Senator Martha McSally | How to Fight—Lessons From America's First Female Combat Pilot

Summary

The Charlie Kirk Show – Senator Martha McSally: How to Fight—Lessons From America’s First Female Combat Pilot

Date: June 20, 2020
Guest: Senator Martha McSally
Host: Charlie Kirk

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Episode Overview

In this engaging episode, Charlie Kirk sits down with Senator Martha McSally, America’s first female combat pilot, to discuss her journey from overcoming adversity to flying fighter jets on the frontlines and later, to the U.S. Senate. McSally shares key lessons learned from her military and personal life, her fight against unjust policies in the military, the challenges facing America—including the threat from China—and the stakes of the upcoming Arizona Senate race. The conversation blends inspiring personal storytelling, insights on leadership and courage, and sharp commentary on the political landscape.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

Martha McSally’s Personal Journey and the Power of Courage

[02:02–03:11]

• McSally describes her transformation from “a motion sick, pudgy, very shy girl” to the first woman in U.S. history to fly a fighter jet in combat.
  • Importance of finding courage and faith, especially through grief (loss of her father at age 12) and adversity.
  • Her mantra: “Don’t walk by a problem. Do the next right thing.”

Memorable Quote:

“By the grace of God and the help of others in my life and being able to find my strength to push through that adversity, I was able to meet my destiny to serve our country in uniform for 26 years. And now I’m in a new combat zone in DC.” – Martha McSally [02:58]

Fighting the System: The Burka Policy in Saudi Arabia

[03:11–07:27]

• McSally recounts her multi-year battle against a Department of Defense policy requiring U.S. servicewomen in Saudi Arabia to wear burkas, describing it as “wrong” and “unnecessary.”
  • She took the fight from the courts to Congress and succeeded in overturning the policy.
  • Emphasis on sticking to principles, the U.S. Constitution, and not shying away from tough fights.

Memorable Quote:

“My oath of office… is not to stupid policies above me, it’s to the Constitution of the United States.” – Martha McSally [06:37]

Notable Moment:

• McSally reveals she keeps one of the issued abayas in her garage, and another was requested by the Smithsonian. [05:30]

The Role of Faith and Inspiration from the Book of Esther

[07:27–08:28]

• McSally shares how the Book of Esther and specifically Esther 4:14 guided her through adversity.
  • Encouragement for listeners to find and act on their own conviction.

Memorable Quote:

“Can it be that you were put in this position for such a time as this—was the conviction that continued to carry me through.” – Martha McSally [06:56]

Breaking Barriers as a Female Combat Pilot

[08:28–12:01]

• Facing gender-based legal restrictions at the Air Force Academy in 1984 (“just because I was a girl, I couldn’t do something—it was against the law for women”).
• Developed resilience partly from family tragedy and being the youngest of five.
• Channeled her “feistiness” into excelling against the odds: “We live in America, laws change.”
• Advice for young women: “Keep blooming where you’re planted… you never know when the door is going to open.”

Memorable Quote:

“You broke through that glass ceiling.”
“Yeah, I flew through it, exactly.” – Charlie Kirk and Martha McSally [10:35–10:39]

• Reflection that detours and setbacks often prepare you for the right opportunities.

The Arizona Senate Race and the Battle with China

[12:01–16:58]

• The high stakes of Arizona as a battleground state; McSally’s characterization of her opponent, Mark Kelly, as a “fake, moderate, true leftist.”
  • Extensive discussion of Kelly’s business ties to Chinese companies and his alleged appearance with a Chinese flag.
• McSally highlights her own efforts to hold China accountable for COVID-19 and other “malevolent behavior,” positioning herself as strong on national security.
• Cites personal threats from the Chinese government against her and other GOP Senators for being outspoken.

Memorable Quote:

“Chuck Schumer is going to have to pry the Senate majority out of my cold, dead hands.” – Martha McSally [15:49]

Law and Order, Riots, and Policing Debate

[16:58–19:06]

• Discussion on recent protests and riots, specifically the ransacking of Scottsdale Fashion Square.
  • McSally: “We can all agree that the murder of George Floyd… needs to be held accountable… But we can also agree that the vast majority of men and women who put on the uniform are there to protect and serve.”
• Critique of the “defund the police” movement, emphasizing the need for law and order.

Confronting China: Policy Proposals for National and Economic Security

[19:06–23:25]

• McSally’s multifaceted plan:
  • Strengthen the U.S. military presence in the Pacific; oppose Chinese expansion (South China Sea, Huawei).
  • Bring manufacturing home, specifically for critical minerals and medical supplies, via tax incentives and investment policies.
  • Increase transparency for consumers to know where products are made.
  • Hold China accountable for human rights abuses (Hong Kong, Uyghur Muslims).

Memorable Quote:

“We’ve got to disentangle… but we’ve got to do that as quickly as possible for things to be made in America again. This is a great opportunity for American jobs, American innovation, but also our health security and our national security.” – Martha McSally [21:24]

Supreme Court and Conservative Legacy

[23:25–25:14]

• Emphasizes the importance of the Senate for judicial appointments.
  • Praises President Trump’s record on judge selection.
  • Calls for “originalist” justices who interpret the Constitution as written.

Memorable Quote:

“I’m looking for somebody who is going to interpret the Constitution the way it was written.” – Martha McSally [24:51]

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Notable Quotes & Moments by Timestamp

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote/Insight | |------------|---------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 02:02–02:58| McSally | Shares journey from “shy girl” to combat pilot; “finding my courage, finding my faith, getting through adversity.” | | 04:49 | Kirk/McSally | McSally sued Donald Rumsfeld, eventually won by using legislative channels to change burka policy. | | 06:37 | McSally | “My oath of office is… to the Constitution of the United States.” | | 07:27 | Kirk | “Book of Esther… doesn’t mention God explicitly, but God is present…” | | 08:39 | McSally | “I flew through it, yeah, exactly.” (on breaking through the glass ceiling) | | 12:35 | McSally | “My opponent [Mark Kelly] has gone into business with [China].… I only fly the American flag.” | | 15:49 | McSally | “Chuck Schumer is going to have to pry the Senate majority out of my cold, dead hands.” | | 17:42 | McSally | “We want border security. We want… a great economy because of lower taxes and less regulations.” | | 21:24 | McSally | “We have got to disentangle… for things to be made in America again.… for our national security.” | | 24:51 | McSally | “Looking for somebody who is going to interpret the Constitution the way it was written.” |

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Closing Section & Book Mention

[25:29] – McSally’s book, Dare to Fly: Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up, is highlighted as a source of inspiration and practical encouragement.
[26:07] – Both agree that the 2020 election is “a referendum on who we are as a people.”

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Additional Segment: “Made in America CEO Spotlight” with Rob Chang of PC Matic

(Segment runs from 26:21–32:27; Not the main portion of McSally discussion)

• Rob Chang discusses the importance of U.S.-manufactured cybersecurity, dangers of outsourcing (including to rival countries), and advice for young entrepreneurs.
• Key advice: “Your ability to learn quickly and adapt to what you see in front of you is the most important thing for an entrepreneur.” [31:47]

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Episode Takeaways

• Martha McSally’s story is one of grit, principled leadership, and faith-based courage—serving as both a political call-to-action and inspiration for listeners facing obstacles.
• Key issues discussed: U.S.-China policy, national security, riot and police reform debates, Arizona’s pivotal political role, and the importance of judicial appointments.
• Action items for listeners: Get involved politically, understand the stakes of the local and national elections, and consider the broader implications of disengagement.

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For Listeners

If you want a firsthand account of overcoming adversity, standing up for what’s right—even against bureaucracy—and a breakdown of what’s at stake politically in Arizona and the nation, this episode is both motivating and informative. McSally’s unique blend of military discipline, personal faith, and legislative action provides actionable takeaways for young and old alike.

Transcript

[A]

Thank you for listening to this Podcast 1 production now available on Apple Podcasts, Podcast 1, Spotify and anywhere else you get your podcasts. Hey everybody. Today on the Charlie Kirk Show, I sit down with Senator Martha McSally, who's in a very important race in Arizona. Email me your questions freedomarliekirk.com freedomarliekirk.com if you want to attend our event in Arizona, where Senator Martha McSally will be there alongside the great 45th President of the United States, President Donald Trump, go to trumpstudents.org it's trumpstudents.org We are running out of tickets in Phoenix, Arizona, June 23rd. This episode is brought to you ad free, so please consider going to charliekirk.com, go to support and chip in some money if you can. We have lots of new monthly donors to the Charlie Kirk Show. Thank you guys for that. Helps cover our production cost. We are doing seven, eight hours of work a day. So this episode is brought to you ad free thanks to those patrons that go to charliekirk. Com. Great interview in store. Everybody buckle up. Here we go. Charlie, what you've done is incredible here.

[B]

Maybe Charlie Kirk is on the college campus. I want you to know we are lucky to have Charlie Kirk.

[A]

Charlie Kirk's running the White House, folks.

[B]

I want to thank Charlie. He's an incredible guy, his spirit, his love of this country. He's done an amazing job building one of the most powerful youth organizations ever created, Turning Point usa.

[A]

We will not embrace the ideas that have destroyed countries, destroyed lives. And we are going to fight for freedom on campus across the country. That's why we are here. Hey, everybody. Welcome to this episode of the Charlie Kirk Show. I am here in the great state of Arizona with Senator Martha McSally.

[B]

Hey, Senator, thanks for having me on with you.

[A]

You bet. It's been some crazy couple months. I know you've been in D.C. fighting quite a lot. And you also wrote a book during this lockdown. So first, just tell us about yourself. You have an amazing biography. Served our country.

[B]

Thanks.

[A]

And now you're a U.S. senator running for reelection or election from being appointed here in Arizona. So tell us your story.

[B]

So I share in Dare to Fly, how I went from being a motion sick, pudgy, very shy girl to becoming the first woman in U.S. history to fly a fighter jet in combat. And my journey along the way to, you know, finding my courage, finding my faith, getting through adversity, getting over some obstacles and just, you know, living what America is all about. So I, you know, I've had some unique experiences. For sure, not a lot of people are going to fly fighter jets, but I bring you into the cockpit of the A10 for my first time that I was cleared for takeoff and complex missions in the south of Afghanistan. But what's all common amongst us is fear. And there's probably a lot of people who feel that right now what's common amongst us is grief. You know, I lost my dad when I was 12 years old, youngest of five kids, and other challenges I had that almost derailed me. But by the grace of God and the help of others in my life and being able to find my strength to push through that adversity, I was able to meet my destiny to serve our country in uniform for 26 years. And now I'm in a new combat zone in dc.

[A]

Well, and then if I remember your BIO correctly, in 2001, you sued the Department of Defense for what?

[B]

Because they were making our service women wear burkas when they were over in Saudi Arabia. And this was something I started. This is an eight year battle. I share it in Dare to Fly, where one of my mantras is don't walk by a problem. And I was deployed to Kuwait and I walked by the duty desk and I saw a picture of a young enlisted woman wearing the full Black Muslim garb and headscarf.

[A]

A US military man.

[B]

Yes. And I was like, this is wrong. And I started looking into like, why are we doing this? Where is this coming from? Who's making this happen? And it was an eight year journey of, you know, within the Department of Defense trying to get it changed. And then I eventually got ordered over there and they threatened, they basically said, sit in the back seat of the car, wear the burqa. We always had to have a male escort. And they told us to lie and claim your fellow servicewoman as your wife to comply with Sharia law.

[A]

This is Saudi Arabia.

[B]

In Saudi Arabia. So eventually, years later, I was also ordered over to Saudi Arabia. So I was fighting it for about five years before it even applied to me, just because I thought it was wrong. And on behalf of the young enlisted women. And then they ordered me over there and then they threatened to take.

[A]

That was your punishment.

[B]

Then they threatened to take me.

[A]

Show you how bad it really is. And it's like 120 degrees.

[B]

And they threatened to take me up on charges if I didn't obey it. And I was like, at the point, at that point, I was promoted four years ahead of my peers. I was on Track to be a senior leader in the military. And they're saying, wear a burka or we're going to court martial you. So I complied with it while I still tried to get it changed. And then I sued Donald Rumsfeld over it.

[A]

Did you win?

[B]

Well, you'll have to read the book Dare to Fly. No, we did win. We were working our way through the courts, but then I went to Congress. We have three branches of the government. The executive branch was failing, the judicial branch was taking a long time. But. But I had been a legislative fellow and I'm like, you know what, the annual defense bill is coming up. Why don't we just tack on an amendment and overturn this? And so I worked as a one woman lobbying campaign, as a regular citizen. In my free time, I took military leave and I got legislation unanimously passed into law to overturn it so that

[A]

our women serving overseas in these backwards thinking countries don't have to suffocate. Literally.

[B]

And we were using taxpayer dollars to buy Muslim garb.

[A]

Oh, come on.

[B]

I'm not kidding. I have actually two of my abayas that were issued to me. One of them the Smithsonian asked for. I have another one of them still in my garage in a box.

[A]

So we were using our hard earned money to go buy Muslim garb in like theocratic, medieval and make our service

[B]

women wear it when they were on duty or off duty. So if I was traveling somewhere on duty, you would have to put it on over your uniform or from one military base to the other. It was so messed up. So I would do it again in a second. It was unnecessary, but I'm glad.

[A]

I'm sure you received a lot of backlash through that fight.

[B]

It was a difficult journey. Yes. There was a lot of pressure, as you can imagine. The establishment doesn't like when you take it on and you stand up for your principles and what's right. But I wasn't gonna back down. My oath of office when I, you know, which I have in my heart is not to stupid policies above me, it's to the Constitution of the United States. And so on my knees through some really tough days, every morning I'd be like, dear Lord, give me the strength to get through this. And I was inspired by Esther414. When I first reached out to one of my mentors when I was asking advice whether I should stand up against this, he told me to read the book of Esther. And as I read that story, I'm no Esther, but that, that Esther 414. Can it be that you were put in this position for such a time as this was the conviction that continued to carry me through every single step and every decision I had to make. And my encouragement, which I share in this book, is don't walk by a problem and do the next right thing. And so every step along the way, I was just like, what's the next right thing to do? What's the next right thing to be true to my oath of office? This is not about your career. This is about standing up for what's right. And I never thought I'd be put in that position to put everything. I mean, I put my life on the line for our freedoms, but, you know, it was a pretty difficult journey, but I won. It's a great thing to do.

[A]

What I love about the Book of Esther, it's the only book of the Bible that doesn't mention God explicitly, but God is present all throughout the Book of Esther.

[B]

It's incredible. I remember when I first. So I first called back. I was overseas. I was in Kuwait when I was struggling whether I should bring it up or not. And I'm on a field phone where you have to, like, say over, you know, you've got a delay. And my mentor was like, you need to read the Book of Esther. And I was like, well, what. What does that.

[A]

What does it have to do with?

[B]

What does that have to do with? I'm trying to decide whether I should speak out about this, but it's exactly what God used to have me really look at. Could it be that I was given the opportunities to become an officer, to become a fighter pilot, to break through barriers for others, not just because I wanted to meet my dreams, but because I was now in this very position to speak for others and to stand in the gap for them and to fight for them. And that is what carried me through every difficult day decision. And yeah, it wasn't easy, but I had a lot of people praying for me. I had a lot of wingmen and wing women along the way who were encouraging me, even if it looked like I was standing alone.

[A]

So you were the first woman to fly, you said combat missions?

[B]

Yeah, fighter jet in combat. I flew the A10 Warthog.

[A]

So I'm sure you being the only tell a little about the experiences of that. We have a lot of young ladies that listen to this podcast and they email us and they say, charlie, I don't know how to stand up. Fraud, I believe in. I mean, I can't. It's hard for me to comprehend what it Would be like being the only woman in the first woman in a very male dominated military atmosphere.

[B]

Yep. Well, I was the youngest of five kids, so I joke. I had to kind of fight for my food anyway. Right. And look, it was very transformative for me when my dad passed away when I was 12. Like it is defining moment in my life. And. And I was blessed. I mean, one day we were there and we're hanging out, and then the next day he was gone. And in between two heart attacks in the hospital, he really felt he knew in his spirit he was going to go be with the Lord. And he said, get my children, I want to speak with them. And I was blessed to be able to meet with him. And we talked about a lot of mundane things, but among what he told me was to make him proud. And the journey wasn't easy. I didn't get up the next day after we lost him. It was a very difficult time, very tumultuous time in my junior high and high school. But I was brought up to believe I could be anything I wanted to be. And I was looking for an opportunity to get a good education and not saddle my single mom, you know, with debt. And so off I went to the Air Force Academy and I wanted to be a doctor, I thought. And for the first time when I got there, I was told that just because I was a girl, I couldn't do something. It was against the law for women.

[A]

What year was this?

[B]

This was 1984.

[A]

Against the law, yeah.

[B]

And so I'm a little feisty by nature. And so I channeled my feistiness in saying, you know what? That's exactly what I want to do. You know, it was just to prove them wrong. And people laughed at me and said, yeah, you know, it's against the law. I said, we live in America, laws change. And I'm going to be having this dream in my heart. I'm going to keep excelling where I am. I'm not going to have a chip on my shoulder. Right. Because it wasn't fair. But life's unfair. And so keep blooming where you're planted. And you never know when the door is going to open. And I was in the right place at the right time with the right qualifications when the door finally opened.

[A]

So you broke through that glass ceiling. Is that fair to say?

[B]

Yeah, you flew through it. I flew through it, yeah, exactly.

[A]

I think that's an interesting story and very instructive because there were legitimate barriers to what you wanted to accomplish. And instead of organizing mass Protests or creating a new autonomous country within the Air Force Academy, you just applied yourself and worked harder.

[B]

Exactly. I look at this, there's things that are outside your control, and there's things in your control. And what you can do today is because your best self, you can strive to be the best at the tasks that are in front of you in your studies or whatever that is. And if things are not going your way, find another way. You know, go over the wall, under the wall, blow it up if you need to. I don't mean fig.

[A]

I don't mean literally for media matters, listening.

[B]

It's meditative, figuratively. And the other thing is, I realized, had I not been detoured because I was delayed, I went to graduate school for a couple years because I had some other obstacles just getting into pilot training. I. But had I not been delayed and detoured, I wouldn't have been in the right place at the right time when the door opened. And I think a lot of people are feeling a little detoured right now in 2020, maybe. But as I look back, I see God's hand in my life pointing me in the direction I needed to go, maybe not the direction I wanted to go at that moment. And along the way, I grew as a person, I grew as a pilot, as an officer, and it equipped me for that moment when I was asked to step up and break through that barrier.

[A]

So you're the U.S. senator for Arizona. You are up for election here in November. It's critical that we as conservatives hold this seat up against the fake, moderate, true leftist Mark Kelly. I now understand that he was driving around in a motorcycle with China, Chinese flags.

[B]

Yeah. So my opponent has a lot of weaknesses, but one of them is him being financially beholden to multiple Chinese companies. And while I'm standing up to China and I'm personally being threatened by the Chinese government, which is freaking out my family a little bit.

[A]

Yeah, tell us about that.

[B]

Yeah, there's been about a half a dozen of us that have been standing really strongly saying China needs to be held accountable for the coronavirus, that they're trying to replace us as a leader of the world, and they're not going to do that. You know, as long as I'm serving in the Senate and President Trump's in the White House, and we've got strong leaders willing to stand up for America and what we believe in. And I think Americans are waking up to the path that they have been on for several decades now, in plain sight, feeding on us like a parasite in many ways. Building their military, stealing our technology. You know, we've been sending jobs overseas, Joe Biden and the whole Klan, you know, sending jobs overseas. And now we're relying on them for our ppe, for our pharmaceuticals. All that needs to come home. So I'm standing up to them to be held accountable, not just for the coronavirus, but all of their malevolent behavior. And my opponent, in the meantime, has gone into business with them. So one of the many business adventures he had was peddling a pyramid scheme over in China. They introduce him in a, you know, Chinese language video and he comes out on stage on a motorcycle with a Chinese flag on the back. I only fly the American flag.

[A]

Yeah. And so you said your family, you were being threatened or something or.

[B]

Yeah. The Chinese government by name, in their government owned media, named about a half a dozen Republicans that they personally threatened and threatened to meddle in our election. And I was one of the names.

[A]

Wow. So that would be actual foreign interference in our elections. Legitimate.

[B]

Yes, it would be. And look, I think a big question in November is going to be who do you trust to stand up to China? This is the. I've been dealing with national security my whole life. Who? This is the biggest geopolitical threat that's defining this next many years. It has been over the rise of China has been this significant geopolitical threat, but we've woken up to it. And is it going to be Joe Biden, you know, is it going to be Mark Kelly, my opponent, when he's got financial ties, he's financially beholden to them. No way. He's not going to stand up to them.

[A]

Yeah. It seems that the Chinese Communist Party has been a very convenient piggy bank for the Democrat ruling class.

[B]

Yeah, exactly.

[A]

Mark Kelly, Joe Biden, Hunter Biden. Awfully suspicious deals that were created at the expense of America.

[B]

Exactly, exactly. And they've been using it for their own, you know, lining their own pockets, of course, growing their economy at the expense of American jobs. And we've outsourced things that we need, we've outsourced to be made in China. So now we have to rely on an adversary for our health, security, for our national security. No way.

[A]

Yeah. And just to give our listeners a kind of picture of this, you know, we're right now in the beautiful state of Arizona. Arizona is now a battleground state. You know, it's a state that President Trump won a plurality, but not a majority of votes. It's a state that people are calling a purple state. Joe Biden thinks he can Win the state. Mark Kelly thinks they can win the state, and I think they're going to be very disappointed. But this is very important for the future of our country. And it's very important that people recognize that. The justices we select, the laws that we pass, if you give that kind of power to the radical left, people would think Arizona is a. Oh, it's an automatic Republican state. Well, not so fast. It's highly contested.

[B]

It is. It's going to be a significant battleground state for the presidential and for the Senate. Chuck Schumer is going to have to pry the Senate majority out of my cold, dead hands. And look, Arizona is very diverse, but we have an independent spirit and we want our freedoms and we do want. We don't want to defund the police. We want border security. We want. We've had a great economy because of lower taxes and less regulations. And that's the question. These are the questions I think people are going to have when they go to the polls. Who do you trust to get the economy going again? We already proved with President Trump and Senate and House Republicans at the time and Governor Ducey in Arizona. Right. Lower taxes, less regulations. Who do you trust to take on China? And if. Do you really want Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi and AOC and Bernie and the whole Klan in charge? We. With their radical left agenda that they have that is out of touch with how Arizonans, you know, with everyday Arizonans is out of touch with what their values are. And Joe, I mean, my opponent's gonna pretend he's not a Democrat this whole time, and his first vote is for Chuck Schumer and their extreme agenda. And I really, you know, as Arizonans come into focus on their vote, I think they'll start to realize what's at stake here.

[A]

Yeah. So in Scottsdale, and you spoke out against this, it seemed like they were out of state. Rioters and activists in the streets. Scottsdale Fashion Square was ransacked.

[B]

Yes.

[A]

I mean, the type of pillaging and plundering that we saw in la, New York was not just there. It was in this beautiful state of Arizona. Mark Kelly awfully silent. I mean, maybe he needs the votes of the anarchists. Maybe he's trying to, you know, maybe those are going to be future door knockers for him. I'm not really sure why, but what. I think law and order is going to be a huge issue. I think people feel like there's a fabric of our country that is kind of being weakened. And you spoke out against this. Can you just comment on the lawlessness that has spread across our country recently?

[B]

It's deeply troubling. Look, we can all agree that the murder of George Floyd needs to be. Those people need to be held accountable. That was not right.

[A]

Yes.

[B]

But we can also agree that the vast majority of men and women who get up every day to put on the uniform are there to protect and serve. And, and they do amazing things in our communities in so many areas, things they weren't even trained to do. And the left is now mainstreaming the idea that we don't need police, that they can just take over areas in America that looks like Somalia. I mean, that you know what is going on when people call 91 1. They want to make sure if someone's breaking into their home that these amazing Americans are going to come and put themselves in harm's way in order to protect others. So we're working on things to make sure that the good guys have everything they need. The good police officers have all the training and equipment that they need. And there's a culture, it's incentivized that there's a culture where, you know, the bad actors are routed out and that others are not standing by and watching, you know, someone committing a crime. But what the left is now doing related to this moment in time, they first wanted to abolish ice. Now they want to get rid of the police. And Arizonans want law and order. Arizonans want for us to be able to have people build a business, pour their whole lives into it and not have it rioted and ransacked like we saw happen here.

[A]

Yeah. And just parts of the state that otherwise that you wouldn't think that Scottsdale Fashion Square would have that kind of, you know, widespread anarchy. And it was just that if the Democrats continue to have power, it's almost as if that that will continue. And so I'm glad you mentioned the China issue. I think that's one of the biggest issues, you know, concerning our country. And the Democrat Party has made it very clear that the free flow of capital from China, them stealing our military technology, they have no problems with this. And I would encourage you to try to get these Confucius Institutes closed in the state of Arizona, which are Chinese Communist Party funded. It's something I've been trying to lobby for personally agree with the governor that CCP military installations have no place in the great state of Arizona. But can you just talk a little specifically on policy of what you're proposing when it comes to China because So many young listeners now, they agree, they're like, okay, now what are we going to put sanctions, tariffs, you know, are we going to have military transfers? Like, what are you proposing? Policy?

[B]

So it's all the above. We need to ensure that we continue to have a strong military. As we've watched what they're doing, taking over areas and building islands where they didn't exist in the South China Sea. We've got. Our allies in the Pacific need to wake up and keep working with us on this to stop their blatant military advances. We need to bring manufacturing home.

[A]

Self sufficiency, yes.

[B]

It's so important for critical minerals. I mean, we can't make an F35 without relying on China's, you know, minerals that are made in China. This is ridiculous.

[A]

Make an iPhone without a PC, you

[B]

can't, you know, you can't. For those who care about green technology, you. You can't make a battery. You can't build a electric car unless you're using graphite. We have a company here in Arizona, I met with, or I talked to him this week, virtually, where they're trying to. They're building opportunities to bring that home so that we can manufacture it here in America because we're reliant on China for this. So our ppe, we saw this at the beginning of the pandemic. We couldn't get masks except for going to China. So we need tax incentives for American companies to bring that manufacturing home. I'm already leaning on some legislation on this. We've got to focus on our health security, on our national security. When we bring up the defense bill, hopefully we'll attach some of this to that. And also, I think tax incentives for investors, right, for American investors to invest in companies just like opportunity zones, invest in companies that are going to bring the supply chain home for key technologies, for our security. This. We gotta disentangle it. It's gonna take some time, but we've gotta do that as quickly as possible for things to be made in America again. This is a great opportunity for American jobs, American innovation, but also our health security and our national security. We've gotta hold Chinese leaders accountable for their malevolent behavior both internally with Hong Kong and, you know, putting their minorities in concentration camps, but also 1 million

[A]

Muslims in concentration camps, they get away with it.

[B]

And I think, you know, this is where Europe needs to wake up.

[A]

Seriously. Huawei needs to be rejected out of the European theater.

[B]

Yes, exactly. So there's the surveillance state, the technology. We also have, where we have Chicago And Boston and other cities that are using Chinese state owned companies for their mass transit transportation. We've got Chinese companies that are giving drones to local law enforcement, donating them so that they can, they can spy on U.S. citizens, surveil on U.S. citizens. So we've got to stop all of that from being allowed. Everybody needs to wake up that they're our adversary, they're trying to replace us. And we've got to use all elements of our national power, but also as a consumer, there's legislation to make sure when you get on Amazon, we've got to make this law. You should know if something's made in China, whether it's assembled in China, it's a Chinese company. I have a funny story about trying to order a mask that's Arizona flag. And I couldn't tell from the website where it was made. So I did contact seller. I'd already ordered it, but I really still couldn't tell. And I said, where is this made? Is this made in China? And they eventually came back and said, yes. And I said, you're communist is responsible for killing Americans and unleashing this virus. Give me a refund now. I'm not wearing a proud American.

[A]

Now you want to go sell a mask to me for the virus that you lied about?

[B]

Yes.

[A]

And suspicious.

[B]

They gave me a refund, but I shouldn't have to search so hard to find whether something's made in America or made in China.

[A]

Yeah. And I look at the framing of this election as who do you really represent? And Mark Kelly and Joe Biden and all these other guys, if you look seriously, they don't have an underlying dying commitment to our country. If you do any sort of that kind of business. The Chinese Communist Party, Joe Biden said that it's a good thing that China gets more powerful. He said that Xi Jinping's a great guy and all these sorts of things. So I think he's the tyrant of today. I think he is an absolute maniac. And the three things you're not supposed to talk about and Mark Kelly has to answer like, do you believe in the autonomy of Taiwan? Do you believe in the autonomy of Tibet? And do you believe that Tiananmen Square was a massacre against peaceful protesters? And that'd be interesting to find out. So in closing, a lot of conservatives focus on the Supreme Court as one of the biggest reasons to like the US Senate in a lot of ways is the Supreme Court gatekeeper.

[B]

Yeah.

[A]

Right. And so the President Trump has been terrific in appointing justices disagree with some of the recent rulings, but generally, there's been some really good movement. Tell us on how you view what a Supreme Court justice should and should not do and how important it is going into November.

[B]

Well, we're on the verge of our 200th confirmed judge since President Trump came into office. I haven't been in the Senate the whole time, but this is a lasting legacy of President Trump to transform the courts. You can see the appellate courts are now flipping. The Ninth Circuit actually is getting near even. And I'm looking for somebody who is going to interpret the Constitution the way it was written.

[A]

Textualism, yes.

[B]

They're not gonna be calling. They're not gonna be legislating from the bench. Right. They're gonna be looking at it. It is an originalist forum. And they're gonna be making a determination not on what they would like, not on what they would prefer, but how it was written.

[A]

And that should give a lot of conservatives, you know, fire to say, hey, we can't let Chuck Schumer pick our next Supreme Court justice.

[B]

Can you imagine?

[A]

I mean, you would get a younger, more radical version of Ruth Bader Ginsburg. And look what they try to do to Justice Kavanaugh. It's one of the most disgusting things. Well, so, Senator, I know you're heavily booked and you're criss crossing the state of Arizona. The book is called Dare to Fly.

[B]

Dare to Fly. Simple Lessons and Never Giving Up. And again, it just shares some of my own stories and my own unique journeys, but also things that are really common to all of us. And you can find your own faith, find your own strength, find your courage, and I hope I can inspire you. You can go to Daretofly us, get a book, and then share your own inspiring story with me.

[A]

And if you're in Arizona, look, I'm telling you, get engaged, get involved, volunteer. You know, look, President Trump needs to help. The senator needs to help. You have a very malevolent mixture of foreign adversaries and domestic forces that want to take back the Senate and the White House, which would mean. Which would spell disaster for America.

[B]

It really would.

[A]

And this is a referendum on who we are as a people.

[B]

So this is the most important election in our lifetime, and we are standing on the wall to defend our freedoms, and we need the support.

[A]

Great. Thanks so much, Senator. God bless you.

[B]

Thanks a lot. God bless you, too.

[A]

Rob Chang from pcmatic joining us here on the Charlie Kirk show for our Made in America CEO Spotlight. Welcome to the Charlie Kirk Show.

[C]

It's great to be here.

[A]

Great. So can you tell us a little about pcmatic? It's a made in America company that's trying to protect our critical infrastructure and our computers from foreign actors. Tell us about pcmatic, how you started the company and the important work that you do.

[C]

Oh, boy. Well, that's a long question. I started the company 21 years ago. Prior to that, I was a senior vice president at Gateway Computers, which at the time was one of the largest computer manufacturers in the nation. We were also 100% made in America. We did all of our manufacturing, we did all of our support in the United States. And I was responsible for sales, marketing support worldwide. And I was very proud of this because all the people that we talked to on the phones mainly were a call center and a manufacturing operation. All those call center people reported to me, and now all those jobs have gone out of the country, which makes me. I mean, call center jobs was a really, really big thing in the 90s, and it is not so much anymore. But I left there and I started this company called PC Pitstop at the time, and it's just to make computers run faster. And then throughout the decades, I mean, we did what we call pivoting. As the times change, the needs changed. Back then, PC Pitstop was because computers were running very slow. So we were able to diagnose a slow computer and tell them what's wrong. Ultimately, we wrote software to make computers run faster. And then in 2010, 2011, we went and realized that a lot of people were getting infected and there was a flaw in antivirus. There were two flaws at the time. Still has the two same flaws 10 years later. Number one is they're based on a blacklist. What they're trying to do is keep track of everything that is known bad. And so whenever they see something that they haven't seen before, then they let it in because it's not known bad. So we took the other approach. We only look at things that are good. If it's not known good, then we stop it. And we're the only antivirus right now that's made in America. When I made this, when we did that, that was in my plan. I did not even know that we were the only ones that were doing it. But here we are today, 10 years later, and we are.

[A]

That's terrific. Can you talk about the importance of why you need to keep your operations in America versus some of the other companies that have outsourced overseas?

[C]

Okay, yeah. I mean, you know, I just told you a story about Gateway. I mean, I think that the nation is becoming over reliant on certain things. One of them is certainly cybersecurity. And I think that is very important. Some of my competitors, they originate from countries where we believe the viruses are originating. And so that, which really doesn't make any sense. I mean that one, you know, somebody could work at a cybersecurity company and the next day they can work at the place where they're making the bad stuff. And so I think it is a security hole. Actually, I was just on another thing and they were talking about Zoom. And as it ends up Zoom is all their servers are in China. And so that's in the news right now. And whether we want all of our video chats, all that going through Chinese servers and our antivirus is the same way. I mean, I think that we need to be self reliant, independent. At the same time, when you are doing that, you're creating jobs. I mean instead of outsourcing everything, you're creating jobs inside of your own country. So I think that it's very important.

[A]

So can you also just talk about what the average threat is to someone that might be listening to this? Their pictures, their emails could all be at risk if they don't have the correct virus software. Right. And protection.

[C]

That is true. That is true. That is certainly true. I mean in the pictures are, I mean a lot of people are uploading their pictures every place. So that's not that big a risk. But they can get infected. It's very easy to get infected. The number of infections is greatly increasing. As a young person, I mean, you know, your pictures and those kind of things. If you're working on something, if you're working on a script, if you're making a video and that kind of thing, they're going to go after that. So all your work will be lost. Perhaps the largest thing is your workplace. So if you're getting infected and then it's possible that if you're, that your workplace will get infected. And so I think that is really the larger issue is whether you know, and this is happening right now and this has to do with password management, those things is that if you are working someplace and you are using the same password that you use for, let's say your email password, you have work email and business email use that same password. That's a way for them to get into where you work and then your work's going to get infected and then you're out of a job.

[A]

Well, so in closing, can you just talk about young people and some advice for young people might want to start a business. Being an entrepreneur, starting something from nothing. Connect it with your story because so many young entrepreneurs that are trying to make it listen to this podcast.

[C]

Well, I really, I think that, I mean, America is probably the best country for entrepreneurs in the entire the history of the world. And so I hope that a lot of more people can continue in that. My boss at Gateway, when he started, he was a young man. He dropped out of University of Iowa. He started Gateway with $10,000 and now he's a billionaire. I mean, what he was, he was very bright, he was very, very charismatic. And obviously he learned business very quickly. I mean, if you can learn very quickly, I think the one thing about a good entrepreneur at a young age is your ability to learn very quickly and adapt to what you see in front of you.

[A]

Well, it's terrific. Well, thank you pcmatic for helping the Charlie Kirk Show. I encourage our listeners to check it out. Made in America. Secure the devices you care about. So thank you so much, my friend, and hope to talk to you again soon.