Governor Wes Moore
Appearances
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
I think it's showing what oftentimes bullies are going to show, that bullies are oftentimes people who are actually the weakest. They're just the most insecure. You know, you're going to have a showdown with a president who was literally attacked and has been spending the past years fighting and defending his people.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
in a in a in a violent and brave way despite watching an invasion of his country and that's who you choose to beat up on when you bring all the governors together you're going after the governor of maine uh about what about what she's doing in her state it's this type of it's this bullying behavior that i think is um is is not just not just unnecessary on call for
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
it leads to this measure of performative politics that, frankly, I think people are just exhausted by. Because people just simply want results in their own lives.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
They want results for the things that they care about in their own lives, about reducing costs, about things like being able to give the middle class a tax cut and not the wealthiest a tax cut, about being able to provide more housing and have more housing inventory and bring down housing costs.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
That's what people want to see, not the performative bullying that we're just continuing to see from Washington right now.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
No, this isn't detox. This is destruction. And it's doing it in a way that's playing with people's lives and playing with their livelihoods and playing with their legacies. And what's really interesting is that when you look at what's happening to specifically the people who have raised their hands to serve others,
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And also staying there now and telling people who have worn the uniform of this country, who have been willing to pay the highest price to be called American. People who have done things that the vast majority of this country have not signed up to do and wouldn't sign up to do. And now looking at the service they are performing and saying that they are, maybe they're not fit to serve.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
Hearing that come from somebody who was never willing to take that oath is deeply, is very rich. And as a veteran myself, very offensive. Because these are people, these are patriots. These are people who are willing to sacrifice something on behalf of this country with one simple ask that the country does not forget that.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
Does not forget the service they did or does not forget their family members. That was our one ask. And that is not being honored right now with this administration. When you're watching this assault on federal employees, and not to mention the fact that one in three federal employees is a military veteran.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
When you look at in our state alone, over 23,000 of our federal employees who call the state of Maryland home is a military veteran. And so I am thankful and proud of the fact that Maryland is such a veteran heavy state and it's such a veteran laden state. I want Maryland to be the best state in the country for our military veterans and their families.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And I also just want the United States of America to honor its promise. And I want this administration to be able to honor the promise that was made long before they came into office and should be honored long after they come into this office as well.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
Yeah, well, I think if you look at the intent that they've laid out about increasing government efficiency, about making sure that we're reducing waste, fraud, and abuse, that we're making sure that we're being good stewards of taxpayer dollars, I think the reason that you're starting to see the disconnect between what DOGE is doing is because people are seeing what states have already started doing.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
If you look at the state of Maryland, long before DOGE was a thing, one of my first hires was a chief performance officer. whose job was to go in and work with our cabinet secretaries to be able to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse within our state government. So we focus on things like how can we do fleet management and IT consolidation? And how do we have real estate?
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
Specifically, the people who are our public servants, the ones who are making sure that seniors are getting their health care, the ones who are making sure that veterans are having a proper final burial, the ones who are making sure that our streets are safe, that these are the ones that are being told that somehow their work is unnecessary or that or non-essential.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And knowing that the real estate, some of the real estate we have that the state owns, that we should not have that on our books. Or doing massive procurement reform or regulatory reform. This is work that was already happening in the state of Maryland. The difference is, is that we did it with values.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
and we led with humanity, and we made sure that, yes, we were cutting tens of millions of dollars, which we have done already in the state of Maryland, but we weren't doing it in a way that was also compromising our values.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
That's the difference of what Doge is, is that not only has there been a deep compromising of values, in many ways, many of the things that Doge is doing are illegal or unconstitutional. and not being done in coordination with the cabinet secretaries.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And so I actually understand why cabinet secretaries are pretty mad when they're being so minimized and not being allowed to do anything or any of their jobs, because now it seems like Doge is the ones in charge of every single one of these agencies. There's a way to do efficiency right.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And if you want to look at how to do efficiency right, look at Maryland, look at these other states, look at these governors who are already doing this work, except we're doing it with a baseline of humanity and value.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
You know, I look at what we're doing and where we are also talking about tax cuts. In fact, in our proposed budget, we are giving a tax cut to the vast majority of Marylanders, where two-thirds of Marylanders are about to get a tax cut, where 82% of Marylanders are either going to get a tax cut or see no changes in their taxes at all.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
The difference is our tax cuts are targeted towards the middle class. Our tax cut is making sure that middle class families and working families are getting a little extra in their pocket and a little extra pressure valve relief. But we're not going to build an economy that's on their backs.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
If you look at what's happening when it comes to business efficiency and business effectiveness, we also agree that we need to make our jurisdictions more competitive and easier for business. That's why we're proposing things like a corporate tax cut. But, you know, we're also proposing is predictability.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
We're proposing performs when it comes to regulatory forms, permitting reforms, procurement reforms, because what business owners want more than anything else is basic predictability. And what are we watching on a federal level? We're watching tariff announcements being made and then pulled back.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
We are watching statements that are moving markets and then statements that are adjusting the markets right back all within a five hour period. So you're watching chaos. What people are looking for is they're looking for stability and they're looking for people who are showing that they understand their situation and they're willing to fight for them.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And so I'm actually really proud that we have introduced tax reforms that's giving a tax cut to the middle class, that we're making it easier for businesses to be able to come and grow and thrive in the state of Maryland, that we're investing in our people, in our public education system, investing in childcare and investing in housing and creating a greater housing inventory, bringing down housing costs.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
These are the things that people care about and then they'll see the results in their lives and not this performative politics that frankly, I think people are very frustrated by.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And it's especially deeply offensive when we are seeing this attack on people who have who have raised their hands to serve and taken an oath and an attack by people who have never been willing to take that oath themselves. And so this is this is not a detox. This is actually a fundamental devolving of basic American values.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
videos what would your message be right now though to the trump administration watching this right now what's your final message i mean i that that was word salad i didn't understand what that was or what that meant um but the thing that the message that i would say is we are actually eager to be able to work together uh if we feel like those that our priorities are actually aligned
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And if you're saying that we want to be able to have a growing economy, we agree. And there are things that can be done to actually put money back in the pockets of working class families, of being able that you're controlling costs, that you're actually investing in industries of the future and making it easier for businesses to grow.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
That if you tell me that we want to make sure that we have a federal workforce that's supporting what's happening when it comes to our larger economic growth is we agree. But the way you do that is not by slashing the Department of Veterans Affairs and supporting those who have worked and have earned the support of this country.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And so I just I want for this administration to be able to follow through on the things that they were talking about in the first place, because the people did ask for for a measure of disruption. No one is defending a status quo. And I'm the last person that is going to defend a status quo, especially when you look at the fact that my life has been a byproduct of a brokenness of a status quo.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
However, there's a difference between disruption and destruction. And that difference, that difference, the casualties of that difference are the American people. That's where our work matters most. And so I want for this administration to be able to move, move lawfully in a way that we know that we can actually advance the issues and the interests of the people of this country.
The MeidasTouch Podcast
Maryland Governor Wes Moore Calls Out Trump & Elon in Exclusive Interview
And there's a way to do it and there's a way not to do it. And unfortunately, we have seen a lot of latter from this administration.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Because I'm constantly sitting there trying to convince and push the governor to do this, the governor should do this, the governor should do that. So like, you know what? How about you run yourself and actually start making the decisions that you've been pushing them to make for so long and just standing there getting frustrated because they're not making those decisions.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
It's more than that. It's both. Because actually, I think messaging comes from actually having a core grasp and belief of what it is that you're trying to message. where I think part of the reason that oftentimes there's been a messaging problem is people don't believe it. They don't believe it themselves. They don't think about those issues in the same way.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
It's not something that's been integral to them. It's not something they had to come up in or had to live through. And so when I talk about the need to be able to say we've got to do a better job of investing in education, that we have to raise a minimum wage like we've done in the state of Maryland, that we have to invest in childcare like we've done in the state of Maryland.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
We've made historic investments in childcare in our state, that we have to be able to put people on pathways to service options like we in Maryland.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Maryland's now the first state in the country that has a service year option for all of our high school graduates, that we have to do things like, you know, I signed the largest mass pardon in the history of this country for misdemeanor cannabis convictions. It's not because those were intellectual exercises that I went through.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
I'm thinking of like many of my family members, many of my friends and the people who my mother did not get her first job that gave her benefits until I was 14 years old. First job that gave her a job with reliable hours. First job that allowed her to work one job instead of multiple jobs. She got that job when I was 14. And this is a woman who went on to earning a master's degree.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
So these disparities that we see in our society that are not because people are not willing to work. That's not the reason. We have policies that continue to be put in place that are putting people and keeping people in challenging situations for them and their families.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
So that's, we have to message better by having better policies and having better policies that are then being translated and pushed by people who actually believe in what they're talking about. Because the people can sense something when someone's being disingenuous or when they don't actually believe what they're talking about.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
I'm telling you, when I first decided to run for governor, I had people who were trying to talk to me and they're like, listen, I know you're new to this. I know you haven't run for office before. You need a bumper sticker. You shouldn't say poverty. Literally. You shouldn't say poverty. Why?
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
well it's not a good word people don't like it they don't want to hear it they don't want to be reminded of it they don't want to it's not because they don't want to be reminded of like poor people or what was it what's the issue with poverty honestly i i did not even pressure test it because i dismissed it from jump because it's like listen i i want to be clear this is a core part of my why
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
This is a core part of why I wanted to even get involved in this business in the first place, because I cannot believe that a country like ours allows this level of child poverty, that allows children to have their lives decided for them before they even have a say. Like, we are so much better than this. And so I said, so to tell me
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Well, listen, when you're on the campaign trail, don't talk, don't use the word poverty. You're basically telling me that I'm not the right person to be doing this job because I'm not going to change who I am. And I'm not going to change the things that I care about and the things that I'm going to fight for. And so you are right.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
There has to be, for people who choose to get into this business, you have to be very clear about why you're doing this in the first place. And you have to be very clear that you are are the person who at the end of the day needs to believe in what you are saying.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Because if you do not believe in what you are saying, if you're just willing to take and swallow what other people tell you what to say and not say the things that people are telling you to stay away from, then you will very quickly find yourself just being a vessel. And no one wants that sitting in any position of real authority or power.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
I think it's the number one issue ever.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
You have to make sure that people see how this actually can tie directly back to their lives. So, you know, for example, when I'm talking about what we're doing around expungement, right? And people are like, well, you know, why does that matter? Or the work we did around pardons.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Expunging people's records. The reason that we talk about expungement is, do you know how challenging it is for anybody? Once they have served a debt to society to be able to come back and get a home loan, to get a job, to get a student loan or get accepted to a school? And what happens to us if that person, if we are basically making every sentence a life sentence?
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
that that person no longer has the ability to contribute. That person no longer has an ability to be able to participate in our economy.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
And the thing that I say, and one of the big reasons that we're continuing to push on things like we've got to do a better job of supporting our men and boys, is if you show me a young man who does not care about their own future, you're also showing me a young man who doesn't care about yours either.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
So there is a distinct reason why we want to make sure there are more people engaged and involved. When we talk about making it, when we talk about raising a minimum wage and making sure that people have a chance that no one who is working a full-time job should be living in poverty.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Or when we talk about things like childcare and why we've made historic investments in childcare is because I don't want any parents to have to choose between, is my child going to be okay? Or can I go back to the workforce? So you got to really make it personal and you got to be able to break it down for people.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
So they really see how are these policy issues, how these politicians, how is that going to impact my life? And how is this something that I should really rally behind? And I think it's why it's working in our state, because I think people see that the things that we are pushing for a tax reform, that's going to give the vast majority of Marylanders a tax cut. and ability to create more housing.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Like, I can still run with these boys. The problem is the next day is like I could barely get out of bed the next day because I was so sore.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
We just passed the most aggressive housing package of any Maryland governor in recent history. And we're coming back for more again in this year's session. It's because people are seeing in their everyday lives that these decisions that are being made actually will have an impact on what they want for themselves and their families.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Yeah, I think a lot of it is all of the above. Misinformation is a very real problem. And I say this because I would go oftentimes and talk to people about why I was supporting the vice president and why I wanted her to be next president. And some of the questions that I was getting from people, I'm like, where did you get that information? And these weren't like digs at her.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
They thought they're asking legitimate questions, but they were so factually incorrect that there is a problem with misinformation. And where are people getting their stuff from that they're then internalizing? But also, I don't think this can be something where if people feel like the only time you care about what I think or the only time you're showing up is if you're showing up every four years.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
then I ain't got no time for you. If people feel like, you know, the things that you are spending so much time addressing a certain issue and I feel like my issue is not being heard or interpreted, I'm not going to be excited for you. And so I do think how we are
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Thinking about ways we are bringing people into this conversation, how you're talking about people like they're actually assets and not deficits. I mean, I'm I know I'm personally exhausted by the conversation where every time the conversation around what we do to help black men comes up, we're talking about like, you know, incarceration.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
I'm like, we're not having a conversation about wages and wealth creation and all the kind of stuff we're having conversations about incarceration. And it's like it's very offensive to a lot of people as is happening. And I think one thing that we do have to be really, really careful of is the either or, right? Where it's like, are you going to support immigrant families?
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Or why does that support not go to African American families? We have got to just make sure that as we are thinking about not just the policy issues and what happens in terms of voter turnout, the lack of voter turnout was not the head. That was the tail.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Well, this thing was building up for a very long time. And so when people are looking at voter rolls, like, oh, man, what happened to black men or what happened to Latino men? The answer is what happened is this happened a long time ago. You're just now figuring out because we now have this quantitative data point that's showing they're disillusioned.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
They're frustrated and not even necessarily with a political party. They're frustrated with political system that just doesn't seem to see them and doesn't see them as the assets actually that they are. That doesn't see a place or a space where we can have positions of real authority and leadership.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Where somehow when people are sitting there in these roles, that somehow it's because of a social experiment. You know, I think about myself. I'm not I'm not the governor of Maryland because of a social experiment. But I also know this.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
I'm not the third African-American ever elected governor in the history of this country because I'm only the third African-American who was ever born who was qualified to be a governor. There are real structural problems and challenges that I think we have to be both honest about. But then as we get in these seats, be unafraid to do something about them as well.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
If we can do that, you're actually going to speak to people and you're going to watch how increased voter turnout is not going to be a revelation, but increased voter turnout is going to be something that has just been produced because you've already been doing the work.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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I think first, I think Democrats need to care to address it.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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I still think it's still so foreign for people. to wonder why you would, why you are patriotic or what that means and what it looks like. And I think there's been almost this, this conceding of the flag or for the word patriotism, which for me is deeply frustrating because, I mean, I, you know, I, again, I think about my own family history where, you know, my grandfather,
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
was born in South Carolina. Literally his earliest memories was when the Ku Klux Klan ran him and his family, my great-grandfather, my great-grandmother, out of the country. They go back to Jamaica. Most of my family who was with him said they would never come back to the United States, and a lot of them did not. But my grandfather did.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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He comes, he goes to Lincoln University, HBCU in Pennsylvania. He becomes a minister like his father. When he became a minister, he became the first black minister in the history of the Dutch Reformed Church. And the same threats that was coming to his father started coming to him. But he stuck.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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And I always think about my grandfather, where this is a person, he passed away at 87 when I was in Afghanistan, fighting for this country. And he was 87 years old. He had a deep Jamaican accent his entire life. And he's maybe the most patriotic man I've ever met. He loved this country. He loved what this country stood for. And this is a person who was, his earliest memories was a Ku Klux Klan.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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It was very fun. That was a great day.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
You know, was a minister in the South Bronx. And he saw the complete deterioration of a neighborhood. And in many ways, an intentional deterioration of a neighborhood. He lived through times when one of the lessons I've always learned from my grandparents was that you never say no to a bathroom and you never say no to a meal. Those are good lessons. Those are good lessons, right?
The Rachel Maddow Show
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If someone says you need a restroom, use it. If someone says you want something to eat, take it. Because they grew up at a time when that wasn't guaranteed that you were going to get it whenever you wanted to.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
And he loved this country. He was so proud when I joined the army, which was fascinating to so many other people. But he was like, literally like tears in his eyes when I told him I was joining the army at 17 years old. So I am passionate about what this country means because I saw it through his eyes, flaws and all.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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And so the idea that somehow someone can take that from me, someone can take that from my family. Someone can just, you know, particularly people who have not put in the work in the same way that my family has put in the work in a way of honoring and really loving this country and sacrificing for it, flaws and all. I just think we need to, we need to be firm on this.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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And if you believe in this country, that doesn't mean saying that it is flawless. Loving your country doesn't mean lying about its history, but loving your country means you actually have a role in making it better. And that means willing to do the work, knowing that the history that we come from is a powerful and a bold history. And that we do have an obligation to do our part to make it better.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Yeah, no. Fair? I didn't bet a couple of years ago that I'd be the governor of the state. Other people didn't bet initially either. That is true.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Yeah. You know, I think the reason that I stay engaged and why I am still deeply hopeful for the future is because I know our past. I know our past has been dark. I come from a state where people forget Maryland is the northernmost southern state in the country. The Mason-Dixon line runs through the state of Maryland. The bloodiest battles of the Civil War were fought in Maryland.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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Maryland is the home of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. It's the home of Frederick Douglass. It's the home of Thurgood Marshall. And I think part of the reason that I am still so deeply hopeful and excited actually in this moment is because I know the journeys that we've come from and I know our DNA. And I do.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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I mean, sometimes even on really, really difficult days, I look at history and I like to read history. And I'll read up about Harriet Tubman. You know, a woman who was born in the Eastern Shore, found her way to freedom, and then spent the remainder of her life being one of the most profound conductors in the Underground Railroad, literally doing dozens of trips, bringing people into freedom.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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And who I last year actually made a general. One of the great things about being a governor is you can do that stuff. So she is now General Harriet Tubman. But I think about what a hypothetical conversation with Harriet Tubman would be if I was telling her how difficult the days are right now. And watching her reaction, considering what she saw every single day.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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And considering that when she got to her freedom, she could have been sitting in Philadelphia and saying, I'm glad I'm done with that. And instead of doing that, she then went right back down to Maryland and came and got more people. And then when she brought more people to freedom, she went right back down and brought more people to freedom.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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And I imagine what her face would look like if I was sitting here telling her how difficult my day was. I think the thing that I want to remind people is do not forget how powerful you are. Don't forget our history. We've seen dark days before. We've seen challenging moments. And the reason that we're here is because there are people who came before us who said, hold on, we're going to be okay.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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And I think right now what our society needs of free people to say to us, we're going to be okay, guys. Just hold on.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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Thank you, Jen. This is so exciting.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Y'all probably, though, have the most potent offense in the NFL. Your defense can't hold anybody.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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But your offense is like, is lice out.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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Oh, the Ravens, however. The Ravens only let me do little things with them. The University of Maryland, I did a full practice.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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And the next day, that's when I noticed a difference. I can still run with these boys. The problem is the next day. Is like, I could barely get out of bed the next day because I was so sore. And I'm like, that's the difference. It's just they- They recover faster. They recover so much faster. And I'm like, that's the age kicking.
The Rachel Maddow Show
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Um, because I do it in the private. I mean, and here's, and here's the thing too, is where, you know, I played college football. I think football is the most beautiful game that's ever created because I think it is this perfect combination of, of a physical game, but it is a highly technical, highly cooperative game. And I just, I, I fallen in love.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Like I will literally go back and watch old games. Like I'm looking at film.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Because I'm always fascinating about the ones who do it really well. What makes them so good? Like what makes Lamar Jackson such a unique talent inside the NFL right now? What makes a Saquon Barkley such a great running back is they just see things that other people don't and the game moves slower to them, even though they might be the fastest thing on the field.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
So I just I've always I've just come to love this game where even when I'm at when I go to the Ravens games, You know, I will sit there watching the Ravens game and also have like the red zone on here because I'm watching the other games while I'm watching the Ravens games. So I just I've always loved it. I always have.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
And, you know, one thing I always said about getting into into this game and getting into politics was that I never wanted to change who I was. That who I was before needs to be who I am afterwards. I say the greatest compliment that anyone could ever give me is if they say, it's the same dude I knew from 10, 20, you know, 30 years ago.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
If they can say that, then I feel like I would have done my job. And so since I'm a, I was a huge football fan beforehand. So I'm gonna be a huge football fan now.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Yes. And you forget about why you're actually doing this. So, for example, I mean, the reason I'm doing this is not because I'm trying to fulfill a lifelong goal. This was not a lifetime goal. You know, I wasn't at 11 years old. I wasn't thinking about what am I going to do to be the
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
In fact, actually, when I was 11 years old, I had handcuffs on my wrist. I was actually arrested at 11. So that wasn't something that was in the cards for me. So I very much feel like I'm kind of playing with house money right now. And so I do think that part of it is, is that there's a lot of folks who just seem to forget, why are you doing this in the first place?
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Like, what is the thing you want to solve? What's the problem that you want to fix? And if it's just about I've been thinking about this for a very long time, then now it's about you. And that's the problem.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Because not only does it mean you're not going to be effective in what you're going to do, because one thing I've learned about the job, man, it takes a dogged passion on an issue or on issues that you will give up everything for. But that's the reason why I'm doing this. So that's the reason that I think I'm going to stick to. If you don't have a core conviction.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
then you're going to find this work being very, very frustrating. And frankly, you're going to find yourself being forgotten very quickly because you're not doing anything that's actually helping people who try to put you there in the first place.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
But how do they respond? I think now they believe me because they realize there's certain things you can't fake. Like when I get out there every single Friday, I will go on and I'll give predictions, sports scores. What do I think is going to happen? Who's going to win? Why? I break the whole thing down.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
I think that I now get more comments from people who are like, I'm actually starting to get betting tips from you because I think I'm hitting like 70% so far this year. I'm pretty good.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Well, no. I can't stand the Eagles. I just want them to win this game.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
I just want them to... I just want the Chiefs to lose.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
The Chiefs will win. Listen, the Chiefs are just another, they're another category at this point. Because, you know, we're literally talking about a team. And think about this. The Kansas City Chiefs, it's been basically a calendar year, right? In the past calendar year, they've lost one game. Mm-hmm. That's how good this team is.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
And when people say, well, they're not willing the same and they don't look the same. My argument is a, when you look at certain elements, like for example, the running game is actually better than what it was last year. The second piece is, I don't understand the argument of they're not winning the same. I'm like, wait, stop. Let's break apart that sentence. They are still winning, correct?
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
So what are we talking about? This team just knows how to win. And I tell you, I think about it where a little over a year ago when the Chiefs knocked off my Ravens and I was at the game. So I'm sitting there, I'm at M&T Bank. I'm watching the Ravens come out and they're all hyped up. The crowd is nuts, right? I mean, we're just so excited.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
They're up there, they're sprinting, they're doing flips and all that kind of stuff. And I saw the Chiefs walk out of the locker room, just like all business. and just going out there, running their drills, drowning out everything around them. And I remember thinking to myself, shit, we're going to lose. Because they're like, we've been here before, guys. We know this.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
The lights are not that bright. And so I would love to see the Chiefs dynasty end. I don't think it's going to happen with the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Hmm. Um, I think one of the biggest things about sports that translates to governor is the most important things that you do as governor are not the things that people see. It's the things they don't, right? It's what you're doing in preparation. It's, it's how you are running your government. It's how you're building your administration.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
It's the things that you're reading and how you're spending your time. The things that people see that's, that's, that's showtime. That's the game. Champions are not produced on game days. Champions are produced in the days in between game days. And I really think that's, you know, sports did a great job. I know in my life of teaching me, how do you win properly? How do you lose properly?
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
How do you focus on building a team? Because everything is going to be about who's to my left and who's and who's to my right. And how do you make sure that you can prepare for the long term? Because the great thing about sports oftentimes is for each of these things, it's not about games. These are seasons. And so you can focus on an individual game.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
I'll talk with rising stars. If you believe in this country, that doesn't mean saying that it is flawless. Loving your country doesn't mean lying about its history. Grizzled political hands.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
But you have to remember, you have a long season ahead of you. And making sure that you're thinking about that when you're doing your preparation, I think has been huge because we're very clear. In fact, I have a clock that sits on my desk that counts back the amount of days that I have until my first term is up.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
And the whole point of it is to never lose sight of the long distance that we have, but to also understand that with that day, I'm never going to get that day back. So what are you going to do that day to make sure that it's helping to lay a foundation for what you're hoping to get done by the time that clock runs to zero?
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
It's, I mean, honestly, for me, it's a bit embarrassing, you know, because I think about for many people who are living in poverty, there is this idea that, well, they should just work harder. And I'm like, how hard do they have to work?
The Rachel Maddow Show
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Just get a job. And I think about it in context where, particularly when we're talking about children who are growing up in poverty, people say, well, how does poverty show itself? It literally shows itself in every single aspect of your life. It shows itself in the water you're drinking. It shows itself in the air you're breathing.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
It shows itself in the transportation assets you have or don't have. It shows itself in how you're policed. It shows itself in the schools that your children attend. I mean, it literally shows itself in every single way. And since the reason that we have so many people living in poverty is not because of laziness.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
These are policy decisions that oftentimes are in place that are either putting people and keeping people in poverty. And when I ran Robin, I ran Robinhood for four and a half years and we did really good work and I was really proud of the work that we did. But there also was a very clear understanding of this.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
But if you're not fixing the policies that are actually putting people and keeping people in poverty, And then you're just simply cleaning up the debris that comes from broken systems.
The Rachel Maddow Show
Listen to “The Blueprint with Jen Psaki”
Where, I mean, I used to have a quote that stood on my desk that said, from Dr. King, where it said, the philanthropist is commendable, but the philanthropist can never forget the economic injustice that makes philanthropy necessary. And that's the thing that, you know, when I was going through this process and thinking about, you know, you know what, maybe I should run for governor.