Congressman Donalds Exposes Lies: Government Shutdown Chaos & the Left's Identity Politics Game

Summary

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Keeping It Real: Conversations with Jillian Michaels

Episode: Congressman Donalds Exposes Lies: Government Shutdown Chaos & the Left's Identity Politics Game
Date: October 17, 2025
Host: Jillian Michaels
Guest: Congressman Byron Donalds (Florida, Republican, Gubernatorial Candidate)

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Main Theme & Purpose

This episode features Florida Congressman Byron Donalds, who is running for governor. The wide-ranging conversation delves into government shutdown dynamics, viral confrontations in Congress, the rhetoric and tactics of left-leaning politicians, identity politics, public safety in blue states, organized protest funding, and the policy differences between Florida and states like California. Michaels and Donalds dissect pressing political controversies, critique policy failures, and explore the intersection of race, rhetoric, and real impacts on Americans.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Viral Congressional Showdown & Political Rhetoric

[03:32 – 06:52]

• Clip Replay: Jillian shares her favorite 2025 Congressional clip featuring Donalds confronting Rep. Rashida Tlaib for comparing Republicans to fascists.
• Donalds reacts: He clarifies the Oversight Committee context—discussing DC crime, Tlaib’s inflammatory language, and mentions recent tragedy (Charlie Kirk’s assassination) to illustrate real world dangers of escalation.
  • Quote: “When she starts calling us fascists... knowing there are lunatics... thinking it's true, and then literally trying to take lives into their own hands... I just got frustrated. I had enough.” (05:04, Byron Donalds)
• Broader discussion: Jillian notes an escalating trend of name-calling and demonizing political opponents.
  • Quote: “It becomes a matter of shouting someone down and name calling... I had high hopes that this would stop and Charlie's death would have a meaning...” (06:52, Jillian Michaels)
• Rhetoric in the modern era: Newsom’s social media attacks, “anger-tainment” (term by Kat Cammack), and the risk of rhetoric inciting violence.

Respect Across the Aisle, Congressional Rules & the Role of Rhetoric

[07:46 – 11:35]

• Congressional decorum: Donalds explains that, while Congress allows broad speech (protected by Speech and Debate Clause), most members avoid crossing certain lines.
  • Quote: “There’s a respect for the humanity across the aisle…to say anything that's going to put another member in harm's way... very few members want to do that.” (07:46, Byron Donalds)
• The left’s escalating rhetoric: Tied to the 2028 Democratic presidential competition (Newsom, Pritzker, etc.), politicians must appear radical to appeal to the party base.
• Consequences: Rhetoric trickles down and fuels instability; some on both sides have toned it down, but some still double down to gain power.

Governing Philosophy: Florida vs. California

[11:35 – 17:31]

• Jillian’s contrast: Cites her experience in both states—clean, well-run Florida under DeSantis vs. dystopian California.
  • Quote: “I drive the Pacific Coast Highway, it still looks like a dystopian video game with burned out cars... and this guy wants to run for president?” (12:30, Jillian Michaels)
• Donalds: DeSantis as America’s Governor: Praises disaster response, support for police, removal of non-performing DAs, handling of hurricanes versus California's poorly managed wildfires.
  • Florida is “lapping the field”: Migration stats underline the exodus from California, as people seek personal safety and more functional public policy elsewhere.

Law & Order, Protest Management, and Role of Law Enforcement

[19:21 – 22:54]

• Jillian shows a viral protest interruption clip: Portland police obstruct a woman from accessing her home during protests, leading to public outrage over policing priorities.
• Donalds on handling protests: Cites DeSantis and Florida’s no-nonsense approach—protests allowed, but lawlessness or blocking roads isn’t tolerated. Tells anecdote about peaceful protests being firmly guided, not indulged.
  • Quote: “If you actually empower law enforcement to do their job... People tend to follow that.” (21:42, Byron Donalds)
• Contrasts with blue cities: Where citizens feel unprotected and law-abiding people suffer.

National Guard Deployment & Blue City Crime

[24:21 – 27:47]

• Debates on aid: Michaels questions why mayors reject National Guard help. Donalds explains DC’s unique status (Mayor Bowser couldn’t opt out), resulting in impressive 40% crime drop since deployment.
  • Quote: “Crime is down in D.C. by 40% since the National Guard has been deployed.” (25:00, Byron Donalds)
• Mayors refuse help: In cities like Chicago, refusal stems from wanting to appear tough against Trump, not from what residents need.

Organized Protests & Funded Political Unrest

[27:47 – 31:51]

• Protest funding: Michael asks if “Riot Inc.” is manufactured. Donalds confirms: large left-wing funding networks orchestrate much of the chaos, with signs of central coordination (identical supplies at protests).
  • Quote: “These are not citizens deciding to get off the couch and protest... This is a highly organized... political astroturf operation run by the deep radical left.” (28:07, Byron Donalds)
• Foreign involvement: Hints of foreign (CCP, etc.) and NGO funding intended to destabilize America.

Identity Politics, Racial Narratives, & Policy Impact

[31:51 – 41:31]

• The “people of color” narrative: Donalds asserts Democrats manipulate language to build a coalition and weaponize America’s racist past to keep black voters, despite their policies’ actual harms (crime, migration, inflation) to black communities.
  • Quote: “They are weaponizing these stains of America's history today to try to keep black voters voting Democrat.” (33:53, Byron Donalds)
• Selective outrage: Jillian points out that high-achieving minorities (e.g., Winsome Earl Sears) are ignored, attacked, or “dehumanized” if conservative.
• Republican racism label: Donalds says this is more about demographics and political tactics—black Republicans break the narrative and are therefore targeted more viciously.

The Real Driver: Power, Not Principle

[41:31 – 42:06]

• DEI and similar initiatives: Donalds claims Democrats don’t really care about diversity, equity, or inclusion—they care about power and will discard any principle or ally that gets in the way.
  • Quote: “They don't care about DEI... They care about political power. So they use DEI, CRT, radical language, emotional arguments to maintain political power.” (40:17, Byron Donalds)

Government Shutdown, Immigration, & Health Care

[42:06 – 49:22]

• Viral citizen rant: Jillian plays an impassioned clip: “The Democrats want to give away $1.4 billion...to immigrants for health care... What about us who can’t afford health care?” (42:26)
• Donalds’ breakdown: Explains how Democrats use federal loopholes to push state funds to unauthorized immigrants, placing greater systemic strain and letting politicians leverage crisis for political points.
  • Quote: "They want us to restore the waste, fraud and abuse so that blue states can...provide health care to illegal aliens.” (45:35, Byron Donalds)
• Shutdown politics: Democrats manufactured the current impasse for political theater and to portray themselves as defenders of Obamacare/healthcare, not because of policy necessity.

Florida's Next Chapter: Donalds’ Gubernatorial Vision

[49:22 – 55:25]

• Maintaining DeSantis’ legacy: Pledges to retain policy stability.
• Homeowner's insurance: Florida enacts tort reform, expects lower premiums even as other states face spikes.
  • Quote: “We're expecting premium rates to actually come down in Florida, something that's not happening anywhere across the country.” (51:33, Byron Donalds)
• Property taxes: Pledges to address fast-rising taxes, aiming at relief or elimination.
• Economic priorities: Plans to expand Florida as a global financial, tech, and aerospace hub.
• Education: Raising academic standards, promoting mastery, and ensuring diverse paths to success for all students.

Gerrymandering & Political Power Games

[55:25 – 61:44]

• California’s Prop 50: Jillian critiques Newsom’s push to override bipartisan redistricting; Donalds calls it a raw power grab seeking to erase nearly all GOP representation.
  • Quote: “All this stems from...the Democrats...will do anything to maintain political power.” (57:29, Byron Donalds)
• Gerrymandering history: Many blue states have used redistricting to cement dominance; Republicans lagged behind, now “the game” is on. Donalds encourages California voters to retain their independent redistricting commission.
• Counting illegal aliens: Notes that including noncitizens in apportionment inflates blue state power—calls for apportionment reform.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Byron Donalds on ad hominem attacks:
  “Don’t dehumanize me. Don’t disparage me to the point where now my life could potentially be in danger.” (05:04)
• Jillian Michaels on leadership failures:
  “What people like myself find deeply alarming is hateful rhetoric that stirs people up and puts them in...a state of complete duress.” (12:33)
• Donalds on Democratic strategy:
  “They use DEI...CRT...emotional arguments to maintain political power.” (40:17)
• Donalds on shutdown reality:
  “If all the problems are solved, what do you need politicians for?” (48:32)
• On protest funding:
  “This is a political movement of the radical left wing...to destabilize the American republic.” (28:42)
• Donalds on race baiting and the Democratic coalition:
  “Weaponizing these stains of America's history today to try to keep black voters voting Democrat.” (33:53)
• Donalds on his gubernatorial vision:
  “We want our kids to achieve mastery in core subject matter by the time they graduate high school... Pathway to success that works for them.” (54:03)
• On California’s gerrymandering:
  “What Gavin Newsom’s going to do to that state is going to be reprehensible to our constitutional republic.” (61:44)

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Important Timestamps & Segment Highlights

| Timestamp | Segment/Topic | |--------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------| | 03:32–06:52 | Viral House confrontation; rhetoric and safety concerns | | 11:35–17:31 | Florida vs. California: leadership, migration, disaster response | | 19:21–22:54 | Law & order: handling protests in red vs blue states | | 24:21–27:47 | National Guard in crime-fighting; blue cities’ political tradeoffs | | 27:47–31:51 | Protest funding; astroturf activism; foreign interference | | 31:51–41:31 | Identity politics; racial arguments; selective outrage | | 42:06–49:22 | Government shutdown; health care for illegal immigrants; budget game | | 49:22–55:25 | Donalds' plans for Florida: insurance, taxes, economic development | | 55:25–61:44 | Gerrymandering, Prop 50, California power politics |

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Tone & Language

• Candid, direct, conversational: Michaels keeps questions pointed and frank; Donalds’ responses are detailed, with colloquial interjections (“knucklehead protestors,” “the summer of love, according to the left,” etc.), reflecting his plainspoken but forceful style.
• Occasional humor and pop culture references: (“It took me back to Bernie Mac.” [44:11])
• Empathetic and policy-minded: Both speakers express concern for ordinary Americans and frustration at political gamesmanship.

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Conclusion & Ways to Learn More

Congressman Donalds concludes by emphasizing transparent policy advocacy and invites listeners to explore his gubernatorial platform:

• Learn more/support: byrondonalds.com
• Follow on social: @ByronDonalds

Jillian closes with appreciation for Donalds’ candor and depth, underscoring the value of long-form, honest conversation in politics and public discourse.

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Transcript

[A]

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[A]

Data 1H 2025 Visit t mobile.com all right guys, I got a special show for you today. Florida Congressman Byron Donalds is here. He's running for the governor of Florida and we're going to be talking about government shutdown. What the heck is really going on? His showdown with Rashida Tlieb that went viral. Governor Newsom's gerrymandering in California, the identity politics played by the left and the harm it's doing and so much more. Here we go. Keeping it Real with Jillian Michaels. How are you?

[B]

I'm doing excellent.

[A]

You know, working hard you are certainly working hard. I was actually just talking to Brandon Tatum. He said to say hi and he's hoping that you win the gubernatorial race, as I do as well, which I don't. I don't want to say anything else until we're up and running. Zod. I don't want to kill it. How long do I have you for here, sir?

[B]

I think I'm good till six. Does that work for you or like what Was your plan?

[A]

5:30 for you to keep you as long as I can keep you. That's my plan. So you just tell me when you need to go.

[B]

Let me see.

[A]

I can keep tight.

[B]

Oh, actually the guys, they have me till 6:30, so it looks like you got me for an hour. Yes.

[A]

Okay, Perfect. Awesome. All right guys, tell me when. Congressman Donalds, welcome to the show. How are you, sir?

[B]

I'm doing good. How you doing?

[A]

I'm doing well. I've never done this before, but I would like to open the show showing you a clip of you guys. Can we, can we tee this up? This might be one of my favorite clips in 2025 thus far.

[B]

Well, the gentle lady.

[A]

I don't yield. I don't even have time.

[B]

I can tell you your time's expired.

[A]

It is expired.

[B]

But Mr.

[A]

Chair. But you all live here and you're not telling people the beautiful parts that you do see in the our nation's capital and. No, no, no, it's just wrong.

[B]

Chairman, I think it's insane that the general lady doesn't have an argument, but she's going to refer to me and some of my colleagues. We were from the Third Reich.

[A]

Criminals.

[B]

It'. Do I look like a member of the Third Reich to you? Ms. Talib, please. Is that what I look like to you?

[A]

You're the one taking your.

[B]

Is that. Is that what you think? Is that what you think? Is that what you think? I think it's radical and I think it's insane and I don't respect everything that you say. But to say something like that to myself and a lot of my colleagues is way out of line. It's way out of line. It's way out of line. Regular order. That's okay. But it's okay, right?

[A]

That is not how it goes.

[B]

It's okay, right?

[A]

You hold yourself accountable before you talk.

[B]

About hold myself accountable. Hold your own self accountable. How about that? Hold your own free D.C.

[A]

That was my heaven. I've been dying for somebody to say exactly what you said. Tell me what happened there, Congressman.

[B]

Yeah, we were in Oversight. It was obviously Talking about the D.C. the crime in D.C. we had the mayor and I think one of the city council members and some other folks testifying. And I'm coming into committee about to question Muriel Bowser. And, you know, to be blunt, Rasheeda was just hysterical. I mean, she was just all over the place. And look, we're kind of accustomed, especially to Rashida. She does this often. But when she starts calling us fascists, especially in light of, you know, what happened with Charlie Kirk's assassination, not it wasn't two weeks ago, but here she goes, leveling the same vitriol again, knowing that there are lunatics in this country who are listening to that, thinking it's true, and then literally trying to take lives into their own hands. And so, you know, I just got frustrated. I had enough. And I think a lot of my colleagues, you know, we all felt the same way. Like, look, you don't want to agree with us, fine. You want to disagree on public policy, fine. I mean, look, it's America. Sometimes in families, we have disagreements. We know in businesses and organizations, we have disagreements. That's all well and good, but don't dehumanize me. Don't disparage me to the point where now my life could potentially be in danger. Charlie Kirk is no longer with us. His kids have lost their father. And for her to be so out of line and unhinged, to continue to label Republicans as fascists because we disagree when it comes to public policy, is where I just, frankly got fed up, and I just confronted her. And then you see that when you confront them, they have no arguments except just to yell and to rant and to rage. And that's what's more disappointing about all this.

[A]

I see that constantly that it becomes a matter of shouting someone down and name calling. And I had very high hopes that this would stop and that Charlie's death would have a meaning. And that meaning would be we would tone down the rhetoric, we would start bridging ideologies. And instead, with many people on the left, I'm seeing a ratcheting up. You know, you saw. I've mentioned this before, but I still can't get over it. You saw Gavin Newsom, triple down on X, calling Stephen Miller a fascist. And people are saying to him, like, hey, bro, stop. Colvette from Turning Point is like, seriously, you need to stop. And he continues, fascist, fascist. Over and over and over again. I'm wondering how there are no sanctions in Congress. Aren't there rules that prohibit these kinds of Ad hominem attacks.

[B]

Well, in Congress, not really. I mean, there's. The speech and debate clause in Congress is pretty broad. I mean, members are allowed to say just about anything. And, but, you know, the reason why the laws of the, the rules. Let me say it this way. The rules of Congress have always been set that way is because typically, and I would say Rashida is an outlier, but typically there is heated sometimes, but there's a respect for the humanity across the aisle. Like, very few members, I will say very few want to say anything that's going to put another member in harm's way when they leave the capital, when they go home, or put their families in. In jeopardy. Very few members want to do that. And I think you have a handful. Rashid is obviously one where she doesn't care about the, the downside of her rhetoric. Look, I, I'll say all the time, I think her ideas are crazy. I, I say it repeatedly. I think they're crazy. I think they're out of step with the Constitution and the framework of a free society. I firmly believe that. But I'm also careful to understand that I want her to be able to go home and see her kids and see her family. I don't want anything to happen to her personally because we can have these debates and these disagreements while still finding a way to at least live in harmony. And that's really what American exceptionalism at its core really is. You're allowed to express yourself while having the freedom and the liberty to know that your personal security and your personal rights aren't going to be violated, suspended, or taken away from you completely.

[A]

Are you seeing a change then from people on both sides and she is the exception to the rule, or it's always been an unspoken rule. And maybe I'm just picking up on some of the more radical positions, but they're mainstream politicians. You know, Gavin Newsom is the governor of California, and he is out there with this kind of rhetoric on the regular. Gestapo, fascist. Yeah, it's terrifying. If there is an improvement, that's deeply encouraging.

[B]

I think there's an encouragement from some Democrats. But then you have the situation with Newsom where, look, let's be clear, he's trying to run for president in 28. And so, you know, if you're trying to navigate the Democrat primary in the modern Democrat party, you have to demonstrate that you're a radical. I mean, that's, that's just the way it is. And so he's trying to look tough on camera the same way J.B. pritzker is the same way. I guess I would say AOC or whoever else is trying to run for their nomination in 28. They're trying to demonstrate that they're tough enough to lead that party. The problem is, is that with them doing that and continuing to, to feed, I guess, the people in their political base with the, the, the anger, tainment, if you will. That's what my colleague Kat Kamek out of Central Florida calls it, trying to feed that anger, tame it. What ends up happening is you have to go back to the well time and time and time again. And the real impact is, yes, there are people in our country who have serious mental health issues for a myriad of reasons, and they're using that rhetoric as justification for really heinous actions. And so I think on our side of the aisle, we've seen that obviously the tempers can get high in politics. On our side, I think people have really taken stock of how far to push the rhetoric button. Some Democrats, I think, have also seen, have also decided to take stock in that. But then you get Newsom and you'll get Rashida and you'll get some of them who are looking at it as well. This is my moment to take charge in the party. I think it's very shortsighted, and I don't think it's very helpful for the future of the Republic.

[A]

You know, I want to jump forward for a second here. I have a ton of questions for you about your run for governor of Florida. And I, I am just so excited that you're running because I lived there for three years. And there is a stark difference, much for the better, with how DeSantis runs Florida and how Newsom runs California. I have become uniquely aware of the ways in which an individual governs can dramatically impact the quality of your life for the better and for the worse. And what I would see with DeSantis is he'd put his head down and he'd handle those hurricanes like nobody's business. He would work to help fix the state, fix the economy, support parents. Every time I have to come back to California and I drive the Pacific coast highway, it still looks like a dystopian video game with burned out cars on the side of the road. And it's been 10 months and this guy wants to run for president of the United States. His state is a disaster. Crime, homelessness, natural disasters that go completely unmitigated. Why does nobody think that would be the way to advance their career in politics? Because that's what I think the normies are paying attention to. And what people like myself find deeply alarming is hateful rhetoric that stirs people up and puts them in complete. A state of complete duress. Where is the disconnect for these people? What do I not see that they see? Because that's not what I want from my leader.

[B]

Look, I agree with you. I think, first of all, when it comes to Newsom, he's the worst governor in the country. It's not close. I mean, he's just. He's really bad at this. I guess the Massachusetts governor's giving him a run for his money. Moral Healey, she's bad, too, but he runs it. The state has run terribly out there in California. And what's sad is I say it often to a lot of my friends. Look, California's got the best weather in the country, and I live in Florida. And I should tell you something. The weather's awesome, the environment's awesome, but the politics are just crazy. They're just nuts.

[A]

It is.

[B]

And that's why California continues to fall behind more and more. That state, they lead the nation in net. In net exiting migration. So people are leaving California more than any other state in the country. California is number one for people exiting the state. So you want that person to run America? Like, that's just crazy. That makes no sense at all. And so I don't think it's going to go very far, but that's what he wants to do. I think, to your broader question is what's happened in America, and President Trump's reelection in 2024 really, I think, encapsulated this. I think people, the normies, if you will, the people who don't live and die by Fox News or msnbc, they're looking around saying what the Democrats are doing just doesn't make any sense. And what they're looking for mostly is common sense policy that is executed that makes sure that the basic things are done and run well. And that's the difference between Florida under Ron DeSantis and California under Gavin Newsom. Like in Florida, the governor has been exemplary. He's the best governor in America. I've called him America's governor many times because it's true. And so what he's done is prioritize law and order, making sure police officers know that we have their back, making sure that they understand that we will provide them whatever support that they need. And then he even went the step further, which I think is the appropriate step of if you have a district attorney in Florida, we call Them state attorneys in other states, they're district attorneys. But if they're not enforcing the law, meaning they're not prosecuting a crime, then he's removed a couple from office. And that is common sense because no district attorney or state attorney runs for office saying that they're not going to enforce the law. They don't run for office that way. So, you know, so he's done that. When it comes to disaster management response, I mean, Florida, we're leaps and bounds over any other state. But look at what happened in California with the fires in the Pacific Palisades. They were not prepared at all. Karen Bass wasn't even in the country. There was no water in the fire hydrants. And then they're running to the federal government saying, give us money, give us money. But the state and the local governments have serious responsibilities when it comes to disaster response. Hurricane Ian about three years ago hit my congressional district. Cat 5 hurricane. We had 16ft of storm surge coming off the Gulf of America. It hit my district direct hit the governor, myself, our county commissioners, our state representatives, our state senators. Everybody was on the ground doing what we could to get the area back up and running. There's clear command and control about how to execute that mission on the ground, led by our governor, working with the various departments and local officials. And so people say, well, man, how is it that Florida knows how to do this, but other states mess it up? Well, it's because you have a chief executive who's just focused on making sure that response times are quick and expedient, people are getting the help that they need, communities are getting back up and running. And that's just been the focus in Florida. So, like, those are just two examples of how you have a situation where, yes, Florida is lapping the field and demonstrating to other states how to effectively manage your state and provide a great place for people to live and grow, versus California, where exit migration. People are leaving that state in droves because they simply can't either make ends meet, be safe, or quite frankly, call it a great place to live.

[A]

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[B]

I am giving you an order right now. Back this vehicle up.

[A]

It is a public road, but right.

[B]

Now there are people occupying it. A car does not supersede people anymore. The federal government came in and punched your ass. Watch me get this lady out of here. All these motherfuckers and you can't get this lady out of here. You're fucking incompetent.

[A]

That is one of so many videos that I've seen. There's another one where a woman is literally saying to the cops, she's like, I'm sitting scared. I'm scared. And they're surrounding your car. And all I could think about was, would I drive through them and do the jail time? Because I fear for my life and the life of my kids who look like there's one of her kids in that car or there's DeSantis who's like, if you're in trouble and they're surrounding your car and you feel for your life, drive through them. And I'm. I'm sorry. At some point, as a citizen, you Feel like you have no choice but to defend yourself. To me, that would be self defense. But in Portland and in Los Angeles, the law abiding citizens get punished. What in the hell? Congress. I'm sorry, Congressman, what is the logic for these mayors and these governors, do you think?

[B]

Well, look, it doesn't follow logic. And that's why, again, people are leaving those states and those cities. Look, I'll tell you firsthand, the number one thing law enforcement is not to stop a citizen driving through the streets. It's to get those knucklehead protestors out of the road. You don't get to just block roads if you want to protest. I'm sorry, it's not going to happen. Governor Desantis has been clear in that time and time again. If you want to protest peacefully, okay, but you're not going to block roads. You're not going to impede other citizens from living their lives. I'll give you an example. This was back in the summer of 2020. I was running for Congress at the time, I was still a member of the state of the state legislature. And at that time, everybody remembers, you know, the summer of love, according to right, where there were riots in every city in America. But that didn't happen in Florida. The governor was clear that law enforcement had a responsibility to protect citizens, to protect property. If people wanted to protest, that's fine. You could protest peacefully. But if it started to turn into riots or taking over intersections, taking over streets, that was not going to be tolerated. So here in Naples, where I live, my local sheriff was telling me that there was a group that wanted to do a march down one of our major roads, and they told them no. And then they tried to get a permit to do it, and the local commission told them no. They said, absolutely not. Then they said, well, we're just going to do it anyway. And our sheriff was like, you can start and then I'm going to arrest you and then take you to the county jail. You choose. And once that was laid out, heaven, we didn't have anybody blocking streets here in southwest Florida. It's very simple. If you actually empower law enforcement to do their job and laid down what the, what the expectations are of citizens, a funny thing happens. People tend to follow that. But if you allow for lawlessness to take place where now citizens are having their car surrounded by police officers or I don't even know what a liaison officer is, that's maybe some woke stuff in the city of Portland, that's a real shame. But if that's the case, then citizens can't just live their lives. And now the. The. The protesters and the activists are basically running the show. And that's not how you have a safe. A safe society and a just society.

[A]

I'm extremely confused why there is so much opposition in some of these blue cities, like Portland, like Chicago, like Los Angeles, where they don't want the National Guard to help keep them safe. Like, I appreciate in some cases they're being sent in to help ICE do their job, but in other cases, like D.C. where crime is rampant, it's about protecting the citizens of that city. I was recently in D.C. and I had a friend who didn't eat her dinner, and I thought, okay, let's take this date. We'll give it to somebody, you know, a homeless person on the street. And all of a sudden, as I made it all the way back to my hotel, walking a mile and a half, and DC Is obviously not a big city, I found no one to give my stake to nobody. And in that moment, I was like, wait a minute, hold on. I'm looking around, and there's just. The streets are clean. There's no homeless anywhere. A few people in uniform walk past me. I thanked them for their service, and I thought, how is this not a special slice of heaven? And when they say, oh, coming to a city near you, I think, dear God, wouldn't that be wonderful? Start next with Los Angeles. Why in the world would mayors and governors, especially Chicago, not want the help? I'm under the impression Bowser was open to the help. Did I get that wrong?

[B]

Well, I mean, let's. Let's unpack this. Bowser didn't really have a choice because D.C. is different from every other city in the country. He sees the federal enclave. So if the president says, I'm deploying the National Guard, there's really nothing she could do about it. So at that point, it's about working with the president. And so what's happened in D.C. has actually been a very. Been quite marvelous. In that clip you played earlier with Rashida Taliban, that's the hearing that Muriel Bowser's in. So later, I had an opportunity to talk to the mayor. The mayor testified under oath that crime is down in D.C. by 40% since the National Guard has been deployed.

[A]

Heaven.

[B]

40% heaven. And it's not like the National Guard is making arrests. They're actually not doing that. What the National Guard is doing is that they're just deployed in various sections of D.C. and because they're deployed, they're A deterrent. And then the second thing that is happening, it actually gives the Metropolitan Police Department the ability to focus on high crime areas in Washington, D.C. so it's actually worked quite well. If you're at New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Portland, Seattle and these other cities, if I'm a mayor, I'm saying, yeah, send them my way because it helps me make my. Help me keep my community safe.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

I was in Chicago about six weeks ago or so. Chicago's down 2,000 police officers. 2,000. And when I was in Chicago, what the residents were telling me is that about half of the murders in the city of Chicago happened on 17 street corners. 17. So what that tells you is it's really drug and gang related crime and murder that's happening. So imagine if you had 1,000 National Guard troops deployed in Chicago and it gave the Chicago Police Department, which are down 2,000 officers, an ability to really emphasize these areas where crime is rampant, the city of Chicago is more safe. But the reason why these governors and these mayors are rejecting it is because they're trying to demonstrate that they're tough to stand up to Donald Trump. That's exactly what this is. And it's really sick because the people that they're supposed to serve, they're the ones who are less safe. They're the ones whose needs aren't, aren't truly being met. And that's a significant problem.

[A]

If I was a citizen of Chicago, if I was a Chicago resident, I would not care at all who my mayor or my governor worked with if it meant making my environment safer for myself, my family, my fellow citizens. I think this is going to backfire like crazy. It remains to be seen because obviously there are protests in the street. But to be honest, I'm taking away that vast majority of Riot Inc. Is funded by nefarious groups. Are you seeing some of that? We're hearing things like the Arabella Network, the Tides Foundation. Like, how much of this do you think is your everyday, average American going, no, no, no, I do not want the Guard in my city to protect me from carjackings. I instead want chaos and I'm going to set cars on fire. I have to imagine that some of this is manufactured.

[B]

Oh, it's all manufactured. Let's be very clear. You do have left wing networks that are funded to the hilt by some of their radical billionaires who believe in this sort of protest, who believe that all they need to do is continue to have a counter movement happening in the streets of America. And that's the pathway to Victory. It is very well funded. It is very well organized. If you go back to what was happening with the encampments, the encampments that were happening on colleges all across America with radical Islamist groups protesting against the nation of Israel, what you found is the tents at all these different college campuses were the same tents. The food that was being purchased and dropped off, the same food. This stuff is a mass political operation. These are not citizens who are deciding to get off the couch and go protest a lot. What happened in the Tea party movement back 15 years ago, a movement I was a part of, where you had individuals who were just coming out of their houses, they weren't being paid by anybody, but coming out of their houses to protest over overspending or bank bailouts or whatever the case might be. This is a highly organized political astroturf operation run by the deep radical left. And so that's what Americans need to. Need to understand as they see this stuff, is that it's not natural. A lot of these protests, sometimes they show up on Capitol Hill and they come there for the express purpose of following members of Congress and interviewing them on the spot, hoping that they catch them off guard. I mean, me personally, I like when they show up because it gives me an opportunity to deal with them right then and there and make them look ridiculous. So I enjoy that stuff because I would assure you, if my. If my engagement with them was bad, it'd be all over social media and they would try to trash me. But it's actually going quite well because I bring the facts and I tell them exactly what's happening and what's not happening. But to your point, Gillian, this stuff is highly funded. It is organized. It is not natural protests coming from the American people. This is a political movement of the radical left wing. And I would argue front groups from outside the nation who fund this stuff to, in some respects, I believe, to destabilize the American republic and also to provide more political instability in our nation. Because if America is not sturdy and stabilized, then that actually helps several outfits around the globe to help destabilize America. And I think it's highly orchestrated. It's something that we need to investigate. I think members are wanting to start these investigations right now.

[A]

I saw Mike Johnson talking about that, and I saw a clip that I didn't fully get to watch this morning. But somebody was informing the president of these different groups that they think are funding this, and they were talking about members of the CCP and all of these different organizations, like you're talking about. And I thought, okay, surely we would be intelligent enough to see through this. But when the left is incentivizing it with the fascist and the Gestapo and this and the that, then it does make you kind of wonder because it stirs up their base. And their base then is like, oh, my God, you know, the ICE is the Gestapo and they're rounding up people of color. But the irony here's what I'm really confused about is, okay, ICE and the Guard and they're disappearing people of color. And, you know, we've got all this race baiting and all this identity politics, but when we're talking about who's being disproportionately hurt in places like Chicago, it seems like people of color. That's what Bill O'Reilly was just telling me. So why don't they care about the people of color that are getting hurt by crime? It's just a talking point.

[B]

Yeah, it's a talking point. And let's be clear. The reason why the left had to go to people of color is because what they're trying to do is actually keep black people in the tent with a lot of other ethnicities and try to have it be just one coalition together as opposed to talking about the reality that in a lot of our urban corridors, it is black people who are victimized by violent crime. And when you have massive illegal immigration that Joe Biden allowed during his four years in the White House, it's actually black citizens who are displaced out of the job market or they have to accept lower wages. It's black people who are suffering the brunt of crazy inflation that the Biden team foisted on the American people. It's young black kids, young Hispanic kids in particular, who are getting less resources in their public schools. When you have immigrant, illegal immigrant children in public schools who don't speak English and are either never been educated or at a minimum two or three grade levels behind. So you can't just talk about immigrants and then also have black people be subjugated to a lot of this displacement. So that's why the left had to go to start talking about people of color to try to make it seem that black people are in it with everybody else. It's simply not true. Illegal immigration is really not a phenomena of black people around the world, except if you have illegal immigrants from Africa, which does occur, but not nearly to the degree of the other 184 nations around the globe. That's number one. Number two, the base of the Democrat Party in most states is still predominantly black voters. So the Democrats have to use this language and use the emotions of America's past. And let's be clear. America's past is rife with, with racial discrimination, race, race riots, black people being subjugated, black people being lynched, black people being held in chains and in slavery. And so what the modern Democratic left is doing is that they are weaponizing these stains of America's history today to try to keep black voters voting Democrat. And if you ever have an opportunity to have these conversations about detailed policy, some of it ends in phrases like, from some black people, not all. I just don't. I can't trust these Republicans because these Republicans don't stand for people of color and all this other nonsense. Right. Forgetting the actual policy arguments like, let's discuss the policy. What. What helps you earn more money? What helps you pass on generational wealth to your kids? What's going to help you start a business or maintain a business? What's going to help you access a pathway or a ladder of success? What's going to help you keep your community safe? What's going to help keep the nation's border safe? What foreign policy is going to keep us out of war as opposed to having us be interjected into these foreign conflicts? And when you go issue by issue, you find that a lot of people, not just black people, but people across the spectrum, agree with common sense, Republican policy, conservative policy. But then when you listen to the political rhetoric and the Democrats inject the racial arguments, people of color, Joe Biden saying, oh, we're gonna, they're gonna put you back in chains. That was a Joe Biden statement. Or Joe Biden saying, if you can't, if you can't decide who to vote for, then you ain't black, right? Or, and I'll. This is one personal to me. I have some of my black Democratic colleagues, they run around with this stupidness, talking about, well, oh, all skin folk ain't kin folk like stupid stuff like that. By the way, Jillian, they'll never debate me one on one because they've had many of opportunities and they pass. They never show want to stand toe to toe, never. But they do it. And the purpose is to bring the emotions that are real about America's past to force people into an emotional political decision as opposed to a rational, moral, logical political decision.

[A]

I've noticed that somehow the identity politics never play out when it doesn't serve their purpose like you're talking about, because I'm thinking, I've got a black man saying, to this woman, do you think I'm the Third Reich? Do I look like the Third Reich to you? And for example, Winsome Earl Sears, who's running for governor in Virginia, has been viciously attacked by the left. And I'm like, okay, this is the first black woman ever elected to the position of lieutenant governor in the state. She's a small business owner. She's a marine corporal. I mean, a truly impressive individual. And they hate her. And the left has sent hideous messages of racism to her. Not the politicians, but leftists that have been posted using the most disgusting slurs that hearken back to the KKK kind of a thing. So I'm thinking, hold on. This should be your liberal dream. A woman of color who's a marine corporal running for governor of Virginia.

[B]

And yet.

[A]

No, not her or not you. A black guy who's running for governor of Florida? No, no, no, no. You know, no, no. But he's a member of the Third Reich. It's fascinating how all of a sudden the, you know, all this sort of dei, all of this stuff that they preach goes away when you don't bend a knee to their ideology. It just crumbles and falls apart. And I would say to you, why do you think there's a narrative that Republicans are racist? I don't see it. But what am I missing here? Why do people see that? What would you say to black Americans.

[B]

That think that a lot of it really stems from the fact that most Republican officials are white, elected officials are white. And that's mostly where it stems from. And so, again, they're using the emotions of America's past to try to insinuate like, well, see, they're all white. There's no room for you in that party. So when. When Winsome comes along, or I come along, or even before us, Alan west and so many others, Mia Love, God rest her soul, when she came along. Now you have Wesley Hunt, John James, Burgess Owens, Tim Scott, myself. When we come along and we're like, well, no, we believe this. They have to. They just can't even treat us like a typical Republican. They have to dehumanize us. They have to disparage us. They have to try to dissemble us, because what we do is we destroy the Democrat narrative in American politics today. It was actually pretty interesting. The Supreme Court was going through their oral arguments around Section 2 of the Voting Rights act. And you had Ketanji Brown, Jackson, black woman, Supreme Court justice, basically say in a very legal and esoteric way that essentially being black in America is similar to being disabled in America. This literally was the argument that she was making in her questions. Now, it's interesting that she made that point. Because I'm a black man. My congressional district is 82% white. So explain that to me. Wesley Hunt's a black man. His congressional district is majority white. I don't know the full percentage, but it's majority white. Explain it. Or Burgess Owens or John James in Michigan. Winsome Sears is running to be the governor of Georgia. She was the lieutenant governor. I mean, of Virginia. She was a lieutenant governor of Virginia. So explain that one to me. They can't. So what they typically do with black Republicans in particular, and even Hispanic Republicans, they do it there, too. They ignore us. And if they can't ignore us, which in my case, they really can't ignore me anymore, anymore, then they try to dehumanize and try to separate us from black people in America, saying, oh, he's not one of you. Or, oh, he's, you know, he's an Uncle Tom, or whatever the case might be. Which, by the way, if they actually read the book, then Uncle Tom was the good guy. Don't leave to go down that road. That one.

[A]

But I am aware of that. He's like, I actually read the book, and Uncle Tom was the good guy. Read the book. Yeah. Because you'll be clipped and you'll be the ultimate monster without anybody actually having read the book. But I am aware of that.

[B]

Exactly. But I mean. But this is what happens in politics today. And I'll say it again for the Democrats, and you made a point about all their DEI policies. Here's the truth. They don't care about dei. They don't care about that. They don't care about any of those programs. What they care about is political power. So they use dei. They use crt. They use radical language. They use dehumanizing language. They use emotional arguments to maintain political power.

[A]

Right.

[B]

Because for them, it's about political power. And if anybody messes up the ability for them to have political power, they get thrown under the bus faster than anything else. Don't believe me. Exhibit A is Joe Biden the auto pen. Because when he was no longer useful to the Democrats maintaining political power, they threw him overboard in a heartbeat. And look, Kamala Harris, she's probably never coming back. Because if she's an impediment to them having political power in America, they're gonna throw her overboard, too. That is a fact. And that's how the Democrat Party operates. So I Think the more that people get a chance to hear kind of the behind the scenes, and this is a dialogue you can't really get on cable news because we're usually in and out.

[A]

I know it's five minutes. It's so frustrating.

[B]

It's frustrating. But when you have this kind of dialogue, I think it really helps people to really understand the overall broader dynamics that are impacting the country politically. And if we can solve that hurdle, at least get enough people to see it. I actually believe the American people will not just vote for, but support a common sense policy which will allow America to continue to be the greatest nation in the land or in the world or, you know, the way the President says it, make America great again.

[A]

Congressman, since I have the pleasure of your company at this unique time in our third week of a government shutdown, I want to show you this clip from a concerned citizen that I think echoes the way many of us are feeling right now who are not in government. Guys, can you toss this one up for me? There's some language that's colorful. The Democrats want to give away $1.4 billion of free motherfucking money to the immigrants for health care. And if not, if the other side don't agree with it, they talking about shutting down the motherfucking government. Why the fuck do you bitches fight so hard for everybody but your own motherfucking people? I'm sorry, those folks weren't supposed to be here to begin with. I don't really give two flying fucks. What about us? What about us motherfuckers who struggle to pay for health care? And even though we pay a fortune on our motherfucking health care, it still ain't enough. It's still the fuck ain't enough. You still got to come out of pocket for hella shit motherfuckers dying because they can't afford health care around this bitch. Are you fucking kidding me? Okay, so at the end of the day, the key message that I took away from that is, what about us? And that clip went viral because I imagine that the vast majority of Americans are feeling that, what about us? And the Democrats have said, oh, my God, you won't have health care. The Republicans are trying to kill you. And then you see all these efforts by the Republicans, J.D. vance coming forward saying, hey, listen, let's find a way to work this through. Let's come to the table. No, no, no. Schumer has said, literally, this gets better for us every single day that it passes. And. And they will not confirm or deny that they're trying to give health care to people who are in the country illegally. What am I missing? What the hell's going on? Congressman, what is going on?

[B]

Well, first things first, I think to everybody who just saw that clip, they should go back and watch Bernie Mac's set from the original Kings of Comedy. And that will help. That will help people to understand the way the young lady was communicating. It took me back to Bernie Mac. It took me back to Bernie Mac, you know, God rest his soul.

[A]

I couldn't have said that better myself, to be dead honest with you, which is why I let her say it for me, 100%.

[B]

Look, I think with what's happening, the Democrats, their party has really been built around support for open borders and illegal immigration, which is very interesting, because even as far back as 2006, the Democrats were opposed to illegal immigration. Barack Obama was opposed to it when he was debating for the Democrat nomination. That's how radical and how far the party has gone in the last 20 years. And so a big chunk of what they're advocating for is, yes, for us to restore the cuts that were made in Medicaid. And I'm talking about the waste, fraud and abuse, because that's what we cut out of Medicaid. And they want us to restore the waste, fraud and abuse so that blue states can basically game the system getting federal money to backfill their budgets so they can take state money to provide health care to illegal ailments.

[A]

That's what Newsom was.

[B]

That's how it works.

[A]

That's the loophole. I got it.

[B]

That's the loophole. That's the loophole.

[A]

So that's what they're arguing this because it's illegal on a federal level. And that's the loophole. I got it.

[B]

So to get some more into the weeds on it, what ends up happening is they take a bunch of this federal money down. That's the stuff that goes directly towards the American people, but it takes the pressure off the state budget. Then the state can open up these pockets of funding for illegal aliens, because the illegal aliens are showing up in the hospitals, in the emergency rooms, just like everybody else is. As a matter of fact, they only go to the emergency rooms because obviously they don't have health care policies.

[A]

Right?

[B]

So they're in the emergency rooms, and the hospitals in these blue states are saying, you gotta do something, because I have all these people in my emergency room. It's uncompensated care. I'm providing the care because the Supreme Court in the 70s said that hospitals, emergency rooms have a responsibility to care for everyone, regardless of ability to pay. And so that's what's going on. And so the Democrats are now basically in government shutdown mode for two reasons. Number one, Chuck Schumer's trying to demonstrate that he's tough enough to stand up to Donald Trump. That's not gonna work, but that's what he's trying to do.

[A]

Got it.

[B]

And then number two is the fight for health care for illegal aliens. Let me make a third point. This whole thing about the Obamacare subsidies, the Obamacare Covid subsidies, the Democrats weren't even arguing for that before the government got shut down. They realized they had no argument for wanting health care for illegal. So then they made it about the Obamacare subsidies in Obamacare. And this is technical, but I'm going to explain it. Obamacare, when it was written, when it was passed into law, there was subsidies written into the law which are permanent. And those subsidies were meant to defray the cost for people who were on the lower end of the economic spectrum in America who had to go to the exchanges. What happened right before COVID is that the premium burden in Obamacare had risen so much because Obamacare was never about affordability. It was about capturing everybody into a government system. That's the purpose of Obamacare. The premium burdens became so high, especially when Covid hit Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer put in Covid era Obamacare subsidies, which were an additional subsidy on top of the original Obamacare subsidies, which are permanent. The COVID era ones are not permanent. If the Democrats wanted them to be permanent subsidies, they could have made them permanent when they controlled Washington. They did not do that. Furthermore, they had them expire at the end of this year on purpose so that they can use it as a political weapon in the midterms in the event that they lost the White House and lost Congress. So the Democrats do this all the time. They will put drop dead dates in legislation.

[A]

Incredible.

[B]

So that it gives them something to argue about politically in the future as opposed to solving the problem. And let's just solve it and then move on to the next thing. But look, my saying on politics and elected officials, if all the problems are solved, what do you need politicians for? And that's the truth. So if you solve it, you don't need them. And so my view is solve the problems and then elected officials become really caretakers of sound policy to make sure that we're just continuing to implement and execute it as opposed to having these, these policy ideas and these arguments in the country which then you can apply emotion to in order to gain political power. That's the backstory.

[A]

I see.

[B]

So that's what's really going on.

[A]

Right, I understand. But the day to day job that you guys do matters so much. And I want to circle back real quick to your vision as the governor of Florida. What are the things that you want to address first and foremost? What is it that you want to continue to champion and oversee? I know for a fact that the homeowner's insurance situation is critical. I've experienced it personally in California, Wyoming and Florida. And I know that's a key focus of yours. And, and it's something that isn't sexy, that people don't talk about. It's not men in women's locker rooms and it's not sex changes for six year olds. But it's the thing that's going to ruin the lives of millions of Americans across the country. And it's something that you're focused on and I love that. So what is your vision for Florida? Where does that element factor in? I wanna close on that.

[B]

So, number one, the first thing is we're the best state in the country. Governor DeSantis has been. He's done a great job. He really. And so the first part is keeping consistent the policy work that he's brought to Florida, the policy work and then the political culture. I think that's going to be very, very important because now it's about sustaining your political environment so you can sustain your policy environment. And when you do those two things, you actually create a stabilized society where it works for everybody. He's done a great job. We're going to keep all of that stuff consistent that he's been able to accomplish. That's critical, number two, when it comes to insurance. And again, I got to give the governor credit. He and the legislature two years ago went through tort reforms in our state. The impact has been that the loss ratio in insurance companies has actually come down. And what's starting to happen in our state, it's already happened in auto insurance in our state. And that's going to continue, but it's going to start impacting homeowners insurance. We're expecting premium rates to actually come down in Florida, something that's not happening anywhere across the country.

[A]

They're going up. They're going up in California. And I actually wanted to ask you, and I don't mean to sidebar, but because it's relevant Newsom said, well, in order to bring them back, I had to let them raise premiums. And to be dead honest with you, I thought maybe that was true. So. But it sounds like if you can keep insurance and you can keep it lower, that's kind of a miracle.

[B]

Well, California's problem is that about a decade ago, they decided to do a pre. They decided to put a. Create a. A hard cap on premium.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

As opposed to actually fixing their insurance regulatory policy in their state. So they just did a hard cap. And then what the insurers did is they left. They said, well, look, we can't write the policy, so we're leaving.

[A]

Right.

[B]

So what's happened in Pacific Palisades, nobody had fire insurance because they wouldn't let. They wouldn't let the economy, the market drive where rates would go. And they refused to change the regulatory framework in California to make it friendly to write insurance. So the insurers left. And so in Florida, we do. Obviously, we're not going to follow California. That what they did was insane, and that's why the people of California had no insurance.

[A]

Lives are ruined.

[B]

Yeah, their lives are ruined. Exactly. So in Florida, what we said was, look, we're going to actually continue to fix the regulatory framework for insurance. Obviously, insurance companies are going to have to find a way to keep their heads above water, but people need policies that they can afford that aren't going to price them out of homes either. And so that's the sweet spot that we're going to continue to work to. The governor has gotten us off to a great start. We're going to continue that and find other ways to stabilize Florida's insurance markets over the long term. The second piece of that is property taxes. Our property taxes have tripled almost in a decade here in Florida. That's something where I know the governor and the legislature, they're in the process of figuring out what they're going to do to kind of bring property tax either to full elimination in our state or to provide real relief to homeowners in our state. That's something where, if they're not able to get something constructive done, I hope that they do. But if they're not in my first year as governor, we're going to get something done for the people of Florida. But that's, that's. That speaks to obviously stability of our culture in our state. And what are you going to do around affordability and attainability in our state? The next piece that we're going to bring as prospectively the state's Next governor is transforming our economy even more. What we want to do is really become the financial capital of the world. We want tech and aerospace in our state, Cape Canaveral, the Kennedy Space Center. All the space launches in America are happening here in Florida. So we want to bring aerospace, manufacturing, defense into the state of Florida. That brings more jobs for the people of Florida. And then the last piece of all this is we want our kids to achieve mastery in core subject matter by the time they graduate high school. One of the things that needs to change in America, we have to get away from the soft bigotry of low expectations when it comes to K12 education. We need to raise the standards our kids need to achieve mastery when they graduate high school. And I believe that it's not just about going to college. There's also credentialing. There's different pathways to success. And we want every kid in Florida to have a pathway to success that works for them. It might be going to Florida State or the University of Florida or Miami, or it could be becoming an apprentice or going directly to work in construction or in the health care system or in any one of the various facets of Florida's economy. And we believe by doing these things, not only is Florida going to be the best state in the country, like it is today, but we're going to take our state to a whole nother level.

[A]

Congressman, one more question. I'm looking at what Gavin Newsom is focused on in California, and everybody knows he's going to put Prop 50 on the ballot that will allow him to redistrict the state. And he's got people like AOC coming out and Obama coming out. They're running ads like crazy, and it's like, oh, my God, we've got to protect voting and freedom in America and your constitutional rights. Trump is trying to take this away from you, this monster. We have no choice. But California has a legal system. They've got the California Citizens Redistricting Commission that draws congressional, state assembly, and state Senate districts. Voters passed this measure in 2008 and 2010 to remove this power from politicians and put in a commission made up of Democrats, Republicans and independents. Now, the current breakdown, despite the fact that 38% of California voted for Trump, is that 43 seats go to Democrats and nine go to Republicans. But if he succeeds, it's going to be 48 seats go to Democrats and four go to Republicans, greatly diminishing Republican representation. I understand that this is part of the game. I get it, and I get that all states do it. But is this something that you think is necessary to focus on as the governor of a state when people are struggling in every way possible? Like, is this a game that you would play? I'm asking honestly, because it's just don't hate the player, hate the game. Or is this unilaterally wrong?

[B]

Well, first, I think it is a governor's responsibility to figure out redistricting in their state. I do believe that. I think what they're doing is to follow the footsteps of Illinois and Massachusetts, which is to gerrymander California into essentially having no Republican representation. That's what they're, that's the true effect of what they're trying to do.

[A]

Exactly.

[B]

But all of this, and I think the critical thing is that all this stems from the fact that the Democrats, like I said at the top, they will do anything to maintain political power. The Democrats right now are arguing in the Supreme Court right now. We talked about it earlier with Ketanji, Brown, Jackson. The point of what's happening in, in the Supreme Court Talks about Section 2 of the Voting Rights act, which allows for minority written drawn congressional districts. And that's obviously coming from the past in our country where black people were.

[A]

Discriminated against because it was.

[B]

That's why it's there. But to your point, about 50.

[A]

I actually have the notes on this one because this one made perfect sense. So it's one third of the state's population is black. But the only old map only had one district where black voters could elect their preferred candidate. But that's equaling out the playing field. That's more representation for people who are underrepresented. This is less representation for people who are underrepresented, not more.

[B]

It's all about political power. What's happening is the Democrats are responding to what happened in Texas and they're trying to move by hook or by crook to me to try to keep some semblance in Washington. But the truth is, if you look across the country, Donald Trump won what, 90% of the counties in America, I mean, 90%. He won every battleground state in California. 42, 43% of California voted for Donald Trump. There were higher numbers in other blue states around the country than California. What this has become is a game run by the Democrats. And let's be clear. The reason why Texas redistricted and others redistricted is because for the longest time, Republicans have actually not gotten into this game of gerrymandering their states to the degree where there would be very little or no Republican representation. In their state. Massachusetts has mastered this. There's not one Republican elected in Massachusetts. And Massachusetts is not an 80, 20 state. Let's just be honest. It's not. Massachusetts has done that. Illinois has gerrymandered their state to the point where they basically have a snake district in southern Illinois. And that was just to create a Democrat seat in Illinois. And they basically got rid of a Republican seat to create a Democrat seat. New York wanted to go even further than they are right now, but their state Supreme Court told them, no, you can't do it. And so now the redistricting battles are on. This is about the balance of power in the House of Representatives. But I will tell people one more thing. There was a bill in the Oversight Committee last Congress. The bill called for when you're setting congressional districts to not count illegal aliens, when you're apportioning congressional districts. And this is very important because right now, illegal aliens who might live in a congressional area, they are in the count when it comes to setting congressional districts. Well, what the Democrats. When we try to get rid of that as Republicans, the Democrats lost their minds. You would have thought you cut their arm off when we brought this up, but that's common sense stuff. Why are you using people who are not allowed to vote and you're using them for the purposes of setting congressional districts for representation of the American people, regardless of your politics. If something like that were to pass in Congress, and I do believe there's going to come a future where it will pass in Congress, California's entire congressional advantage and electoral advantage would shift because you would have people. They wouldn't have enough people to support 50 congressional districts. You would actually see a reallotment in the country to redder states. And that's something that the Democrats will not abide. So that's why Prop 50 is on the ballot. And that's why they're lying to the people of California, saying that they're saving democracy. No, they're not. What they're actually doing is they're empowering Democrat politics by getting rid of Prop 50. So I would advise the people of California, keep your redistricting commission. It's not perfect, but what Gavin Newsom's going to do to that state is going to be reprehensible to our constitutional republic.

[A]

I remember watching him in an interview with Sean Ryan saying, that's not true. You know, we. We've taken more people into California. More people have come to California than have left. And it's people who are not here legally. More American citizens have exited out of California than migrated in. And the influx of people that he's talking about are people that are here illegally. Congressman, where can people learn more about you, your campaign, how to support you in your. In your run for governor of Florida?

[B]

Go to byron donalds.com everything on social media is byron donalds.com I really just appreciate your time. It was really cool. You know, like I said, I do. Obviously people see me a lot on cable news, and those are very quick interviews. You don't really get an opportunity to go in depth on a lot of these issues. So. Jillian, I just really appreciate being on your podcast. Thanks so much for having me on.

[A]

Thank you so much for giving me the time. I've been a huge fan ever since we met at Bill Maher's show, and I'm so excited to see all the things you're gonna do in the future. Count me as a fan, a supporter. I'm here to help with anything you need.

[B]

Thank you. Take it easy.

[A]

Thank you, Congressman, thank you so much for watching. If you enjoyed the podcast, please, like, comment, subscribe and share. And make sure to let me know what guests you wanna see on in the future.