WCPT 820 Interview: Michael Frerichs

Joan is joined by Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, who discussed the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs on Illinois farmers, calling attention to the financial strain and uncertainty they face.

"There's a lot of fear out there," Frerichs told WCPT. "Some of them have faith that Trump will bail them out, like he did in his first term. What that means is that revenue coming in from tariffs just gets put right back into our farmers' pockets. And a lot of them [during the first Trump administration] were big, industrial farmers, large farmers; the average family farmer didn't turn out so well out there."

Frerichs also emphasized the need for Democrats to present clear alternatives and govern effectively where they have power.

"We're going to appoint people who actually have qualifications and not cronies," he told WCPT. "We are going to make sure we don't have conflicts of interest like this administration has all over. We as Democrats should be able to agree in some basic principles like that. But we also have Democrats who are elected to lead states and legislatures, and I think we need to provide examples of how we would govern, not just complaining what they're doing, but saying, this is the alternative. This is how we're going to grow jobs in America. Here's how we're going to educate people. Here's how we're going to restore our standing in the world. And if we have enough good examples of that, we'll regain some trust."

Catch "Joan Esposito: Live, Local and Progressive" weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Central on WCPT (heartlandsignal.com/programs/live-local-progressive).

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