In short
Jesse Ventura discusses his varied career (Navy SEAL, WWE wrestler, actor/broadcaster, Minnesota governor) and several controversies and personal stories, including Muhammad Ali, Fidel Castro, his governorship decisions, the JFK assassination, and a legal dispute with Chris Kyle. He also recounts wrestling close calls and how pulmonary embolism led to broadcasting.
Guest background
Jesse Ventura is a former WWE performer (“Jesse the Body Ventura”), a Navy SEAL/frogman, an actor/broadcaster, and the former independent governor of Minnesota (after serving as mayor of Minnesota’s sixth-largest city). He says he trained under SEAL attrition rates (4 of 300 passing the screen test) and later became a Screen Actors Guild member through Predator.
Key claims
He says he met Ali while governor; he claims he met Fidel Castro despite Bush administration objections; he argues Minnesota’s budget surplus should be returned; he claims the Warren Commission is a “farce” and JFK was an inside job with a cover-up; he says Chris Kyle’s “hit me” claim was fabricated and that a jury ruled for him.
Notable examples
Ali’s “I Am the Greatest” influence; Castro calling him “a man of great courage”; Cuba trade and meeting Castro; knife attack in Eugene, Oregon; a 70+ year-old woman clawing him in Denver; pulmonary embolism discovered after three nights of breathlessness; Predator casting via chewing tobacco; Hulk Hogan fallout tied to unionization betrayal.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOJesse's Life and Influences
0:00 to 0:26
Jesse Ventura shares stories about his friendships and influences, including Muhammad Ali.
“As soccer takes center stage this summer, Comcast helps bring the experience home to America.”
Jesse's Life and Influences
0:55 to 2:20
Jesse Ventura shares stories about his friendships and influences, including Muhammad Ali.
“The outspoken larger-than-life icons rubbed elbows with some very prominent people during his storied life.”
Navy SEAL Training Experience
2:20 to 4:25
Ventura talks about the rigorous training and challenges faced as a Navy SEAL.
“your parents both served, but interestingly, they weren't, I don't believe, initially fond of the idea of you enlisting and skipping college?”
Lessons from SEAL Training
4:25 to 8:14
Jesse discusses memorable experiences and lessons learned during his SEAL training.
“Then when you get to training, you've got all guys that have passed that screen test.”
Meeting Muhammad Ali
8:14 to 11:40
Ventura recounts his emotional day spent with Muhammad Ali and their conversations.
“How would you explain the influence Muhammad Ali had on you?”
Muhammad Ali's Unique Perspective
14:00 to 14:36
Discover how Muhammad Ali's approach to boxing was influenced by pro wrestling.
“And he's in one particular fight, I think Sonny Banks, if I remember right.”
Jesse Ventura's Decision to Run for Governor
14:36 to 16:42
Learn about the events that motivated Jesse Ventura to enter politics.
“But only Muhammad would tell you, slipped.”
Campaign Strategy and Voter Engagement
16:42 to 18:59
Explore Ventura's unconventional campaign strategy and its impact on voters.
“I remember I announced it on the steps of the Capitol in the middle of the winter alone.”
Political Independence and Debate
18:59 to 21:08
Understand Ventura's views on political independence and the importance of debates.
“We didn't have the money to do any of that.”
Corporate Influence in Politics
21:08 to 22:44
Delve into Ventura's critique of corporate influence on political candidates.
“I don't distinguish between the two parties because there is no difference.”
Show all 31 chapters
Personal Sacrifices for Politics
22:44 to 24:59
Hear about Ventura's decision to prioritize family over political ambitions.
“where one whole wall is covered with sticky notes of messages that you've got.”
Trade Relations with Cuba
24:59 to 25:58
Learn about Jesse Ventura's efforts to establish trade relations with Cuba.
“In other words, I will give up any political job for her.”
Meeting Fidel Castro
25:58 to 28:00
Discover the details of Ventura's historic meeting with Fidel Castro.
“I, today, I think I'm the only elected official who can say, while elected, met with Fidel Castro over the objections of the Bush administration.”
Jesse's Experience with Cuba and the State Department
28:00 to 29:15
Jesse Ventura discusses his wife's passport being banned and a secretive message from Cuba.
“Did you know the State Department banned my wife's passport?”
Kennedy Assassination Insights
29:15 to 31:38
Ventura shares his perspective on the Kennedy assassination and conspiracy theories surrounding it.
“In other words, you're gonna be our friend even though you're not the governor anymore.”
Marina Oswald's Perspective
31:38 to 34:55
Ventura recounts his interactions with Marina Oswald and her views on her husband's involvement.
“I believe that I can't we can't tell you who pulled triggers because it's been so long.”
Chris Kyle Controversy
34:55 to 37:25
Ventura discusses the fallout from Chris Kyle's claims and the legal battle that ensued.
“Now, do you see why mainstream media don't like Jesse Ventura?”
Wrestling Career Beginnings
37:25 to 42:01
Jesse Ventura talks about how he got into wrestling and his initial training experiences.
“There wasn't one witness on the stand who said they saw him hit me.”
Early Wrestling Career and Training
42:01 to 43:44
Learn about Jesse Ventura's entry into wrestling and his rigorous training.
“I want to change the topic and get into wrestling, which was kind of what launched your career.”
Wrestling Trials and Close Calls
43:45 to 47:19
Hear about Jesse's intense experiences and dangerous encounters while wrestling.
“I want to run through a few close calls that you had while wrestling and get you to recall the story.”
Health Scare and Career Transition
47:20 to 51:03
Discover Jesse's battle with a pulmonary embolism and his subsequent shift to commentary.
“And John was going to the gym and I just said, John, I'm not feeling good.”
Vince McMahon and WWE Dynamics
51:04 to 53:37
Explore Jesse's complex relationship with Vince McMahon and insights into the wrestling business.
“I'm the only wrestler in the world that has it.”
Predator and Hollywood Beginnings
53:38 to 56:00
Learn how Jesse Ventura landed a role in Predator despite opposition from Vince McMahon.
“I've never spoken to him since and don't intend to.”
Jean-Claude Van Damme's Journey to Fame
56:00 to 57:40
Learn about Jean-Claude Van Damme's early struggles in Hollywood and his unexpected rise to stardom.
“Well, Jean-Claude was at the time a nobody living out of his trunk.”
Behind the Scenes of Predator
58:13 to 59:50
Jesse Ventura shares insights about his experience filming Predator and working with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“Actually, I wouldn't give you that one, but it was because that was a scene that had been originally cut.”
Friendship and Focus with Arnold Schwarzenegger
59:50 to 1:02:18
Explore Jesse's friendship with Arnold and the lessons he learned about focus and success.
“and I've been married 40 years, 40 years, and I just thought he did her wrong.”
Loyalty and Life Off the Grid
1:02:18 to 1:04:51
Jesse discusses his unwavering loyalty to his wife and his off-the-grid lifestyle in Mexico.
“And I watched I was sitting right in there when he said no.”
Whale Encounters and Nature
1:04:51 to 1:09:06
Jesse shares his extraordinary experiences of interacting with gray whales in Mexico.
“I'm so attached to her now that it would be the same as me losing a limb.”
Concerns About Security and Freedom
1:09:06 to 1:10:02
Jesse expresses his concerns regarding government surveillance and personal freedoms while flying.
“that they're forced to live with because they need our air.”
Jesse Ventura on Fourth Amendment Challenges
1:10:02 to 1:11:02
Jesse Ventura discusses his legal battle regarding the Fourth Amendment and airport security.
“They're getting real comfortable being patted down.”
Defining Satisfying Career Moments
1:11:02 to 1:11:52
Ventura reflects on the most rewarding experiences throughout his diverse career.
“The most satisfying moment from your career to date would be what?”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00As soccer takes center stage this summer, Comcast helps bring the experience home to America. As the exclusive Spanish-language home of the tournament in the U.S., Telemundo is set to present its most expansive coverage ever. 700 hours of programming, live on-site presence at all 104 matches, and with multi-view and real-time 4K, Xfinity will deliver the most innovative and immersive sports viewing experience for fans watching on Telemundo, Peacock, Fox, and FS1. Learn more at ComcastCorporation.com. Pays Checkout is offered by your banks and credit unions. So when you shop online at participating merchants, your cards appear in one place.
0:38Pays. It checks out. Activation required. See Pays.com to learn more. Terms and conditions apply. This week on the In-Depth Podcast, my guest is Jesse Ventura, former WWE star and governor of Minnesota. Now do you see why mainstream media don't like Jesse Ventura? The outspoken larger-than-life icons rubbed elbows with some very prominent people during his storied life. When we sat down in 2015 in his hometown of Minneapolis, Ventura remembered spending a day with boxing legend Muhammad Ali. He gave up the greatest title in the world, being a man of his conviction. And if I can be half that man, he is the greatest.
1:21Detailed the downfall of his relationship with Hulk Hogan. You and Hulk were once good friends. Yeah. I'm not friends with anyone I don't trust. And discussed his unlikely friendship with the late Fidel Castro. I think I'm the only elected official who can say while elected met with Fidel Castro. Plus, he shared some of his scariest moments in the ring and how chewing tobacco helped him earn a role in the movie Predator. But we began our conversation talking about one of his other career paths.
1:58So I wanted to start off by, you know, it's kind of fascinating all the different careers you've had, whether it be your time as a Navy SEAL, a professional wrestler, actor, broadcaster. You've had so many different successful careers. I want to take you back to your time as a Navy SEAL. your parents both served, but interestingly, they weren't, I don't believe, initially fond of the idea of you enlisting and skipping college? No, my father, he had six, my mother and father, I have a rarity. They're both World War II veterans. My mother served as a nurse in North Africa, and my father had six bronze battle stars.
2:48He served in North Africa. He served at Normandy, the Battle of the Bulge, Remagen Bridge, Anzio in Berlin, all of them. And my father was as anti-war as you would find. And so my father's only advice to me was this. He said, look, if you got to go in the service, and he was biased because he was in the army, he said, join the Air Force or the Navy because he said they'll at least teach you something that you can use. But my dad didn't literally realize I would become brownwater navy which essentially, I'll put it this way, when I got out, I could go on a year's unemployment. When I went to the unemployment office, they asked me what I was qualified to do.
3:33And my buddies told me how to answer who got out before me. When they ask you what you're qualified to do as a Navy SEAL or frogman, I'm qualified for diving, demolition, and parachuting. So what kind of civilian job are you going to get? Right. Hand me my unemployment check. How would you best explain what SEAL training entailed? It's difficult. It's not for everyone. 300 kids were in the room in boot camp when they gave us the screen test. Probably 30 stayed to take it. Out of the 300 that were originally in the room and the 30 that took the screen test to qualify, only four of us passed. Four out of 300.
4:27Then when you get to training, you've got all guys that have passed that screen test. Your average class will start with about 100 to 125 guys, and you'll probably graduate at about 25. Wow. So it has a 75 to 80 % attrition rate. so it's not for everyone and it doesn't make you a hero making and it's just a certain job that you're highly qualified to do what made the training worse than you were even expecting going into it all of it as a whole because during the entire time you're there you're not allowed to walk what do you mean you have to run you run to run you run to chow you run everywhere you go walking is not allowed during the training cycle of the day.
5:17So imagine how far you actually do run. And swimming was my strong point in training. I always look forward to the swims because as a former competitive swimmer, I was one of the best in the class. I wasn't as good on runs and I wasn't as good on the old course because I'm tall. Shorter guys and gymnastic type guys do better on the O course. But in the end, it's just all around. Can you do it? Truly, what makes it tough? You're a triathlete. That's the best way to describe it. Plus harassment. You're harassed by the instructors constantly. They try to make you quit. I know this is an insignificant story, but what happened shortly after you enlist when you admit to having blisters on your hands?
6:09Oh no no that was the first day I ran the O course. I didn't get any pre-training I got there on Friday and class started Monday and my hands weren't toughened and so when I ran the O course normally you do it in about 10 minutes when you get good at it. That day it took me 45 the first day of training and I ended up at the end of the day with about four big flapping blisters on my hands because they weren't toughened. I just come from A school. You know, I hadn't had, I'd never run the old course before where some guys got there a month ahead of time and we're got to practice on and toughen up for it.
6:46And that day we, at the end of the day, Terry Moy, instructor Moy, who's a good friend of mine today, we're close friends. He was my first phase instructor, the most terrifying man I'd ever met on the earth. And he came out with a table and a first aid kit. And And he looked at all of us and says, okay, which one of you pukes has flappers? I looked at my hands and said, God, I need medical attention. And I made the mistake. I raised my hand. Something you don't do. Don't bring any attention to yourself. You learned that. I learned mine that day. So he called me in front of the class and said, let me see.
7:21And I held him out. He said, well, you got flappers. Then he said, are you right-handed or left-handed? And I said, I'm right-handed. He said, okay, hold your right hand out. So I held my right hand out and I thought he was going to take McCuric home, alcohol, whatever. I figured I needed it. He grabbed every flapper and ripped them off. So I'm standing there now with tears running down my face. Nothing hurt that bad in my life. Then he made me turn to the class and he said, okay, now you do the other hand. So I had to stand in front of the class and rip off my own flappers. And then he looked at me and says, now get back in line, you big dummy.
7:58What did I learn from that? Don't bring any attention to yourself. Blend in. Do not allow the instructors to focus on you. They will at some point, everybody. But don't bring it on unneeded. How would you explain the influence Muhammad Ali had on you? He had probably one of the greatest and earliest influences on me because my father had boxed a little as a kid. my grandfather ended that. He said, you're not going to be a boxer. But my dad was a pretty tough guy. And in the day when they'd have a world title fight, it was only on the radio. So my dad would come up to my brother and I's room and the three of us would gather around the radio to hear the blow by blow of who, whether it was.
8:50And I started doing that really in the days of Ingemar Johansson and Floyd Patterson. And then it became, and then of course the big ugly bear, Sonny Liston came along and destroyed Patterson with two first round knockouts and was considered unbeatable. And then along came this young guy called the Louisville Lip, Muhammad Ali, who did a record album called I Am The Greatest. And I used to sit and listen to that album day in and day out. I had it memorized. I still have it today. I can do it today. Why did you listen to it so much? Because he became my hero. Okay. And I remember when he was going to fight List and nobody picked Cassius to win except me.
9:33I said, Cassius is going to win, Dad. And sure enough, Cassius did win. And he's been my hero since I was probably 9 or 10 years old. I got the chance to spend a day with him when I was governor. It was one of the best days of my life. What did you guys do during that day? Hung out. We went to Mohammed's home at the time in Barron Springs, Michigan. I was governor. What led to that was that when I won the governorship and I gave my acceptance speech, no one thought I could win. Just as no one thought Cassius would beat Sonny Liston. And I remember that night, Mohammed Kasha saying, we shocked the world.
10:21So I got up that night and I told the story of Mohammed beating Sonny Liston and how they shocked the world. And I said, we shocked the world. Two weeks later, businessman Harvey McKay came to my office in the lower bowels of the Capitol because Governor Carlson was still governor. And we're waiting for the transition to take place. It was latter in the afternoon. He had 10 minutes. And I thought, what is this about? And Harvey walked in with a big box. And he set it down on my governor-elect desk. And he said, I'm here to deliver this to you. And he said, you better open it. And when I opened it up, there was a pair of red Everlast gloves in it.
11:06And it said to Governor Jesse Ventura, you shocked the world, Muhammad Ali. He had been watching that night on television. Your son, Tyrell, told me you got pretty emotional with getting that gift. Oh, yeah. Sits in my office behind glass today. Why do you think you got so emotional? Because he's your hero.
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12:45because he gave up the greatest title in the world being a man of his conviction
12:55and if I can be half that man he is the greatest
13:06He gave up the title, the most prestigious title in the world, because he refused to go to war. And they would have given him a pat job. All he'd have did was walk around doing exhibitions, but he knew if he agreed to do that, more young black people would be sent off to a war he was against. And he stood up and said, I'll give up the greatest title in the world because I will be a man of conviction.
13:38Did you talk to him about that when you were with him that day in Michigan? Probably. The most thing I, the thing I remember the most was we sat down and we were, he gets stuff every day. People mail and stuff, VCRs, and he had gotten a new one of early days of him fighting. I mean, this is way before he was a champ. And he's here and I'm here and we're watching him fight. And he's in one particular fight, I think Sonny Banks, if I remember right. And Banks catches, maybe it wasn't him, but it was somebody caught him clean, clean, pow, and Mohammed's down on his back, right? Well, he quick got up and, you know, he went on to win the fight.
14:18But when he went down on his back, I looked over at Mohammed. Mohammed looked at me and even through his Parkinson's, he leaned over and whispered to me, slipped. And I just burst out laughing. I thought, only Muhammad Ali, you know, this was no slip. This was a clean shot and he knew it. But only Muhammad would tell you, slipped. And I just loved it. And here's the other thing. Muhammad Ali credits his talking to pro wrestling. if you go into his history you'll find out okay he was going to an event where gorgeous george or one of them guys was at it at a radio station mohammed went to fight that night there were 100 people there gorgeous george was sold out and mohammed watched what he did on an interview the rap so right then he's predicting the rounds he then evolved into ali because he realized you have to sell yourself.
15:21You have to become something. You have to be a salesman. What made you decide to run for governor in the first place? Well, people forget I had been a mayor first. I was mayor of the sixth largest city in Minnesota from 90 to 94. What made me governor was I was doing statewide talk radio. And in the 90s, economic times were great. Everybody was making huge money. Well, the state of Minnesota, had I think a one or two billion dollar budget surplus. In other words, they set a budget. And because taxes and the economy was so powerful, they brought in two billion dollars more than they needed. Well, you know what they did with it?
16:05Spent it. They had no right to do that. That's our money. That should be given back. They live under a budget. If they get more than their budget calls for, that money should be returned. It's not theirs to keep. Well, they kept it and spent it like kids in a candy store. While I was doing talk radio, I was outraged over that. I said, that's my money. That's our money. What right do they have to spend it? Because they overtaxed us? So I said, maybe I ought to run for governor. Oh my God, it took off like wildfire. And then I was caught. I had to do it. initially was i mean did you really have no intention of it when you said it and then all of a sudden when people are then all of a sudden people yeah run jesse run okay you know and then it caught on like wildfire and then i realized again to hold myself to the standard of my hero, Muhammad Ali, I had to run now.
17:07I had to. I had to do it. So we did it. I remember I announced it on the steps of the Capitol in the middle of the winter alone. And the first thing the media said to me was, well, where's your family? Because you know how politicians always parade the wife and kids out there, right? And I looked right at the media and said, this isn't about my family. I said, this is the business of running the state of Minnesota. My family has nothing to do with this, and I will keep them separated as much as I can. I will not bring them into it like the typical politician does. Why do you think you were able to win, given how much less money you spent campaigning compared to the other candidates?
17:54Because I was allowed to debate. They made a fatal error. You notice they haven't allowed anybody since. No third party's been allowed to debate since I won. And I loved what you said in one of the debates. The moderator asked you some question, and you just didn't know the answer to it. And you said as much as opposed to trying to be the answer your way through. I remember the question they asked me about the IRRRB, which is way up on the iron range. It's a government within the government. Well, nobody down here in the city is going to know what the hell the IRRRB is. I didn't know. I says, I don't even know what it is.
18:31But I said, if it's important, I'll learn about it. The crowd erupted in applause and cheering because they saw someone who wasn't bullshitting them. They saw someone who got up. Did you know I never used a prepared speech my entire run for governor? I didn't have speech writers. I didn't have, what do they call it, spin doctors. We didn't even do polling. We didn't bother. We didn't have the money to do any of that. Who do you think were the people most responsible for you getting elected? The citizens of Minnesota. They voted for me. They're most responsible. Now, I know that's not the answer you were looking for because it wasn't the question you were truly asking.
19:21I think the people that worked on my campaign that were all volunteers, we only paid one person, the late Doug Friedlein, to be my campaign manager. And he left his private sector job to do it. We paid him the equivalent salary he would have gotten. He was the only paid for person. And I told them at the start, I will not pay my own money to get elected. How many first time voters came out of that election? A lot. And that was largely the difference too, wasn't it? That's why. That's how come if I run for president. If they let me in the debates, I'd win that too. Bold talk, isn't it? What's the likelihood you ever try and run?
20:03Who knows? Let's wait till the Libertarian Convention where the Libertarians announce their candidate and that candidate gets ballot access throughout the whole country. Then you time it out. You spend the least money. You come in. You destroy their two candidates. if you're allowed in the debate, if they got the frickin' guts to let me in a debate, I'll come in and destroy their two candidates and steal the election in November, just like I did in Minnesota. Would you like to be president? No, not particularly. But in the back of my mind, there's always that patriotic voice saying to me, if not you, then who?
20:44Who's going to restore America? Who's going to take on the two-party dictatorship and beat them? Who can do that? Well, I've done it twice. Haven't lost yet. Why do you think I'm a scary guy to them? Why do you think you're... Because I've never lost to them. You notice I include them as them. I don't distinguish between the two parties because there is no difference. After you were elected - They're both owned by the same corporate ownership. In other words, if you go to sports, if you bet on both teams in the Super Bowl, you're not going to lose, are you? Well if you own both candidates, you're not going to lose, are you?
21:31Well and that's why you said you wish politicians would have to wear NASCAR type suits with the logos - I wish they'd require anyone running for president to wear a NASCAR suit with patches dictating who owns them. I mean, it's simple. When you see Jimmy Johnson, what do you see? Lowe's. Right. Then he's got all his other smaller patches around it. Well, if Jesse Ventura runs for president, there won't be a patch on the suit. It'll be clear white. I imagine some of my opponents wouldn't have enough suit to put the patches on. They may have to have a subordinate wear one too, so they could get all the patches on.
22:14How much do you fault the candidates for that, and how much do you fault just the system? I fault the Democrats and Republicans and the system they've created. You notice I don't even discuss the candidates. Didn't do that when I went for governor either. I run against the parties because the candidates are nothing but puppets to the party. The parties got the strings. They're the puppets. That's what you got. There's no strings over Jesse Ventura. No puppet master on me. So after you're elected governor, I believe you have a conference room in the bowels of the Capitol where one whole wall is covered with sticky notes of messages that you've got.
22:59And everyone from Jay Leno to princes to kings, your chief of staff, Stephen, was telling me about it the other day. What was that like? You know, it's funny. I didn't really see it. Stephen would know about it and the people at that part of the staff. I may have seen that wall once, but I really didn't pay attention to it because once you won the election, you have to govern the state of Minnesota. And no one's going to help because I'm an independent. No independent had won. So who do we seek to say for help? They're not going to help. They want me to fail so that an independent will never get elected again.
23:41And so the moment I won the election, it was a seven-day work week. not 24 hours a day but you can bet at least 12 hours a day or more one of your friends said before that by the end of your term you really didn't like being governor anymore how true is that that's not true uh i like i loved being governor i would have sought a second term but I kept it quiet. I did not seek a second term because it was no one's business at the time but it was because of my wife's health. Oh really? Yeah and being governor was detrimental to her health. What happened to her, excuse me, during the campaign she contacted mono and didn't know it.
24:35It was improperly diagnosed and it evolved into chronic fatigue syndrome, which is real. And she suffered through chronic fatigue the entire time I was governor. And it was weighing on her a great deal. And I can unequivocally state that my political ambitions are not more important than my wife. In other words, I will give up any political job for her. To what extent was that at all a hard decision for you? It was a difficult decision because I wanted to change Minnesota government to unicameral one house. And it was going to require me to get reelected to attempt to do that because I couldn't even get these cowards to vote it on the floor.
25:23You know, they kill it in committee. They do all this. You know, that's how the system. How were you able to convince the Bush administration to let Minnesota trade with Cuba? I don't know. I had great people working for me. They came to me with results. Guess what? We get to go to Cuba, and we get to set up trade relations in a country that has an embargo. For some reason, the embargo on medical and agricultural got temporarily lifted. What do you remember from your trip there? Everything. It was exciting. I, today, I think I'm the only elected official who can say, while elected, met with Fidel Castro over the objections of the Bush administration.
26:13What did they say to you? I don't know. They didn't want me to. And my response was, well, am I supposed to just believe you guys? I want to go to Cuba and see the place. If I get to meet with Fidel Castro, I get to meet him face to face and draw my own opinion of the man, not what my media or what you tell me. And that was an exciting, I now have a huge picture of me and Fidel Castro on my wall at home. How many people can say they have that? Probably not too many. How many elected officials in America while elected can say they have that? What was he like? I found him, I'll tell you, he had the most unique handshake I've ever shook, and I've shook a lot.
27:01He wound up and thrusts his hand down. I found that very unique. He looked me right in the eye, and he said, you're a man of great courage. And I looked him in the eye, and I called him Mr. President, because they have elections too, you know. He's just the only one on the ballot. We give you two. Oh boy, is America great. We give you two, one more than Fidel. You know, you might as well give it, because our two are the same, so you might as well just get Fidel. You know, same thing. But he looked, he said, you're a man of great courage. And I looked him in the eye and said, Mr. President, how can you say that?
27:41You don't know me. And he said, because you defied your president to come here. He knew everything. And I looked at him and I said, well, you'll find that I defy most everything. And he laughed. Now, to end the story, when we finished, he invited me to come back again and to bring my wife and children as his guest. Did you know the State Department banned my wife's passport? She wasn't allowed to go with me. What? Well, what do women do when men go on business trips? They shop. They didn't want any money spent in Cuba. Like my wife is going to prop up the Cuban economy. How ridiculous. Think about that.
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28:27She wasn't allowed. We're a free country and yet my government told my wife she could not accompany me on this trip. Right, which is remarkable considering you were allowed to go. Right. Yeah. Home of the brave, land of the free, right? Okay, now, when I left office, there's no diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba. I'll tell you a quick story that I've never told, I don't think, publicly. One day, Steve came up to me and says, you've got to go to the governor's residence tonight at four. I said, why? He looked around, he whispered, Cuba. I said, okay. So I went to the governor's residence.
29:08Normally, I'd go home on a Friday to Maple Grove where my house is. four o 'clock a car pulls up a guy gets out from the Swedish embassy because see Cuba has no embassy here so Castro has to go through someone else the Swedish embassy comes in and meets with me and here's the message he said this is a message from Havana to you personally he said Cuba wants you to know that a friend of Cuba's they know you're not seeking reelection but they want you to know a friend of Cuba's will always be a friend of Cuba's. In other words, you're gonna be our friend even though you're not the governor anymore.
29:48I thought, and you know who that came from. Sure. I thought that was pretty good. I thought that was pretty loyal too. What did you ask him about the Kennedy assassination? Here's a perception of it. What did he have to say? Couldn't shut him up for 20 He said it was an inside job. He said Oswald couldn't make the shots. You know that as well as I do. He said I had nothing to do with it. He said do I look suicidal to you? He said I love my country. He said if I killed John Kennedy, the United States would have wiped Cuba off the earth. I'm not suicidal. He didn't have anything to do with it. And he's correct.
30:31Oswald couldn't make the shots and it was an inside job. What do you think happened? I think we killed our president. I think a coup d 'etat took place. Had John Kennedy lived, there would have been no Vietnam War. Imagine that. Imagine now that alone would have changed history. Kennedy had already ordered the first thousand advisors out, and he said that when he was elected, he would pull us completely out of Vietnam after he was reelected. Well, they made sure that he wasn't reelected, And LBJ, here's your example. When LBJ became president, the first meeting he had with Kennedy's cabinet the next day in Washington, you know what the topic was?
31:15It wasn't the State of the Union. It wasn't the economy. His first meeting as president, LBJ, was about the Vietnam War. That wasn't a war yet. What should that say to you? your first meeting is going to be the highest priority right the war that wasn't a war yet and then johnson a week later rescinded kennedy's withdrawal and committed more troops john kennedy was killed because he wouldn't go to war and you've done specials on this before i know it interests you greatly i've read every book on it you say it was an inside job what do you believe actually happened? I believe that I can't we can't tell you who pulled triggers because it's been so long.
32:03But the Warren Commission's a farce. That's been proven. So there were two conspiracies that took place. The one to actually kill John Kennedy and then the one to cover it up afterward. And you're just as guilty if you take part in either one. And so our government, I believe he was killed because he already had detente. It's come out now through a book called JFK and the Unspeakable. It was discovered in the Vatican. Kennedy and Khrushchev were back-channel communicating that their governments didn't even know it. And both of them had agreed they were going to end the Cold War by 65. Imagine what the world would be.
32:48And what happened? Kennedy was killed. They were doing it through Pope John. He died of cancer. and Khrushchev was, a coup d 'etat happened in Russia, and Khrushchev was taken out of office because there were people that wanted the Cold War. And what did we get substantially? 20 more years of it. How senior were the officials that you think knew what was going on in terms of assassinating Kennedy? I think it goes to the highest echelons of our government because 24 hours after Kennedy was killed, J. Edgar Hoover said Oswald did it. They haven't looked at any evidence yet. How could he make that determination?
33:34Minneapolis paper, Monday morning. Kennedy's killed on Friday. Oswald's killed on Sunday at noon. Minneapolis paper, Monday morning. My mother kept it. We found it when she died. Minneapolis morning paper, that meant it had to go out early. They weren't computers in. Dallas police declare case closed. Monday morning. My son read that. He was about 14 at the time. Looked at me. You know what his quote was? My God, dad, they spend more time on a domestic. And he was right. I said, you're right, son. What can I tell you? Monday morning. They have no, they didn't see Oswald with a gun. In fact, he tested negative in a paraffin test.
34:14He hadn't fired a weapon. What did Oswald's wife say to you when you spent time with her? She's very vague. She's also very, she protects her children, Lee's two daughters immensely. She's not going to talk much about it because they held over her the fear of deporting her back to Russia. So Marina's going to say whatever the government wants her to say. Today she's come out and said, reversed herself. And she said, in light of all the information, I don't believe my husband killed Kennedy today. But at the time, they got her to say he did, because they locked her up in solitaire and threatened to deport her.
34:54My country does a lot of things that if people paid attention to, they wouldn't find it so wonderful. Now, do you see why mainstream media don't like Jesse Ventura? Chris Kyle, deadliest sniper in American history, author of American Sniper, the best-selling book. Is he the deadliest sniper in American history? Okay, well, that's how he's regarded. No, no, that's what he alleges. Okay. I don't know if he is or not, but he wrote a chapter on me that's a complete fabricated lie. So he, to give that context, you know, said in the book that he punched, you know, somebody at a bar, later said publicly that person was you.
35:40What was your reaction when you first heard that? Well, I was in Mexico off the grid, so I couldn't react to it. I heard about it from an email from my son, and I had to contact Alex Jones, my friend in Texas, to defend me. I was out of the country. Timing was perfect on it, wasn't it? right after I left the country. So I couldn't defend myself. The story is a complete fabricated lie. I did what you're supposed to do. Go to court, put people under oath, and prove it. We proved it. In court, the jury ruled for me. Was there any communication between when Kyle initially made the public comments and when you filed the lawsuit between the two of you?
36:23No, I didn't even know it. My first recollection of Chris Kyle was June of 2012 at the first settlement hearing. What happened there? He had made a statement that if we met together that we could solve the whole thing. So the courts allowed us to meet in a room together one on one. And I looked at him and I said, how can you say you hit me? You never hit me. And he said, yes, I did. I turned to the judge. I said, we're done right now. I said, if this guy's not going to admit it never happened, then what's the point? I offered to him. I said, if you'll go out with me to the media, admit you fabricated the story, I will forgive you and we'll go our separate ways.
37:03He wouldn't do it. He didn't have the honor. He didn't have this hero from the war, didn't have the courage to tell the truth. And he's not a hero. You know why? He's a backstabbing liar. He whored the Trident for money and fame. He took an old-timer like me and threw me under the bus so he could get money and the point is he's not a hero you know why he's not a hero but because heroes have to have honor you have to have honor to be a hero a liar has no honor follow me why do you think there were several other seals that backed up his story they didn't if If you come to the trial, there wasn't one witness that heard me say what they said on the stand.
37:51There wasn't one witness on the stand who said they saw him hit me. All they were doing was relaying hearsay from their buddy. Remember, if you'll die for someone, you'll lie for them. When you two had that meeting, the attempted settlement meeting, what do you think his goal was with it? To be rich and famous.
38:17He had to take the most, I guess the highest profile member of the community and throw him under the bus. Because his book went, you know what the pre-sale was of that book? Four thousand. When he went on opening Anthony and O 'Reilly and told that lie, it jumped a hundred thousand in one day. One day. Even the book company, Harper Collins admitted it was a niche book. All of a sudden, I was the catalyst. It was like a jet or a rocket going into space. You have to have a booster, a booster that gets you to space. And then once you're in space, you can orbit. I was the booster rocket. You said going through that's the most traumatic thing you've been through since your parents died.
39:03Why? Why? Because everybody in America, I'm now a person who's either loved or hated. and everybody believes the lie they've perpetrated that I sued a war hero's widow and children, which is completely fabricated and false. And the other side's attorney have pushed that. See, I think this attack could well be bigger than Kyle. What do you mean? If I'm involved in a court case like this, I can't run for office, can I? And they've alienated a great deal of people towards me by the lies that have been perpetrated by both the media and the book. Famous Navy SEAL who authored Lone Survivor, which has also become a movie when this was all going on, posted a picture of you with the caption, hit me, I won't fight back, I'll just wait for you to die and sue your wife.
40:03Who wrote that? The author of Lone Survivor. Really? The guy who I secured from Hell Week? I'm in his book, you know. I was the first civilian they allowed to secure Hell Week. He wrote that about me, huh? That's despicable on his part. Because I sued Chris Kyle for lying. See, doesn't the lie mean anything? And he's assuming I got hit. I didn't. Didn't I prove it in court? How much did the backlash get to you? A lot. I can never, I don't care to say I'm a SEAL anymore. I won't go to a reunion ever again. I'm going, I'm, it's hurt a great deal because I used to always go to reunions. I used to contribute money.
41:01That'll all stop now. Because nobody from the community has come forward to support me. And I'm an innocent victim. It would be the equivalent of me throwing a WW2 frog man under the bus. This Iraq guy throws a Vietnam guy under the bus. Really, that's what the guy that wrote Lone Survivor said about me? He should be ashamed of himself. What do you think the likelihood is of being able to repair everything, to make amends with the kind of SEAL brotherhood? Never. Well, the SEALs like to pride themselves that they've never left a body behind. They have now me. I was left behind now. I'm a POW SEAL who was left behind, and they did nothing to recover me.
41:59That's how I feel about it. That's how betrayed I feel. I want to change the topic and get into wrestling, which was kind of what launched your career. I think you got into wrestling almost via a classified ad, and then you have seven months of training. What did you do during that training period? Well, there was a classified ad that said, learn to be a pro wrestler at the 7th Street Gym in downtown Minneapolis. And I answered the ad, and I went down and met Eddie Sharkey, who I remember as a kid had been a wrestler, very good one. And he trained me for seven months. What did you learn? To wrestle so that I was prepared to go anywhere in the country and have a match.
42:43How many miles did you put on your car during those first couple years? Well, I always like to tell the story. the first new car I bought was a 1975 Mercury Cougar, and this included carpooling. In two years, it had 128 ,000 miles on it, and that included carpooling. That's amazing. How painful was once going through a period where you wrestled 63 days in a row? Where I wrestled 63 consecutive nights in a row? It wasn't painful because it became routine. It was just hugely tiring. Probably my UDT training helped because it was, I mean, think about it for a moment. Has any job ever asked you to work 63 nights in a row?
43:33No. Well, it also reassured me that wrestling needs a union. They don't have one. That way people don't wrestle 63 nights in a row. but when I tried to unionize that was met with stiff competition trust me almost got fired by Vince because of it but then I went off to do Predator and when I did Predator I became a member of the Screen Actors Guild so when I came back to Vince I said you don't have to worry about me talking about union anymore I got mine I said if these guys are so stupid that they won't organize then that's their problem I'm a member of the Screen Actors Guild and still am today and I get my retirement and health care from it.
44:14I want to run through a few close calls that you had while wrestling and get you to recall the story. The first one being the Eugene, Oregon fan. Oh, that was, I was involved in a match in Eugene, and it got a little wild. And when I was leaving, I was a villain or a heel, and the police always escort you back to the dressing room. And a fight broke out at ringside, So I made the mistake of dismissing my security, figuring I was okay. Go ahead, take care of the fight. I'm fine. Well, I still had a ways to go to get to the dressing room. And in the interim, a guy came around the corner, pulled out a huge hunting knife, unsheathed it, and basically said, I'm going to kill you.
45:00And he was coming at me. And by reading his eyes, I knew he was dead serious. So I immediately thought, well, when a guy has a knife, you're probably going to have to sacrifice something to the knife in which to get him. So I was at that determining period when all of a sudden out of the stands, this guy dropped behind him, grabbed him, spun him around and had him cuffed in an instant. Wow. It turned out it was a plainclothes cop happened to take his kids to the matches and happened to be looking down and saw this was taking place. He jumped out of the stands and it turned out the kid was a minor.
45:38They couldn't even charge him. Here he was attempted murder, was going to stab me with this knife, but he was under 18. So all they can do is release him to the custody of his parents at that time. How about the 70 year old woman? Oh, I don't know her age. She was probably older than that. That was Denver, Colorado, and they have a rail around the ring there. and I was being the villain again and I jumped out of the ring, which villains do because that's part of the way to get people angry at you. Don't stay in there and get beat up. Run. Because all villains are cowards, right? There's stereotypical things you have to do by blonde hair.
46:14And I had backed up to the railing and all of a sudden I felt this excruciating pain and I turned around. I was going to deck whoever did it and here was an old woman, probably in her 80s, dripping in diamonds. She had taken her long fingernails clawed me down the back and drew blood on three of them. So I just turned to security and said arrest her. So she went to jail. You know, that's assault. Sorry. I mean, she drew blood on me with three. I didn't knock her out when I saw how old she was. Had it been a young kid there, he'd probably got tapped. Something that turned into a really serious situation, I know you didn't think it would be initially, the pulmonary embolism.
46:55Well, it was initially because I didn't know what it was. and I wrestled with it for three nights. And I thought I was just, it was winter time or I had come from Minnesota and I was wrestling Phoenix and I had no breath. I was running out of energy. And I thought, at first I thought, well, maybe it's Arizona. I'm not used to it. It's hot here. And then the next night I wrestled Oakland, same thing. And got to San Diego and I hung with John Studd then. And John was going to the gym and I just said, John, I'm not feeling good. I'm going to take a nap. and I took a nap. I woke up and I had a bed.
47:29The whole bed was wet and sweat. I couldn't even take a deep breath. So I went out to my rental car. I drove to the emergency room at the Sharp Cabrillo Hospital. There was a former Marine there. He sat me down in a chair and he said, I don't want you to move. And I said, what do you think I have? He said, I think you got pulmonary emboli, blood clots in the lungs. You're too good of an athlete. We did an arterial blood draw and I was only at like 78, 72 % oxygen. He said an athlete like you should be running 95 to 98 % oxygen. And then they came in and do an angiogram and found out I had massive blood clots in my lungs and I couldn't wrestle for six months.
48:10How did you handle that period? Recouping. Looking into the mirror, wondering what are you going to do now? You've been wrestling for 10 to 12 years. It's the only thing you know how to do. You can't put that on a resume and go to General Mills and think you're going to get a job. So I faced the dilemma that all pro athletes have to face. I faced it a little prematurely. What do you do when it's all over? And then many times out of bad comes good. And that was the case in, that was in my case, was during my convalescing. Vince called one day and said, Jesse, you're good enough to get around now.
48:52you can't get back in the ring. He said, do you think you could do color commentating, being an announcer? He said, I want to try something new. And I said, you want me to announce? He said, there's never been a bad guy on the mic. Someone who sides with the villains. And it was Vince's idea. He said, you think, I said, I know I could do it. So when I went there to do my first one, he gave me the greatest marching orders you could get. Before I went out to broadcast, he said, here's your mindset. If you believe it, it's true. Can you imagine being told that? If you believe it, it's true. In other words, he's giving me carte blanche to say anything I want.
49:33And the greatest job in the world, when I graduated then and went to the number one team with Vince and I, Saturday night main event where we still hold the record for the largest points ever. We beat Madonna when she was on Saturday Night Live. Killed her. We got a 34 share. Wow. Imagine that. 34. One out of three TVs in the U.S. was watching Saturday Night Live. Well, imagine having a job where you can totally ridicule your boss on national television. He pays you to do it and loves it. There can't be a better job in the world, could there? Imagine if you could do that to your boss. Right. Ridicule him on national TV and he loves it and pays you to do it and the more the better.
50:19What do you think of Vince McMahon? I think I have admiration for him. He's the P.T. Barnum of the generation. He took wrestling and made it a household word and took it national and made himself a billionaire. Now, is Vince a ruthless billionaire businessman? man? Yes. But you probably have to be. I bear no grudge against Vince. You used to though, didn't you? No. I just, when I disagreed with him, I did the proper thing. You go to court. I took him to federal court and beat him and I have a retirement now. He has to pay me for every tape I've ever been on and as long as he sells them. So quarterly, I get a check from him and have since 1991.
51:03I call it my wrestling retirement. I'm the only wrestler in the world that has it. a retirement, even though technically it's not. Why do you think he won't have me back? He's not going to invite me back and have to pay me royalties. It's that simple. So I probably, you never say never, but I probably will never be at a WrestleMania because it would require them to pay me royalties from federal court. How do you think Vince views you? I think that at times he hates my guts, but I think deep down he admires me because he sees a lot of him and me. I don't take crap from no one. I'm an individual, and I didn't even take crap from him.
51:44That's why we separated. He wanted to control my marketing, and I wouldn't let him. I already had copyrighted Jesse the Body Ventura, and I owned it, and I wouldn't give it up to him. That's why we parted company, because I would not give up my individuality or ownership to him. You and Hulk were once good friends. Yeah. What's the likelihood of that ever being repaired? Never. Why? Can't trust him. I'm not friends with anyone I don't trust. I have to have a trust with someone to be their friend. And he's the one that ratted me to Vince when I tried to unionize. I found that out under federal deposition when Vince was put under sworn and he didn't hesitate at all.
52:28I told my lawyer the story and in deposition you could ask about anything and so I wanted to know who ratted me in the locker room because there were no agents no one from the office was in there when I did it so it had to be one of the boys and when my attorney said is there Mr. McMahon has there ever been a union in wrestling and Vince said no said has anyone ever tried to and Vince said well I think Jesse Ventura spouted his mouth off about it once or once before my attorney said did you Did you hear Mr. Ventura? No. Well then how do you know he did? With no hesitation Vince, when Hulk Hogan told me.
53:05And I didn't show any emotion but I almost tipped over in the chair because he was my friend. And I thought, but then I understand why. When we went to court I saw in WrestleMania III, Hogan got paid more than all of us combined. Now why would he want a union when he's getting taken care of? Imagine that, WrestleMania III, 93 ,000 people, and he got more than Andre the Giant and all the rest of us combined. If there was a union, would that happen? No. What communication did you have with Hulk after you found that out? None. I've never spoken to him since and don't intend to. Did he ever try and reach out?
53:48Why would he bother with me? He's dealing with Hulkamania. The only time he made contact, he wrote a book when I was governor. And he was coming here once to do a book signing. And he wanted to make sure I wouldn't get him arrested. So he actually had Vince McMahon contact me as governor. And you know what I told Vince? I said, you tell Hulk, believe it or not, I have more important things on my mind than him. I said, I know it'll destroy his ego to hear that. But I don't think of him on a daily basis. What did Hulk Hogan say about steroids that bothered you? He said he never took them. That was a lie.
54:32Actually, when he was here in Minneapolis, that's who you went to get them from. Really? Well, he'll say that's not true. But for him, like we, the common laugh used to be when he used to tell the kids to say their prayers and take their vitamins. In the dressing room, we'd always laugh and say, Orals are injectables when he'd tell them to take their vitamins. Because a slang term for steroids is vitamins. Predator. How did you get the role in spite of Vince McMahon's wishes? I read for it. And I had an agent in Hollywood at the time. I used to go there as often as I could and he got me appointment with Jackie Birch and they were casting the next Schwarzenegger movie which was Predator and the part of Sergeant Blaine, Special Forces 6-4-2-50.
55:23I fit it perfect and I had the background for it and I chewed tobacco which was in the script. They asked me can you chew tobacco and I pulled out my Copenhagen and Redman and said I've been chewing for 20 years. So it was not acting when I chewed tobacco and spit it on Carl's boots. Why have you said before that's one of the best decisions you've ever made in your life? Well, because it got me, it gave me a union. It gave me the Screen Actors Guild. It gave me my retirement today. It gave me health care for my family to be a member of the Screen Actors Guild. Tell about, to get back to Predator, your first encounter with Jean-Claude Van Damme.
56:03Well, Jean-Claude was at the time a nobody living out of his trunk. and this was the first job he got he was going to beat a predator no they they didn't know exactly what the predator was going to be yet I didn't even know what the predator was till I went to a screening they hadn't determined yet because remember he was invisible to us so they shot him completely separate but Jean Claude originally got cast for the predator because I guess they felt with his karate agility and all that he'd be able to move good through the jungle with this suit on well I don't think Jean Claude realized they weren't gonna to see his face.
56:38So he's a good kid. I love him today, but he got down there and did nothing but complain. So Joel Silver fired him. His first job, he gets fired and Joel says he'll never work in Hollywood again. Sean Claude goes up and signs a three-picture deal with DeLaurence and he's a big star now. So it goes to show you when they tell you you'll never work in the business again, chances are you still may get an opportunity. So what's your favorite line from Predator? Uh, my favorite line, me personally, makes Cambodia look like Kansas.
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58:17When you were... I know what you were waiting for. I ain't got time to bleed. Actually, I wouldn't give you that one, but it was because that was a scene that had been originally cut. They weren't going to shoot it. And that I wanted it shot because Richard Chavez and I were both Vietnam veterans and we wanted to do a scene together. The two actual veterans. We were the real veterans of the platoon who had, he was army, I was Navy. And so Richard and I wanted to do that scene. Arnold got sick. So they resurrected the scene and I knew it would get in the film because John McTiernan, the director never showed any emotion.
58:58But when Richard shot the thing and everything, and he says, you got time to duck, McTiernan walked away from that scene laughing. And he had never shown any emotion on any scene. So I knew, I said, that's going to be in the film because McTiernan found that extremely funny. Arnold Schwarzenegger, I know you guys were very close for a long time. And I understand you haven't spoken to him since the whole cheating scandal. What do you think the likelihood is you guys are able to be friends again? Probably very unlikely because Arnold's now out of politics. I'm out of it unless I come back into it.
59:38And I live in Minnesota and Mexico, and he lives in Southern California. I'm only upset because I was also good friends with Maria, and I had a great respect for her as a person, as a woman, and who she is. and I've been married 40 years, 40 years, and I just thought he did her wrong. And I guess maybe the puzzling thing would be I would side with the woman rather than the man, but in this case I do. I have all the sympathy for Maria because she should have never been treated in that manner. Tell about the workouts and the almost competition-like workouts you guys would have while shooting. There wasn't competition.
1:00:31It was all friendly. Arnold's great to do a film with because he's so powerful, they bring his whole gym, and they set it up in a room. And Arnold's wonderful. He gives everyone keys. He likes to see guys work out. He's very much pro that. After all, that's what got him his fame. so we all could work out whenever you want well what I would do we'd always have to be at the set at 7 a.m. so we'd have to get up at 5 to train well I'd get up at a quarter to 5 and I'd go in there and I'd take a water bottle and I'd soak my shirt like with sweat so when Arnold and Sven his bodyguard would come in I'd be working out already I probably got there two minutes before him but I'd be soaking wet and sweat doing whatever Arnold would look Sven We better get up earlier.
1:01:19Look at Jesse the body's in here. Who knows how long he's been in here? You know, so it was just, you had some great builds on the show. I mean, you got Mr. Olympia Schwarzenegger, the best built man in the world. Jesse the body Ventura, Carl Weathers, Apollo Creed, great build. Sonny Landon, great build. You got all these bodies down there. Well, Well, we don't look like we look by laying around. We all pay a price to look that way. And so it was very friendly. There was nobody ripping anybody. How could I compare to Schwarzenegger? He's Mr. Olympia, for God's sake. He's the best built man in the world.
1:02:00You wrote in one of your books that Arnold was one of the most focused men you ever met in your life. Yeah. Why? Because I watched him turn down 14 million dollars. They came in and offered him Predator 2 right there before one even went out. And I watched I was sitting right in there when he said no. And when they left I looked at Arnold and said Arnold how do you turn down 14 million dollars? I was ready to go I'll do it for half. I was ready to raise my hand in the air. He looked right at me says Jesse the time is not right. And he was correct. Look how long he made him wait for the second Terminator.
1:02:40He made him wait seven years. So it was another mega hit. See, Arnold is, he's the most focused man because you got to be that to win Mr. Olympia. To be the best built man in the world, you can't have any outside interference. You've got to eat right, train right, and sleep right. Continually, 24-7. That requires focus. What do you think you learned from him? Well, he taught me to never read a script till the money's right. Otherwise, you've wasted your time. So whenever they come with me with a script, I make sure the money's right before I even read it. Because if you read it and like it, you may be biased about the money then.
1:03:27You know, it's interesting. I was talking to your chief of staff, your former chief of staff, Steve, yesterday. And obviously, the professions you've been in, whether that be pro sports, acting, politicians, not exactly professions synonymous with being faithful. And at the end of the conversation with him, I asked him, I'm like, is there anything that you've never heard Jesse asked about before during an interview that you think would be interesting to bring up? And he said the unquestioning loyalty to his wife. And I wonder, what do you think has made it last so long? Because I love her and because we're partners and because if she weren't with me, there'd be a void.
1:04:17I need her. Not just emotionally and all of that. She does, I don't have entourages. So guess who it all falls to? I don't do the internet. So guess who has to do the internet for me? I don't send emails. I've never owned a cell phone. And now it's my life's mission not to. I want to be the first person, if I live another 20 years or whatever it might be, I want to be the only person that can put on his gravestone, he never owned a cell phone. Well, she does. so what would I do then I'd have to own a cell phone if I got rid of her oh there you go that's that's a great answer that is far more important not owning a cell phone to achieve that goal I hope everyone's laughing but in today's day and age you never know Jesse Ventura chooses a cell phone over his wife you You can see that headline coming out from the media.
1:05:22I don't know. I'm so attached to her now that it would be the same as me losing a limb. You live in Mexico half the year. You split your time between Mexico and Minneapolis. Is it true that you have no TV, phone, or electricity there? I live off the grid. I live an hour from pavement and an hour from electricity. I have everything you have electric wise because I'm completely solar. I live off the sun. And there's a place to do it. You get sun all but about four days a year. I do not have TV there per se. I have a TV that we watch movies and DVDs on, how outdated those are, but I got tons of them.
1:06:06We do have internet satellite and we can do Skype. But other than that, I have no communications to the United States other than doing my off-the-grid show, which we do from various locations so that the drones won't find me and kill me. Because you know, today if you speak ill about United States government and policy, we will kill you without a trial with a drone. We've done it before and certainly will do it again. Does that not concern you that our government kills people without a trial, its own citizens? But we're doing it, aren't we? Isn't that unconstitutional? Why are we breaking our Constitution and our Bill of Rights on a regular basis in this country?
1:06:56That's the fabric of our nation. Explain what it means to you to unplug the brain. Unplug the brain? I think that that's one of your phrases, right? I don't know. What I find living in Mexico does is it, I describe it as flushing out your brain. And what does that mean to you? Well, Well, what it means to me is when we made the decision not to have television, because I can get satellite TV down there, but we chose not to. If I live in Mexico and watch United States TV every night, I'm really not in Mexico, am I? If I'm watching US TV every night, I could be sitting here doing the same thing. That's what I cut out.
1:07:50That's what it's called. people often ask me, what can you do in Mexico that you can't do here? I'll tell you one thing I've done there that you can't do here. I've gone to a lagoon with some Mexican guides. I've gone out in a lagoon and I physically touched gray whales in the wild and stuck my hands in their mouths from a boat. Can't do that here. and that was a life-changing thing for me. I've done a lot of stuff, but that's in the top five. Going out and physically, and when I talk about being with gray whales, I don't mean they pass by and you touch them. We had a mother and her calf spend an hour and 15 minutes with us.
1:08:41They loved to have their gums scratched. The mother went over there and we babysat the calf, played hide and seek. I got into a water fight with them where they'd spray me with the blowhole and I'd throw water on them. And I've looked into their eyes. And when you do, you see intelligence. What do you do? Clearly, they communicate. How would they know it's safe? How would they know in this one little lagoon in Mexico you can interact with these humans that they're forced to live with because they need our air. Remember, they're not fish. They're mammals. Explain why you don't fly commercial anymore.
1:09:21Because I'm tired of being treated like a criminal. I have metal in my body. And when I go to an airport, I'm treated like a criminal. And I got tired. There was a time I was flying three or four times a week and being patted down three to four times a week. And I got angry and angry. I couldn't figure out why. And then I realized in a free country, you should not feel comfortable being patted down. And I was getting the point where it was becoming like brushing my teeth. It was happening on such a regular basis, getting patted down. And I don't think anyone in a free country should feel comfortable being patted down.
1:10:01But the United States citizens are today. They're getting real comfortable being patted down. Well, they had a Homeland Security set. If you don't like it, don't fly. So I quit flying. After I tried to sue them. Right. I sued them under Fourth Amendment. And the judge ruled she didn't have authority. How can a federal judge not have authority over Fourth Amendment question? It's a scam. Because they don't want to deal with it. Because if Jesse Ventura wins, it opens up a can of worms. what jury is going to go against me? Who's going to go against me on the Fourth Amendment? Unreasonable search and seizure.
1:10:44I've been a mayor. I've been a governor. I'm an honorably discharged Navy veteran. I've been flying for 30 years. I pose no threat. I'd win. They can't have the case. They can't let me win because it would open up a bag of worms. Last one for you. The most satisfying moment from your career to date would be what?
1:11:12That's really hard to say because there's probably one thing every decade that could fit under that. Graduating from BUDS was huge, basic underwater demolition SEAL training. Being part of wrestling going national with Vince McMahon and being on board was extremely exciting. And then, of course, how could I not say winning mayor and governor? Mayor first, which wasn't as big, but winning governor and doing what no one said could be done and defeating the Democrats and Republicans for the second time. That's why they fear me. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thanks for listening to my chat with Jesse Ventura.
1:11:56To check out video clips of our interview, go to YouTube dot com slash Graham Bensinger. If you enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a rating and review. Any feedback, positive or negative, is always appreciated. Thanks again.
From the publisher
We revisit Graham’s 2015 chat with Jesse Ventura. The former WWE wrestler and governor of Minnesota emotionally remembers spending a day with Muhammad Ali, explains his falling out with Hulk Hogan and discusses his time in office – which included a trip to Cuba to meet with the late Fidel Castro. Plus, Ventura reflects on Navy SEAL training and his role in the movie Predator.
