Phelim McAleer: Cracking down on ‘disabled’ soldiers is political kryptonite, even for Trump

Watching his guests squirm under Hammer's interrogation is like driving past a multi-car pileup – horrifying but very hard to look away.

His guests/victims are financial train wrecks: drowning in debt from impulsive buys, yet blissfully in denial. And the entitlement! These 20- and 30-somethings act like the world owes them a bailout. "I'm special," they whine. "I'll strike it rich next month." Parents have coddled them forever, and now they expect creditors to do the same. Why pay debts when you can just... not?

Of course, it's a Gen Z/Millennial fest, so expect F-bombs, insults, and screaming matches as Hammer dissects their tales of stupidity, impulsiveness, and debauchery. Frivolous purchases? Check. Walkouts when accountability hits? Double check. These kids storm off rather than admit they're in deep trouble or – gasp – change their ways.

But amid the chaos, Hammer spotted a chilling pattern in his three years of hosting. His guests include a surprising number of military vets – America's got a massive armed forces, after all – and every single one is on disability. "There's not been one veteran in the history of the show that's not on disability," he shouted (because shouting is the show's love language). There is no evidence that any of his guests are involved in fraud or unethical behaviour but it's a glaring red flag for an unsustainable burden on the military budget.

Take Alexis, 20, and Colt, 23, dubbed the most hated couple in Financial Audit history – and that's saying something in a field of contenders. Colt, fresh out of the Army at 22, spent his service driving trucks. Not in a war zone, not even overseas – just stateside hauling. Now he's a computer engineer pulling $3,000 a month, plus "about $4,000" in disability payments for an injury "not while on duty." That's right: a 23-year-old gets $48,000 a year tax-free for life, indexed to inflation, while holding down a cushy job. Must be nice.

Then there's Macy, 26, ex-Marine Corps, now slinging pizzas at Domino's for $9.75 an hour. She works just 30 hours a week and turns down promotions because, why bother? Her $3,800 monthly disability payout covers the slack. Ambition? That is so overrated.

Meet Paul, 38 and Elle, 31, a "military couple" who treat the service like a golden ticket. Elle's already on Navy disability. Paul plans to snag his upon "retirement" – not at 65, but after 20 years, potentially at 38 if he enlisted at 18. Add a full pension, and boom: lifetime income without breaking a sweat.

Lauren, 34, from Clarksville, Tennessee, calls herself a "cougar" who loves being bankrolled by younger men. But her real maintainer? An older gentleman called Uncle Sam. Hammer vents frustration: "There's not literally one single person that has served in the military in the history of three years of the show... that does not get Department for Veterans Affairs disability for the rest of their life forever."

Lauren explains the “system”: Anything that happens during service counts as "service-connected," even if unrelated to your duties. Twisted an ankle at a base party? Claim it. The military's apparently the unluckiest workplace on Earth.

Post-WWII, only 15% of vets qualified for disability. By 2024, it's ballooned to 30%. Unsustainable? You bet. The US military risks becoming a bloated disability charity with a side gig in defence. Claims are easier now – exposure to "burn pits" triggers payouts with minimal scrutiny. Auditing? What's that? One vet claimed blindness, raking in over $1 million before getting busted as a firearms instructor who renewed his driver's license.

There's even a cottage industry of "consultants" who, for a fee, coach applicants on magic words that guarantee approval. The VA, terrified of backlash for seeming "insensitive" or "racist," rubber-stamps it all.

Could change be coming? Trump's new defence secretary, Pete Hegseth, vows to restore a "warrior ethos" – fewer drag shows, more actual soldiering.

There is no evidence that the 20 something ‘veterans’ on Hammer’s podcast are milking the system. Perhaps it's just too easy to claim a disability, but cracking down on our ‘disabled soldiers’ – that's political kryptonite, even for Trump. Americans worship their veterans; it's the rare issue uniting left and right. Question a claim, and you're unpatriotic. Meanwhile, genuine heroes get shortchanged and America’s military becomes a welfare state for the not very wounded.

l Phelim McAleer, from Tyrone, lives in LA