 clips

Ben Shapiro promised a quick war, but now says we can't leave because Iran would control the Strait of Hormuz.

1. The Young Turks co-hosts Cenk Uygur and John Iadarola analyze the US military intervention in Iran and the fracturing of the MAGA coalition in this March 27, 2026 episode. 2. Cenk Uygur co-founded The Young Turks, which he describes as the oldest show in online history, and John Iadarola is a co-host; both speak from a left-populist, anti-war perspective. 3. The episode's core thesis is that pro-war media figures like Ben Shapiro and Sean Hannity are running the same propaganda playbook used before the Iraq War, shifting positions incrementally to normalize ground-troop deployment. 4. A montage of Ben Shapiro clips shows him going from calling the Iran operation 'targeted action with serious upside and limited downside' to arguing 'there is no way out but through' — within weeks of the conflict beginning. 5. A Sean Hannity montage shows a parallel shift from categorically stating 'there are still idiots out there who think Trump is gonna put boots on the ground' to outlining two scenarios justifying US ground troops in Iran, including securing uranium and seizing Karg Island. 6. Cenk argues the same pattern — 'it'll be easy, we'll be done in weeks, no boots on the ground, then well we can't leave now' — was used word for word in Iraq, where he was on air at TYT calling out the same media figures. 7. The Iran war is described as costing $1 to $2 billion per day, with gasoline up approximately $1 per gallon and fertilizer prices rising, costs that Cenk says Shapiro and Hannity dismiss from their air-conditioned studios. 8. Cenk directly challenges Shapiro and Hannity to enlist — noting the military recently raised the age of enlistment — asking why they are willing to tell people they will never meet to die for a cause they cannot clearly articulate. 9. Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace emerged from a classified military briefing and stated she was even more opposed to ground troops based on what was discussed, prompting Fox News anchor Bret Baier to ask Speaker Mike Johnson whether she should be punished for the implied leak. 10. TYT argues Baier's question about punishing Mace is motivated not by secrecy but by the fact that without Mace's vote they lack the numbers to defeat the War Powers Resolution, which Democrats are also not pushing to a vote. 11. Marco Rubio told US allies the war would take an additional four to six weeks as of late March 2026 — matching the original full duration Cenk says was promised at the start — while Hegseth simultaneously claimed operations were 'ahead of schedule.' 12. The episode transitions to the MAGA fracture story: Joe Rogan and Dave Smith publicly said the MAGA phrase 'kind of sucks' and is associated with dorks, Tim Pool called MAGA adherents dorks, and Trump has exiled figures including Marjorie Taylor Greene and Tucker Carlson from the coalition. 13. Cenk argues that independent podcasters with enormous audiences breaking from MAGA over the Epstein files, tariffs, and the Iran war represents 'an enormous turn of events' and that these voters are naturally aligned with the anti-war left. 14. Stephen Miller is described as attempting to redefine 'America First' as meaning the US will be the 'greatest, most unquestioned, unmatched power in the world' rather than a focus on domestic concerns — what Cenk calls a vague, abstract internationalism. 15. Trump appeared on Fox Five claiming a CNN poll showed 100% MAGA support for his war position; TYT deconstructs the methodology as circular — only people who still identify as MAGA were surveyed — and Cenk notes Trump implied the Fox host asking challenging questions would lose her job soon. 16. Analysis of a broader CNN poll shows that among those who no longer call themselves MAGA — disillusioned former Trump supporters — only 61% approve, meaning he has lost approximately four in ten of them. 17. Cenk closes the Iran war segment by proposing what he calls the 'easiest deal in the world': the US leaves Iran, tells Iran not to attack US allies or close the Strait of Hormuz, and lets Israel and Iran resolve their conflict themselves — arguing Iran would take that deal immediately. 18. The episode is debate-style commentary with two co-hosts, frequent use of media clips and montages, and a confrontational tone toward both the political establishment and pro-war media figures. 19. Viewers who are skeptical of US military intervention in the Middle East, follow independent media politics, or want detailed deconstructions of media flip-flops will find this episode most relevant. 20. Viewers who support the Trump administration's foreign policy or who find left-populist framing alienating will likely disagree with most of the analysis presented.

As heard by us

A direct anti-war hour that folds in TYT's organizing and a Trump-Kennedy Center detour.

This hour keeps its attention on war politics, with a recent Joe Kent conversation, an upcoming United Against War town hall, and Graham Platner joining the rebellion to broaden the anti-intervention line.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

If you want TYT in full anti-war combat mode, start here.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Young Turks