Interview Only w/ Governor Wes Moore - How Democrats Can Push Back Against Trump - The Chuck ToddCast

Episode Transcript
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Speaker 2 (01:44):
I think y'all are ready to hear from our keynote, right,
all right, let's see this. I will introduce them. They
are ready to come on first our moderator. Our moderator.
Of course you all know him, Chuck Todd. He's a
six time Emmy Award winner and former hosts of Meet
the Press on NBC. He now hosts the Chuck Todcast,
which is a weekly podcast featuring in depth interviews with

(02:06):
political leaders, and of course he will be interviewing Governor
Wes Moore.

Speaker 3 (02:10):
Wes Moore is there we go.

Speaker 2 (02:13):
He is the sixty third governor of the state of
Maryland and the state's first black governor.

Speaker 1 (02:19):
That's right, that's right.

Speaker 2 (02:21):
He's the author of the Other Wes Moore, which is
a perennial New York Times bestseller, and his most recent
book is Five Days, which tells the story of Baltimore
in the days following the death of Freddie Gray in
twenty fifteen. Please welcome them both to the stage.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
Well, this is good. We save a little bit of time.
I don't have to do the extra work of reminding
everybody about their cell phones and the silencing and all
of that. But officially, I want to do my part
on behalf of the Texas Tribune. While welcome, It is
an honor to have Governor Wes Moore here. We're both
DMV ers. So for those of you, I still weird

(03:10):
out by saying DMV because I think the most people
that are like, why are you talking about the Department
of Motor Vehicles. We're trying really hard in the Mad
Atlantic to make this District Maryland Virginia thing stick, aren't
we exactly? You knowact it goes? Well, let's just get started.
I got a laundry list of stuff I'm want to
ask you about. But I actually want to start with this.

(03:31):
You're a pretty optimistic guy. Yes, there's a lot of
people in this room that feel a lot of pessimism
about the country right now, and I have it in
my family. I think a lot of people, Which is
you vacillate between oh my god, where are we headed to?
Look we're going to be okay? Where do you sit

(03:57):
on that spectrum? You know? Of this is you have
Gavin Newsom who says, you know, he doesn't ever want
to have free and fair elections again versus this is
a period in time in American politics and things are cyclical.
What's say you? Well, I think both those things are true.

Speaker 3 (04:18):
And first let me say you what a real pleasure
it is to be back here, vish'alle and thank you
so much for having me.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
And it's an honor to being too shock it really is.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
And shout out to Sonal and shout out to the
team for putting on once again another amazing, amazing conference
that I'm just truly humbled in honor to be a
part of. I think both of those things are true.
I don't think Donald Trump wants to have more free
and fair elections. The reason I'm optimistic is because I
believe that if we do our part, Donald Trump is
not going to have the final say that this actually

(04:52):
becomes a unique moment for where leaders actually have to
show themselves. And you know, one of the eight things
that I feel about. You know, and this is going
to sound a little bit odd, but this. You know,
I've now been governor for for two and a half years,
and we're really proud of all the work that we've
gotten done in two and a half years. But these

(05:13):
past ten months have both been the most challenging and
the most important that we've had to deal with over the.

Speaker 1 (05:20):
Past two and a half years.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
Challenging for the obvious reasons. And I can talk about
why Maryland that no state has taken the brunt of
Donald Trump more than Maryland, where I have over two
hundred and seventy thousand federal employees, more than any other
state in this country. Donald Trump has now fired over
fifteen thousand of my people. That we have not received
a dollar of federal disaster relief, despite having historic floods

(05:46):
over in western Maryland, that he's taken away billions of
dollars in grants and capital towards our state. That he
has now tried to take away the FBI building because
he says that he will never let the FBI building
go to a liberal state, that he's threaten to put
national Guard inside of our streets. I mean, like, there
is no state that has had to take on this,
not again, not glancing blows, but I mean direct shots

(06:09):
from the president. The thing that I also know, though,
is this is despite all of that, this is actually
a chance where leadership has the chance to show itself.
And I think it's never mattered more who your governor is.
It's never mattered more, who your attorney's general is. It's

(06:32):
never mattered more whether your people have fight or not.
And I love the fact that actually, in this moment,
that we have a chance to show what does a
better direction actually look like like. I don't have the
luxury to just rail against the system. I don't have
the luxury of just talking about how bad things are.
I have an obligation to show my people what a

(06:54):
better direction actually looks like. And so the thing that
continues to give me and why I still am deeply,
deeply optimistic about our future is both because I know
our history and like, listen, if anyone thinks that these
are this is the worst of times. I kind of
remind people that, you know, I literally come from a
state that if you look at my state flag, my

(07:14):
state flag, because people forget Maryland is the northernmost southern
state in the country, Like, the state flag of Maryland
is literally a combination. It's a contradiction, right, It's a
combination of both a Confederate symbol and a Union symbol.

Speaker 1 (07:27):
You know, some of us joke that the Mason Dixon
line has moved somewhere into Virginia now, but I take
your point.

Speaker 3 (07:32):
But you know, but I mean, but it's like real,
It's like the bloodiest battles of the Civil War were
fought in our soil. Right, that we are literally the
birthplace of redlining in the state of Maryland, That we're
the birthplace of Harriet Tubman, the birthplace of Frederick Douglass.
And part of the reason that I do have a
real sense of hopefulness and optimism is, you know, I
imagine to myself, like what would a hypothetical conversation between

(07:55):
between me and Harriet Tubman be, Like, like me telling
Harriet Tubman how difficult my day was, you know what
I'm saying. So it's like, so I just you got
to keep this in context where I understand what Donald
Trump thinks, but I'm just a firm believer that Donald
Trump is not going to have a final say.

Speaker 1 (08:14):
How much effort should be made to confront Donald Trump
by the Democratic Party leaders, and how much effort should
be made about laying the groundwork for a world post
Donald Trump.

Speaker 3 (08:27):
So I think there has to be a combination where
where we do have an obligation to push back, because
you cannot watch what is happening right now and think
that we're just going to sit here and take it
or ignore it. I have a very real problem. I
have a very real problem with people who, in this

(08:49):
moment are getting really quiet. I have a very real
problem in this moment with these people who, these leaders
who somehow think that if we just sit quiet, the
beating will stop, or if we just say nothing, he
will ignore us. And I just want to be very clear,
that is not how this game works, and that's not
how this movie's gonna end. Like, we have an obligation

(09:12):
both to push back, but we also do have an
obligation to push forward. And you know, and I think
about it now, and I was speaking earlier with with
with Solo about it where there will be a post
Trump world, right, And I think that everything that we
are seeing right now, it's going to fall into five categories,

(09:33):
and we just have to be clear about what category
everything we're talking about falls in. There are some things
that are just broken and will never be repaired. There
are some things that are broken and we can repair.
There's some things that are broken and we can repair.
But differently, there's some things that will survive that we

(09:56):
need to break, and there's certain things that will survive
that we need to keep.

Speaker 1 (10:01):
We just had to be.

Speaker 3 (10:02):
Very clear and very honest about what things fall in
each of those five buckets. But I think so we
have to come up with that balance of yes, pushing back,
but also being very clear that that pushing back is
not going.

Speaker 1 (10:15):
To be enough.

Speaker 3 (10:16):
We also have to find ways of pushing forward as well.

Speaker 1 (10:18):
Let's talk about the government shutdown. This had to feel
you had to be torn about it. On one hand,
you you just talked about the importance of pushing back.
On the other hand, you have a lot of constituents
that were out of work and we're struggling because they
weren't going to get paid, and it's a you can't
pay your rent with a promise, right, you need to
actually have cash in the checking account. Was it a

(10:41):
good tactic? Was it the right call? Should it still
be shut down?

Speaker 3 (10:46):
Yeah, I'm I'm I'm gonna be honest, Chuck, I'm not
torn about at all. There is no reason that the
government should have been shut down. But because think about it,
like this has very and I don't know a single
governor that says, oh, yeah, we should just shut the
government down like this has real human consequences for us.

Speaker 1 (11:04):
You're glad it opened up.

Speaker 3 (11:05):
Oh, I'm very glad and opened up. But I'll give
you I'll give you a caveat and and perst of all,
first of all, it's just absurd.

Speaker 1 (11:14):
That Washington, d c. Can just shut down.

Speaker 3 (11:17):
Like I mean, like like.

Speaker 1 (11:20):
By the way, it's two legal people, one in Carter's
Justice department, one in Reagan's Justice department, who just came
up with a legal theory that this is what happens
when there's a funding dispute, that we should just cease operations.
It's crazy, it's ridiculous, it's not in the constitution. It
should never happen.

Speaker 3 (11:39):
Ever, Okay, ever, we should never allow a government shutdown,
and like, think about it, Like I can't walk into
my state house and say, you know what, Maryland, we're
shutting down.

Speaker 1 (11:51):
I can't do it at McDonald's.

Speaker 3 (11:52):
Kim McDonald's, Ken ken a family. Could you walk to
your family tonight and say, you know, y'all shut down,
we're shutting down, shut down, turn no streaming right, Like,
no one does this except for Washington DC. So the
whole idea that we have government shutdowns is just so
absurd on its face, and particularly when you have very

(12:13):
real human consequences. I'm like, again, I have over two
hundred and seventy thousand people, many of whom and who
have the audacity to do things like making sure that
our food is safe, who have the audacity of doing
things like making sure that we're finding the cures to diseases,
who are crazy enough to think that their job is
so special that they're trying to keep planes from colliding

(12:36):
or that or that that military veterans like myself, that
that military veterans can get the medication that they need.
Like these are who you went after, and by the way,
for many of these people that you then turn around
and force them to go to work with no pay,
while we have people in Washington who are getting paid
and not going to work. Right, So so we did

(13:01):
so in our state, we made sure that we were
going to take care of our people. So that's why
in our state, you know, I said that we were
going to do and I worked with our private tech
to partners. I said, We're doing a moratorium on all evictions,
on all utility shutoffs. You were not going to evict
our federal workers or shut their utilities off because they
are not getting paid for something that is not their faults.

(13:22):
That we told all of our federal workers, all these
people who are going to work and not getting paid
but still paying to go to work, that I told
them all all transportation that we have in the state
of Maryland, just show your badge. Transportation for you is free.
You do not have to pay for anything. And that
we had to do things like and then we saw

(13:43):
a situation where you go to President of the United
States who's doing things like breaking the law and trying
to cut off SNAP despite the fact that, by the way,
twenty eight thousand SNAP recipients in our state are military veterans.
One in one in three, one in four of our
federal workers are military veterans. So I love this for

(14:03):
a person who claims to love the military, and the
first thing you're doing is going after our veterans. So
the federal government should never been shut down in the
first place. However, I will say this how deeply inhumane
it is and it was to think that a good
compromise is that a prerequisite for reopening the government is

(14:26):
kicking people off of health care or having premiums jump
by eighty and ninety percent. So I am very glad
the federal government is reopened. I'm very glad that we
can stop doing stupid things like shutting down our federal government.
But I do want to be very and I know
I didn't have a vote, so no one asked me
my opinion, but I do want to be very clear.

(14:46):
You would never find anything ever with my signature on it,
that thinks it's okay to kick people off of health
care as somehow that means you have a justifiable or
you have a function in government. If you are kicking
people off of health care, it means your government is
not functioning. And we have to be very very clear
about that.

Speaker 1 (15:04):
Let me ask about when the President was starting to
pick on other cities. After he picked on Washington, Baltimore
was mentioned, and you did an interest. You made an
interesting decision. You said, no, we don't want the National
Guard here, that's a mistake. However, I'm going to bring

(15:26):
in UH state police to assist in Baltimore. Frankly, I
thought that was pretty politically savvy. But I will ask this,
Does that mean Donald Trump has a point about our cities?
Not at all? So why did you do it?

Speaker 3 (15:45):
Well, I didn't. The reason I did it, it wasn't a
response to Donald Trump at all. You know, when I
first became the governor of Maryland, we had a violence
crisis in our state. In twenty twenty two, the year
before I became the governor, Baltimore City was averaging about
a homicide a day. That if you look at the

(16:07):
eight years before I became the governor Maryland was Maryland average.
The Maryland homicide rate had doubled over an eight year period.
The non fatal shooting rate did double.

Speaker 1 (16:17):
Do you know what's the cause? How much of it
was COVID, how much of it's something else?

Speaker 3 (16:22):
Well, No, I think there's a whole bunch of reasons.
I thought, you think it had one. If when you
neglect communities and you allow hope to leave, violence will
enter and will fill the space. I think we had
a very real issue when it came to law enforcement,
and I think, you know, when I talked about, you
know the book that I wrote five days, how there

(16:42):
was a steep cutoff and fall off of law enforcement
people who were signing up, who are staying on the role.
And so there's a few things that I did because
I was very clear, I said from Jump Street when
I knew the crisis we had, I'm not going to
spend my eight years just giving eulogies and offering thoughts
and prayers that we're actually going to address the issue.

(17:02):
And so when I came on board, we made historic
investments in local law enforcement and making sure you had
not just boots on the ground, but saying we can
have a police force that moves with appropriate intensity and
absolute integrity and full accountability. That we said we're going
to invest in technologies and basically saying you can utilize
technologies to make sure that if someone commits a violent crime,

(17:22):
particularly a violent crime with a firearm, I want them
in handcuffs in twenty four hours. And also we said
we're going to invest in our community, community violence intervention groups,
community violence interruption groups, because so much of the violence
that we were seeing in our communities it was retaliatory
by nature, and so you must invest in community to
be able to help to address those issues. When so

(17:45):
here was the reality when Donald Trump started making his
threats that for the past two and a half years,
there is no state that has seen a faster drop
off when it comes to violent crime than the state
of Maryland. That the last time the homicide rate was
this slow in Baltimore City, I wasn't born yet. That
we are literally watching historic drops in violent crime, historic

(18:09):
drops and property crime and auto thefts and carjackings and
homicides and non fatal shootings. And the President wants to
look at us like we're the problem. I said, is
to President, you don't need to look at us like
we're the problem. Actually, shoul look at us like we're
the solution. And if you want to spend time, if
you want to spend time actually learning instead of bloviating
from the Oval office, these like nineteen eighties Archie Bunker,

(18:32):
you know, you know then you should come spend some
time with it.

Speaker 1 (18:36):
So I'm did you offer to take him for a while?
I did.

Speaker 3 (18:39):
I offered it take him for a walk. I told
him if it was too long a walk, I would
get him a golf cart. I you know, you know, I'm,
I'm I I mean, but because the thing about it is,
and this is also why it was so offensive to me.

Speaker 1 (18:58):
You know, he he.

Speaker 3 (19:00):
Uses the military like it's some form of like some
like these childish toy soldiers, and it's just really rich
because he's someone who does not know what it means
to put on the uniform. He doesn't know what it
means to say goodbye to your family, He doesn't know

(19:21):
what it means. He does not know what it means
to be willing to put your life on the line
for the person to your left or to your right.
And as someone who does, as someone who served my country,
as someone who led soldiers in combat, I just found
it deeply offensive that his solution to this was this,

(19:44):
you know, this childish endeavor of saying, well, we'll just
send the National Guard into cities. And let's be very
clear if there was any data to show that this
would actually work.

Speaker 1 (19:55):
Again, I'm a data driven person. I'm listening.

Speaker 3 (19:57):
Here is the problem. There is no data. This was
not a data driven decision. This was an emotive splurge
that the President has a habit of making. And so
if you look at what's happened, even when he's deployed
National Guard to Washington, d C. And these other places,
here's what I can tell you. The National Guard members
who are not trained for municipal policing. That is not

(20:19):
what they are trained for. And I know that because
I am the commander in chief of the Maryland National Guard.

Speaker 1 (20:23):
And I know what my people are trained for.

Speaker 3 (20:26):
And they are supposed to be deployed during times of emergency,
during times of crisis. They are not there to perform
performative stunts. And so the truth is is that we've
had members of the National Guard who have taken more
selfies than done arrests. We have members of the National
Guard who have picked up more trash than actually conducted
drug busts. And so the issue that I had, of

(20:49):
the multiple issues that I have with the President when
he was threatening to do this and trying to make these,
you know, these ridiculous comments about me and members of
our National Guard is how deeply disrespectful it is to
members of our military, because these are people who are
willing to risk their lives if necessary, because they trust
that their commander in chief is taking their lives seriously.

(21:12):
They trusted the directions that the commander in chief are
making are not just lawful, but informed. And they trusted
their commander in chief would never put them in a
situation that they are not trained for, and never put
them in a situation that they are not prepared to
excel in. And I found it just deeply disrespectful to
our National Guard, deeply disrespectful to their family members to

(21:34):
ask them to do these quixotic missions simply because the
president is trying to prove a political point.

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I read today actually that the incoming mayor of New
York City has been calling various governors seeking advice on

(23:10):
how to deal with Donald Trump, and one of the
governors he called was you, is that a correct report?
That is correct port? Do you mind sharing the advice
you gave him?

Speaker 3 (23:18):
Yeah, no, I I the the advice. Uh, you know,
the advice that I gave him is performance matters more
than anything else. What Donald Trump is talking about, what
Donald Trump is doing is performative. What people want in
your jurisdiction is performance. They want results. And this is
actually one of the big things that I think about
for the Democratic Party, where you know, people are like, well,

(23:41):
what's the message for the Democratic Party? Like the Democrats
don't have a messaging problem. The Democrats have a results problem.
You've got to actually deliver results, and and and and
the and the thing that I'm very clear about is
that if you you know, when you say when when
the present is like, we need to talk more about affordability. No,

(24:01):
you need to address affordability, sir. You don't need to
talk about affordability. You need to make sure we're doing
things like making sure that housing is more available because
one of the leading causes for people to lead jurisdictions
is rising housing costs, and if you have increased demand,
which means more people coming to an area, the thing
you have to do to address it is you have
to increase supply. You have to build more housing, and
you have to build it fast. Right if you really,

(24:24):
if you really want to address things like rising energy
CAUs it's not just talking about rising energy costs. You
need to have more energy options and you need to
stop doing what we're watching the president do. Where in
our state, I'm very clear that we want to be
able to explore all energy options because you want to
increase supply. So that means why are we not looking
at investing in things like solar, Why are we not

(24:45):
investing in win, Why are we not investing in nuclear?
And look at nuclears a clean energy option? But no,
but the President still continue to take an ideological perspective
to it and then turn around and say, well, let's
blame democrats why prices are going up. And so the
thing and the council that I really gave it that
like listen, you know, don't don't get distracted, stay focused,

(25:07):
and stay focused on delivering the results that the people
of your jurisdiction need. And if you do that, You're
gonna be fine.

Speaker 1 (25:12):
It does seem as if you only deal with you
only respond, you only respond to Trump. You don't seem
to seek out confrontation with.

Speaker 3 (25:20):
High I have no desire to pick a fight with
the President of the United States, you know what I'm saying.
But I refuse to let the president of the United States,
you know, pick on my people where I've been very
clear with the people of my state, like I will
work with anyone, but I will bow down to no one,
and I will not let and I'm not gonna let
the people of my state become a pincushion for for

(25:42):
his for his uh, you know, for his childish s florness.

Speaker 1 (25:45):
I'm going to drop the Trump subject here after this
one last question. He's won two terms for president. What
does he do? What does he do well that has
allowed him to get elected twice? Ah, what have you
learned anything from him?

Speaker 4 (26:02):
No?

Speaker 3 (26:02):
Absolutely, And listen, I think we will be.

Speaker 1 (26:05):
We would be.

Speaker 3 (26:07):
We can spend all night long talking about the dangers
of what he is doing and how we literally have
a president United States who's using the Constitution like it's
a suggestion box.

Speaker 1 (26:18):
I think I wish he did use it as a suggestion. Thoughts,
actually he.

Speaker 3 (26:21):
Should take more suggestions. But we would also be foolish
not to acknowledge the speed in which he moves. Where,
you know, I think about it this way, where.

Speaker 1 (26:36):
You don't care about institutions and whether they have to
write their own version of the memo before you get
to institute implement your plan.

Speaker 3 (26:46):
Right, Oftentimes everything from Democrats is.

Speaker 1 (26:48):
Like an eight year research paper.

Speaker 3 (26:52):
It's like, well, let's do another analysis of the analysis
that we concluded of the last analysis.

Speaker 1 (26:58):
You need to make sure to approve a committee to
do that analysis.

Speaker 3 (27:00):
By the way, Donald Trump did not need a two
year commission to decide he was going to start a
trade war. Donald Trump did not need a four year
analysis to decide that he was going to break the
law and kick children off of snap. Donald Trump did
not need a eighteen person commission to decide that he

(27:23):
was going to take parts of the Constitution and literally
pick and choose which judge's orders he would follow and not.
And I just think that the Democratic Party has got
to stop being the party of no and slow and
starting the party of yes. And now I think the
Democratic Party have got to start moving faster. I think
the Democratic Party have got to be start being more

(27:45):
more deliberate. I think the Democratic Party has got to
stop making everything a tenth grade debate club research paper.
And I just believe that you know, there is something
that we do understand that he actually does that he
moves with a level of speed and frankly, Donald Trump,
and I said, Donald Trump is a fantastic vessel for

(28:06):
the frustration. He's someone who's going to tell you what's
wrong with it. He's going to see someone who's going
to tell you who broke it, who's to blame for it,
and why he alone can fix it. Right, Donald Trump
is a vessel for the frustration, but he's not a
vehicle for the solution. I think the answer that the
Democrats have got to do is we've got to start
being the vehicle for the solution and stop pretending like

(28:29):
these problems are not problems. Because if we start moving
with a sense of speed to address the issue that
if we can have, if we if our solutions actually
match the speed in which people's lives are falling apart,
then you're not going to have election problems anymore.

Speaker 1 (28:43):
But that's the thing I think we've got to learn
from him. Let's you brought up affordability and you brought
up electricity, and this is this is It looks like
the electric bill in twenty twenty six is going to
be what the price of eggs was in twenty twenty four, right,
Meaning this is going to be an issue. We're seeing
it everywhere. Right. It was a big, big issue in

(29:05):
New Jersey. I'm a Virginian. Louden County is on fire
about these data centers. Maryland's in an interesting spot right
as far as where your place is on the grid,
and you know, you're having to have more transmission lines right,
are coming through the state in order to power these
data centers in the v of the DMV. And yet

(29:31):
the way we do electric bills, it's all state regulated
and all of that stuff. This feels like we are
we're sort of a slow motion train wreck where suddenly
government's going to get left with a huge tab to
subsidize a whole bunch of people who can't afford electricity anymore.
What can be done proactively in your state to lessen

(29:55):
the impact of what is clearly going to be a
surge in electrical uh, a surgeon use off the grid,
which is just going to raise all of our electric bills.

Speaker 3 (30:04):
And it's it's it's it's insane that we've even gotten
here in the first place, because there's just been a
deep level of negligence that is that's existed.

Speaker 1 (30:14):
You know we have now you don't have to tell
Texans about a power grid issue. That's true. I think
they're well aware and allow will laugh about it. You know,
it's real. Let's hope there's not a tough winner here.
That's right, right, they have a tough winner. That grid
goes down, all of us may pay a price.

Speaker 3 (30:30):
Across I'll say, it's it's not just y'all that will
pay it pay a larger price.

Speaker 1 (30:35):
It's it's it will be the entire country. Right.

Speaker 3 (30:37):
So there's a there's a few different things that I
think we have just completely missed a boat on. We've
missed a boat when it comes to understanding the level
of surging, surging demand that exists. And it's not just
it's not even just surging demand that you have from
UH companies and technology, it's also just the human surge
of demand that has now existed that we have not

(31:00):
made the investments when it comes to grid technology, we
have not made the investments when it comes to pipeline
and when you do have a few of these operators
for example, you know, and for us it's it's it's
PGM where you know where there's about thirteen states that
PGM covers down on where the processes are opaque, the
processes are convoluted, and the processes are things that frankly,

(31:22):
for a lot of the states we don't have a
measure of involvement in and so we have PJAM who
will then make decisions about which projects they will then
allow without the input that's coming from us, from from
our individual states, from Pennsylvania, from Maryland, from Virginia, from
all from Jersey, from all these other states.

Speaker 1 (31:41):
But your state regulatory agency with the power companies doesn't
have any impact on this.

Speaker 3 (31:46):
Camp because because they are they are an independent with rates.
All they do is just approve rates well. And what
they do is they prove projects okay. And so the
problem is is that if you have a choke point
for projects that allowed to come on, it means that
you have a decreased supply. And so I think you
have to have reform within PJAM. You have to allow

(32:08):
and be speedier about putting more projects that allowed to
come on board. We have to do a better job
of diversifying the type of energy options that we have.
If you can do that, you're then able to increase
the supply that's then able to address the supply and
demand curve. The problem is is that we have found
ourselves in a situation that for a decade plus there

(32:28):
has not been this type of investment. And so now
you come up with a situation where you have a
crisis situation and something where people are now watching their
energy bills continue to skyrocket for the same exact product line.
And so I agree, I think this is one of
the crucial issues that we've got to be able to
sort on, and frankly, something that no individual state alone

(32:48):
is going to have to figure out. It's going to
take really a coordination between all of our individual states
to do it.

Speaker 1 (32:53):
I hear you, But look, you're in an electioneer. People
are going to want some They're going to want some
help right now. Yes, what could you do in the
state level.

Speaker 3 (33:04):
Well, we can help when it comes to things like like,
for example, just a few weeks ago, I just put
an additional ten million dollars that is going towards energy
prices and energy bills as we're coming up to as
we're coming up to our winter season, helping with heating bills.
So we've done rebates that have gone back to the people,
to the people of our state. So there are things
that we can do to help out with the immediate pain.

(33:25):
But I think that has to be matched with also
additional investments that's can be made to deal with the
long term processes, because none of us have an interest
or frankly, there is no state that has a balance
sheet to continue just finding more expensive band aids. We've
got to actually fix the wound that is causing increased demand.

(33:45):
But where supply is just not keeping up or matching
with it.

Speaker 1 (33:49):
What should the all these AI tech companies that are
skyrocketing the stock market, they have these incredible valuations, they're
building these data centers, and look, there's it's not every
state where the data centers are causing this problem. It's
it's some states that they are, some that they aren't.

Speaker 3 (34:06):
And some data centers have no I have their own.

Speaker 1 (34:09):
Power centers and all of that. What I guess the
question is if if somebody wants to build a data
center in Maryland. What does that? What would a Microsoft
have to do or an IBM if they wanted to
build a data center in Maryland, what would you want
them to do to minimize the impact on your residence. Well,
I think there's a few things.

Speaker 3 (34:28):
One is, and I've been very clear and we've actually,
you know, had projects that we say are not going
to move forward, because if you're not moving forward with
the community, then things cannot move forward.

Speaker 1 (34:37):
These aren't job creators, are they, these data centers?

Speaker 3 (34:39):
Well, they're they're job creators, but they're not job creators.
And when you're looking at that long term job creators, no,
and not and not massive job creators. Right, So listen,
I am actually I believe that we need to do
a better job of critical infrastructure. I believe that our
state needs to do more to invite critical infrastructure. I also, though,
believe that nothing can or will happen in my state

(35:01):
without the impact of the community. And I think the
community will always have the final say with me. It's
part of the reason that I have a lot of
issues with some of these projects that pg going back
to PGAM that they then put on board, where you
were literally putting together lines and transmission lines and you're
looking at them, You're putting it throughout my map without
realizing that people actually live there, like it's a game

(35:25):
about where they are placing this without any form of
feedback from us or any former feedback from the community.
And so I believe that we need to invest in
critical infrastructure. I believe that when we're talking about the
future of AI and cyber and quantum, that these are
things that I want my state to be not just
a national but a global leader in. But I also

(35:45):
know that this has to happen in partnership with the community.
This is not going to be what we're doing to
the community. It has to be what we're doing actually
with the community in these build outs.

Speaker 1 (35:53):
Are you working with any of these companies that have
taken that attitude?

Speaker 3 (35:57):
Oh, well, we are, because for all these companies, they
understand if you're not taking that attitude, then you're not
doing projects in my state.

Speaker 1 (36:05):
You before you were a politician. I first met you
when you were CEO of something called the Robin Hood Foundation. Yeah,
in New York City. It's an incredible a charitable organization
primarily funded by the Wall Street folks. Right, would you
say fair Yeah. I say this because Wall Street money

(36:30):
right is a dirty word in the Democratic Party today. Well,
this is why I want to give you a chance. Yeah,
make your case for why Democrats shouldn't be so skeptical
of Wall Street.

Speaker 3 (36:42):
Well, I think about the work that I did at
Robin Hooden, and it's this idea that for each and
every one of us, we should understand the scourge that poverty,
and particularly child poverty is in our society. I mean fundamentally.
That's actually the reason why I ran. That's really the
reason and why I ran for governor in the first place.
Is you know, when I was talking with you know,

(37:04):
I remember actually talking with a board member, Robin d
and when I told him, I think I'm gonna leave
and I'm gonna go run for governor. And he said, well,
what is shees doing to work on? I'm like, I
want to work on things like child poverty. I want
to work on things like the racial wealth gap. And
he's like, but you're doing that here, why would you
leave and run for office? And I remember looking at
him and saying, and.

Speaker 1 (37:23):
Acquire a whole bunch of extra bureaucracy to do those
things sometimes, right.

Speaker 3 (37:25):
Now, that's right, yeah, And I remember looking at him
and I said to him, why do you think poverty
exists in the first place, Like, do you think poverty
exists because one group is just not working hard enough?
Like we have poverty because we have policies that allow
it to exist. We have poverty because we have policies
that put people in poverty and keep them in poverty.
We have a wealth gap, not because one group is

(37:47):
working eight times harder, but there are policies that allow
this to exist. And so I think that the only
way you're actually going to address it that you know,
I remember doctor King had a quote that sat on
my desk where it said philanthropy is commendable, but the
philanthropists can never forget the economic injustice that makes philanthropy necessary.
And my whole thing is this is that for our philanthropists,

(38:14):
what you're doing is good, but if you do not
understand why the policies that are being put in place.
The policies for example, like we saw where you know,
with the Big Beautiful Bill that was the largest upwards
consolidation of wealth in world history, that literally was just

(38:34):
making it. It created all these challenges so billionaires could
get a tax cut. And so I have and if
you look at what we did in the state of Maryland,
where we actually did an adjustment to our tax code,
where we gave the middle class a tax cut.

Speaker 1 (38:51):
In my state. And yes, I asked.

Speaker 3 (38:54):
Wealthy Marylanders to pay more, because I said, I have
no problem asking those who have done very well and
who have benefited from the society that has been created,
to say, I'm asking you to pay a little bit
more so we don't have to lay off police officers
and firefighters, so we don't have to lay off school teachers,
so we can make sure that we can have safe

(39:14):
communities and have the best public education system inside this country.
And so I'm a person who says and believes deeply
like I don't you know when people say, you know,
do you lose sleep over billionaires? I said, I don't
lose sleep over billionaires. I want billionaires to pay their
fair share. But I don't lose sleep over billionaires. I
lose sleep over how many people we have living in poverty.

(39:36):
And I think we need to stay focused on ensuring
that if we can create a more equitable society, and
if we can create a society that listen, if you
do well. Congratulations, God bless you. But what I am
saying is this, you cannot do well just simply on
the backs of working people and then not expect that
there should be some form of way that we should.

Speaker 1 (39:57):
Have a tax system that is a fair tax system.

Speaker 3 (40:00):
That allows you to be able to get back into
a society that you benefited from.

Speaker 1 (40:05):
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(41:10):
a poll that was out a couple of weeks ago
by my former polsters, I call them my former posters.
I miss my guys that we do the NBC News
poll with but plurality of Democrats. Democrats were the only
political group that had a net negative view of capitalism
and a net positive view of socialism. Why do you

(41:33):
think that is well?

Speaker 3 (41:35):
I mean, honestly, I'm not sure if people if you
ask people the benefits of you know, what is socialism
or what is capitalism, that people would.

Speaker 1 (41:43):
Actually give you an understanding of what that. I don't
think they know the definitions.

Speaker 3 (41:47):
No, I mean, like honestly, like I remember, you know,
I remember having a conversation with somebody who actually lives
up in New York and this was actually during during
the primary for the mayor's race, and they were like
all in on Mamdani and so I was like, Oh,
that's that's cool. So I was like, so, you know,
so you know what excites You're there telling me all

(42:08):
this stuff. And I was like, are you a democratic socialists?
And they're like, what's that? Like? They didn't, they weren't
making the connection.

Speaker 1 (42:15):
I got you. And I think for a.

Speaker 3 (42:17):
Lot of people, the idea of what is a capitalist?
What is a socialist? What is this?

Speaker 1 (42:24):
What was that?

Speaker 3 (42:25):
I think if you ask people fundamentally, like what do
you believe in? Like, I can tell you like what
I believe in, Like I believe that that that not
everyone should end up in the same spot, but everyone
should have a fair shot. I believe that we actually
should be a society that believes opportunity is a real
thing and not a punchline.

Speaker 1 (42:45):
Equal access not equal outcomes.

Speaker 3 (42:47):
Yeah, and and and that, and that we all shouldn't
have the.

Speaker 1 (42:50):
Same equal solution for everybody.

Speaker 3 (42:52):
I mean it's the reason that, for example, that we
have made the largest investments in trade and apprenticeship programs
inside of our state because I'm very clear, like we
have some of the best four year colleges in America,
and something that I'm very proud of in the state
of Maryland. But I'm also very clear I am going
to end this lie that every single one of our
students needs to attend one of them in order to
be economically successful. It's just not true that we are

(43:14):
going that we've eliminated this idea that we're evaluating high
schools based on your four year college acceptance rates. That's
an input, but it's not a key performance indicator. It's
basically saying that, like, how do we make sure that
we're having opportunities for people to be able to live
out their God given opportunities and God given potential that
people should have a chance to pursue work and wages

(43:35):
and wealth and know that there's not one singular path
in order to get there, you know. And I tell
people like, listen, I joined the army when I was
seventeen years old, Right, I think I'm the only governor
in this country who graduated from a two year college, right,
you know? I and you know, and things worked out
pretty well. So it's like, so there is no one

(43:58):
singular path that we want people to go down. And
I think when we're just talking about what does it
mean to have a society that works for everybody. I
believe that we need to know I am a I
am a capitalist. I also, though, believe that we need
to make sure that we have a fair and equitable
society as well.

Speaker 1 (44:17):
Do you think the S word is a branding problem,
the socialism No.

Speaker 3 (44:22):
I think that we need to make sure that our
society actually works for people. And when and when you
when you have a situation where you know, I don't.
I don't think that the answer for how do we
fix society is complete redistribution.

Speaker 1 (44:40):
I think the way you.

Speaker 3 (44:41):
Actually fix society is you remove the barriers that are
keeping people from participating and competing in the first place.
I think one of the biggest ills we have on
society right now is a level of concentrated poverty, and
not just concentrated poverty, but generational poverty that we have
within our state. Is the reason that we in Maryland
passed something called the Enough Initiative, which stands for engaging neighborhoods, organizations, unions, governments,

(45:06):
and households basically everybody. And it is the most aggressive,
most aggressive place based strategy that this nation has seen
to address the issue of concentrated and generational childhood poverty.
That I believe that we need to be able to
address the racial wealth gap because the problem with the
racial wealth gap is that it doesn't just hurt one group.
Is that the racial wealth gap has cost this country

(45:28):
sixteen trillion dollars in GDP.

Speaker 1 (45:30):
Over the past two decades. That's GDP.

Speaker 3 (45:33):
And so if you really want to have an economy
that works for everybody, have an economy that actually everybody
can participate.

Speaker 1 (45:39):
In, the issue of reparations became a bit of a
back and forth with your legislature, particularly, I think the
Black legislatures there. We've been studying this for decades, Yes,
don't Why hasn't it happened? Well?

Speaker 3 (45:58):
And the reason when this when this came up in
the General Assembly and they passed another commission, Yes, another study,
year study, and frankly this this.

Speaker 1 (46:11):
By the way, let me I apologize. I forgot to
tell you guys about questions. And we're a couple of
minutes away from him taking your question, so hurry up
and get him in. They're up there. I was a
bad moderator anyway, Governor going.

Speaker 3 (46:22):
So, so if you if you look, if you look
at our state, we have we have done four studies
over the past twenty years dealing with this these.

Speaker 1 (46:33):
Types of issues.

Speaker 3 (46:34):
Sure, and I know that for a fact because one
of which my wife worked on it. And so when
a bill was passed for me to do another study,
I vetoed it, and I vetoed it because I'm like,
I'm sorry, what are we studying? I don't need another
two year study on something that I already know the

(46:56):
answer to.

Speaker 1 (46:57):
Is this about whether to do it or how to?
In your mind, should discussion be about whether to do
it or how to do it?

Speaker 3 (47:02):
I think the work of repair is a now action
because there is no one who needs to explain to
me the history of racism that we have seen in
the state of Maryland. Like I said, Maryland is the
home of redlining. We have watched more when you look

(47:22):
at things like unfair appraisal values and historically red line neighborhoods.
That has been one of the greatest wealth thefts that
we have seen in our nation's history. And it was
born in Maryland that we have seen. How you know,
when people talk with pride about the history of Frederick
Douglas and Harriet Tubman, I'm like, yeah, but you do
understand that there's a reason that Frederick Douglass and Harriet

(47:43):
Tubman were born in Maryland and we now know their
stories because some of the most creative and racist policies
in our nation's history were born in Maryland. You know,
I am I am the first African I'm the first
black governor in the history of the state of Maryland
and only the third African American ever elected in the
history of the United States as governor. And it is
not because I'm only the third African American ever qualified

(48:05):
to be a governor. Like we have to be clear,
there's a history to this, and so the reason, so
the reason that I said the reason that I said
that is this when I say, what is the work
of repair? The work of repair for me does not
require another two year study. The work of repair is
things like what we did where we invested over one
point three billion dollars in our states for HBCUs, which

(48:28):
is a sixty percent increase than what we saw for
my predecessor. The work of repair is doing things like
doing things like procurement reform, where we've now invested over
eight hundred million dollars in black owned businesses in the
state of Maryland and making sure we're giving a fair
distribution of state dollars that are.

Speaker 1 (48:44):
Going to black owned businesses.

Speaker 3 (48:45):
The work of repair is doing like what we did
with our Just Community Initiative, where we put four hundred
million dollars going to communities that have been historically that
have been historically discriminated against through Jim Crow, through segregation,
through mass and karcer The work of repair is doing
things like what I did. What I did last year
when I pardoned over one hundred and seventy five thousand

(49:07):
misdemeanor cannabis convictions in the stroke of a pen, which
is the largest mass part in the history of the
United States of America. That's the work of repair, and
what I'm not interested in more studies. I'm interested in
actually doing the work. And that's the message that I
wanted to send.

Speaker 1 (49:23):
I want to invite our friends at the Texas Tribune
up so we can get ready for the Q and
A portion here. But I'm going to do one more
question to you, of course, the question that annoying people
like me are going to ask you a lot between
now and the filing deadline in New Hampshire. You have said,

(49:45):
but you have said I'm not running for president in
twenty twenty eight. It is not your fault that none
of us believe you, because no. I say this because
I'm old enough to remember when Bill Clinton pledged to
serve a full four year term and one election in
nineteen ninety and he did not serve that full four
year term. I'm old enough to remember when Barack Obama
came on Meet the Press and said he's not running,

(50:07):
and then six months later came on Meet the Press
and said, well, I've had to change of heart. So
why should we believe you that you're not running in
twenty eight.

Speaker 3 (50:20):
Well, first, because I'm not, but.

Speaker 1 (50:23):
But also you know what sherman esque means, right, Yeah, okay,
you got sherman esque it. If you know, if nominated,
you will not you will not accept it.

Speaker 3 (50:32):
I am, And this is this is this is a
very a very honest answer where I realize how much
I'm playing with house money right now.

Speaker 1 (50:44):
I am.

Speaker 3 (50:46):
I'm probably the most improbable governor in this country. Where
I'm I'm literally a person who watched my dad die
in front of me when I was three years old
because he didn't get the healthcare he needed. I'm a
person who had handcuffed my risk by the time I
was eleven. I'm a person who watched my mom, who

(51:08):
was an immigrant single mom, not get her first job
that gave her benefits until I was fourteen, not get
a job that allowed her to work one job instead
of multiple jobs until I was fourteen years old. And
I'm now the sixty third governor of my state, and

(51:31):
I love my work. I love the fact that we
have made Maryland has gone from being forty third in
the country and unemployment to now going a year and
a half of having amongst the lowest unemployment rates in
the entire country. That Maryland has had amongst the fastest
drops in violent crime anywhere in America. That Maryland now
is the first day in the country that has a

(51:52):
service year option for all of our high school graduates.
That Maryland, that Maryland is now the first state in
the country that actually has a playspation initiative to deal
with the issue of generational concentrated childhood poverty. That we've
been able to turn a deficit into a surplus and
give the middle class a tax cut, like I am

(52:13):
playing with house money right now, and so I, uh no,
it's a note. It's a note because I mean, I listen,
I know that I've got I've gotten now four hundred
and thirty six days before I go back in front
of the people of my state and ask them for
another four years. And it's asked that I take very seriously.

Speaker 1 (52:36):
Actually, it's a little lesson that I think, right, AC. Yeah,
that's right. That's till my next inauguration. View, that's right. Oh, listen,
running back now, that's kind of running by my next inauguration. Yeah,
I will see see the microphone to our friends at
the Texas Tribune and we hear from you.

Speaker 5 (52:53):
Cameron with the Texas Tribune, thank you so much for
your great questions. First one USI and Pico from Austin asked,
what is one policy you support that the Democratic Party avoids.

Speaker 3 (53:05):
It's interesting because I mean, like I I and I say,
I say I say this. I say this in context
where I was not the choice of the Democratic Party.
You know, when I when I first ran for governor,

(53:25):
I ran against three statewide elected officials, I ran against
two Obama Cabinet secretaries. I ran against the former head
of the DNC, and like me, the one who had
no political experience at all, And I laugh and I say,
you know, when I told my family I was running
for governor, I like, I had to convince my family

(53:46):
to vote for me. And it's not that we're not cool,
like we're cool, it's I had to convince many members
of my family to vote. So I don't I don't
really consider myself to be a creature of a party.
I mean I think about it this way, where you
know where you know when you know over this process
of this past year, for example, you know, when I

(54:09):
was very clear to members of the Democratic Party in
my state, we have a Democratic cousel and Democratic Senate,
and I told the people of my party, I said, listen,
if anything is sent to my desk that I believe
infringes upon my executive authority or makes it harder for
my cabinet secrets secretaries do their job. If anything is
sent to my desk that is an unfunded mandate, or

(54:30):
if anything is sent to my desk that is a
study or a or an eight year commission, I'm vetoing it.
And I ended up vetoing more bills than any Democratic
governor in the history of the state of Maryland by
five x. So I actually think there's a lot of
Democrats who would say that, well, he doesn't know what's

(54:51):
align with a lot of things that we think are
priorities as a party. And frankly, I'm okay with that
because I don't consider my self one who has to
get put in a box when we talk about our policies.
When people say, do you believe when you're addressing, you know,
economic growth, are you pro business or are you pro worker?

(55:11):
My answer is I'm not choosing that. I'm going to
make sure we're supporting our workers. That we've raised a
minimum wage, that we've been able to add an apprenticeship
and trade programs, that we have a permanent child tax
credit and earn income tax credit. And I've done things
like permit reform and regulatory form reform and made it
easier for businesses to be able to come and grow.
We've incentivized businesses to come and choose and stay in

(55:32):
the state of Maryland, because I believe if you believe
if you have business growth and businesses choosing your areas,
then that means more people are going to be hired,
more entrepreneurs are going to be created, and you have
more economic growth.

Speaker 1 (55:42):
So I'm not choosing that.

Speaker 3 (55:44):
I'm a person who believes we made the largest investment
in law enforcement and made the largest investment in our community.
And so I it's difficult for me to answer because
I feel like so much of what I have done
has not been a political orthodox and there is. I
don't call a party leader to ask permission when I
make decisions. I make decisions on behalf of what I

(56:07):
think is best for my people, and you know, kind
of let the chips call with their manage, right.

Speaker 5 (56:12):
Samuel from Austin asks, how do we bring back by
partisanship when the middle of the isle seems to no
longer exist?

Speaker 3 (56:21):
Thank you, Samuel, I would say this. I think the
middle of the isle doesn't seem to exist in Washington,
but I don't think that's actually real in communities and neighborhoods.
I think the way you bring back by partisanship is
you actually show up. I mean, I think about it

(56:43):
this way. Where you know, I remember on I think
it was day two or day three when I was governor,
I was I had a conversation with with a mayor
of a town called Lonacone, which is all the way
in western Maryland, and and he was telling me about
a water crisis he was having and he was on
a boilwater advisory. And when I was on the phone him,

(57:07):
I said, you know, mister Merril, I'm on my way.
And we headed out to western Maryland. And when I
met him, Uh, he's become a good friend. A guy
named a Mayor Coleburn. When I met him, he said
to me, he said, Governor, do me a favor. Turn
three hundred and sixty degrees. So I turned three hundred
and six degrees. And he said, the only guarantee I

(57:28):
can give you is you ain't see a Democrat within
five miles of anywhere.

Speaker 1 (57:32):
You just looked.

Speaker 3 (57:34):
And he said, he said, but I tell you what. Yeah,
the first government has been here since nineteen ninety six,
and we've continued to work together. We continue to work together.
When Maryland, when we had historic floods in western Maryland,
which the President of the United States denied all federal
aid and federal lief to Western Maryland.

Speaker 1 (57:57):
I the most republican part of the state.

Speaker 3 (58:00):
Literally seventy eight percent of that part of that state
voted for Donald Trump, and he left them behind. And
he will not be forgiven for that. But I remember
when I announced my reelection, Samuel that Mayor Coburn and
several other Republicans from all around the state were the

(58:22):
first ones to come out and endorse me. And they
came out and they said, they came out and they said, listen,
we might not agree with the governor and everything, but
I'll tell you what. He shows up and he creates
a table that's big enough for all of us. And
so the thing that I would say, how do you
restore by partisanship is don't pretend that bypartisanship is dead.

(58:47):
What we're watching this with this reality television show in Washington, DC,
is not a reflection of our communities where people are
just fighting for their people. They're just fighting to make
sure that they're not left behind. And I think as leaders,
the reason that we've been able to be successful in
our state with both Democrats and Republicans is because I

(59:09):
think the people of our state know that we don't
get into the partisan games in the back and forth.

Speaker 1 (59:15):
We just try to do good bye our people.

Speaker 3 (59:17):
And that's why I think that you know you're watching
at the state level that bipartisanship is very much alive
and well.

Speaker 5 (59:31):
John the parent of a UMD student asks, what is
your message to those in their early twenties who grew
up during COVID and are now watching the upheaval in
this country's institutions.

Speaker 3 (59:45):
Uh First, John, go TERFs, go TERFs.

Speaker 1 (59:51):
You know, it's hard.

Speaker 3 (59:52):
It's I feel bad for a lot of these students too,
because for a lot of them, this measure of.

Speaker 1 (01:00:02):
Chaos and uncertainty is for it's it's.

Speaker 3 (01:00:10):
It's defining for them, and so I understand the frustration.
I remember when I I actually gave a graduation speech
to the University of Maryland two years ago. They actually
they followed up by asking Kermit the Frog to give
it the year after. I know how to feel about.

Speaker 1 (01:00:28):
That, but it'd be harder to follow Kermit.

Speaker 3 (01:00:31):
It would be hard to Actually, I'm glad it went
before Kermit, actually, but I remember the speech that I
gave to the graduates is probably the advice that I
would give to John to UH, to your to your
child is when people are telling you what you want
to explore and what you want to study, you know,
do you choose uh stem, do you choose life sciences?

Speaker 1 (01:00:56):
Do you choose medicine? Do you choose humanities?

Speaker 3 (01:01:02):
The advice that I would give them is as they're
thinking about what is they want to do to prepare
themselves for the rest of the world, is choose tough.
Choose the thing that's going to force you to wake
up a little bit earlier. Choose the thing that's going
to force you to stay up a little bit later.
Choose the thing that's going to force you to get
out of your comfort zone and.

Speaker 1 (01:01:23):
Stay there for a while.

Speaker 3 (01:01:25):
Because the reason that I think I've been able to
adapt in this moment is I think about my experience
in the military, where you know, I joined when I
was seventeen, I became an army officer by the time
I was nineteen. I deployed overseas with a unit, and

(01:01:49):
I led paratroopers with a unit that I actually joined
when they were already in theater. That part of my
job was to try to get Tllybond members to try
to leave and to join the Afghan forces and to
turn their weapons and join this new Afghan government where

(01:02:12):
no matter what the obstacle is that comes in front
of me, Now I realized that I'm never going to
flinch because we're just built differently. That was kind of
forged out of us. And so when you have a
generation that's coming out of COVID and then you have

(01:02:34):
them now going into Trump and we have all these
things that are happening. The only guarantee I can give
to each and every young person inside of my state
is challenges are on their way. I don't know what
it's going to look like for you, but it's on
its way. And so the best preparation that I can
give you to how to deal with it, no matter

(01:02:56):
what it looks like when it actually comes your way,
is choose tough now, because it's the best preparation that
you're going to have when that tough thing ends up
facing you, and that thing is going to learn that
you're not going to lose sleep over it.

Speaker 1 (01:03:12):
Make it lose sleep over you. If you could wave
a magic wand would you have mandatory National service? Yeah, absolutely.

Speaker 3 (01:03:19):
I mean it's the reason that we in Maryland. Maryland
is now the first state in the country that has
a service your option for all of our high school graduates,
where every high school graduate now is a chance to
have a paid year service and they.

Speaker 1 (01:03:32):
Can choose however they want to do.

Speaker 3 (01:03:33):
They can work, and they can serve veterans, they can
serve in the environment, they can work with young people,
they can work with older adults. The only thing we
ask is tell us what makes your heart beat a
little bit faster, and we're going to give you an
opportunity to do it, a paid opportunity to do it.
And I remember, you know, when I ran for governor,
I had people who I serve with in the military
who came and campaigned on my behalf. Many of them

(01:03:57):
were not Marylanders, many of them were not dem Crats,
but they were literally just coming in door knocking and saying,
I just want to tell you about the guy that
I served with, because I'm just a big believer in
this time of this political divisiveness, in this time of
this political vitriol, that service will save us because service

(01:04:19):
is sticky, and those who serve together will generally stay together.

Speaker 1 (01:04:22):
So absolutely, I want to make.

Speaker 3 (01:04:24):
Sure, and I would love it if every young person
our society could spend a little bit of time being
part of something bigger than themselves, learning how remarkable this
country is and learning that that line between them and

(01:04:46):
somebody else is not as thick as society wants us
to believe.

Speaker 1 (01:04:53):
That it actually is we got what two more?

Speaker 3 (01:04:56):
And then we writer from.

Speaker 5 (01:04:58):
Houston asks what do you believe is the best route
for Maryland to overcome the significant redistricting roadblocks that have
occurred in the last few months.

Speaker 1 (01:05:08):
I knew the audience is going to ask about redistricting.
I left it off.

Speaker 3 (01:05:11):
I love it, and it's good to be in Texas,
the home of this conversation in the first place. So
I've just been very clear. And I know you know, uh,
you know. Listen here here's what I know. Every state
goes through this process every decade after the census comes

(01:05:34):
out that determines whether or not they have fair maps. Right,
and Donald Trump decided to start picking and choosing which
states should go through this process mid decade.

Speaker 1 (01:05:48):
Didn't He didn't call all of us. He called some
of us to include y'all. I called y'all first.

Speaker 3 (01:05:55):
And my only thing is this is that when you
look at this idea that if other if states are
going to go through a mid decade process of determining
whether or not they have fair maps. I don't know
why some states should do this and some states should
sit on their hands. My point is this is that
you know and and and by the way. This is

(01:06:17):
actually pretty consistent of what we have seen from Donald Trump,
where you know, whether it's calling states and saying I
need you to redistrict or whether it's calling election officials
in Georgia and saying I need you to find me votes.
It's just very clear that when he knows his he
cannot win on policies. So what does he do. He
changes the rules, He rigs the game. And so my

(01:06:41):
only point is this, and why I you know, I
ordered a Governor's Redishing Advisory Commission in Maryland where we
now have a bipartisan group led by one of our senators,
Senator angel Alsobrooks, who's now leading a bipartisan group to
actually go talk to people, to listen to people, and
then decide whether or not Maryland has fair maps. Because

(01:07:02):
I am just I am very clear on this, and
I'm hard set on it that if this country is
going to go and if parts of this country are
going to go through a mid decade process to determine
whether or not they have fair maps, then so will.

Speaker 1 (01:07:16):
The state of Maryland.

Speaker 4 (01:07:18):
And and Donald Trump is not going to choose what
our democracy looks like, the people of Maryland will choose
what our democracy looks like.

Speaker 3 (01:07:33):
And so our commission now is in place. They're already
doing wonderful work. They're going to come back with their recommendations.
But while we all can talk, you know, while we
all can talk about a fair map process, I just
believe deeply that democracy cannot be a spectator sport. Democracy
cannot be something where certain states are deciding and determining

(01:07:57):
whether or not they have fair.

Speaker 1 (01:07:58):
Maps that we need to go through. Our process says.

Speaker 3 (01:08:00):
It needs to be a process that involves real people
and revolves our input. And I'm excited for the fact
that the state of Maryland, just like these other states,
are going to move.

Speaker 1 (01:08:09):
I will make sure.

Speaker 3 (01:08:11):
That come next November, Maryland is voting with fair maps
and we will have a representative democracy that actually reflects
the wills and the hopes and the ambitions of the
people of my state.

Speaker 5 (01:08:24):
Last one, Dan from Austin, asks, what's your pitch to
get people to move from Texas to Maryland?

Speaker 3 (01:08:34):
And do you believe in your freedoms?

Speaker 1 (01:08:35):
Do you now listen?

Speaker 3 (01:08:39):
I mean I'm actually listening.

Speaker 1 (01:08:41):
I really believe that lets start with the live music.
They're going to want to know if you have good
live music.

Speaker 3 (01:08:47):
We actually have one of the best live music scenes
inside the inside the entire country. And that's real talk Maryland.
In fact, Baltimore is actually Baltimore. The Baltimore region has
actually been ranked as one of the top live music
scenes inside the country. But I know Austin y'all are
up there too, But Baltimore is great. But I will
say this in addition to the fact that, in addition

(01:09:09):
to the fact that you know, they call Maryland American
miniature for a reason, and it's because I don't care
what you tell me. You want to do. Tell me
what you want to do. Do you want to go
hike mountains? Do you want to go to beaches? Do
you want to go to ballgames? Do you want to
go see farmland? Tell me what you want to do,

(01:09:33):
and I can tell you how to have a world
class experience in Maryland within two hours. There's no place
in the country like that. And the other thing that
I would tell you why Maryland is so special, in
Maryland is so unique. I really think Maryland is the
best place in the world to change the world. I
really think Maryland is a place where we watch entrepreneurial

(01:09:55):
endeavors grow and thrive. I believe Maryland is a place
where we we actually respect people's freedoms and we respect
people's histories. That Maryland is a place that we actually
make sure that people have a chance to learn and
grow and be an inclusive society. That when Maryland, when

(01:10:16):
we were watching a larger debate that was taking place
around the country about things like reproductive health and reproductive rights,
that in Maryland, what do we do. We actually made
reproductive health part of Maryland's constitution so that no matter
what the Supreme Court says in Maryland, we will protect that.

(01:10:37):
That when we watch places around the country that were
banning histories and banning books and talking about what parts
of history we were going to remember and what parts
of history we were going to reflect, Well, what did
we do in the state of Maryland? I very proudly
sign legislation banning the banning of books. You cannot ban
books in my state. That we're talking about we're talking

(01:11:03):
about a state right now that is beautiful and diverse
and growing with one of the fastest job growth rates
inside the entire country, with a state that is truly
the epicenter of life sciences in it, and aerospace and defense.
That Maryland is the home of true national gems, likenists,

(01:11:28):
the NIH, and military installations like Fort Meade, one of
the largest military and veteran communities inside this entire country.
That we have some of the best academic and some
of the best academic measures inside the entire country, some
of the best public schools inside of America. That we
are a place that invests inside of our future. And

(01:11:48):
so I believe deeply, and it's not just because I
am biased. There's a reason that we are watching business
after business come and choose Maryland because this is a
chance for them to be able to grow and thrive,
and frankly, for their employee base to know that you're
not just going to have one of the best pipelines

(01:12:10):
for higher education in K twelve employees, but also a
place where your employee's visions and hopes for their future
can actually be realized and their freedoms are going to
be protected.

Speaker 1 (01:12:21):
Let the record show he didn't mention Obay and Old Bay, Obay,
crab Cakes Baltimore Orioles, Baltimore, Ravens. You do not be
Is there anything you wouldn't put Old Bay on? Nothing? Olbay.

Speaker 3 (01:12:34):
I think is actually the greatest spice because you can.
Obay is breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert is true.

Speaker 1 (01:12:42):
I had Obay ice cream. I'm telling you.

Speaker 3 (01:12:45):
It'll change your life.

Speaker 1 (01:12:46):
It'll change your life. That's why you moved to Maryland.
Thank you Covin, Thanks your lu thank you everybody.

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.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}Interview Only w/ Governor Wes Moore - How Democrats Can Push Back Against Trump