Is Texas Still a Democracy? with Beto O’Rourke

Summary

Podcast Summary: "Is Texas Still a Democracy? with Beto O’Rourke"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know
• Host: 186k Films
• Guest: Beto O’Rourke
• Episode Title: Is Texas Still a Democracy?
• Release Date: August 13, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of "Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know," comedian and political commentator Hasan Minhaj engages in a candid and incisive conversation with Beto O’Rourke, a prominent Texas politician known for his multiple electoral campaigns. The discussion delves into the intricacies of Texas politics, Beto's political journey, and pressing national issues such as immigration, voting rights, gun control, and the state of democracy in Texas.

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Beto O’Rourke’s Political Journey

Early Campaigns and Losses [00:02 - 04:16]

Hasan Minhaj opens the discussion by highlighting Beto O’Rourke’s series of electoral defeats:

• Hasan Minhaj: "You ran for Senate in 2018. You lost. You ran for president in 2020. You lost. You ran for governor in 2022." ([00:02])
• Beto O’Rourke: While acknowledging his losses, Beto emphasizes the broader impact of his campaigns beyond mere victories.

Notable Quote:

“The effort produced more than just the outcome in a given race.” – Beto O’Rourke ([04:05])

Beto reflects on his Senate run against Ted Cruz in 2018, noting significant achievements such as:

• Raising employees without PAC money ("we took no PAC money") ([04:33])
• Mobilizing grassroots support with tens of thousands of volunteers across all 254 Texas counties
• Achieving unprecedented voter turnout among young voters, up 513% ([04:33])
• Influencing the election of 12 insurgent Democrats in the state House and two Democratic Congress members, contributing to a shift in Texas's political landscape.

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Understanding Texas Politics and Demographics

Immigration and the Southern Border [15:51 - 21:09]

Beto provides a personal perspective on the U.S.-Mexico border, having grown up in El Paso:

• Describes El Paso and Ciudad Juarez as a single, intertwined binational community, highlighting their cultural and familial connections ([16:03]).
• Emphasizes that El Paso is one of the safest cities in America, countering stereotypes that equate proximity to Mexico with increased criminality.

Notable Quote:

“We are a city full of immigrants. We're not the outlier. It's safe because we are a city full of immigrants.” – Beto O’Rourke ([16:34])

Beto criticizes President Trump’s rhetoric on immigration, arguing that dehumanizing immigrants has real and tragic consequences, exemplified by the 2019 El Paso shooting:

• Connects anti-immigrant sentiment to violent acts, stressing the importance of combating misinformation to prevent future tragedies ([18:54]).

Voting Rights and Gerrymandering [29:23 - 38:59]

Beto addresses the state’s restrictive voting laws and gerrymandering efforts:

• Explains how Texas has implemented stringent voting measures, such as eliminating online voter registration and consolidating drop-off locations, which disproportionately disenfranchise voters under 30 ([36:07]).
• Discusses the legislative session aimed at redrawing congressional districts to favor Republicans, a process known as gerrymandering ([29:45]).

Notable Quote:

“Members of Congress get to choose their voters instead of the other way around.” – Beto O’Rourke ([29:45])

Beto advocates for proactive measures to counteract gerrymandering, citing California Governor Gavin Newsom’s initiative to redraw maps as a model for Democrats to reclaim fair representation.

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Gun Control and Public Safety

Addressing Gun Violence [39:28 - 45:28]

Beto passionately discusses his stance on gun control, particularly in response to recurring school shootings in Texas:

• Advocates for stringent measures such as raising the legal age to purchase rifles to 21, implementing red flag laws, and enforcing universal background checks ([40:47]).
• Criticizes the lack of legislative action despite devastating incidents, highlighting the influence of the NRA and political inertia ([41:55]).

Notable Quote:

“23 people in my community had just been killed because it is perfectly legal in this country to buy an AK47.” – Beto O’Rourke ([39:28])

Beto also reflects on the emotional and societal impacts of gun violence, emphasizing the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to protect future generations.

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Democracy and Authoritarianism

Threats to Democratic Institutions [33:32 - 36:32]

Beto draws parallels between current political trends and historical authoritarian regimes, expressing concern over the erosion of democratic norms:

• Warns against the consolidation of power and the potential rise of authoritarianism in the U.S., likening the situation to the early days of Hitler's regime ([34:00]).
• Emphasizes the importance of restoring checks and balances and upholding the Constitution to safeguard democracy ([35:50]).

Notable Quote:

“This is legal. It doesn't make it right.” – Beto O’Rourke ([29:45])

Beto underscores the critical need for active civic engagement and legislative resistance to prevent the undermining of democratic principles.

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Closing Thoughts and Hope for Change

Optimism and Civic Responsibility [43:36 - 47:42]

Despite the formidable challenges, Beto remains hopeful about the potential for positive change:

• Highlights historical successes achieved through persistent activism and collective effort, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 ([43:36]).
• Encourages a spirit of resilience and proactive engagement, warning against complacency and despair ([45:28]).

Notable Quote:

“We can't allow people to become cynical or to give in to the temptation to give up or to despair. We got to fight and we got to try.” – Beto O’Rourke ([46:03])

Beto envisions a future where bipartisan efforts and grassroots movements can overcome entrenched political obstacles to create a more equitable and just society.

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Conclusion

This episode of "Hasan Minhaj Doesn't Know" offers a comprehensive and heartfelt exploration of Texas politics through Beto O’Rourke’s experiences and insights. From tackling systemic issues like immigration reform, voting rights, and gun control to addressing the broader threats to democracy, the conversation underscores the importance of active participation and resilience in the face of political adversity. Beto’s optimism and commitment to transformative change provide listeners with both a critical understanding of the current political climate in Texas and a hopeful vision for the future.

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Notable Quotes with Timestamps:

1. Beto O’Rourke on Grassroots Impact:
   “The effort produced more than just the outcome in a given race.” ([04:05])

2. Beto on Safety in El Paso:
   “We are a city full of immigrants. We're not the outlier. It's safe because we are a city full of immigrants.” ([16:34])

3. Beto on Gerrymandering:
   “Members of Congress get to choose their voters instead of the other way around.” ([29:45])

4. Beto on Gun Control:
   “23 people in my community had just been killed because it is perfectly legal in this country to buy an AK47.” ([39:28])

5. Beto on Democracy Threats:
   “This is legal. It doesn't make it right.” ([29:45])

6. Beto on Civic Responsibility:
   “We can't allow people to become cynical or to give in to the temptation to give up or to despair. We got to fight and we got to try.” ([46:03])

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Final Notes

This summary encapsulates the core themes and insights from the episode, providing a thorough overview for those who haven't listened. By focusing on substantive discussions and excluding promotional segments, it delivers a clear and engaging narrative of the conversation between Hasan Minhaj and Beto O’Rourke.

Transcript

[Hasan Minhaj]

Lemonade. You ran for Senate in 2018. You lost. You ran for president in 2020. You lost. You ran for governor in 2022.

[Beto O'Rourke]

You lost.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Mr. Beto O', Rourke, what public office are you planning on losing in 2026? Beto O' Rourke is probably best known for the races he lost.

[Beto O'Rourke]

But.

[Hasan Minhaj]

But to be fair, he lives in Texas, a state that hasn't elected a Democrat statewide since 1994. And he did come shockingly close to beating ted Cruz in 2018. He made Ted campaign so hard, Mr. Cruz had to cancel five vacations. Now, Beto did have that regrettable gaffe in 2020 when he blurted out the thing that no Democrat is allowed to say.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Hell, yes, we're gonna take your AR15.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Look for mainstream Democrats. This was his Michael Richards moment. Although if Michael Richards had said that word in Texas, he definitely wouldn't have been cancelled. But whatever your impression is of Beto o', Rourke, it is clear from our conversation about the Southern border, voting rights, guns and more that Beto deeply loves his state, although apparently not enough to learn the lyrics of its official anthem. God bless you, Texas.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Really hit it. Really hit it, Texas.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Keep you brave and strong that you.

[Beto O'Rourke]

May grow in power and worth throughout the ages Long Tess.

[Hasan Minhaj]

You really gotta hit it high.

[Beto O'Rourke]

You really gotta hit it high. You're strong. Brave and strong.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Brave and strong. That you may grow in power and.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Worth throughout the ages. It's beautiful.

[Hasan Minhaj]

So you had no idea that that was. That's the anthem for the state of Texas?

[Beto O'Rourke]

No. I don't know.

[Hasan Minhaj]

You ran for governor?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I did.

[Hasan Minhaj]

This is a. Maybe that was the reason I threw a fastball. Because we all know, sure, that's the official Texas national anthem, but we know what the real anthem is.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Is that really the anthem of Texas?

[Hasan Minhaj]

Yes.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Okay, cool. Well, now I know.

[Hasan Minhaj]

But you know what? Like, every Texan knows what the anthem is, right?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I think of the. The most Texas song is Deep in the Heart.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Let's do it. Hit it. The stars at night are big and deep in the heart of Texas the prairie sky is white and high Deep in the heart of Texas the sage in bloom is like perfume Deep in the heart of Texas Reminds me of the one I love that's beena Deep in the heart of Texas the coyote as well. Along the trail Kind of scary. Deep in the heart of Texas this one's cute. The rabbits rush around the brush Deep in the heart of Texas the cowboys cry hi, hippie. High.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Deep in the heart of Texas.

[Hasan Minhaj]

There we go, man.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Thank you.

[Hasan Minhaj]

There Are a lot of podcasts based in Texas. They don't make their guests get up and do the two anthems for the state. So I just want to let you know.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah. This is head and shoulders above anything that I've seen out there coming from Texas. So thank you for honoring our state. Even though we're in New York. Right.

[Hasan Minhaj]

I'm not one of those coastal liberal elites.

[Beto O'Rourke]

No, no, you're not.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Let's get serious for a moment for our audience that hasn't met you and does not know your government. LinkedIn. Let me give the audience a little taste of who Mr. Beto O' Rourke is. You ran for Senate in 2018, you lost. You ran for president in 2020. You lost. You ran for governor in 2022. You lost. Mr. Beto O', Rourke, what public office are you planning on losing in 2026?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I also ran for city council a couple times and won. Ran for Congress three times and won. You know, I think it's certainly important to let people know how you finished in these races, but I think the effort produced more than just the outcome in a given race. In, in 2018, for example, when Iran.

[Hasan Minhaj]

And this was a huge deal. Let's, let's give you your pretty big.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Deal when, when we ran for Senate against Ted Cruz in, in Texas, we took no PAC money and, and not corporate PAC money, but also not liberal PAC money, no Planned Parenthood, no Sierra Club, just, just people donating, supporting the campaign. We had tens of thousands of volunteers out there knocking on doors and we went to each of the 254 counties of Texas. And at the end of the day, we won more votes than any Democrat first since LBJ in 1964, to win the five major urban areas and their surrounding counties. Young voter turnout up 513%. We got within two and a half points of Ted Cruz. But more importantly, 12 insurgent Democrats defeated 12 incumbent Republicans for the state House. Biggest sea change we'd seen there in a very long time. Two Democrats defeated two incumbents, incumbent entrenched, well funded Republicans for the United States Congress, helping to change the balance of power in the House of Representatives. And in Houston, Texas, the most diverse City In America, 17 black women won election to judicial positions. So it was absolutely transformative for Texas and I'm grateful that I got to be a part of it, even if I didn't win my race at the top of the ticket.

[Hasan Minhaj]

And you also won half a million Republican voters. What made those voters change?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I think people want to see something different in this country, and they know it's going to have to take something different in our politics. So, you know, not taking the PAC money, not being beholden to the corporate side of the Democratic Party. You know, no focus groups, no poll tests, no consultants, just people hanging out with people and going to the places you'd expect to see me in Texas, like Austin or Houston or Dallas, and we were there. But also going to Amarillo or Dalhart or Tyler or Texarkana or Palestine or Pittsburgh, Texas, too. These are places where Democrats have feared to tread for decades. And so Republicans don't really have to show up either, because they don't have a competitor on the ballot November. And these folks had gone unrepresented, unfought for. So showing up and showing that, I think, profound respect of meeting people literally where they are, wherever they are in Texas helped to produce these outcomes. And it didn't require me to trim my sales or to moderate my positions or to, you know, find my place on the political spectrum that aligns with what the political scientists say is going to be popular in Texas. I could just be myself and connect with people who wanted to share with me what was going on in their lives and in their communities. And out of that came something really special.

[Hasan Minhaj]

So you're born and raised in Texas?

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah, El Paso.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Okay, walk me through this. I grew up in Sacramento, and I think Sacramento is the Texas of California. But I hear this, and I need you to break this down for me. I see this on the Internet. People go, I'm from Texas and don't turn my state into California. What do they mean?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I don't even know. And I'll tell you what.

[Hasan Minhaj]

What do they mean?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I think they're, they're talking about whatever the caricature is of California that most people don't like. If it is fakeness, if it is high taxes, it is, you know, government that isn't solving problems, if it's homelessness, if it's diversity, if it's people who don't look like you or pray like you or love like you do. But, but I want to share this with you because I think this is really interesting.

[Hasan Minhaj]

No, I, I, I legitimately don't know what they're talking about.

[Beto O'Rourke]

So this, this might defy the expectation that a lot of people had. Yeah. In 2018, I won the votes of those cast by people born in Texas. I beat Ted Cruz. When it came to people who were born in our state, Ted Cruz beat me.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Okay.

[Beto O'Rourke]

With people who had moved to our state from California and Other places. Interesting. So. So that's something that most people probably didn't. Yeah, that's an interesting detail. These folks coming from the coast are going to vote for Beto. They're liberals or progressives. I think, in some case, they're. They're folks who think that they'll find a more appropriate cultural home in Texas for the things that they're into, whatever that might be. And those are the folks who voted for Ted Cruz.

[Hasan Minhaj]

So Democrats are looking to defeat Republican incumbent John Cornyn in 2026. Is the ring calling to you?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I don't know. So here's what I've learned from running these races that you just described. Yes, even in 2018, arguably the most successful effort I made statewide, I was at the top of the ticket, at least the only candidate who was raising significant money, the only candidate who was able to go to all these 254 counties, the only candidate who was able to raise volunteers, media attention, you know, and get this engine really rolling. If I had been joined by another or maybe two or three other candidates at the top of the ticket for governor, attorney general, lieutenant governor, for example, I'm confident that one of us would have punched through for one of those offices. It could have been me for Senate, somebody else for governor. When I ran in 22, same deal, I was taken on Greg Abbott, who outspent me nearly 2 to 1. There was no other Democrat at the top of the ticket who was able to raise or campaign sufficient to the tasks that we had, which meant that it's not just me running against Greg Abbott, it's me running against every statewide Republican who can spend tens of millions of dollars in their races, cumulatively, absolutely burying us. The logic also extends down the ballot if. If we field strong candidates for every state House seat, every congressional seat, in other words, if you have a full team running, then we can win. And I want to be part of that. And so right now, I'm talking to, you know, the Jasmine Crocketts and the Joaquin Castros and the James Talaricos and the Colin Allreds and others who have the potential to run campaigns at this level. And if there is a role for me within that team, I'd love to take it on. And if not, that's okay as well, because the most important thing is not my political career or what I do or don't do. The most important thing is saving this country right now, given the threats that we face. And I think it all comes down to Texas.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Help paint the picture here, which is so, obviously the incumbent right now is John Cornyn, but he recently got booed at his own rally.

[Beto O'Rourke]

As you know, we are still red.

[Hasan Minhaj]

And now it looks like Ken Paxton is going to be the name for our audience that doesn't know who Ken Paxton is. Please describe who Ken Paxton is and be as profane as possible because that does better on the algorithm.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah, okay. Ken Paxton is the Attorney General for the state of Texas. He has been indicted twice under active FBI investigation. He was impeached by the state legislature for alleged crimes that he had committed. A state legislature that dominated by Republicans of his own party. He's a scumbag, he's a crook, he is corrupt. He's as bad as it gets. You might see that and think, well, if this guy is the nominee, then it's a cakewalk for Democrats. The challenge is we had someone very much like that just win the presidency of the United States in 2024.

[Hasan Minhaj]

That's what I was about to say. I was like, I think you're big upping him right now because it sounds pretty presidential.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Totally. So, you know, this guy, ironically, could try to run as an outsider. He could say, hey, they've come after me because I am fighting the system. I'm trying to drain the swamp. You know, the old Trump line of they're coming, they're trying to come through me to get to you. And only I stand between them and you. I am your champion. I am your defender. So I think he would be formidable and not somebody that we could take for granted. I think he's also likely to be the nominee because he is deeply popular with the most extreme magasite of the Republican base in. In Texas. Unlike John Cornyn, our senior senator, who, as you mentioned, was booed at the Republican State convention. I mean, no one loves John Cornyn. Nobody really hates him that much either. He just doesn't elicit a bunch of emotion one way or the other.

[Hasan Minhaj]

I would consider you to be a Ted Cruz expert. You have gone head to head with him many a time, Is that correct?

[Beto O'Rourke]

That's true. I mean, I ran against him. And certainly I'm trying to point out to people just how dangerous this guy is to our country.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Okay, so as a Ted Cruz expert, why is always on vacation at the worst possible times? 2021.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah.

[Hasan Minhaj]

During the power outages.

[Beto O'Rourke]

He hits Cancun, Ritz Carlton in Cancun.

[Hasan Minhaj]

2025, most recently during the floods. He's in Greece.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Now, this raises an important philosophical question in regards to the chicken or the egg? Is it Ted Cruz landing and then causing natural disasters, or does the natural disaster start and he decides to skidaddle?

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah, the question extends to his attendance at Astros games in Houston. It seems that when he was sitting behind home plate, the Astros would lose. So I think he's a curse upon the people of Texas, any way that you put it. It's clear that he doesn't care about the people that he purports to serve or represent. You know, that should be damning in and of itself, and for me, it is even worse. And, you know, this wasn't the case in 2018, but it certainly was in 2021, his effort to incite an insurrection against the country's government in which he serves to try to overturn a lawfully, fairly, democratically decided election. My opinion, that should bar him from any public service and really should prompt an investigation by the Department of Justice into his role in that insurrection attempt on the 6th of January, 2021. And I think it's one of the big failings, honestly, of the previous administration and their Department of Justice. They didn't prosecute those, like Donald Trump or like Ted Cruz, who are responsible for that insurrection and the fact that we nearly lost, you know, what Lincoln called the last best hope of earth. They had a, you know, they were going to hang Mike Pence, and they had a gallows constructed at the plaza. They were beating the shit out of cops, and many took their lives in the aftermath of that insurrection at the Capitol. You know, they. They threatened to kill lawmakers where they worked. And Donald Trump, once he is in office, pardoned each and every single one of them, including the ones, especially the ones who beat those cops and nearly killed them. So, look, that's on Donald Trump, but it's also on those of us and the American people who understood the crimes that he committed, who recognize that we have a system of justice where no one is above and no one is below the law, certainly not former presidents included, especially before the Supreme Court, said that they were immune for their official acts and he should have been prosecuted. Why he didn't, you know, I don't know. But. But it has brought us to where we are now, where the president is using the Department of Justice to go after people who are innocent, like President Obama and other officials in previous administrations. So when we don't act, when we have the chance, there are real consequences and, and ramifications for this country, and we're seeing it play out right now.

[Hasan Minhaj]

One of the things that Texas is a hotbed in Terms of the discussion is the southern border and immigration. You grew up in El Paso, correct?

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Okay, so you literally grew up on the southern border. This is a photo of what El Paso and Juarez look like from above. And they kind of look like the same city.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah, it's fucking beautiful. I mean, I see that, and it. It just gives me chills.

[Hasan Minhaj]

So. So growing up around that, right. Did the border kind of feel arbitrary to you because it all looks like one big city?

[Beto O'Rourke]

You know, in some respects, the border is. Is very real. You go through a checkpoint when you want to go into Ciudad Juarez, or if you're coming north from Ciudad Juarez into El Paso, but beyond that, like culturally, historically, familially, you know, I'd go to school with kids at Mesita elementary in El Paso whose grandparents were in Juarez. And so on the weekends they stayed at their parents home in Mexico. You know, the food, the culture, the cuisine, the music. What's really amazing is that El Paso is pretty geographically and politically isolated from the rest of the country. Like, it's four hours north to Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is, you know, eight and a half hours due east or, you know, southeast to Austin, Texas, our state capital. For Ciudad Juarez, it's four hours to their state capital in Chihuahua, Mexico City, a similar distance. So we really formed and grew up together and it's this really beautiful symbiotic relationship that has produced something that you won't find anywhere else in the world. It's the largest binational community in the Western Hemisphere, maybe the largest binational community in the world. And as you showed in your picture, it's not like Tijuana and San Diego, which have a binational relationship, but there's some distance between them. These two cities, the street grids literally flow into each other. You know, families are on both sides of the border. You know, businesses operate on both sides of the border. It's really a magical, beautiful, wonderful place. Nothing else like it.

[Hasan Minhaj]

One of the things that you talk about is, I can tell there is clear passion in how you feel about it because you actually live there. So in your book, this is a pull quote from your book, where you talk about kind of the way people talk about the border when you actually live there versus, hey, you're in a new studio and you're talking about a cultural war debate. The border is so physically isolated and removed from the centers of power and popular culture in the United States, I. E. New York or la, and Mexico, that it ends up being defined by those who've Never been there. Whose imaginations run wild with danger. What do people who've never been there fundamentally misunderstand about the southern border beyond.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Everything that I just described to you? You know, kind of my subjective experience of having grown up there, and now we're raising our kids there, you know, by the numbers. It's one of the safest cities in America. Some years it was, bar none, the safest city in the United States of America. And it absolutely defies the popular conception and the conventional wisdom that the border, because of its proximity to Mexico, or because about a quarter of those with whom we live were born in another country and chose to come here and, you know, plant their flag in El Paso, that somehow that makes us more dangerous or more prone to criminality or violence. I mean, hence Trump's escalator speech. You know, they're not sending their very best. These are the rapists and the criminals who are coming to get us. And he doubles down on that, right? He talks about an invasion, very scary, militaristic term. He describes immigrants as animals. So he literally dehumanizes them, which I think is predicate to putting them in cages, to taking their babies away from them and deporting the mom back to Honduras and putting the kid up for adoption here in the United States, as he did. And it also was unfortunately, inspiring to those who would act on these fears. There was a guy in Allen, Texas, who heard Trump talking about this invasion of Mexicans coming to get us. Purchased an AK47, drove 600 miles to El Paso, walked into a Walmart in 2019. And before he, he goes in, he posts this manifesto and says, I've come to repel the Hispanic invasion that I've been warned about, and then goes into that Walmart and blows away slaughters, kills 23 people in a matter of minutes in a city that's, that's metro area is about 1 million large, that doesn't lose 20 people in a given year because it's so fucking safe. And it's safe not in spite of the fact that we are a city full of immigrants. It's safe because we are a city full of immigrants. We're not the outlier. I mean, you look at New York City, you look at Laredo, Texas, you look at San Diego, there's a correlation between immigrants making our communities better, stronger, and, yes, safer as well. And so I make this point to you because it's not just that it's a bummer that people don't get us. It's that when they don't get us or when they purposefully lie about who we are. There are lives that are lost in the process. 23 in El Paso. And it is bound to happen again unless we're able to stop this. So. Well, I think part of my mission is making sure that I share the truth.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Well, I think what's more terrifying than that is it isn't just the one off kind of extremely cruel moments of xenophobia, racism and bigotry. It actually informs a larger public discourse around immigration that then informs how we look at immigration as a country. Because by the way, we're having this conversation in New York City in and I know people in Texas and Florida, they go, new York blows. And it does. But not because of the reasons you're saying. They're like, I'm not going to New York City. I'm gonna get fucking stabbed in Manhattan. It's not about getting stabbed. This city is boring. Every time I turn a goddamn corner in this city, I'm like, oh great, another Lululemon. Oh, let me turn another corner. Here's another goddamn baked by Melissa. Do I need another micro cupcake in this goddamn city? So that's what I would say to the people of Texas and Florida that are too afraid to come here. This episode is brought to you by nutrafold, the number one dermatologist recommended hair growth supplement brand trusted by over one and a half million people. When it comes to my hair, I like to keep things as natural as possible, which has made me skeptical of a lot of hair products out there. But I love Nutrafol because it's physician formulated, clinically tested and recommended by dermatologists, you can feel great about what you're putting into your body. Since Nutrafol hair growth supplements are backed by peer reviewed studies and NSF content certified, the gold standard and third party certification for supplements. Nutrafol clinically tests its full formulations, not just its ingredients. You can order online without a prescription and get free shipping and up to 20% off with a subscription. Plus perks like doctor consults and a Headspace membership. See Thicker, stronger, faster growing hair with less shedding in just three to six months with Nutrafol. For a limited time, Nutrafol is offering our listeners $10 off your first month subscription and free shipping when you go to nutrafol.com and enter the promo code Hassan H A S A N Find out why Nutrafol is the the best selling hair growth supplement [e-mail] spelled n u t r a f o l.com, promo code Hasan. That's nutrafol.com, promo code Hassan. This episode of Hasan Midhaj Doesn't Know is brought to you by booking.com booking. Yeah. No matter how large, small or demanding your family is, booking.com will help you find the perfect place to stay. You'll have your pick of millions of vacation rentals and hotels across the United States of America. I am on record saying my parents are welcome to live with me eventually, but unfortunately they thought that meant joining us on vacations now. So my family is looking for options with an in law suite for mom and dad also on our list, a backyard. My kids are love the space to play, but mostly we can't trust them with ice cream inside. Finally, it needs to be pet friendly. My daughter's bunny, Maximo wants to see the world and find himself. Yeah, I know it's a lot, but I'll compromise on the kitchen. Let's be real, your boy can barely operate a microwave. And if our particular family can find our perfect stay on booking.com anyone can find exactly what you're booking for booking.com booking.com yeah. Book today on the site or in the app. Let's go to the next topic. Donald Trump recently passed the big Beautiful bill post BBB. Ice is getting injected with $75 billion extra. What will ice become now that it has more cash and resources?

[Beto O'Rourke]

So ICE was already going into our communities with plain clothes, masked agents sweeping people off the street without, without badges or, or warrants. So you don't know who these guys are who just jumped out of this van and are picking you up or picking your friend up or picking your dad up or picking your daughter up, illegally detaining, imprisoning, in many cases, deporting people in some cases to a gulag in El Salvador notorious for, for torture and for beatings. A gulag once you're sent in that there's very little chance you will ever come out of again. No due process, no constitutional protections. Using the fig leaf of this law passed in, in the late 18th century, the enemy Alien act that has only been invoked and I think In World War II, one, the War of 1812, maybe World War II, and not instances that we're particularly proud of as a country. So that's what they've done before. They got this injection of money. What are they going to do with the money? This is interesting. You've read about or seen pictures or videos of alligator Alcatraz in Florida. They're building more and more and More detention centers, which is curious, because entry into this country, illegal entry into this country, is at an all time low. They're having a hard time finding enough immigrants to deport in these big sweeps through American cities. So what are all these new detention centers for? Who are they for? You know, at first it was going to be the violent thugs, the terrorists in Trump's language. Then it was just going to be immigrants who were paroled legally into this country under Joe Biden. Now, he's made it clear that if you're a US Citizen born on US Soil, but your parents are born somewhere else, because his executive order on his first day in office is trying to nullify the 14th Amendment and birthright citizenship, you might find yourself in one of those detention centers. Or maybe it is the political enemies of Donald Trump who are actually standing up for due process, the Constitution, rule of law, and the rights of all of us, whether you're an immigrant or a U.S. citizen. So that's where we're going as a country right now.

[Hasan Minhaj]

When you talk to Texas voters, I have heard that some people say this type of cruelty and machismo through ICE that is lowered the number of people coming into this country. Some would argue that these tactics are then working and making us safer. What do you say to those people that go, you know, what good the cruelty, the unmarked vans, this type of flexing is going to keep the country safer because the dangerous thugs, criminals and drug dealers won't come in.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Just. I'd ask folks to just think about the logic of that and how we see this in other countries or in other times in other countries. Maybe this minority group, maybe they're a religious minority group, they're too uppity, they protest too much. We don't like the way that they act. And so we're going to be ruthless and cruel and brutal to them, and they're not going to act that way anymore. Isn't, isn't everybody happy? I mean, today with the Rohingya in, in China or the Tibetans there in the 1930s with the Jews in, in Germany, I mean, history is replete with examples of totalitarian tactics used against a minority, whether it's religious, political or otherwise. Stalin's Russia, another great example. Do we want to be that? I had a town hall meeting in the northern part of the state and Wichita Falls, which is actually where Greg Abbott's from, very Republican, very conservative. Not a place where, you know, I was going to win the vote there, necessarily. But in that town hall meeting, you had people stepping up and saying, hey, I'm not okay with this lack of due process with this attack on the Constitution. Veterans who say, look, I swore an oath not to a president, not to a political party, not to anybody in power, but to this document, to this Constitution. And I'm really pissed off that we're tearing it up right in front of our eyes right here, right now. So I'd also remind folks that this stuff is deeply unpopular on immigration, arguably Trump's signature policy issue. He's polling at 35% right now. America does not like this gestapo stuff that we're seeing across our country today.

[Hasan Minhaj]

One of the other big fights in America right now, but specifically in Texas, is around gerrymandering. Do you want to talk about that for a little bit? Right now, Governor Greg Abbott is holding a special legislative session to redraw congressional maps to help Republicans in the 2026 midterms. Here is my question. I find myself asking a lot. Is this legal?

[Beto O'Rourke]

It's legal. It doesn't make it right. But they're essentially, this is a process by which members of Congress get to choose their voters instead of the other way around. And the reason they're doing it is because as we just talked about, immigration, the president's policies, these strong arm tactics, deeply unpopular. The big, bold, beautiful bill or whatever it's called, nearly a trillion dollars of wealth being taken from working Americans sent to the wealthiest 1% in the country. Cutting Medicaid, cutting the VA, potentially cutting Social Security. Deeply unpopular. Along this trajectory, there is no way he's able to hold on to power in the House of Representatives. His Republicans have a very slim majority. So he's got to rig the game before the elections are called in 2026. He literally ordered Greg Abbott and Texas Republicans there, find me five new Republican seats. In order to do that, those Republicans go behind closed doors, they take a map of Texas and they start carving up the congressional districts to find out how the five Democrats in those districts can lose their seats by having more Republican voters injected in by redrawing the boundaries in a way that wouldn't make sense to anyone. So that's what they're trying to do. Well, let's take, there is a way to fight back.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Let's take a Look at District 4. Describe what's happening over here.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Why does this look like my 5 year old just drew a brontosaurus?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I think your 5 year old would do a better job than, than, than the state legislature did in this part. This, this is a district where's happening so this is.

[Hasan Minhaj]

This is Dallas. Yes.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah. So at the lower left corner, you. You can see the metro area.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Okay.

[Beto O'Rourke]

And you can see that they're trying to touch it at the bottom and the little jiggly thing coming down from the top. And so that they take some of the metro area and maybe satisfy some requirements under the previous Department of Justice that you have real representation in this district, and then they extend it through incredibly rural areas, arguably more conservative, more prone to vote for Republicans. But this is done through computers, not through people, to maximize partisan advantage for one party. And by the way, this is just human nature. Democrats in control in other states will try to do.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Well, Gavin Newsom is doing this right now. He's like, you know what?

[Beto O'Rourke]

He should.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Yeah, you want? Oh, so you agree with that?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I totally agree with that.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Okay, so for the listeners that don't know Gavin Newsom, governor of California, is saying, you know what? You guys want to redraw maps? Well, fuck you, we'll redraw maps. And you agree with that?

[Beto O'Rourke]

About time. Yeah. So this is like a basketball game where the refs have stopped calling fouls, and so the other side's just punching us in the face. And we're, like, looking at the refs and they just kind of nod their heads, we're looking at the crowd and be like, hey, isn't this awful? And they just keep punching us in the face. You know, we can complain about it, we can bitch, we can whine, we can moan, or we can do something about it. And I love Gavin's spirit where he's like, fuck that. If you're going to do that in Texas, we're going to do this in California. We're going to match fire with fire. Even better is if we didn't wait for them to do this shit in Texas, but took the initiative, took the offense. Because what hangs in the balance is this country's future if we're unable to secure a pro democracy majority. Democrats in the House of Representatives. Trump is free not only to consolidate this authoritarian power which has been on display for the last six months, but he's going to pursue that third term that he's warned us about, you know, before the election. I will be a dictator on day one, before the election. This is the last vote you'll ever have to take before the election. We saw what happened the last time he was, you know, democratically and fairly voted out of office. He literally tried to incite an insurrection to stop that from happening. So this really may be our last best chance at Saving the country. And it runs right through.

[Hasan Minhaj]

So you really believe. Because this is a philosophical fissure. So there's two sides to this.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Side number one is we're at war. Fascism is now here. The rule book is gone. We need to regain control of it. The wheel. So that's one.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yes.

[Hasan Minhaj]

There's a second part of it which is there is a rules based order and even if they are breaking the rules, there has to be a backstop where. Yeah, the rule book just doesn't go out the window. And you're saying we're in the former, we're in the first.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Absolutely. And again, to be clear, this is legal. Okay. This is within the current rules. You can redistrict mid decade. It's unprecedented. But. But I'm sick of Democrats being like, this is totally unprecedented. No other president has done this shit before. People like hearing that they don't like the system that works, the status quo broken. It's fucked them over. So when they give Trump that credit, you know, you were saying this earlier about Ken Paxton, like, this may be, you know, boosting his appeal to say that he's been indicted twice under active FBI investigation, impeached. You know, the current system isn't working. So, you know, Trump gets that. He's identified that problem. His solution sucks. It's terrible for America. It's going to end the Republic and it's just really bad for our friends and our neighbors and our family members. We have to also identify that the system sucks, isn't working, hasn't worked for years, for a long time, and be just as bold and radical, but for the good of this country, to restore the checks and balances, the laws that have been broken, the Constitution that has been shredded right before our eyes. If we're not willing to play hardball right now, it is over. I just read this fascinating story about how it took Hitler 53 days after he was named Chancellor in January of 1933 to consolidate power. In those 53 days, turn after turn after turn, the opposition party could have done something. And they did. You know, the President of the Republic, the Weimar Republic could have done something. He didn't do it. Business interests could have done something. They didn't do it. The press could have done more. They didn't do it. And in 53 days, boom, it's over. And it was over for the long term, you know, until. Until Hitler was dead and the Allies won, won the war. I don't know if I'm saying that that's going to happen in America. But this moment sure as hell rhymes with the 1930s, and if we don't pay attention, we're going to lose it. It.

[Hasan Minhaj]

One thing that I don't understand, and I'd love for you to help me understand, is this. Texas is probably the hardest state to vote in in the United States of America. In Beto, that means the bar is pretty goddamn low.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Here's. I literally, to write this down, I cannot believe that this is real. There literally is no online voter registration. You have to print it out, put a stamp on it, mail it, and then it has to get there at least 40 days before the election. So essentially, you have eliminated every single voter under the age of 30.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Why? Because they don't want voters under the age of 30 participating in the election. Because those Republicans fear that they'll lose that power.

[Hasan Minhaj]

How did we get here? You have also served in office in Texas. Why is it like this? And why hasn't it changed, you know, irrespective of who's in power?

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah. Yeah. Again, this is human nature. Those in power, whatever their party affiliation, will try to stay in power, and they'll use every means at their disposal. One of the great geniuses of America was John Lewis, who recognized that we didn't live in a democracy, protested, fought, forced President Johnson in 1965 to use his political power to pass the Voting Rights act in 1965 that set the rules of the road to prevent exactly what we are seeing take place in Texas right now. You couldn't do this shit because the Department of Justice, after the Voting Rights act was passed in 65, would jump on your case, and they'd readjust these gerrymandered districts. They would allow for online voting if it had existed back in the 1960s or 1970s. So everything was working more or less pretty well until in 2013, they'll be county beholder, right? Absolutely. In their infinite wisdom, said, you know what? I just don't think we have a problem with people in power choosing their own voters anymore. And we don't have the problem of those people in power targeting black voters and minority voters to disperse them, to reduce the impact of their voting power, to cause them not to vote at all, which is happening in Texas right now. You know, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, in this scorching dissent, she says, you know, that's like you've got this umbrella that has protected you from this rainstorm for a very long time. And because it's protected you for so long, your logic concludes that it's now time to put the umbrella away even though it is still raining. And in the 12 years since then, I mean, we've just gotten soaked. Not just in Texas, but Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, all these places that have concocted new regulations, closed thousands of polling places, put in new forms of voter id. In Texas, you can't use your student ID at the University of Texas at Austin to prove who you are at the polling place, but you can use your license to carry a firearm to do the same. Again, very clear who they want to vote and who they do not want to vote in our elections. And, and the impact has been absolutely devastating. Millions of people otherwise eligible not participating in our democracy.

[Hasan Minhaj]

I mean, Harris county has 5 million voters. One Dropbox.

[Beto O'Rourke]

One Dropbox. And that rule, that law was imposed by the governor and the state legislature in the middle of COVID a pandemic that killed more Americans than any previous pandemic concentrated in urban centers like Harris County. And they wanted everyone to go to the same one drop off location in a County of 5 million people.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Let's talk about another hot button topic, guns. I want to play a clip of you in 2019. Let's take a look.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Hell yes. We're going to take your AR15, your AK47. We're not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Now look, this was extremely unpopular and I just want to let you know we've all said things on stage that we regret, myself included. Do you regret saying that as you were running for president?

[Beto O'Rourke]

No. We talked a little bit about this earlier, but 23 people in my community had just been killed because it is perfectly legal in this country to buy an AK47. The person who bought that AK47, a weapon originally designed and engineered for use on a battlefield because it is designed to kill people. You are shot with one of those high impact, high velocity rounds, you'll bleed out before we can ever bring you back to life. You know that shooter, when that gun came in, his mom called the cops in, in Allen, Texas and said, hey, I don't know what's going on. I don't think my son's okay. He just bought an AK47. Can you help me? And the cop said, nothing we can do. Perfectly legal. You're on your own. Good luck and goodbye. You know, some people may think my saying that is crazy. I think what is even crazier is that after what happened in El Paso, it happened again in Midland, Odessa, in Texas. After it happened in Midland, Odessa, it happened in Uvalde.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Yeah. I mean, here's a clip. Here's a clip of you confronting Greg Abbott about that. Excuse me. Sit down.

[Beto O'Rourke]

You're out of, you're out of line and an embarrassment shooting is right now and you are doing nothing. This 18 year old who just turned 18 bought an AR15 and took it into an elementary school and shot kids in the face and killed them. Why are we letting this happen in this country? Why is this happening in this state year after year, city after city? This is on all of us if we do not do something. And I am going to do something. And I'm not alone.

[Hasan Minhaj]

So sadly, since that clip, gun laws haven't changed and the question that I've been trying to unpack is, is this because your sentiment is a reflection of the median voter in Texas or the median comment in your comment section? Because clearly the people of Texas, I guess, don't want this change.

[Beto O'Rourke]

It was interesting. When I travel the state and I listen to folks who may never vote for me, who are Republicans, who may be gun owners, and I say, look, are you okay with what's going on in this state? That we lead the nation in school shootings? No one's cool with that. My, my grandkids in seventh grade. I don't want him to get shot. Okay, what are you willing to do about it? Is if what we're doing right now isn't working and you don't like my proposal, then. Then where can we find some common ground? So if I say, hey, what if we raise the age? It's not my perfect solution. And, and I'd want more, but what if we just raise the age to buy an AR 15 to 21? Folks are cool with that. What if we had a red flag law so that that mom in Allen, Texas who called the cops when her son bought the AK47, the come in and remove that weapon from his possession so he doesn't use it against someone else. Folks are down with that. What if we have a universal background check? Because you know you have to pass a background check if you buy from a federally licensed gun shop. But in Texas, you can buy that same weapon out of the trunk of someone's car in a person to person sale and there's no check whatsoever. Eight people died in Midland, Odessa because we didn't have a background check. On every single one of those, I get consent from everybody in the room. Now why is that not reflected in the leadership in Austin, Texas? Well, you have the powerful interests of the gun lobby, the NRA, among others. You have Republicans who like to stoke fear on this issue in order to keep their purchase on political power. You have folks, in other words, who aren't working for the common good of this country and especially for the kids that they purport to represent. But here's what gives me hope.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Hope.

[Beto O'Rourke]

There are so many up things in our nation's history that, that were not right, that were made better by people persistently and patiently working on this issue. You know that, that voting rights issue that we talked about earlier, where if you're black, you couldn't vote from 1923 to 1944 in the state of Texas? You know that, that was, that was 21 years that you had to be in this fight year after year. Hey, hey, do you think this is working? Should you give this up? Maybe your tactics aren't producing the result that you need. Ultimately, we came through. You know, it was from 1890 to 1965 that we had a Voting Rights act in, in America. How many people worked for it? How many people died, were brutalized, were lynched for trying to do the right thing? They're unsung. We'll never know their names. And yet, but for their work and their effort, we wouldn't have gotten to 1965 and the Voting Rights Act. 1973. Three extraordinary young Texas women prevail upon an all male Supreme Court to decide Roe versus Wade, which stood the test of time for nearly half a century. So in each one of those case cases, it was the courage, it was the persistence, it was the hard work of those who just didn't give up.

[Hasan Minhaj]

So how do you feel when you, shortly after the tragedy at Uvalde, are hosting a rally and then this happens?

[Beto O'Rourke]

You could buy two or more if you want to, AR15s, hundreds of rounds of ammunition, and take that weapon that was originally designed for use on the battlefields in Vietnam to penetrate an enemy soldier's helmet at 500ft and knock him down dead up against kids at 5ft. It may be funny to you, motherfucker, but it's not funny to me, okay?

[Hasan Minhaj]

Now obviously you killed at White Mom Def Comedy Jam, but in all seriousness, what is your hope at real change and real discourse when stuff like this happens?

[Beto O'Rourke]

You know, I was in Mineral Wells, which is another one of these reliably conservative, more rural than not red places in Texas. And that room was packed. And yes, there were people that we invited in who were there to protest my visit. I said, come on in. They're holding up their Greg Abbott signs. You can ask a question as well. We'll, we'll give you the microphone. But, but the sentiment overwhelmingly.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Did you feel like those people that you welcomed in are willing to engage in a good faith conversation?

[Beto O'Rourke]

Well, those guys, not so much, you know, laughing at the death of, of 19 kids and two teachers in Uvalde. But, but more often than not, folks are willing to, and they're always surprised when, you know, they think that there's going to be this like, antagonistic showdown when they're holding their signs, you know, beto, go home or you suck. And they're wearing their AR15s and all their guns. And I'm like, hey, you can come into this meeting as well. This, this is open to everybody. I want to hear what's going on in this town. And if you don't speak up, I won't know the full story. And, you know, I don't know that that wins them over in order to vote for me. Clearly not sufficiently enough, but I sure as hell learned a lot. And, and as corny as this sounds, I mean, that makes me so optimistic for this country. I mean, we, we can online hate the, out of one another and say all the ugly, terrible things that we do safely at a distance. We don't have to see each other's faces in that same room together, man. Something powerful happens and comes together. And yes, that gives me hope. And here's the other thing. You know, these kids who are watching all this stuff happen, who see school shooting after school shooting after school shooting, who see us not taking action on climate change, who see what's going on in Gaza right now and the complicity of the United States and folks in power don't do a fucking thing to change it if they don't see that there are champions for the truth, even if it comes at political cost to some of us. Personally, I worry that they give up on this system, you know, and soon enough, you know, a government of the many that can't get the job done. Well, maybe I'm open to a government of the few or maybe just a government of one or who gives a shit? This stuff doesn't work. So we can't allow people to become cynical or to, you know, give in to the temptation to give in or to give up or to despair. We got to fight and we got to try.

[Hasan Minhaj]

So we were talking off camera before you got here, and you were talking about, you know, political movements that are really starting to blossom here in New York City. What are your thoughts on Zoram Dance?

[Beto O'Rourke]

I think he's One of the most exciting people in American politics, bar none the joy with which he ran his campaign. He just looked genuinely excited to be with the people that he wanted to serve. And so often turning the microphone over to them. I mean, when's the last time a politician willingly gave up a microphone to somebody else who wanted to speak? But I think he sought to listen to and learn from those who he wanted to lead in New York. And he presented these really bold, clearly defined solutions to their problems. This is the most expensive city to live in in America. Hey, what if we freeze the rent if you're eligible for it? How about, buses are free. You can't get fresh and healthy food for your kids. What if the city got involved in helping you to get that done? There wasn't.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Look, you're getting really excited. I just want to stop you right now. I don't know if you saw, the New York Post just dropped this news article, but we can lift this from the interview if you want.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Want.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Zuron Mamdani's mom has an apartment that is worth $2 million. So he might have grown up in an apartment that.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Has more than one.

[Beto O'Rourke]

God. God forbid. You know what's. What's great about. I don't. I don't know anything about that story. What's great about him or anyone else.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Well, I mean, I'm telling you, what the story is implying is this guy's brown and why isn't he poor?

[Beto O'Rourke]

Ah. You know, similar stories about AOC keep. Keep popping up. Right. How can she be righteous and fighting for justice when she's supposed to be.

[Hasan Minhaj]

In squalor and holding a mop? Yes, but she's not. And it's like, well, who are you then? Because you are Hispanic. So come on.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Right.

[Hasan Minhaj]

That's pretty much what they're saying. PDF.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Yeah. I think you're right. Right. I think you're right. But you know what? I think he transcends all this smallness. I think he transcends the smallness of the Democratic old guard who all teamed up behind Cuomo, the smallness of, you know, Eric Adams corruption. The folks are trying to gang up on him right now. And he does this with this big smile on his face. Whatever the New York Post says or, you know, whoever's attacking him for whatever reason, he's just focused on. On what he's doing. And. And I love that not. Nothing seems to rock him or knock him off his foot voting. What he has done and what the Democratic electorate here has ratified is something that all of us should be paying attention to. And what I mean by that is not that you're going to make the buses free in Dallas, Texas, although if that's what the voters in Dallas want to do, God bless him, more power to you. But it is that he meets the needs of those that he wants to serve clearly with well defined policy positions and then is going to fight like hell to get them done. I think we need to see more of that in America right now. I talked earlier about seems like Democrats are always reactive and on the defense against Donald Trump. And part of what's exciting about Gavin Newsom and his idea of redistricting is it it may be a harbinger of some offense that we're going to start playing. This guy Mandani is, is taking the offense in a way that, you know, it's not mean spirited. He doesn't have like a growl on his face. He's not like, fuck all you guys for all this shit you did. He, he's joyful. He's like almost like this Ronald Reagan happy warrior on the left that just makes you feel good about New York. And I think so much of his campaign, notwithstanding the boredom that you feel on a daily basis in this city is about just how amazing and exciting and wonderful New York City is. It was so much more about that than it was about party identification or politics as we know it. And I think that has something to do with him winning. Winning and something with him. Something to do with him being able to bring out voters who otherwise wouldn't have participated.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Mr. Beto O', Rourke, I just want to say thank you so much for joining us on the show. I don't know what your future holds, but no matter what your future holds in politics or in Texas, I'd like to leave you with a gift, which is a cheat sheet of Texas national anthem that you did not know.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Thank you so much. Yeah, I will use this. Thank you for having me on.

[Hasan Minhaj]

Keep it in your breast pocket. Yeah, you got it, Mr.

[Beto O'Rourke]

Better O', Rourke, ladies and gentlemen. Yay.

[Hasan Minhaj]

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