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B
First of all, I'm Amy McGrath. I am joined by some fellow Kentuckians who all watched the State of the Union whether they liked it or not. It's still going on at this time. But I really felt like whatever we were going to hear of substance from America's leader would come in the first hour. And so we're here live with you all tonight. I want to introduce everyone. I'm here with some fellow Kentuckians. Let's start out with Riley. Riley's a student. Good to be with us tonight. Riley, where are you coming from?
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D
Yeah, I'm originally from Northern Kentucky, Kent County. But I'm a current political science student at the University of Louisville. And I'm excited to be here tonight.
- [02:33]
B
Awesome. And Rusty, Rusty, where are you coming from?
- [02:36]
C
Well, I'm here in Versailles, Woodford County. I'm a full time farmer, third generation. Happy to be with you guys and girls tonight.
- [02:45]
B
Awesome. And Jennifer,
- [02:49]
A
Jennifer's with us.
- [02:50]
B
Go ahead.
- [02:51]
A
I'm in Lakeside park in Northern Kentucky, and I've known Amy for quite a few, many years now, since high school. I am a single mom of twin teenage boys and I work in oncology research. So this healthcare element is very important to me.
- [03:11]
B
Yeah, we'll talk about that tonight. I mean, so you all watched. You don't have to admit it if you don't want to, but I tried to watch from the start of the State of the Union and all the way up until this point. And I want to get your take before I sort of give everybody my take. But our president said that the State of the Union is strong and that we're all doing great. We're the hottest country in the world. And, you know, I guess I want to get your opinion on, is the State of the Union strong in your belief? And if you could describe the speech in one word, what would it be? Rusty, I want to start with you.
- [04:07]
C
Honestly, I was ashamed of what I heard. To be our elected national leader and to physically say that the United States is in a better place in the history of our nation, that's hard to swallow with the way that he has treated other political leaders from around the world, Europe, South America. We're the laughing stock. I hate to say it, but we're the laughing stock of the world right now because we as the citizens cannot control our leader, our elected leader at all. Congress has no power, no power at all. And he said that in his little quick blurp on tariffs, that I do not need congressional approval for what I'm going to enact now. Since his good buddies with the Supreme Court shot him down last Friday, he said, I do not need congressional approval now. I know how to do it without you guys and girls. I was just astonished.
- [05:21]
B
Yeah, and not surprising, sadly.
- [05:24]
C
No, no, no, not surprised at all.
- [05:27]
B
What stood out to you among most of Trump's speech tonight? Was there anything that stood out, you think of it?
- [05:36]
A
You know, he in the beginning said it's been a turnaround for the ages. And I mean, I had to laugh because. Yes, but not in any positive way. I mean, go down the list of any of the major issues and, you know, it's part of my language, a shit show. I mean, I was looking at the, you know, PolitiFact fact checker live during, you know, his address, and it was A bunch of propaganda. You know, whether you're talking about the statistics he was trying to give on inflation or housing or, you know, tax cuts, just, you name it, it was just a bunch of propaganda.
- [06:20]
B
Riley, what do you. What were your initial thoughts on? Was there any issue that you felt like, hey, this president really cares about me, or any specific policies that really affected you as a young American?
- [06:39]
D
Yeah. I think we continuously saw Trump reiterate time and time again that prices of eggs are down, prices of gas is down, insurance is great for all Americans, health care is great. He's announced Trump rx, which is supposed to lower the cost of prescription drugs. And I'm not sure what reality he's living in. But for everyday Americans, for me, when I go down the street to shop at Kroger and get my gas there, it's way more expensive than it's been since I began college. And so I think for a president who continuously talks for majority of the time about how great things are and how little the cost of things are, I'm really not sure what reality he's living in. That's not something that the everyday American is seeing.
- [07:29]
B
Yeah, a couple of things that stood out to me. There was a lot of lies, as all Trump speeches, unfortunately are. The touting of the oil from Venezuela was interesting to me. The sort of seizure of another country's oil, that was interesting. And also, and I'm not sure that a lot of people picked up on this, but all the Republicans stood up and clapped the touting that we took off 2.4 million people off of food stamps.
- [08:07]
C
Yeah.
- [08:08]
B
You know, and he said it. Oh, we lifted these people off of it. When the economy is getting worse and prices are higher and inflation is really no better, basically, you didn't lift 2.4 million people off of who stance. You cut them off. And I thought it was really interesting to watch all the Republicans stand up and clap for that. That, to me, was the spot that I was like, okay, now I feel a little bit ashamed here. But I want to ask you, Jennifer, I want to go back to you. What wasn't in the State of the Union address that you watched that you wished would have been addressed?
- [08:57]
A
Well, you know, he tried to discuss health care, but again, it's just concepts of a plan. There's no there there. And, you know, not only have I seen cuts in the healthcare industry, as far as, you know, I work in oncology research, there have been drastic cuts to every kind of clinical research. You know, I'm feeling job insecurity because across my industry, they've had to make cuts because of what Trump did. And, you know, like many other Americans, my health care, my children's health care is tied to my employer. And so with all the job instability in this country, you know, that's not being talked about. How many people are feel fearful of losing their health care benefits, you know, on prescription drug prices, he can tout his new plan, but I mean, if you look at the research into it, it actually doesn't give people options for generic, you know, or biosimilars. And oftentimes it's actually increasing people's prices for drugs. So again, there's just, there's a lot of talk without any substance.
- [10:14]
B
Yeah, I'm not, I'm not buying the Trump Rx thing either. You know, the uninsured population in America has gone up and it's going to continue to go up under his plan, or what the Republicans did last year by 11 million people by 2034 will be uninsured, thanks to this plan that they all stood up and, and clapped for. And Donald Trump's great healthcare plan that he talks about giving money back to the people and sort of a slap in the face to private insurers. It's basically my understanding is it's $2,000 toward healthcare. For a lot of people that I've met, that's nothing. If you're cutting their insurance and they have chronic health issues, that ain't gonna go far.
- [11:07]
C
No.
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B
So, I don't know. I want to go to you, Randy. I want to talk to you a little bit about the tariffs, because Donald Trump said tariffs are saving the country.
- [11:19]
C
Yeah.
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B
And tariffs are paid for by foreign countries.
- [11:23]
C
By the foreign countries.
- [11:25]
B
And then he said eventually they will replace the, the income tax. I mean, how stupid do you think he thinks we are?
- [11:34]
C
I'm not sure, Amy. The. No, no, no tax increases is what he said. No tax increases for. For myself or you or, or Riley or Jennifer. But we're all paying an added tax on these tariffs. Even though the Supreme Court shot him down on Friday, you know, he's going to implement 15% across the board around the world. Well, we're going to pay that. You talk about a tax increase. You know, I don't know. I would like to jump back to that topic, Amy, on when he talked about taking two and a half million people off of food stamps. Yeah. You know, you came out to my farm here back in the fall, and our local food bank here in Woodford county is just a half mile right up the road there at our county park and our food bank is busting at the seams. There's so many people in line for five, six, seven hours that wasn't in those lines a year ago, a year and a half ago. Lost jobs, no health insurance, Just trying to get their self fed, much less their kids. The dollars taken away from our school lunch programs, it's tough. It's. It is really tough. And these tariffs he has just hung, that it's, it's our foreign countries that are paying the tariffs that is, it is such a lie. It is such a lie. All my tractor parts, they come from Europe, so I'm paying an extra cost on tariffs to get my tractor fixed so I can feed that guy who tore down part of my White House, you know? Yeah, it's, it's, it's just not right. It's just not right. He is not living in the world that the four of us are living in today.
- [13:35]
B
Oh, and when he says that prices are down, you know, Kentucky costs for the average Kentuckian have gone up $1500 per household last year, you know. You know, so when he says prices are plummeting down, it's just a flat out lie, you know. And when he says incomes are rising fast. No, they're not. Unless you're for the top 1%, you know, and he's claimed that he's lowered prices on every product, that this just has gone up over the last year.
- [14:07]
C
Well, let me give you, let me give you a little agricultural fact here. He brought down the price of eggs. He doesn't understand the price of eggs was high because of the influenza that went through the chicken flock that killed all the laying hens. The reason prices are going back down, the flock inventory has gone back up. So you have a larger supply of eggs. He can't take accomplishments for that. Those are the farmers that are doing their diligence every day to take care of these folks and feed this nation. And research back to Jennifer. Research goes into animal health just as much as it does through human health and services. And to cut research dollars from usda, he had to call back in Biden USDA officials to help solve this problem of the influenza that went through our chicken flock here in the last year.
- [15:06]
A
Yeah, I mean, he wanted to talk about his program, you know, to get rid of fraud. Meanwhile, there's grift right and left with this administration and he's profiting all the way. You know, it's, it's, it's just crazy. You know, he said we'll have a balanced budget in no time. You know, after we go through his. His new fraud plan.
- [15:31]
B
It's. It's. It's a ton of lies. And, you know, going back to the tariffs, I just want to. Want to put a. Another stomp on this. When you say that tariffs have revived American manufacturing, it is the opposite of that. We've lost manufacturing jobs. When you say tariffs have eliminated trade deficits, it's just not true. And it's not drove down inflation. It didn't drive down inflation. The only thing it does is cause chaos. So one of the things we have to do in the Senate, in Congress, is make sure that, you know, after the midterms, you win back Tower and you stop this madness, because it's hurting everybody and it's a tax that, you know, we didn't ask for. Riley, I want to bring you into this conversation. Was there anything in the speech that you thought was important or resonated with young Americans?
- [16:31]
D
I truly believe. And this is sort of shifting the conversation away from the economy, but talking about honoring young Americans and then sort of presenting the presidential medal of Freedom to the male hockey player. Hockey team. I think, at least in my friend group, that controversy with women's sports and the video of him on the phone sort of talking to the male hockey team and saying, you know, I guess we have to invite the women. You know, that was really hurtful as a young woman, as a woman who, you know, has played sports and as a woman who looks up to some of these Olympic medalists, like Alyssa Liu that, you know, meddled in figure skating. And so I think that really stuck out to me. And he really opened up the State of the Union address with bringing them in and sort of talking to them and offering the medal of Freedom to the goalie. And he said, you know, we asked the team to vote, but my vote is, of course, more important than everyone else's vote. And sort of in this whole conversation was like, making himself very like, dictator like King, like, you know, continuing the narrative that he's better than everyone else and that his administration is winning and he can continue to, you know, outvote other people and, you know, do things without congressional approval. And so that's just a common theme I saw throughout the State of the Union, but really opening it up with the Olympics that were, you know, such a show of American patriotism. And I was proud to be an American watching the Olympics, but I felt a little sour taste in my mouth after watching that.
- [18:20]
B
For sure. Yeah, I sort of miss the Olympics being on right now compared to watching Trump's speech there. And I sort of had mixed feelings about, I'm certainly glad that we're celebrating, you know, about the wins in the Olympics. I just, everything Trump does is so politicized. And I take it personally because I've seen how he does the same thing to veterans. And yet turning around and like having his VA undermine veterans left and right. And so it sort of hits me sometimes the wrong way there. But do you think, Riley, your generation is, is actually being heard in national politics right now?
- [19:11]
D
I absolutely do not. I think, you know, it's young people. Not only are they not running in elections, but they're not engaging, they're not voting because they feel like they're not being heard and respected. I think millennials and younger sort of have this sentiment that with the cutting of potential retirement funds later, with the cost of housing rising, that our government is just out to get us and has sort of set us up for failure. The job market is really awful right now. I know I have some friends trying to get jobs when they graduate. And, you know, it doesn't matter what GPA you have or where you come out of college, it's so difficult for anyone to get a job, to keep that job and to find a place to live and to pay for groceries. Lucky, you know, enough that I'm in college right now and I have a little over a year until I have to worry about finding a full time job. But that is something that really scares me and I, I really would love to see more young people running in races and more young people getting out there and voting. When it comes to our midterms, that is something that I know a lot of young people want to see and see their voices amplified in politics. And so I really don't feel that I personally am represented in Kentucky state politics or on the national level.
- [20:36]
B
Yeah. Jennifer, did you have any reaction to when the president talked about this money for having children in our country? I guess it was given by some multi billionaire who gave a bunch of money and now it's like an account for all kids. Did you listen to that Trump account or something is what he wants to push?
- [21:05]
A
Yeah, I mean, again, I just think he's throwing things at the wall to see what will stick. That was one of the things that I had to Google, you know, in fact, check during this, like, what is this? Where is this coming from? And I, I feel like it's, you know, holding one hand out while, like pulling things away with A big fist on the other hand. So, yeah, I, I don't have any faith that he's really looking out for families. You know, I'm glad, like, Riley brought up what young people are facing graduating from college and the job market. You know, my 15 year old boys are already taking on that, like, burden of worrying about how we're going to pay for college. And, you know, when I'm talking to moms with kids who are currently in college, you know, around Riley's age or younger, you know, they've even shifted majors based on what they're seeing in the job market. And you know, the friends that were in those majors that they wanted to pursue, that they were passionate about having such trouble finding a job. And, you know, I just think we're losing talent in fields, you know, that people were passionate about because they feel there aren't the jobs there.
- [22:18]
B
Yeah. Rusty, I'll ask you two questions and you can answer both or take on one or the other. The first one is, was there anything in the speech that you would have, minus the standard, you know, I'm always going to clap for the USA Hockey and you know, that kind of stuff. Was there anything in the speech that you would have stood up and clapped for? Okay. And then two, was there anything there that was, that you felt like was specific to farmers and people that, you know, in Kentucky, that deal in your
- [22:54]
C
line of work, there wasn't a thing specific to agriculture farmers. Not a thing. Not a thing. You know, there was literally nothing for the state of Kentucky. You know, these tariffs have killed the bourbon industry export market here in Kentucky. Jim Beam, just right down the road between here and Louisville, they're going to shut down for a year. You know, they're one of the top five bourbon producers in the world. They're sitting on barrels and barrels and barrels of bourbon that we can't sell overseas because he has broken ties and rent. The marketing advantages and friendships that we had with the Canadians, with all the European Union, the cruise ships around the, you know, the bourbon, it's just not out there. And again, I told you back in the fall, you know, it took 30 years to develop a marketing plan to sell soybeans to China. And he blew that up in three days. Yeah, and that's not coming back, Amy. It's not coming back. You know, they agreed to buy one and a half percent of what they traditionally buy. One and a half percent.
- [24:18]
B
Yeah.
- [24:18]
D
So,
- [24:21]
C
yeah, you know what they call it? The bridge payment. This is the USDA term. If he can come up with the money. But there was going to be a bridge payment to farmers, $2,000. And so supposedly that was going to come from the tariffs that the Supreme Court chopped down on Friday. But, you know, I call it the bribery check. That's all it. That's all it was, a bribery. And. And I don't. I don't see it materializing. I really don't. But.
- [24:57]
B
Well, I mean, something. So much of. So much of what he talks about, you know, just at the very beginning when he. He mentioned, I don't know what, what the figure was $8 trillion whatever, in commitments to investments in the country.
- [25:12]
C
18.
- [25:13]
B
Everybody needs to know that that's total bullshit. I mean, it's just. It's just bs. It's just a bunch of leaders coming together saying whatever it is that they need to say to appease this president so that, you know, they can maybe get their tariff number down or something like that. It doesn't mean anything. It's ridiculous. Was there anything, though, for Riley or Jennifer? Because there was a couple of times when I thought, okay, I could get behind this. Was there anything that you thought, well, I would stand up and clap for this, I could get behind it.
- [25:49]
A
I mean, maybe I cut out too soon. But no, nothing is standing out to me necessarily.
- [25:56]
B
Yeah. Riley, was there anything.
- [25:58]
D
I think he made a comment about insider trading, which I think, yeah, that was it.
- [26:06]
C
Right.
- [26:07]
D
And so I think I probably would.
- [26:08]
A
Congress passes that.
- [26:11]
B
It's a great point. And Riley. And that's the exact thing that I was thinking, too. I thought, well, he's talking about insider training with Congress and will they actually. Will Congress actually follow through with that? I don't know, but, boy, that's definitely something that should be enacted in law. You should not be a member of Congress and be dealing in the stock market at the same time.
- [26:37]
C
Maybe. If I could. I think that was a personal slap against the lady from Georgia that stepped down.
- [26:45]
A
Marjorie Taylor Greene.
- [26:47]
C
Yes. Remember, she was accused of making big bucks back in early fall from in. I think that was a direct slap at her. You're probably right by him because he knew he had the moment and he knew that she was watching this tonight.
- [27:04]
B
Yeah.
- [27:05]
D
I mean, he also.
- [27:06]
B
Men.
- [27:07]
A
Yeah. He also mentioned trying to stop the sale of homes, you know, to these big, like, investment companies, which I think everybody is behind. But again, he's the king of trying to take, you know, public things and hand it over to the private sector. So, I mean, I just, I don't buy commitment to that from him.
- [27:32]
B
Yeah. And I Think you're onto something, Jennifer. And it's something that I think a lot about. It's this idea that privatizing everything is kind of where he wants to go. And even to the point where we talked about it earlier, the payments to kids, supposedly it's this multi billionaire that is giving the money for this. We have a public sector for a reason. And I don't want to get to the point where it's the 1% of the 1% of the 1% that now are the people that make public policy for the rest of the 99%. That's not what our democracy is all about in my mind. So I'm very wary about taking donations for the White House, for example, and some of these other things that Donald Trump thinks is great. I just, I'm not sure,
- [28:40]
C
Amy, he really likes the word deal. He likes to be the deal maker. And privatization and deals are the way that he and his sons and family made a billion dollars this year, privatization of all these schemes. You come to my door, you knock on my door, we will make a deal. But the deal is first with me. Yeah.
- [29:04]
B
Well, I want to end talking about one very important topic, though, and get your take on it, because the President has said tonight America is stronger and our allies respect us again. America is respected like never before. And you know, from when I talk to people overseas who I fought with, that's not the case. It's just not true. The President has repeatedly insulted our closest allies, picked unnecessary fights with our longtime partners, walked away from commitments around the world, and I don't think we're as respected. But I want to get your take on some of this. Riley, I'll start with you.
- [29:57]
D
Yeah. I think what immediately came to mind is his conversation about Venezuela when he was saying that Venezuela just handed over this oil to us. And I'm thinking, no, we went in and we took it. We went in, we took their leader, and we took it. And so I think maybe in Trump's mind or in his messed up world that he is living in, that maybe he feels like it was a gift, but we took it. This is an act of force that we took this oil. And I think that that doesn't make us respected by. I mean, many international peace organizations have criticized Trump and his efforts in Venezuela and all over the world. And so I think that was my immediately, immediate reaction when talking about being respected around the world. And I just can't say that's true.
- [30:53]
A
Yeah, yeah. I mean, you have NATO members that are basically coalescing Together to discuss how to circumvent the US In a lot of ways, if necessary. I mean, they're making contingencies plans based on our crazy president and what he may or may not do in retribution to their countries. I mean, this is unprecedented, you know, and I have international colleagues, and just like you, Amy, I mean, the talk from them is pity, fear, surprise, disgust. Yeah. And a lot of times, the laughingstock. I mean, yeah, it. We've fallen so far. Again, turnaround for the ages. We've fallen so far in such a short amount of time.
- [31:47]
B
Yeah. Rusty, last words.
- [31:53]
C
Our president cannot be trusted. Foreign leaders do not trust him one iota.
- [32:00]
B
Yeah.
- [32:01]
C
Respect is earned. It's not given. He has not earned anything. He's the big bully on the corner of the block, a spoiled, racist bigot. And to. To have him as our face in the world. No, we. We as a nation are foreign intelligence. All. We just. They don't trust us anymore.
- [32:28]
B
Yeah.
- [32:29]
C
Don't trust us. And that's a shame. And that was lost overnight, Amy. Overnight. Overnight. NATO, Greenland, Cuba, Venezuela. Now we have two carrier groups in the Persian Gulf and the Pacific coast has no aircraft carriers in the Pacific. Pacific Ocean.
- [32:51]
B
Yeah.
- [32:52]
C
Taiwan is a sitting duck right now. If China wanted it.
- [32:56]
B
Yeah, it's. You know, I think the state of the union in the international stage. The state of our union right now, folks, is that we are more isolated and we are weaker than we have been in the last 80 years right now. And you hit the nail on the head, Rusty. I think the Greenland debacle, that adventure that our president went on, was a little bit of a tipping point for our alliances. It was at that point then they realized we can't trust these guys and our alliances. They are America's greatest strength, or were America's greatest strength. And that was the thing that set us apart from adversaries like China and Russia. And Trump has undermined that advantage, and that is why we are weaker almost than we have ever been on the international stage. And you're right, other countries don't see America as reliable or steady under this president. And I. I am very concerned about that. And so, you know, I know I
- [34:05]
C
will give credit to the European Union. They met him at the 50 yard line and they called his bluff on Greenland. They were willing. What little military assets they had, they were willing to put them in there if they needed to be. And he backed down. He backed down. The bully backed off of Greenland. I think. I really do.
- [34:32]
B
Yeah.
- [34:32]
C
But. But NATO, you know, man, you know, he set up that group last week, some kind of worldwide peace committee. I can't remember. Maybe Riley or Jennifer saw that little clip on the news, but he's wanting to replace NATO with, with his piece of the world. That's all that is.
- [34:52]
B
Yeah, yeah. Well, unfortunately, we don't have the greatest State of our Union right now, but I thought it was really important that people hear from you all. You know, we're all just Americans trying to make it through every day, trying to make our country better. And when I watch the State of the Union and I see these North Korea type Republicans standing up and clapping for stuff that we just know is not true, it does make me pause. And I'm glad that you all didn't sort of put your head in the sand that you watched it and that you're engaged in what's going on and are willing to speak out, are willing to speak the truth right now to your experience and what's going on. Because I think it's such a unique time in our country where we have to stand up. So I appreciate you being on the show with me tonight and saying your experience and your reaction to our president's once a year. Thankfully, my son, when I put him to bed tonight, said, how, how many times does he do this? I said once a year. That's all we gotta do. So I thank you all and I hope you have a great night. This has been Truth in the barrel, State of the Union edition. Thanks, everyone.
- [36:24]
A
Thank you, Amy.
- [36:25]
C
Thank you. Good luck.
- [36:30]
E
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