The Jenny Beth Show

The RSBN Anchor Behind the Autopen Story Joins Tea Party Patriots Action | Robert McNeily

Episode Summary

Robert McNeily, the former Right Side Broadcasting Network anchor whose question on Air Force One in March 2025 sparked the autopen story, joins Jenny Beth Martin as the newest member of the Tea Party Patriots Action team and the newest voice on The Jenny Beth Show. This is a get-to-know-you conversation that traces Robert's full arc through the conservative movement: from eight years old going door to door for Bob Dole in 1996, to studying opera at the University of Illinois, to serving as president of College Republicans during the 2008 Obama election year, to standing alongside Charlie Kirk when Turning Point USA was just 50 people meeting in St. Charles, Illinois. Robert and Jenny Beth cover Robert's years anchoring city news at KTUU in Anchorage, Alaska, his communications work at Truth Social, his return to RSBN as an infield reporter at Trump rallies, and the values that have shaped him: warrior spirit, grassroots humility, and persistent innovation. The conversation turns deeply personal: surviving papillary thyroid cancer at 15, the recurrence at 18 and the vocal box surgery that almost ended his career in broadcasting, growing up with a single mother who worked three jobs, and the faith that carried him through it all. Robert closes with the three issues he believes define the second Trump term: the judiciary and originalism, the dignity of life, and Iran. Subscribe for daily political commentary from Jenny Beth Martin, co-founder of the Tea Party movement and Chairman of Tea Party Patriots Action. More at jennybethshow.com and teapartypatriots.org.

Episode Notes

GUEST: Robert McNeily is a former anchor and infield reporter for Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN) who joined Tea Party Patriots Action in May 2026 as Director of Broadcasting and Grassroots Engagement, and on-air contributor for The Jenny Beth Show. A Turning Point USA alum from the organization's earliest days, Robert previously anchored at KTUU in Anchorage, Alaska, worked in communications for Truth Social, and served as student senator and president of College Republicans at the University of Illinois.

KEY TOPICS:

TIMESTAMPED BREAKDOWN:

00:00 — Welcome and Introduction

01:35 — Robert's Political Background: 1996 and Bob Dole

02:30 — The Autopen Question on Air Force One

03:36 — From Turning Point USA to RSBN

07:13 — Opera, Acting, and the Phantom of the Opera Connection

10:04 — College Republicans Presidency in 2008

15:27 — Noticing the Tea Party Movement

17:14 — Peter Roskam and the IRS Targeting Story

18:22 — Meeting Charlie Kirk

21:04 — The First 50 People at Turning Point USA

22:53 — Warrior Spirit, Grassroots Humility, Persistent Innovation

25:30 — Studying the Left: Alinsky vs. Christ

28:50 — The Obama Era and Political Comedy

31:03 — DEI and the Culture Wars

32:14 — The New Security Reality for Conservatives

37:35 — Mark Hamill's "If Only" Post

40:36 — DC Bureaucrats vs. Real America

42:05 — Anchoring News in Anchorage, Alaska

45:15 — Senator Murkowski and the SAVE America Act

46:05 — Growing Up With a Single Mom

48:13 — Diagnosed With Thyroid Cancer at 15

50:54 — Cancer Recurrence and the Vocal Box

52:22 — Faith, Catholicism, and Second Chances

53:53 — Joining the Jenny Beth Show Team

57:13 — Issue One: The Judiciary and Originalism

59:26 — Issue Two: The Dignity of Life

01:00:26 — Issue Three: Iran and the Global Economy

LINKS: jennybethshow.com | teapartypatriots.org