Byron Donalds
Appearances
Morning Wire
NSA Chat Crackdown & Bondi Warns Maine | Afternoon Update | 2.26.25
Ron DeSantis has done a tremendous job for our state, but now the job is to keep the best state in the country as the best state in the country. And so that's going to be the mission at hand.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We're already transitioning to be it, but I believe we should be the financial hub of the world in a decade. The digital assets community in Miami-Dade in particular, but throughout South Florida, it's all coming here. And we have to, I don't want to say accelerate that, but we have to focus that. Our economy as a state is far more diverse than what it was when I got here 20 years ago.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We're not just a retirement state now. We're an everything state. People are living here, growing their businesses here, bringing their businesses here, raising kids here, going to college here, et cetera. Our workforce has to be prepared for the next wave of our economy. And I'm talking AI, quantum technology. et cetera. So those are like the two big things I think are in front of us.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Housing costs are going to be a problem in our state. And part of housing costs is overspending at the federal level. And I know we're going to probably get into that. So we have to find a way to stabilize costs so you can stabilize housing costs. So construction gets better.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I think in a lot of our counties, we have to find ways to streamline permitting because extended permitting only raises the cost of producing homes, et cetera. So that's stuff we got to address. Energy.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
we're going to be the hub of digital assets florida should be in my view the incubator state for uh small modular reactors and micro reactors to supplement your energy supply so you have more base load power so you can do mining if you're talking about crypto bitcoin in particular if you're talking about uh blockchain technology and really having to be headquarters here if you're talking about data centers
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
and all the things associated with the next wave of the global economy. Last piece, and this is like a mix of federal and state. We have forgotten the Monroe Doctrine in America. We, I think, over the last generation or so, maybe closer to two generations, our eyes have been fixated on the Middle East, Asia, Europe. And we all understand the historical significance of why that occurred.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Yeah. But we're working through it.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But in that process, we have forgotten Central America and South America. As a nation, we need to get back to that because you may not be able to bring all manufacturing back to the United States, but we have to begin that process of bringing that stuff home. And Florida can definitely be a part of that, especially North Florida.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Between Jacksonville and the Panhandle, that area, you could really do some good heavy manufacturing work up there. But you have to near shore. There's no reason why Guatemala shouldn't be doing a lot of stuff, manufacturing a lot of things to the benefit of the United States. As I understand it, a bunch of our pharmaceutical industry used to be in Puerto Rico.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And then because of stupid government policy throughout the years, that all moved to Asia. We got to near shore all that stuff back into our hemisphere. It will cut our transportation costs down. It would cut the costs of Americans trying to do everything on a day-to-day basis to live. Florida is the epicenter of that because of just where we are geographically in the country.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So I think that our state, if you're talking about what's next to come, those are the things I think are next. And then the other pieces are, you're just fine tuning. We got the best car on the road. What do you do with the best car on the road?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Honestly, I'm not really concerned about that. And the reason why is because unlike sports or business, the job of government is to be in the shadows. and I respect everything that Ron DeSantis has done and accomplished for our state, but I don't look at it in terms of how do I now establish myself?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Because if I go through the process with a great state of trying to establish myself, now that's when you start getting cute and you start making or causing political fights that you really don't need or you're doing it too fast just to get your name ID up, to make yourself look bigger. I would say at this point,
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Comparing where I am today to where Governor DeSantis was when he was Congressman DeSantis, I have a national name ID. And I'm not even trying to brag about it. I have one. No, you do. I was in Miami. I was in Miami yesterday. I'm walking down the street to a meet-in. And this guy, I forget the name of his business, and I'm so sorry, sir, because I should remember his business.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
He came running out the business, and it was one of those reflexology recovery places where they have the cryotherapy and everything. He comes running. I'm just walking down the street. It's just me down the street, sunglasses on, and I'm looking at my phone. He comes running out in his socks, and it was just like, man, I just want to say thank you.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And it caught me off guard, but I was like, of course, you're welcome. I just do this because I want people to win and succeed. He came out in his socks. He came out in his socks.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
It's got to be one of those two.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
He was Middle Eastern for sure. There's no question about it. He was definitely shades lighter than me. I don't even know what it was. But to the point of... I don't feel the political pressure that sometimes politicians feel where you have to try to assert yourself to get into the national conversation.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I think because of the way I've gone about my business, being obviously a surrogate for the president during one of the most, if not the most consequential, one of the most consequential elections in the history of our country, I don't feel the pressure to have to try to create a situation where The job for me is just run the state.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And I have no problem giving Governor DeSantis all the credit that he deserves because he deserves that credit. And I think that in politics, what we should be doing a lot more is that when somebody does a great job, you acknowledge that or you give them their flowers or however you want to phrase it. But I don't have to try to find a way to make myself bigger.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
If I'm governor of this state and all they say about me is, He did a great job, but he wasn't Ron DeSantis. I could live with that.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I'm getting old now. That's what happened. Now I'm getting old.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Yeah, I did. And for me, the first thing was, and it wasn't even about politics, it was business. When I was still in finance, my third stop in my career before politics really took off, it was at Moran Edwards Wealth Management, now Moran Wealth Management in Naples. Shout out to Tom Moran, mentor, friend, supporter, love him, love his wife, love his family.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
When he brought me into his company, it was really just because he had saw me politically.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
No, Moran. M-O-R-A-N. Moran Group. Let's give him love. Moran Wealth Management.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But you were saying, when you got into this, he was a great mentor. Great mentor. He brought me in, I think it was 2015. He brought me in, and he knew I had political aspirations and stuff like that. He helped me build a book of business. I know economics, but he showed me the ropes of when you're having to manage somebody else's wealth. I'll never forget it. He took a chance on me.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So if a client came in the door and was like, Byron, you know what? I really like you, but I don't really want to mess with Tom. I want to move my money to you. The first call I make is to Tom. Tom, client X came to see me. You need to know this. What do you want to do? Because you put me on. That's something I learned as a kid. You learn that in the streets of New York.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
You gave me my opportunity. So I have to come to you first. And I think the other thing in politics, and we talked about it when I was sitting in the green room, because everybody talks about the lists and your trajectory and all that stuff. In politics, timing matters more than talent. This is a timing game. It's not a talent game. Because there's so many people who come through the game
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
who are super talented in various aspects, but if you don't get the timing right, it doesn't matter. And so, you know, look, again, I speak bluntly. I don't try to hide the ball too much. In my core, and you can ask anybody on my team, ask my wife, I always felt that the right time for the governor to make that run was 2018.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That's how I felt because I felt that at the time with every, as terrible as Joe Biden was as president and how disastrous the bureaucracy was because he was not paying attention. So they were really out there doing whatever with no checks from the elected will of the country. You needed somebody who can step in literally day one and say, yeah, enough. We're not doing any of this.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We never had that conversation.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But, I mean, he was in a different space than, let's say, Vivek. Because the governor, and again, to his credit, he had established himself nationally because of how he handled and led our state during COVID. And he did the best job. It wasn't close in guiding our state through COVID-19. And he had established himself. So every political campaign is like every boxing match, every UFC fight.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Styles make fights. That's just the way it is. So it would have been really tough for him to play it that way because then the next question would be, well, then why are you running? You see what I'm saying? And I think with Vivek, the reason why it was different for Vivek, just outside looking in, is because Vivek was new to the scene. And people didn't really know.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I remember the early days with Vivek's from, people was like still trying to figure out how to pronounce both names. Right. You know what I'm saying? And shout out to Vivek. Love him. But that's the truth. Sure. So it's different when you are established, but then you pay deference. The next question is, so then why are you here? I'll tell you a quick story.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
This is a story that I don't tell publicly much. I'll share it. When I was running for Congress in 2020, one of my opponents, I'm not going to say his name, called me. and wanted to have lunch and meet. And I knew what he was going to try to do. He was going to try to get me out the race to back him. And we're sitting down and we're just talking.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
30 minutes later, he goes, listen, Byron, I think you're great. I think you're talented. You could be a future governor. You could be a future senator. But I'm going to have more money in the race. So I think you should drop out and back me because I have the resources to win. And I looked at him and I said,
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
With everything you just said, my only question is, why aren't you getting out and backing me? Because if you feel I have all these abilities to do all these things, then why are you running?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
First thing, I think we have to be honest. Insurance costs in part are higher because the cost to replace housing is higher. So before you even get into the premiums that people pay, the first thing we got to understand is because of the acceleration of building, the massive inflation in the last four years, the
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Scarcity of material, the regulatory environment around getting said material, it is much more expensive to build a home today than it was five years ago, 10 years ago, 20 years ago. And the core part of insurance is the replacement cost of the property. So if the house I own right now, to rebuild it, probably would cost me 10% to 15% more than what I paid for it.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Well, then I can't have an insurance policy written at $300,000 because to replace it costs me X. You see what I'm saying? That's the first part. Nobody wants to say that directly to people. Because housing values are up and building costs are up, it just dovetails that insurance costs are up. Now, how do we stabilize premiums and try to get them to come down?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I think the first thing is you have to deal with the capital deficit. the capital basis of the balance sheet of these companies, are we going to have to make them continue to carry as much capital on their balance sheet like we do? We might need to look at that.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Because if you mess with that a little bit, not too crazy because actuarially it still has to be sound, but you've got to try to find some way where you can stabilize the cost side of their reserves and in order to actually issue payments in any event of loss. The second big thing that I think people are more frustrated about is the speed upon which they get paid.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I think people will make the premium payments, but when something happens, They want the company to step in and do it. Part of that is adjusters situation. We, we got to figure out, and we tried to do this a couple of years ago with public adjusters and it's kind of been in the weeds and not really thought through too much and figured out, but we got to address that.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
What the governor and the legislature did in special session two years ago. Now I want to say around, around litigation was the right step. And so the reforms they did, People won't really see the impact of that for, I think, another two years because at the Department of Insurance, there's a five-year look back on costs in order to set what the new premiums are going to be going forward.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So I think in about another year or two, they're going to have to go back and do another look back of the last five years to say, okay, now here's what we're going to do. That's like the basis of it. Litigation, lost reserves of the carriers. The other piece is how do we get more carriers into the state?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And that's the toughest issue overall, which is why you have to start looking at what are the capital requirements we're going to put on these carriers because you need more carriers in order to spread that risk out. If you only have a handful of carriers, the premium costs are going to go up, and that's the driver.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But if you start to push down on the loan laws, on the reserve costs, and something happens and the carrier goes bankrupt, well, now people who had that carrier are now really out. This is not an easy situation to deal with.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I think the number one way, the first thing we got to do is make sure that when disaster strikes, we make it as quick as possible for the carriers to step in and try to make people whole. Because then as long as you're being made whole, then you're getting what you pay for.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Right? To that point, to California, what they did in California to deal with what we're seeing here, where they said, we're just going to cap rates, we now see that does not work because the carriers will just leave. That's right. They'll just be like, I'm not writing it. That's right. And you can't force them to write insurance. At that point, it's not insurance.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
At that point, it's basically a public subsidy. That's right. And our state in particular – It's state FEMA at that point. Yeah. You just invented state FEMA on the taxpayer. And to be clear, the state of Florida kind of already has that. It's called Citizens. Citizens Insurance – the Citizens Insurance Company is a state-run insurance company. The one issue with Citizens is –
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The way it's run, you're supposed to be able to be moved out of the citizens population if you can find a comparable insurance rate. But it has to be dollar for dollar, which just doesn't exist. So the citizens population, which is the insurer of last resort, just continues to rise.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I think when Governor Scott was governor, I think we got the population and citizens down to, I mean, don't quote me, around 600,000. It's rising again. I don't know if it's over a million now, but that's because you had a couple storms come through. Premiums are going up. Carriers are leaving, et cetera. This is the most complex problem we have by far.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Yeah.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I mean, the first thing is that... I mean, obviously, RFKJ is not a Democrat anymore, but I just personally like watching them on damn crime. I'll be honest with you. I personally enjoy it, especially when you got, you know, Massachusetts going at each other. What I what I really see in that clip was I hadn't seen this until just now. The Democrats are in a bad, bad place.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
They don't really know what to do. And so for RFKJ, it's not really about his views. It's the fact that he left their team. And she's more mad about that than anything else. Because his views have been this way the entire time. He's not changed. He's just now coming in for President Trump. And so that's why she's acting the way she's acting.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And that's one of the biggest problems on the Hill is that it's not so much about the policy. It's about which team brings it. And that sets the vitriol, if you will. But she's lost it again. But Elizabeth Warren, and is she smart? Yes. But she's also diabolical. She has been wrong on so many things in this country, specifically financial policy in this country. She has been wrong. And
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I'm glad that her vote is not going to decide the fate of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Because I think he's going to do a good job at HHS. He's going to do a good job getting to the core health issues that we need to get to in this country. I mean, this is what the American people voted for. Rob, which one is this here, Rob?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
It's just not funny and sad. Time out. Go ahead. First of all, you know, my family, they're not all Republicans. Some of them were like, we don't know what you do when I first started. Now they're like, okay, this is Byron. This is who he is. Right. But on a family level, man, you're not supposed to do that. You're just not supposed to do that. That's disrespectful of your family.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And I know, like, I guess the sister came out against him, has been coming out against him. Man, if you're my family, you could be doing, unless you're breaking the law, I'm not going to be going out doing stuff like that to you, even if I don't agree with you because you're family. We can have the political discussion all day long. But that's just disrespectful.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Yeah, you don't see that every day. You don't see that, right, Byron? That does not happen every day on the Hill. I'll tell you that.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Very uncommon. Really? That is rare. Look, I was in a meeting with RFKJ maybe three months ago, four months ago. I can't remember. And it was him and his team. And it was the entire thing was talking about Maha and all the various things that they wanted to do. I've seen cabinet secretaries come in.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
He's like overqualified to to run HHS because it's not just about the technical pieces of the agency, which is what the Democrats like to talk about. This is why they got wrapped around the axle with Pete Hegseth, because they're thinking about, well, how are you going to manage this department, this department and this department? It's not that it is vision casting, really the president's vision.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
through the head of these agencies to make sure that the changes voters want to see actually occur, as opposed to making sure you're micromanaging the bureaucracy, which is what the Democrats want to do. Because if you take the long view of the Democrat party, even from Woodrow Wilson to today, what they have always wanted is a technocratic federal government that runs the
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
automatically, 24-7, regardless of the will of the voters, regardless of the members of Congress, regardless of the president, quite frankly. That's the government that they've always wanted. Woodrow Wilson wanted it, and every Democrat since has wanted it. They actually achieved it under Joe Biden because he was just not mentally capable of being the chief executive.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So they finally have their technocratic government that Liz Warren and all of them want, and now Donald Trump's in. And they're bringing in people like RFKJ, who's like, no, we're changing the vision of this agency, and every bureaucrat within it is going to be brought to heel.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Go on for a week. You're making me look bad. Yeah, let me get off.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
What? It's interesting that they came out yesterday. Byron. In the skiff, I read the Intel report, and I'm not going to get into it because it was a classified report. It was clear reading the report that everybody knew it was a lab leak. It was clear reading the Intel report. That was two years ago.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
It was clear reading the intelligence report from the various parts of the intelligence community that it was a lab leak.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That's the question. So to that point, typically when the intelligence community
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
report something yeah it's each agency within the the ic how we refer to it they have their own findings and so then they'll compile all the findings into a report and that's when you get the it's most likely most likely okay because every agency has their own interpretation of what they're seeing or what what they're receiving and how they want to communicate that
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And then I don't want to get too technical because some of that stuff is classified stuff. But basically that's where it is.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Byron, thoughts on this? It needs to happen. Period. Full stop. The biggest issue we have is you have a federal bureaucracy that seeks its own interests. During the first Trump presidency, they would literally look at the orders and slow walk them or ignore them altogether. Doing this now puts everybody on notice. You're not going to be able to sit at home and say you're working.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We had the – I think it was the Office of Presidential Personnel. I think that's who it was. It came into oversight a year ago and testified in front of the oversight committee, and we kept asking her – What percentage of the federal workforce is actually in the office at a minimum 30 hours a week? She couldn't answer. She did not have the information. And it's your job to know who's where.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The policies around remote work are that you sign up for it. Not that they check that you actually log into it. Not that you're logged in for an extended session, which is very easy to do. They don't check that. It's just that you have the ability to do it. So, yeah, I'm all for it.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
If the workers won't come back into the office, because, by the way, we're paying the light bill on these buildings still. We're paying the heat bill on a lot of these buildings because they're in D.C. and other parts of the country. We're paying the insurance. We're paying the cost of rent because a lot of these we rent. We don't own these buildings. We rent them.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So as far as I'm concerned, if you're not back, we need to downsize the office space of the federal government. And you can actually move that property for other purposes. We talked about housing in other parts of the country. Of course, Florida, you can reset some of these buildings if you have a really creative developer.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But you also get the number of employees down who are entrenched, who quite frankly are the employees who fight us. when we're trying to do the real reforms that this country desperately needs. The fight comes from the bureaucracy because they come in and say, oh, well, you can't do that. Well, why can't I? I'm a member of Congress. I got elected. You didn't. Why are you telling me I can't?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Oh, because this is how we do things. There was a book when I was at FSU College of Business. They made us read. It's called Who Moved My Cheese? Great book. Love it. Great book. I read the book.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That's right, 2002. That is essentially the issue we have in a federal bureaucracy. You have 2 million plus individuals involved. who have their own political vision, and typically it is a very left-leaning political vision, and anything you do to upset the way they want to move is met with recalcitrance, just straight obstruction, quite frankly, leaking.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That happens all the time in the federal bureaucracy. If something comes down they don't like, they start leaking to the press. So, yeah, if you ain't going to come into work, he's the chief executive. You're not going to show up. Bye-bye. At least they're getting a payout.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So, you know, we're in the federal government where the workers have to show up for work every day. Capitol Hill. If you're a staff member for a member of Congress or House or Senate, you're in the office, especially when we're in town. Like if we're not in town, you might be at home because I'm not there. I can't see you. But when we hit, when we fly in, the staff is there.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
There is not a member, Republican or Democrat, that I'm aware of that lets the staff work remotely. Do you know why? Because on Capitol Hill, the staff members for the Senate and for the House are at-will employees. I think there was a move, I think AOC and a couple of them tried to let their staffs unionize.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
This was a couple years ago. I think Pelosi was starting to float it or something. And I walked in, and I love my staff. They're great. I walked in, I looked at them, and I said, let's be very clear about something. If you try to unionize, you're all going to be fired. There's no union here. It is my way.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
It's my name on the door, and my name was put on this door by the people back home in the district. So I'm showing up, and you're showing up. They didn't even question it. I just made sure everybody fully understood the situation.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
First thought is... this is why in Congress we have to get president Trump's agenda through as quickly as we can. And I know part of the national conversation about what we're doing is been around one big, beautiful bill or, or two bills. And I think the president at this point is like, it could be one bill. It could be two bill. I don't care. Let's get it done.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The number one thing that Tom Holman and Kristi Noem need are dollars from Congress to to provide bed space and other officers and additional resources so that this process can actually function. What Stephen Miller is talking about, about the floor, yeah, that's correct. But the logjam is going to be they don't have the resources right now under federal appropriations. to meet the floor.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We have sheriff departments in Florida and around the country, their local jails are now filling up in part because of the 287 program that helps the repatriation process. So on Capitol Hill, we just left our retreat And I, you know, my, my comment to the, to the speaker and to the other members is we, we have to do two reconciliation bills.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We cannot do one big bill because it's going to take us too much time to get that done. And Tom Holman and those guys need the resources ASAP in order to have this be an orderly and smooth process that doesn't get log jammed or doesn't get, you know, backlogged, which will just back, we'll back spill into sheriff departments, et cetera. So,
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
What was happening here about how so many migrants are coming in jammed into trucks, vans, and et cetera, that's been going on for four years. This has been the quiet secret that the Biden administration hid from the American people. I don't know if you guys remember. This is probably the last time Joe Biden spoke at a press conference. This was like four years ago. And he – I'm serious.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And he said something like, give us some time. So we can clean up the mess, and then once we get it cleaned up, we'll let you come in and see it. They never let the press come in to see it. And part of the reason was because when you come across the border illegally, what happens is you have traffickers in our side of the border who are moving people through vans, tractor trailers, whatever.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
There was a story a few years ago about 40 to 60 people died in the back of a tractor trailer from heat exhaustion down in the Houston area because Houston has become the human trafficking capital of the United States. Because they come through the border, they get to Houston, which is the closest major city. And then from Houston, they're basically dispersed all over the country.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The Biden administration was doing all that. So that's why I'm saying our business on Capitol Hill, we have to get Tom Holman the money he needs. It's about $100 billion to them ASAP. Because if we don't, it's going to slow down this whole process. And we're not going to be delivering on what President Trump has said.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And I believe what he says, because I've seen it on the ground, the number one issue in the country that the voters want changed. They want the border secured. They want people sent back to their home, to their countries where they came from. And it's not just people. It's just not Abuela. It's 184 countries from around the world.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I was with a Haitian group on Saturday, and they were concerned about Haiti in particular. And I said, if we're going to be honest, what's going on with Haiti is a different situation than China because Haiti is run by a guy named Barbecue. Their government has completely fallen apart. That's what asylum is supposed to be about.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But Joe Biden and Kamala Harris blew open illegal immigration so bad that the country has no ability to even take in Haitian migrants who are fleeing legitimate persecution because their government fell apart in Haiti. So to bring it back to center, we have to deliver in Congress.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And my view to the speaker and to the leadership is you got to do two bills because you got to deliver the money quickly to President Trump and to Tom Homan and Kristi Noem so they can get the job done that the American people want to see done. And we can still do tax policy. Nothing's going to stop us from doing that. We can get tax policy done.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We can get energy policy changed, but we've got to deliver the border money immediately. And legitimately what I think we can do is you do border, you raise the debt ceiling, and you do defense money. And the reason why you raise the debt ceiling is because there's only really two ways to raise it. You can do it in budget reconciliation where you don't need Democrat Senate votes to do it.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Or you do it with Democrat senators. And if you do that deal with Democrat senators, they're going to demand a price for raising the debt ceiling from us, which is actually setting us back from the agenda that the American people voted for in November. So to my colleagues on Capitol Hill, they're going to hear me now. Do two bills. Do border debt ceiling and defense money in the first bill.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Let's get that to the president's desk. We can get that to his desk probably by President's Day. I think the really cool thing is if the president signed the bill at the State of the Union on March 4th. Now you talk about imagery? Shoot. We're making America safe right now.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Just like you signed the executive order.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Do you know how much they get paid?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
They're already here. That's my point.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Because this is great.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And that's why we've got to speed this whole process up. I'm going to dovetail quickly. This is happening in the state right now. Most people don't know what's happening, but it's happening. The legislature and the governor are having a fight right now over the Florida immigration bill. My hope is that they resolve this quickly.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The one aspect of the bill, and this is where the governor is, in my view, correct, is that the police powers around the immigration czar, if you will, have to reside with the governor because the governor has police powers, not just in Florida, but in every state. So to change that, to me, is not the appropriate use.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But that being said, the reason they need to resolve their dispute quickly is because They have to be working seamlessly with the federal government in order to make this process work. Because we know New York, they're trying to fight it. Illinois is trying to fight it. Massachusetts is trying to fight it. California is trying to fight it. Their people don't want that.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
It's their crazy politicians in their state capitals that want it. So we got to get the business done in D.C. immediately. Because the longer this thing goes, if we don't get it resolved, you're going to start seeing more and more stories of we're running out of space. Look at all these people in these tight quarters, et cetera. And that's what the liberal crazy media is just waiting for.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So we got to be disciplined. We got to be about business. Get that done. Get the president what he needs. He'll get a huge victory. The American people will see they didn't just campaign on it. They were serious about it and they got it done. And that's what the country needs.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But even in Gitmo, there's what, 30,000 beds? Joe Biden let in 10 to 15 million people. So this is what I'm saying. You have a logistical system that Tom Holman is having to stand up overnight because the Biden team was not helping us do anything until they were officially out the door.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So the logistics of this at scale to deal with 10 to 15 million illegals over the last four years, not to mention the people who are here illegally before that time. And then that doesn't take into account the gotaways. And by the way, you talked about China.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The Chinese migrants, the reason why they show up here is because they'll pay the coyotes and the cartels anywhere from, the last number I heard was, $10,000 to $60,000. Yeah, they're willing to pay. Ahead to come into the United States. $10,000 to $60,000 per person. To come into the United States. This is big business for the cartels and for the coyotes.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And that is why what Joe Biden did was complicit. They were complicit in allowing this. They empowered the cartels. They empowered the coyotes. And it has been the great humanitarian disaster of our time. And if a Republican allowed that, the big media would have crucified them.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That's the one.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Look, before we get to that, this cigar lounge that you have, I think America needs to know I am a cigar guy. Are you really? Oh, yeah, I love cigars.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The Democrat Party has wanted open borders for decades. And what's the main goal? Because there's a... Back up. The Democrats are largely a faction, a factional party. They're a party of factions. Abortion... open borders, et cetera, all of their different planks.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So how they kind of operate as a party is you may not really, this might not be your issue, but since this is a party, we support all the issues, the staff. And that's why personnel is policy. So what Donald Trump's doing with, with federal workers and how they just came in with their team ASAP is because personnel is policy.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
When you have staffers in the White House who are committed, who work with La Raza, who work with these other groups that are totally fine with illegal immigration and open borders to expand our welfare state here in the United States, All they have to do is write the order on day one. They just stuck the thing in front of Joe Biden.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
When Joe Biden became the nominee of the Democrats in South Carolina back in, I think it was 2020, the deal had been cut that they thought Bernie Sanders would lose. So they all came together, cut the deal and said, OK, we're going to do Joe Biden. So the deal, part of the deal that basically everybody knows now is Joe Biden had to agree, had to basically sign off on all the crazy policies.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So that was the deal. The staff that went in, it was their vision to do this. That's why overnight they ended Remain in Mexico. They stopped border wall construction. They did all these things. The reason why unaccompanied minors were the first big tranche was because of COVID-19 and Title 42, because Title 42 would not allow adults into the country. That was under Title 42 because of COVID-19.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Boy, you can't do that because health ethics will come from me. So we will figure out a way where I will pay my way into the cigar lounge. And I appreciate you, though. but I will pay my way in.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
They wouldn't let adults in, but our policy was, but if a child comes in, we will let that child in. So the cartels knew this, and what they did is they would send tranches, 50 kids, 75 kids, 100 kids. I've seen it where they would walk right up to our border agents and say, we're here, and we need you to process us. And the kids are given a script to say something. I was on the border.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
There was a girl in this group that got stopped and we were talking to the girl and she's like, yeah, this is my fourth time coming across. This is business. The Biden administration knew that it was business. The staffers at Homeland and at the White House knew this was going on. They wanted it to go on. They knew young girls were being raped on the journey to our southern border. They knew this.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
They didn't care. And any other people who are who are part of this complicit in this are the NGOs. The NGOs operate on both sides of the border in order for this entire process to happen. And they use kids as the first wave of it because we as a country would say if kids come to our border, we will accept them in. But because of COVID rules and Title 42, we're not going to accept in adults.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And that's what happened. It is a staffing issue. It is an ideological issue in the Democrat Party. Even today, they argue against Tom Holman and what he's trying to do, because for them, they have always wanted open borders. And this is where people who who have studied and read about the Cloward Piven strategy of you overwhelm the system in order to rebuild the system.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That their strategy, some Democrats, not all, some are, you overwhelm each aspect of the federal system. And so that when it breaks down, then you get to point the finger and then you get to design the new. And that's really, at the core, what's going on. But that's why Donald Trump was elected to stop all this.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The biggest ones are Catholic Charities. Catholic Charities is an NGO. They get money from the federal government for... nonprofit goodwill work. We have NGOs operating all over the world. I would argue we have too many NGOs that are not operating in the interest of the United States, but the deep state has been funding them for decades.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So Catholic Charities is one of the larger NGOs. They operate, I believe, yes, on both sides of the border. And they'll do things like bring clothes, bring water, bring food, stuff like that. Because when these kids or even adults, when they're coming up to the border, they might get a liter of water in their journey. That's it. So they come up starving. They're starving. They're hungry.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
They're malnourished, et cetera. Catholic Charity steps in and provides aid. And the way the Catholic Church views it is, We're providing aid to people who are truly in need, and that's their mission. They are given federal funds through the NGO process in order to do that. The problem is, is that we fund this, but it's against our national interest to do this.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And that's why you have all these funding fights in Washington. Because when you start turning these spigots off, it goes to a lot of groups or a lot of contractors who've had their hand in the kitty for a long time And then when you start dialing that stuff down, that's when you get these reactions of you're cutting off poor people, you're doing this, you're doing that.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
No, we are right-sizing the federal government, one, so it can actually be efficient for a change, and it can actually do the things that are in the interest of the United States and its people.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That's the report. Those are the kids that could get to a phone.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We so for Selena Gomez and anybody who, you know, I understand that they have in their heart, they feel the most empathetic thing is to just do whatever you can to help people who are impoverished.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But when you allow what occurred under the Biden administration, you create a manmade humanitarian crisis because those young kids in particular, the girls and young boys who were sold into sex slavery by the cartels who never make it to our border, they're down the rabbit hole. That's not even the unintended consequences. Those are the real consequences of what occurred.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So the most empathetic thing is to secure the nation and not allow illegal immigration because you're not selling adults and, frankly, yes, young kids down a life that is unspeakable.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That was a great debate.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Yeah, absolutely. It was unbelievable.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
No, ethics.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Thomas Sowell is a freaking- If you haven't read the reader, read it. He's in a league of his own. Wait, wait, real quick. For the American people, the free to choose- You can get this on YouTube. The free to choose episodes were phenomenal. Because it wasn't just Milton Friedman pushing his economic view and his political view.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
The ethics committee is the place where nobody ever wants to see the inside of that room. The members that get told, they get basically told they're going to be on ethics because it's not really a thing like... You don't go to the speaker and say, put me on ethics. He's basically like, you're going on ethics. It's just a place you never want to be.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
He brought on left, right, and they would have real intellectual debates about some of the same stuff we're dealing with today.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Everybody should go back and watch that stuff.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So, you know, you just got to be respectful of the process. But to the top question, man, I'm a kid from Brooklyn, New York. So it's really cool to see that post come out. I think about the governor's race in 26, I'm committed to making sure we get the president's job done in Congress. We have so much to do in a little bit of time.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Myron, your thoughts? It's horrible. The airspace at DCA is probably the busiest in the country. Like if you sit out on – on a top level in a building, you can see there's always military craft moving around, man. It's just, it's just a tragedy.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And I think the bigger thing for me is the families of not just, you know, our military personnel that were in a helicopter, but of course everybody that was on the floor on the plane that was coming in from, uh, from Wichita. Um, I don't even know. I, how does the helicopter not see a passenger jet and then maneuver, uh, And so then, knowing that, was it mechanical failure?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
What else was going on? I think there's going to be a lot of investigation with the three members of the crew that were on that chopper. We're going to have to kind of dig in to what was going on with them. Because when an airline is coming in, everybody knows this at this point, when an airline is coming in on approach... it is clearly visible.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We got to get through all of that before I can definitively say what I'm going to do one way or the other. But to see that come out yesterday, I was just like, it blew me away. Because, like, Jeanette, Wilton, I've served with both of them. When I first got to Tallahassee eight years ago, when I went into the state legislature, I served with both of them.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
If you've ridden in a helicopter, the biggest thing when you're riding in a helicopter is you're trying to watch out for birds because you don't want birds to get caught into the propeller system. So you're kind of always watching for birds, but an airliner is massive. A commuter jet is still a massive plane. It's not a 747, but it's a massive plane.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So what was going on in the chopper that you couldn't Go up, down, take evasive action, whatever the case might be. How do you even get that close? I got real concerns. I want to stop there. I don't want to comment anymore. But to the families, my prayers go out to you because you lost so many people.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Like you can't miss it. You cannot miss Reagan National. People who have never flown in, it is the Potomac and then the strip. You can't miss it. Very weird to me.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Ashley Moody, who's now a senator, I know her. And so to see those numbers come out, which I didn't know were coming out. I was, like, leaving Doral because we had our retreat. I was leaving Doral, and my phone is blowing up. And I'm just like, what's going on? And I'm looking, and, yo, you're getting a thumbs up. Ding, ding, ding, ding. Yeah, I'm in. What are we doing? What's the plan?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Blah, blah, blah. And I'm like, whoa. So I called my team, and I go, we didn't release anything, did we? And they go, no, this came out of left field. We didn't know what was happening. So it's really a blessing. It's humbling more than anything else. But in terms of announcements and plans, we're not there yet.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Yeah. Do you have the clip when Trump basically told him to sit down? Because I think that's the proper way to end. Sit down on the fake news. I think you're right.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But while we find the clip, look, my thoughts on him are he was awful to go and deal with. He was pompous and swore he'd know everything. And then when you give him the facts, because he can't admit that he's wrong, and it's just the smugness he always had. So it made sense when they were like, look, dude, we ain't giving you a good slot. Take midnight or go bye. And whatever.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I think you're right. He's going to try to find his way back into network life because out there where you guys have to operate, where it's it's killer be killed.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
It's it's tough business. Oh, yeah. And by the way, that's where all media, all news media is going anyway, is going independent. That's the future. Right. He won't be able to hack it. How thick is his skin? I mean, he might be on. Didn't they just end CNN Plus? That was a couple years ago.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
That's where he'll end up.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
We've been better. I mean, look, I never talk about this stuff, but we're here, so we're just going to talk. I think that that relationship got frayed when I backed President Trump in the presidential primaries. And I think from the outside looking in, people remember back in 2022 when the governor was running for reelection, I was at the election night party.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Yes, they are.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I'm just glad he's gone. Bye-bye, Jim. Bye, Jim.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Like, I introduced him on stage, and we had that conversation. They asked me to do it, and I said, of course I'll do it, whatever you need, because he's been a great governor, best governor in the country. I remember when I first got to Congress starting to do interviews, I was calling him America's governor. And I still believe that to this day. He's been phenomenal.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Actually, I said this, but this is when reality actually comes back. You're too big to get in the door. When I was in college, you know, I used to move stuff and use whatever you can in somebody's car or whatever. You remember the big tube TVs? Now we got all flasks and spray. The tube TVs and everything over a 32-inch TV, you could not get into a sedan because the back of the tube was too big?
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But when it came to a race between him and President Trump, I had to go with President Trump. I just felt President Trump was the right person at the right time. And I think that kind of frayed our relationship because of that. But, you know, that's politics sometimes. But I think we'll find a way to figure that out and move forward. Got it.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
You shooting the music video sitting in the trunk of an SUV, and it is clear that you cannot get in the door of a sedan. I don't care if it's a BMW, a Corolla, a Camry, an Accord. You know, it could be an old school Acura Legend. You too big to get in the door.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Period. Done deal. Full stop. And listen. I know I'm a politician. I'm not supposed to say this, but we got to be honest with people. Just get the SUV. That's it. Get the minivan. Yeah. Let the minivan pull up. Yep. Let the Toyota Sienna pull up with the automatic doors and things slide out.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Hop in and you're good. To me, I think what's really happening is she knew this was possible. And you get in publicity. Thank you very much. Because you're a rapper I'd never heard of before. So maybe you get in publicity. So you get your YouTube. Shout out to her. Or her marketer.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
No, that ain't it.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
He's just going to sit there and be filmed? He canceled already. He just drove away. They're on the clock. They got to get to the next ride.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Thank you, man. It was great to be here.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
So I look at it slightly different. We're the best state in the country. That's to the credit of Ron DeSantis. It's also to the credit of Rick Scott. And in modern politics, the next thing I'm going to say, we typically don't like talking about because how they're viewed in Republican politics.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
But this whole business of Florida being the best would not be in the position we are today without Jeb Bush's governorship. So Jeb Bush started the transition from a blue state. He had to take on Lawton Childs.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And so Jeb, yeah, so if you go back to education policy in our state 30 years ago, it was Jeb Bush's A-plus plan in education that started the conservative revolution, first in education and public safety, and then through economic issues, going through the financial collapse in 08 when Rick Scott came in,
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
Hey, first of all, it's really cool to be here. Like, my wife, my friends, they're all real jealous because they're not with me. It's really cool, man, honestly. I'm really happy to be here. And y'all have too much fun already, I can see, so.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And then now to making sure that we are the free state of Florida like Ron DeSantis has done. So you can't tell our story without all three of those men. Now, and I leave out Charlie Crist on purpose because Charlie Crist is Charlie Crist. Now, going forward, you got to keep this thing in the middle of the road. That's how I see it. Your job going forward is we're the best, now stay the best.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
I was talking to some friends of mine, and we were having this conversation. I said, you remember the 91 Bulls? Michael broke through. At the time, it was Michael's just – he's just a scorer, but he's not a winner. They break through in 91. And then the hardest thing after 91 was not that Michael's the greatest because he is. It is the consistency to stay the best 92, 93, 96, 97, 98.
PBD Podcast
RFK Jr. Hearing, Trump & Guantánamo Bay, American Airlines Crash w/ Rep. Byron Donalds | PBD Podcast | Ep. 541
And the way you stay the best is you got to be in the gym every morning. You got to make sure you're doing your, your film study. You got to make sure you got everybody on a practice floor. It's the, it's the consistency. So now to your question about what do you do as Florida? Number one, you keep it in the middle of the road. Number two areas for growth.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
Good to see you, Charlie. It was good to be with you the other day. Great Patriots supporting you. And side note, everybody, Charlie, you and Turning Point done tremendous work. Thank you for everything you've done, not just for the country, for President Trump, but really for young people in our country. I think it's going to be a bright future ahead for America.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
Well, first, we have a wonderful state, best state in the country by basically every metric that's available. So the first thing you want to do is take a great state and make sure it stays that way. We have to continue to be number one in the nation and lead the Florida forward.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
and make sure that the United States and everybody else understands that we're the best state governed, period, full stop. And the agenda is gonna be about making Florida the financial capital of the world, having digital assets be the center point of that, and then building around that with some of the financial moves already starting from Chicago and from New York.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
And then also, if you look towards the Space Coast, where we are already seeing major investments into the Space Coast, allowing that to become a tech hub where you continue to build our state. It makes our economy far more diverse than what it's been in the past because Florida is no longer a destination state. Florida is really an everything state. We have something for everybody.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
Number two, insurance. We got to fix the insurance problems in Florida. Insurance rates have gone up against our citizens. My property insurance rates have gone up. So has every other Floridian. We have to find a way to stabilize costs. It's going to mean reexamining some of our reinsurance capital requirements.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
re-examining cap requirements on insurance carriers, a lot of other things that we're going to have to get into and really figure out how to synthesize the Florida insurance market so it can become a little bit more affordable for the people of Florida. Number three, last but not least, is building off of the stuff that's already been done in our educational system.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
We are the number one state in the country. We're number one when it comes to school choice. It's taking those legacies, those victories, and building upon that And one of the things that I want to do is actually create an incubator for AI technologies that can help a student achieve proficiency in math and reading in our state.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
When you look at state test scores, everything is based around being at grade level. What I want to do is help as many students as possible achieve proficiency and mastery of math and reading and of writing skills, because those are going to be the...
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
the baseload skills every child is going to need in order to be successful in the future of Florida's economy and in the future of the world's economy.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
Well, a couple of things. First and foremost, a lot of this movement has already begun. And a large part of that is because of how Governor DeSantis managed COVID-19. You had people who had the ability to move and say, why would I continue to live in a state like New York where they take away your liberties? They don't allow you to do business. The regulations are out of control.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
And they looked to Florida, they chose Florida. We were open and we were managing the state through COVID-19. And so they've already started that migration. I think as we deal with some of the digital assets stuff here on DC, on Capitol Hill, because digital assets has kind of become a hub in Miami already, what you can do is really focus the
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
focus Florida towards digital assets, I would like to see a crypto exchange in Florida. So that way you have a center hub of that. Because Miami is already an international hub for Central and South America, it allows more capital to flow to our state.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
And the last piece of that is, and as Donald Trump is successful with his economic agenda, you're going to see more onshoring and nearshoring of manufacturing. When I say nearshoring, you're talking about Central America, you're talking about South America. And so Miami becomes a natural hub for all of those things. I'll say the last piece of that is intentionality.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
I think if you have an intentional focus to make it the financial hub of the world, now you start looking at Chicago and New York and you're saying, why would you live under that tax regime, that regulatory regime, states that are not safe?
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
When you can be in Florida, where we're going to keep you safe, we're going to make sure that you're a super friendly business climate where you can grow your enterprises. And then you match that with a world-class university system, which Florida already has. Now you have the blueprints for your future workforce.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
If you're a business owner or you're somebody in high finance, I think it's really a sweet spot for everything. To your question about what New York used to be, I would liken it a lot more to what California used to be. California used to be the golden state. It used to be the benchmark of the country. No longer. Florida is the benchmark.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
And if we focus our energies on bringing finance and the tech space to Florida, we will only continue to grow while maintaining the conservative principles that got us there.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
Well, it was in Selma, Alabama. It was the 60th anniversary of the Bloody Sunday March across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. For people who don't know a lot of civil rights history, there was a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge 60 years ago that was led by former Congressman John Lewis when he was a civil rights activist. I think he was 25 years old when he organized that march.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
And when they were crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge, to go to Montgomery, Alabama, which is the capital, they were met by state troopers. And essentially, they were beat up by state troopers. And that's why it's called Bloody Sunday, because they bled on the bridge.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
And so I went there really to pay homage to the activists that were fighting for the right to vote for Black Americans in Alabama, and frankly, all through the segregated South. Being there, I felt, was important because a lot of times what's happening today is the assumption is that civil rights history does not include Republicans. That could be the furthest thing from the truth.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
The federal judge in Montgomery, Alabama, Judge Johnson, he was the judge who was a Republican appointed by Republicans that actually started to undo the state laws around banning black people from being able to sit anywhere on the bus, banning white-only countertops, banning white-only water fountains.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
So I felt it is important that not just myself, but any Republican, it's important to be a part of these trips because the history of civil rights in America is a history of where Republicans were the ones who were fighting for civil rights in each one of the Civil Rights Acts that were passed, in the Voting Rights Act that was passed, predominantly Republicans were behind those bills.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
And then also activists on the ground, many Republicans were on the ground fighting for civil rights. So it was really an honor to be there and commemorate something that is a part of American history.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
Well, look, I'm going to vote for the bill. And it's very simple. We got to give Donald Trump the breathing room he needs to get the agenda done. I hate CRs. I don't even want to be in this position. In my view, we should have took care of this back in December, but that didn't happen. So we are where we are. The real game up here is budget reconciliation.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
If we can get the budget reconciliation bill done, that's the president's agenda. mirrored with spending cuts that are going to be important to get our debt and deficits to begin to get them under control. I mean, we're not even fully getting them under control, but that's the starting place. That's going to be the best that we can achieve out of the current environment.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
I think as frustrated as people are, understand Democrats in the Senate, if we need six or seven of them to vote for anything when it comes to spending, they want to be able to still carve out a lot of these spending monstrosities. which is why I think the leadership couldn't negotiate the appropriations bill. I wish we had started that.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
Frankly, the second the election was over, but that's not what happened. And so unfortunately, we're in this place where the president has asked for us to support it. I'm going to support it. That way we can get to budget reconciliation, cut mandatory spending and reform mandatory spending while passing his agenda.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
And then when we do appropriations over the summer, then you can bring in the stuff that Doge has been doing, those cuts that they've been bringing. You can cut that stuff out. You can do all the other additional reforms and begin to stabilize the federal budget.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
Listen, thanks, Charlie. Take it easy.
The Charlie Kirk Show
Is the Left Waking Up? + Charlie's "Love is Blind" Reaction
I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
You already got me in trouble, Charlie, but that's okay.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
So, look, at its core, it's mismanagement. This is what happens when Washington does what it typically has done, where we call it the four corners, when they kind of go into a room and nobody else knows what's going on. The difference between today's Washington and the Washington we all know is that there is real outside influence that can stop garbage bills from being passed at the last minute.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Oh, this is a great question. So first of all, how you hold him accountable is you want to constantly be in communication with him and his staff. On the Hill, staff is everything. We say in Washington, personnel is policy. So whoever's working in the office tends to dictate because the members, we're running all over the place.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
So you want to stay in contact with the staff and with him as much as you can. His schedule, especially these first six months, he's not going to be home a lot because we got a lot of work to do. So we're going to be in Washington a lot. But that doesn't mean he's not doing the right thing. Second thing is, you got guys like me. Not that you said that. I'm going to find him.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I'm going to be like, hey, Tom, I saw some of your people. I'm going to be watching. But for your area, and this is important, electoral politics only work when you are engaging people locally on a continuous basis. It's about building relationship, not just getting votes.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
And so if you are constantly in your community having these conversations with kids who are in high school now who then become college students and then become young adults, they're in your churches, they're in your communities, they're at the local bar, they go to the local restaurant. When I give speeches in areas...
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I talk sometimes to the people who are working the room, not the people who are sitting at the table, because the people that are sitting at the table, they already agree with me. I mean, y'all agree with me. That's cool. I get it. The people that are working the Phoenix Convention Center, those are the votes that we need.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
And when you think about how to go through the process over the next two years, you want to be focused on the working men and women of your community. If you have them in alignment, not in 100% agreement, in alignment with where your philosophy is, it is easier to get them to vote your way when it comes to elections. Very good. Next question, Daisy.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Thank you. Oh, boy. California.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Oh, yeah, he is thinking about it, actually.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
That's crazy. Look, to add to that point, Florida 35 years ago was a blue state. It was. I mean, obviously, it's the best state in the country now, but it was a blue state. So it takes consistency over time. I will tell you, especially in California, it's the same recipe for Lansing, Michigan. You have people in those communities who are frustrated. They just don't know why.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
The Democrats in California, obviously, they have a massive machine. You know, they're talking about some lady running to be governor out there. I don't know her name. I don't think anybody knows her name because she lost. But anyway. Hillary Clinton. Oh, yeah, maybe. But it's about consistency over time. That is the key thing in a state like California. And I will also tell you this.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
If you can slowly move that state, you now shift the electoral college for the presidency and the balance of power in the Senate in a major way. That's right. So just be consistent. Lock in. See your people every single day. Last thing I'll say real quick. The three issues in Florida, as I was told by the political leadership of that time, was education, crime, and economy.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
So, you know, when members started saying no publicly on this bill, Elon comes out, says this bill should not pass. President Trump comes out, says this bill should not pass. At that point, they had to go back to the drawing board. And that's when members came in the room working with the leadership to get to what we got to here.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
That's what they focused on when Florida was a blue state. Education, crime, and economy. So I would say that's the three areas I probably will focus on in California.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
That's a great question. It is. It is the most important question. The first part is this is why elections do have consequences. You've got to at least have a blockade somewhere. The second thing is and I think the one positive out of covid-19, it was really a reset. I think mentally for how people see the country and what they want out of our government.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
The next year is going to be critical in that step because it is about deportations, economy. border security, foreign policy. If those things get back in the line the way they need to be, then it gives the voices of all of you here a turning point. But then this new ecosystem of alternative media, which is in some respects becoming bigger than big media now, it gives that ability.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I think it is bigger. You think it's bigger now? I think alternative media for the right is way bigger than traditional. Yeah, it probably is. But those are the building blocks you need in order to keep these ideas going. Obviously, we have to do the business next year. I don't want to get ahead of myself talking about 2028.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
The big thing now is next year, which really starts in a week for us, we can't have any missteps. We have a large agenda we have to get through, not a lot of time to do it.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
But if we do our job next year, not just on Capitol Hill, but also in our communities, continuing the effort of being engaged with voters on the ground, that will keep your majorities in 26. And that will help you hold the White House in 28. Very good. Next question. Chris Nordstrom from Idaho. So, Congressman, would you support a convention of states to propose term limits for Congress?
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Absolutely. Absolutely. Look, I'll just tell you straight. There's only a handful of colleagues that have really been around a long time. Actually, on the Democrat side of the aisle is where they have members who do not leave. The Republicans, if you look at us, especially over the last decade, members average term is around six to eight years on our side.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
We have some older members, Mr. Lucas of Oklahoma, Mr. Cole of Oklahoma. We have some members that have been in Washington probably since Newt came in. But that's the vast minority on the Republican side of the aisle. But I will tell you, in Florida, we had term limits.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I would have never had the opportunity to serve in the state legislature and then have this opportunity now if it wasn't for term limits. So I do believe that people need to move on. Move up or move out. Make room for other people to come in. Next question.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I agree. Look, I think that the speaker is going to make sure that doesn't happen. One of the biggest issues that happened with January 6th is that Nancy Pelosi was derelict in her duty to make sure that the Capitol was secured. Donald Trump provided 10,000 National Guard troops on January 4th. They were authorized. The mayor of Washington, D.C., put the National Guard on traffic duty.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
And during – and people need to know this. During 2021, during January 6, 2021, this was COVID. Nobody was coming to D.C. So there was no traffic because nobody was driving in to go to work because all of the district was shut down. That what happened was wrong. Nancy Pelosi should have made sure that the place was secured.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
And I believe it is correct that then FBI Director Mr. Wray – or he's probably still with us, hasn't resigned yet – They actually transmitted intelligence to the Capitol about concerns on January 6th. We don't know what happened with that because Nancy Pelosi stopped the Oversight Committee from investigating what the Capitol Police knew and when they knew it.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
And then the J6 Committee was a travesty of justice. We all know that.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Yes. And I would say we're going to get that information probably somewhat sooner rather than later, because when you have a change in administration, it's going to open up a lot of things that are going to be investigated.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
In my view, there's only pros, not cons. I know that everybody has a great member of Congress. You have some great ones here in the state of Arizona. They are awesome men. They are patriots. However, nobody is promised anything forever. Not in this life. And I do think that on par, term limits are better off for the republic and for the people that we serve.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I've heard the arguments about how you would lose institutional knowledge.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
If you get elected and you're not smart enough to figure this thing out, then you're going to get unelected. And...
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I will take the collective wisdom of people who come to Washington or go to a state capitol over those who become so enamored with their own intelligence because they've been there too long, they're stuck in the game, stuck in the process, and do not see what's happening on the ground in the lives of people on a day-to-day basis. Byron Donalds, everybody.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Yeah, it is. Because members were asking questions. Where are we with this? What's our game plan? Weren't really getting any real answers. Then you start hearing rumors around town. We hear there's a package. We hear this is in it. We hear that's in it.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
And you weren't really hearing anything concrete until, you know, whether it's lobbyists, staff members start coming back to members and reporters saying, hey, we hear it's going to be about 500 pages.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Sometimes, yeah. Sometimes you hear about it from media.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Yes. And I will tell you, and let me expound on this. The 118th Congress, which is the one that just ended, has been, in my view, a very historic one. We started this Congress with a major fight over the speakership because members like myself and others wanted to see the ways of Washington change. And we actually did accomplish a lot of those things. But to be blunt...
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
When McCarthy got vacated, a lot of the stuff that we kind of got accomplished was rolled back, and it was embodied in what came out this last week. So we have to get back to the drawing board, get back to making it a member-centered process.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
If it's a member-centered process, you don't have these issues, and you have, frankly, the will of the voters reflected in the packages that come out of Washington.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
When you start hearing things from the lobby corps, from K Street, from staff members and from media before you hear from it, from your leadership. That's a problem. And I will tell you, I will tell you, there is a lot of us who are who left D.C. either this morning or last night saying we're not going into 2025 operating this way. We're just not.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Again, truly, I'm not – I will expand. I will expand. It's incumbent upon the leadership to realize what went wrong and fix it immediately. If they do that, I think things will be fine. If they don't or they don't come to a recognition of that, there's going to be other discussions that are going to be made.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
There was a conversation that was had not yesterday, the day before. We're we're looking. Honestly, the package that ended up was not the best one. We're starting to look at how are we going to get the the the agenda done because President Trump has a mandate. So how are we going to get that through Congress? There are some major adjustments to spending that are going to have to be made.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
There's a lot of us where our attitude is, go home, see your family for Christmas, get back to town the 27th, and let's just work. Because it's going to be a day-in, day-out process.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Yes, it should be, yes. Not 150 pages, let alone 1,500 pages. The leadership, to be blunt with you, the leadership and the Democrats – And also you have a lot of our colleagues where their view is we'll fix it next year. I just want to get out of town.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
It's insane to me. I want to say it's not Christmas break. What this town likes to do is bring everything up to the last minute. No, that's exactly right. So it's not Christmas. It's what were you doing in June and July? What are you doing in September?
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
I mean, we've never been so far away from an election. But I will tell you, that's why when that deal came out, you had so many members go against it. Because members like myself and a lot of my colleagues, they were like, we just won a major election. Why are we acting as if we need the Democrats to bail us out of something? Like, we won.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
So at this point, we should be dictating terms, not having to go to them saying, well, this is what we're trying to accomplish. What do you need? Because please, please, please, that stuff you can't do. Because once you start that way, Charlie, you've been in negotiations. Anybody that's worked, you've been in negotiations. Once you start coming to the table like you need something, you're done.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
What they want most is to keep the majority. Okay. They have that. Thanks to Trump. But I'm going to expound upon that. And by the way, you're correct. They do have it because of Trump. The focus of the – and this man right here. You are correct. And this man right here. Leadership likes to be in leadership. So everything is always about the next election and keeping the majority.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Even now, the conversations are, well, we're going into the midterms. The odds are we're going to lose. So we have to do everything we can to keep the majority. My position and the position of a lot of members who agree with me, a lot of them you'll probably hear from today, are if you accomplish the agenda, that helps us get to keep the majority. But you've got to do something.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
What good is a majority if you don't do anything? Exactly. Exactly. The purpose of majority is to accomplish your agenda. And the purpose of accomplishing your agenda is to change the way the government works and the way your society is organized. And the only way you get to that point is you have to institutionalize an agenda. And say what you will about Nancy Pelosi.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
She's never had a problem making her members walk the plank to accomplish their agenda. And we have to be agenda minded. We have to be mission minded. And that actually helps you keep your majority. What do they fear most? not being in leadership.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
But I will stress to you. The thought process and the working process of the leadership in both chambers is going to be critical to that because that town has its own muscle memory, which Donald Trump ran up against the first time. Now, the thing that the town doesn't like more than anything else is the fact that he's had time to now think about it. which is problematic for them.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
But can we do it? Yes. It takes will more than anything else. And where I will dovetail, Charlie, and this goes to the work you did during this campaign. Because you demonstrated that young voters can go to the polls and pull the lever or check the box and vote for the future of this country and vote for conservatism and common sense and republicanism, however you want to view it.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Because you proved what the political world said could not be done. It gives wind in the sails of people in D.C. to say, you know what, maybe we should do this. The other thing is you got to have people who are just willing to go home. to get the mission done. Like, I don't care. Send me home. I'll go make money. I like money. It's great. My wife might be happier than being in Congress.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
But she's happy. Don't get me wrong, ladies and gentlemen. She's very, very happy. But you get what I'm saying. But you got to have members who understand the purpose is to come and accomplish it, not to come and stay. Amen.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
It's great to see you. Victory. It's great to see you, my friend. Thank you.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
One pushback I will tell you. Since probably 2016, there's a new wave of member. I agree with that. The new wave of member coming in, these people actually have done stuff. And I think they're adopting more of the mindset of I'm not coming here for a 30-year career. They're coming in to serve, might be eight years, 10 years, but then they want to go home.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
Like I told my district, you got 10 years max out of me, and then I'm going home because it's time for somebody else. And so I think you have that wave of people coming into the house, which is going to make it easier to get, not just to pass tax cuts or not just to make sure we secure a border, but to make sure that becomes the way that the town thinks about these policies.
The Charlie Kirk Show
The Next Generation of MAGA Heroes — Exclusive Interview with Rep. Byron Donalds
That's the institutionalization of the America First agenda, which is the real North Star that we need to accomplish.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
Dan, it's good to be with you, man. And by the way, congratulations. I didn't think you were ever going to go back into government work, man. So congrats.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
Well, first of all, yeah, my candidacy went official yesterday. We filed the papers in Tallahassee. And so I'm in the race and I'm running. And for me personally, We have a great state. You know that. And it's about staying on top. That's the key thing. So there's a couple of things I want to do. Number one, we have to fix insurance in our state. We have an insurance problem. Rates are going up.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
People's home insurance are getting canceled. They got to go scramble to get another carrier to fill that gap. So, you know, I want to use some of my background in banking and insurance and financial services to to try to help the state expand the number of carriers in our state.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
We might have to do some stuff around capital requirements for insurance carriers to make it easier for them to write insurance in our state. And another key thing is that, you know, we're a hurricane-prone state. That's just the reality. So we want to make sure that when a homeowner has to call on their insurance carrier, that that process is as smooth as possible.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
And my district's been hit several times by hurricanes. The most major one the last time was Hurricane Ian. And so being on the ground working to help people get back on their feet in my district, you start to go through some of those issues with people trying to get their claims done, trying to get adjusters out, trying to get responses from insurance carriers.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
And so, look, it's going to be an all-of-the-approach strategy. We've got a lot of work to do to clean that up. Second big thing is I want to make Florida the financial hub of the world. So much... Capital is moving to our state.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
You know, a lot of the people who were doing business in New York and in Chicago who through COVID, you know, they looked at Florida and really because of the leadership of Ron DeSantis, they said, you know what, I got to go to Florida. And in a lot of respects, their politics changed along the way.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
So they're Republicans, they're conservatives, they're down in Florida, but they still do major business in finance. I want to focus the state towards becoming the financial capital of the world. We can do that in our state because, you know, we're not just a retirement state anymore, Dan. We've become an everything state. Everybody's coming to Florida to do something.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
No, 100%. I mean, I'm glad you brought up Delaware. For a long time in our country, Delaware was the state people went to to incorporate their business. So what I want to do is make it the easiest to incorporate. I want Florida to become the easiest to incorporate. I want to set up business courts in Florida.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
So it's easier to adjudicate those issues that do go through your judicial system anytime you're dealing with a lot of corporations in your state. But to the competition, Vivek Ramaswamy, good friend, running for governor of Ohio, you know, Vivek and I talked offline and I heard his speech talking about how he wants to make money. Ohio, the best state in the country.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
And my joke for him was, well, look, congratulations on that vision, but you're still going to be number two because Florida is number one today and we're going to be number one into the future. So it's about taking public safety seriously. We're going to continue the work that Governor DeSantis has done on that, the work in education, continuing that great work.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
But then it's about becoming much more open in terms of economics. Again, being able to be a hub for finance and be the center of not just the country but of the world when it comes to finance. And then, of course, you've got to fix insurance. Insurance is going to be key. And one big thing, Dan, and I think this is important, we've led the country when it's come to school choice.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
I was in the legislature. When we passed universal school choice, my sophomore year in the legislature, I passed at that time the biggest expansion of school choice in the country, which was the Hope Scholarship at that time.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
And so now that we have universal school choice in Florida, now we've got to make sure that every child has every tool available to them to become proficient in math and in reading and in writing. That stuff's going to be crucial for our success going forward, and that's what I'm focused on.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
No, I totally agree. And I think part of it is being a little technical about it. You have kids, if you're a kid who grows up, you know, I'm just going to say, you know, on the lower end of the economic spectrum, it's difficult because you may not just have the resources available to you to go get.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
And so, you know, and especially when summertime comes, the studies are clear, children fall behind after summer vacation, right? Because they're not reading every day in the summer. They're not doing math every day in the summer. And a lot of that really falls on top of who the parent is in that home.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
You know, my mom, we were poor, but she made sure that I was doing work in the summertime to stay not just at grade level, above grade level. And so there's some other things I want to talk about. Not right now. We're still flushing out some of those ideas.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
But it's about having an intentional focus on every specific child in our state so they have those tools to achieve proficiency in math and reading. Like when we measure our schools and measure our school system, we look at it from a grade level. Well, grade level is just a medium. That just means if you're at grade level, all that means is that you're better than the bottom 50% of your class.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
That's how we measure it. What I'm talking about is proficiency, mastery in reading and math. If you have kids, no matter what your background is, being proficient in reading and math, it will not just supercharge the state of Florida. That gives you the great leaders you need for the future of America. And that's what this whole thing is about. And you're right.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
That is the precious resource is the future potential of children in America. They are the precious resource. If they're highly educated and prepared for the world in front of them, man, they're going to make us look like a bunch of bums, Dan. I'm just telling you right now, we're going to be nothing compared to those kids.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
I totally agree. I think the biggest thing from Donald Trump, and again, Dan, I'm so thankful to have his endorsement to run for governor. I didn't even mention it. I'm so excited to have his endorsement. It's huge. And early, too.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
I'm thankful for his support. But what he taught our party is how to stand and fight. Let's be very clear. It was about how to stand and fight and deliver. You saw that with Governor DeSantis. You see it with J.D., with Vivek, myself, countless others who maybe they don't have as much shine on evening news and on social media.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
But you now have an entire phalanx of Republican elected at the federal level, at the state level that nobody's really ever heard of. that they are now committed to the principles of common sense, of economic freedom, economic liberty, conservatism, but they are prepared to stand in the gap and fight for those principles and not be shy about what they believe. They're really undaunted.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
And I think that's because of the strength of Donald Trump, and now you're seeing it come out in the bench in the Republican Party. So, you know, as long as we don't just get too cute and get too dumb and just stay focused on making sure the main thing is the main thing, man, the wind is really at our back. And the last thing I'll say on that is we can't stop now.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
Like, just winning in 24 is not enough. There are people in our country who are not historically Republicans or conservatives, but they're people of common sense. They don't really care about politics or their politics have been dictated by family and friends.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
But if you're bold and you're committed and you have the right policies and you have the right agenda and you're willing to go and engage these people in every town and city of America, you'd be surprised how many of them will be willing to choose our philosophy and vote for us and stand with us to make this country great.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
So, you know, from the perch in Florida, if I'm successful to be the next governor, my mission is going to be to lead Florida, continue it being the best state in the country. Sorry, Vivek, you get to be number two, but, you know, the best state in the country. And we're going to lead and we're going to make sure the other 49 know how to get the job done.
The Dan Bongino Show
Sunday Special with Vince Coglianese, Tim Burchett, Byron Donalds, and Vivek Ramaswamy
All right, listen, thank you, Dan. Take it easy.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Fox News GOES INTO PANIC MODE over Trump’s FATAL MOVE
Five, the drug cartels have had operational control of both of our borders, Larry. This has got to change. Donald Trump promised it and he has delivered.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Fox News GOES INTO PANIC MODE over Trump’s FATAL MOVE
All I can say, Larry, is to the American people, promises made, promises kept. Donald Trump told you he was going to do everything to secure this nation, and that's what he's done. No talking points, no silly blue ribbon panels that go nowhere, no meetings that do absolutely nothing. Decisive action with results.