September 29, 2026 • 48 mins
Today on The Breakfast Club, Attorney General Aaron Ford Talks Running For Nevada Governor, Affordability, AI Data Centers. Listen For More!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hold up. Every day I wake up.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Wake your ass up.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Y'all finished or y'all done? Morning, everybody.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
It's DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are
The Breakfast Club. Our sister, Miss Angela, rides with us today.
We got a special guest in the building.
Speaker 4 (00:18):
And you better get his name right. He just gave
you a whole tutorial on how to say his name.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You just messed with me, but I had it flowing.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Now I can't remember. He's running for Nevada.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
No, you better get that right, too.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
He did.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I think Nevada.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Don't let him get to the intro.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Ladies and gentlemen, Aaron Ford. Aaron Ford. That's right.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Not Aaron.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Aaron.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
It's spelled Aaron, but Aaron. That's right.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
The 34th Attorney General.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
Excuse me. I was doing that right now. Just go ahead.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
You stay excited.
Speaker 6 (00:42):
He's the 34th Attorney General of Nevada, and he is
the first black Attorney General.
Speaker 5 (00:48):
Before that, a state legislator, now running for governor.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Well, welcome, brother. How are you feeling? Hey, I'm feeling good, man.
Happy to be here. Good to see everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Why do you want to be governor, man?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
You know, it's funny, right? Some people thought it was
a foregone conclusion I was going to run, but I
didn't make my mind up, frankly, until after Trump won.
You know, I knew. I talked to my wife. I
talked to my family. We prayed on it, thought about it,
talked about it. We just knew that we'd have a
governor who wasn't going to stand up to Trump, who
wasn't going to defend the badness from what I anticipated
would be some unlawful action, some undermining of our ability
(01:20):
to even exist or survive, let alone thrive. And, you know, unfortunately,
I've been proven right. whether it is the tariffs that
he didn't stand up to, whether it's trying to get
rid of the Department of Education, whether it's been birthright citizenship.
Our governor hadn't stood up, and I knew I would
need to. And so praying on it, thought about it,
and here we are.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
I respect that answer, but I don't like it. And
I'm going to tell you why, because everybody says it.
Everybody says it's because of Trump. What is it about
your vision for Nevada that requires you to act?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Nevada.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
You already missed it.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
First, I'll get it right. It's Nevada.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Nevada.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
What is it about you?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Aaron Ford's vision.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Aaron Ford.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Attorney General Ford.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
How about that? I'll take that.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You can just call me General.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
What is it about Attorney General Ford's vision for Nevada.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
That requires you to have this job?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
That's a different question, and I'm glad you asked me that.
So here's what I have learned talking to folks all
across the state. They broke. stuff's too expensive right now.
They broke, right? And whether it's housing, whether it's healthcare,
whether it's gas, whether it's groceries, whether it's our energy prices,
they want somebody who's going to help them be able
to pay for their lives and take care of themselves
(02:33):
and take care of their families. Look, like me, I'm
in a sandwich generation. I got older parents and I
have grown kids, but they sit in my pocket.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
You understand?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
And so I know what they're going through. And this
is something that, frankly... The word is affordability. That's what
you hear all the time, Charlemagne. I didn't know what
that word meant when I was seven or eight years old,
but I know my parents couldn't always afford food. You
know what I'm saying? I mean, I grew up eating
stale candy bars for dinner that my daddy found next
to the dumpster behind the grocery store he worked at. Right?
(03:03):
The grocery store was throwing them away because they couldn't
sell them because they were stale, but the fours got
to eat. So my daddy bought him these stale candy bars.
And to this day, I keep a candy bar on
my nightstand at home from that day. Score. A score bar.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
S-K-O-R.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
I keep it on my nightstand. I keep it on
my office desk at work, all my offices. It's a reminder.
First thing I see when I get up in the morning.
Last thing I see when I go to bed. I
think about it all throughout the day when I'm at work.
I'm reminded of what struggle feels like, what it looks like,
and who I'm fighting for. You know, your boy went
from eating stale candy bars to being a single dad
in college.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Right?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Welfare, living on Section 8 housing, Medicaid, food stamps. So,
You know, I'm not talking about what I heard, like
I said in church. I'm talking about what I know.
And that's why my message is resonating with folks in Nevada.
That's why we're going to win.
Speaker 6 (03:49):
I want to ask you, you know, talking about the
struggles that you've endured. Some of the struggle is normally
fought hard and won in solidarity. So there are a
lot of attorneys general who have worked really collectively and
together to fight against some of the onslaught of Trump
administration's policies. You've done that with several black AGs. But
(04:12):
when you look at what's happening with governor's mansions all
over the country, it's just Westmore. So, of course, Governor Moore,
Maryland governor, he is now the chair of the Democratic
Governors Association. And recently, he said over the weekend during
the annual legislative conference for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation,
he said, I'm looking forward to a gubernatorial black caucus
(04:35):
so we can come together.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
And be in fellowship with you. How important is that?
Speaker 6 (04:38):
I think sometimes we do, and we talk about this
all the time, talk about the symbolism of the moment,
but there's something way more important about electing black governors
that goes beyond the symbolism.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, look, no question. And I, like Wes, has been,
you know, I've been the only black person in a
lot of my environments, right? And I'm looking forward to, frankly,
replicating what we did in the AG space. When I
was elected attorney general, before I got elected, there was
only one black Democratic attorney general. It was Carl Racine
out of D.C. Carl Racine's work, when we were done
(05:11):
in 2018, we went from one to five black Democratic AGs.
We had a Democratic Black Caucus immediately, right? And Wes,
the work he's putting out right now, he has the
ability to go from one to several as well. And
so it is going to be a great opportunity for
us to, you know, obviously not only represent our states,
but represent our culture, represent who we are, represent the background,
(05:33):
show what it's like to be able to, you know,
manifest at this particular level, and I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
But why does that matter in terms of, like, that representation?
Speaker 6 (05:42):
So, again, going beyond the symbolism of us being able
to see it, which is important for our kids, for
our communities to see ourselves represented, but why.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
Does it matter?
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Look, I think it matters for a number of reasons,
and not the least of which is because I've raised
three black sons and a black nephew, right? I come
from eating stale candy bars and being a single dad.
I come from tough times and tough neighborhoods. And my
sons have always been taught that they can be whatever
they want to be, irrespective of what the world would
expect of them or how they want to pigeonhole them.
(06:14):
And so I think it's a visual manifestation of opportunity
and the ability to accomplish. Look, I learned this when
I was working on my, this is funny, my PhD program.
There was a word I learned, efficacy, self-efficacy. This notion
of seeing somebody who looks like you doing something that
you want to do. And when you see that, it
makes you think you can actually do it as well.
(06:35):
And so, you know, I've had the ability to look
at a black attorney general and Carl Racine and see
myself doing it. I'm looking at Wes Moore. I can
see myself doing that. And I want others to be
able to look at us and see, yeah, I can
do that as well. And that's that's what's so important
to me about this.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
I want to start from the beginning, if you don't know,
if you don't mind.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Talking about Aaron, a person, right?
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Aaron.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Aaron, a person, right? Thank you.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Originally from Dallas, right?
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Now you went to Texas A & M.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Explain your process and what got you to Nevada.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Cowboy fans?
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Absolutely. All right. That's what I'm talking about. I'm glad.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
I didn't know if that was going to.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Be a setup or not.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Watch that now.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
It's a rebuilding year.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
What got you in politics and why the move from
Texas to Nevada?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yeah, no, that's a great question. So, yeah, like you said,
from Dallas, went to Texas A & M. My first
degree was in teaching. I used to be a teacher.
Met my wife my junior year in college. college, and
then I went down to Austin and taught school. And
when we graduated, I got a scholarship to go to
George Washington. I went there for my first master's degree
in international education, went to Ohio State for my law degree,
(07:41):
my second master's degree, and my PhD in education. Now,
what took us to Vegas in the first place was
because my wife was a lawyer. She got a job
with a federal judge. So we were out there, I
like to say, at the turn of the century, in
the year 2000, we moved there. I got involved in
politics a couple years after that, you know, seven years
after that, because We had just moved my son back
to Texas, my whole family. My oldest son, the one
(08:01):
I had in college, was a freshman in high school.
He wasn't happy to be moving back to Vegas because
he had made friends in Dallas and this, that, and
the other. And so he said to me, he thought
he was cracking a joke. He said, Dad, you say
everything you do is for the family, right? I said,
that's right. I'm glad you recognize every decision I make
is for the family. He said, well, why you move
us from Texas to Nevada, which is ranked like number
(08:21):
50 in education?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Damn.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
He was like, ha, got you, Dad. And I was like, yeah,
it's not a good one. I mean, actually, I hear
what you're saying. And so I got engaged and I
got involved and I ran for office to help improve
the educational system because my son has always wanted to
be a medical doctor. And I saw the schools weren't
prepping him for that, you know, and so I got
involved and I got engaged. I ran for office in 2010.
Wasn't successful then, but I ran again in 2012. Juan, 2014,
(08:45):
I became the minority leader in the state senate. 2016,
became the majority leader in the state senate. In 2018,
I became the attorney general for the state of Nevada.
In 2026, I intend to be the next governor for Nevada. Now,
you always talk about your arrest. Why do you feel
important to talk about your arrest?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Is it because you don't want other people to talk
about it, or is it you're owning it and saying, hey,
I did it when I was young.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
And all that? Yeah, so college was tough for me, man.
College was tough for me. I transitioned tough times, tough neighborhoods.
It wasn't just that. It was from being a young
boy to a young man. I remember being in high school.
I was president of a club called Allied Youth. which
was a no drugs, no drinking thing, right? I got
to college and I started drinking. And so as a
(09:29):
freshman walking home on campus, I was walking on campus,
not driving. I was walking on campus and the cops
stopped me because I had been drinking. They had a choice, obviously, right?
You got a DUI for walking? For walking home to
my dorm on campus. That's insane. Campus police stopped me
and gave me and took me to the holding cell.
You know, I was one of the, I was the
(09:49):
only one. I'll leave it that way. But yes, I'm
just saying I was walking home to my dorm and
they could have driven me. They could have walked me,
but they gave me a ticket.
Speaker 6 (09:58):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
And so for my lifetime, I've been. having to answer
yes when asked, have you ever been arrested for anything
other than a minor traffic violation? So yes, public intoxication.
But I also got in trouble because I used to
drive home, you know, in my little hoopty between A &
M and Dallas three and a half hours. And so
I would get speeding tickets. And in Texas, if you
don't pay your speeding tickets, they go to warrants. especially
(10:20):
if you don't go to court. And so I had
a couple of warrants for speeding tickets I didn't pay.
Your boy broke, didn't pay him speeding tickets, and I
got in trouble. And then that last one, I'll just
say it out loud because people say it is wrong.
They say I stole tires. First off, it was not tires, plural.
It was only one, number one. But number two, I
didn't steal it. What had happened was real talk. So
(10:43):
this was right after.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
You know whenever somebody says what had happened was.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
But that's why I followed up with real talk. Because
I want you to understand.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
What happened was real talk.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Real talk, real talk, real talk. No, this is real talk.
I want you to hear this because this is real talk.
So this was in 1994. I just had my son.
But my wherefore hadn't come through yet. So I was
still living on campus and my son was back with
my mama down in Dallas. And I would drive home
every weekend. And this one weekend I went to drive home.
I had a slow leak in my tire. I needed
to get it patched. They told me I couldn't patch it.
(11:08):
So they gave me a tire on layaway, essentially. They
let me use it. I had to pay it off.
Paid it off too slowly. Old boy filed a theft
charge against me. And, you know, I paid it off
and then they dismissed the charge. So I didn't steal
the tire. It was just. a payment dispute, essentially. But
that's what happened, right? But that's what happened 33 years ago.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Attorney General Ford, respectfully, who gives a fuck?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I'm with you.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
With all the stuff that we done seen these crazy
ass people do nowadays, what you talking about sounds like.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I hear what you're saying. I wouldn't even explain that
to no one.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
I hear what you're saying. But they're using it.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
They're using it right now.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
They try to use it, quote, unquote, against them. You
know what's funny? Joe Lombardo, the guy who's the governor
right now, his own people talking about the only thing
he's scared of is you stealing his tires.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
That's the kind of stuff they said. You feel me?
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (11:52):
So that's the kind of stuff. So they're going to
use that. You know, they're going to villainize me. And
so the fact of the matter, though, is that look
at what I've done in the last 33 years. I've
gone from being on Medicaid to having a son who's
a medical doctor. You feel me? My middle son's a
third-year law student. My youngest son's a biochemistry major who
wants to go to med school.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Right?
Speaker 1 (12:08):
My wife and I have done, I think, yeoman's work
in representing. And so we're proud of that. Proud of that.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah, but isn't Joe Lombardo a Trump guy?
Speaker 1 (12:17):
A very big Trump guy.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Okay then, so therefore he has no problems with criminals.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I agree with what you said. Pedophiles and criminals and
Epstein-Fowl participants. You're right.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
Like you said, you've been AG, state senator, Senate majority leader.
How do you know the difference between wanting to serve
and just simply wanting the next position?
Speaker 1 (12:37):
You know, it's funny because I've never had to worry
about that. If you pick up my phone, if you
look at my Twitter page, On Purpose by Design, this
is how I describe myself because I don't want nobody
to get confused. I want nobody to get confused. Look
at how I describe myself, Charlemagne. I want you to
see it. When you look at there, it says, how
do I describe myself?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Tired thief. Husband. Tired thief.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
You a fool. You a fool. Angela, why you bring
me here?
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Why you bring me here, Angela? Let me just say this.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Now that ain't nothing.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Wait, hold on. Here's the problem. So you can't tell
us on here that you're not a tired thief, and
that's self-described.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
It ain't on there.
Speaker 6 (13:18):
Don't say that.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Don't say that.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I didn't. I didn't.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
I thought he was.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
Leading into it.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
This is the real answer right here.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Husband, father, and Nevada Attorney General. Attorney General.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
In that order.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Running for governor.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Get my phone, man.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
That's right. I can't believe you did that.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I believed you for 35 seconds. No, no.
Speaker 5 (13:36):
I would not do that.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
I would not do that. I was like, why would
you do that?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
Bernard did it.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Pretty usual. But to his question, though, that's how. That's how. Because, look,
a lot of people get, I've seen it happen before.
A lot of people get in these positions and it
becomes our identity.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
Right.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
It's what defines them. It's where they get their prestige,
their influence, their power, their ability to convene. It's where they...
And when you attack their ability to be elected or reelected,
they view it as you attacking them. I've never had
that problem. Because this is what I do. It's not
who I am.
Speaker 6 (14:08):
You know, I do want to say this, and I
think it's important for you all to know. I've known
Attorney General Ford for some time, and I could say
in every position, you've been the exact same person. And
I do think there's something... unique about candidates who hold
on to their personhood as their superpower. So can you
(14:28):
talk about why, not just how you grew up eating
what you had to eat or the challenges that you
experienced being a single dad, but talk about the other
points of connection in Nevada that's so important because It
can be purplish. And so you've got to build inroads
with other people. You've done that statewide once.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
What's the difference?
Speaker 6 (14:47):
What are the tactics that you're deploying this time that
are different to connect with everyday Nevadans?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Look, here's the deal. I remember being a single father
about to drop out of college. I couldn't even think
about education because I was thinking about food for my
kid and a roof for my son. You understand? And
if it wasn't for welfare, give me a Section 8
housing and Medicaid for health care and food stands for food,
I wouldn't have finished college, you see? So I think
(15:15):
about that in terms of how people today are likely
living as well. They broke, Charlemagne. They can't afford gas
and groceries, and so they're not thinking about other things,
and so I'm thinking about what they're thinking about. What
can I do to help you fulfill what it is
you're trying to do, which is take care of yourself?
And so we have plans that are going to help
lower drug costs. We've got plans that are going to
(15:35):
help free up housing. We're going to have plans that
address the energy costs. So this is the way I'm connecting.
By talking to folks, my philosophy is that take no
one for granted, especially your friends, and then talk to everybody,
especially those who may not be your friends, so that
you can hear what's going on and be responsive and
be responsible and responsive to what their needs are, and
(15:56):
that's how we win this race.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
There are Trump voters now, Cy Brother, there are Trump
voters now.
Speaker 6 (16:00):
Who are experiencing some regret from the votes they cast
in 2014. What have been some of the ways that
you've worked to connect with them? I know they were
bought and sold into the idea of, like, we're going
to make eggs more affordable. Eggs is more expensive now.
Gas is more expensive now. So what are the connection
points with them?
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Yeah, so you're right. They are disappointed because they were
lied to. Egg prices ain't gone down. Gas prices have
actually gone up, right? But here's what I've learned. I've
learned that irrespective of who I'm talking to, because I've
done these statewide tours, I could be talking to an urban, rural, suburban,
a black, white, Latino, Asian. I can talk to a
man or woman, Democrat or Republican. Here's what I'm hearing.
(16:39):
Most folks just want a good job to buy a
house in a safe neighborhood, whether schools are preparing their
children for careers or college, whether healthcare systems are available
and affordable to them, and then finally, through all of that,
to be treated with humanity, dignity, and respect. That's across demographics, period.
Whether I'm talking to a Trump voter or a Kamala
(16:59):
Harris voter. It's the exact same. And so speaking to
those commonalities is what has allowed me to be neck
and neck against the incumbent in this race, even though
they've spent $ 30 million against me with negative lies and ads.
I'm still neck and neck. In fact, the last poll
has us up two points. I'm running like I'm back 10,
to be clear.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Right.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
But it's because we're able to talk about things that
are resonating across the board and across demographics.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yeah, I saw the latest, I think it was the
Emerson poll.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
And it found 43 percent. of Nevadians. Am I saying
that right?
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Nevadians.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Nevadians.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
It's all right.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Just say the people of the state.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
The people of the state of Nevada. They named the
economy as their top issue. And housing was second at 15%.
What has gotten too expensive in Nevada? And what can
a governor actually do about it?
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Yeah, no, it's great. Housing's too expensive. 15% of the
homes in the Clark County, which is where Vegas is, 25%
of the homes in North Las Vegas, they're owned by corporations.
Corporations are living homes. Even Trump said that, you know,
people live in homes.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Right.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
And they are pricing us out of our neighborhoods. You
can't go in and apply for a 30 year mortgage
like my son wants to do when he graduates law
school and compete against a company buying a home in cash. Right.
So I'm going to limit how many homes corporations can
buy up. That's one of the things that's tangible. Rental
prices in our state right now, the average price is
two thousand dollars a month, maybe more now. And they
can charge three times as much for a security deposit.
(18:20):
$ 6, 000 before you can even move in. We're going to
limit how much they can charge to one month of
security deposit. Healthcare, we're going to limit certain amounts of
drugs to the Medicare negotiated price. I talked to a
lady in Minden, Minden, Nevada, which is a rural part
of town who was buying groceries, had a basket full,
went over to the pharmacy section to pick up her prescription,
looked at their price and left those groceries in the
(18:41):
aisle because she couldn't afford both. See, Joe Lombardo could
have signed a bill, number one, that would have did
what I said about housing. He could have signed a
bill that would have limited her drug prices. that puts
money back in people's pockets. They can use on those
expensive-ass eggs. Oh, sorry, I shouldn't say that on TV.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Go ahead, man.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Okay. Be myself. Okay, be myself, right on. My people
won't get mad because I said the A word, but whatever. But, yeah,
so they can, this extra money, they can spend on
other things, right? So these are the types of things
we're going to do. And we've laid this out on
our website, FordForNevada.com, under the issues prong with all of
our different planks on all of these things. And they're tangible.
These aren't pie-in-the-sky stuff, by the way, that I sat
(19:17):
in a corner pontificating about. This is me talking to
Nevadans all across the state and getting ideas and putting
them down and figuring out ways we're going to get
this stuff passed.
Speaker 6 (19:27):
You've done a lot as attorney general for consumers. Under
this presidential administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is virtually gone.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
Can you talk about the importance of.
Speaker 6 (19:39):
Affordability and protecting consumers, how those two agenda merge, and
how you would continue to protect consumers in Nevada as governor?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Yeah, look, and this is the prime example of one
of the reasons why I had to run, because I
knew we would have a governor who is not going
to look out for everyday Nevadans, who himself has said
he and Trump need to look out for the billionaires, right,
because they're the ones creating jobs. And what we see
is that we have consumers every single day who are
being scammed and defrauded, and who aren't able to make
(20:09):
their own ends meet. And so the Democratic attorneys general,
generally speaking, well, I should back up. Consumer protection oftentimes, frankly,
is a bipartisan issue. We have Democrats and Republican attorneys
general working on these things. But I'm proud that I brought,
for example, $ 200 million of settlement funds back for consumer
fraud things, whether it relates to housing and the mortgages
(20:30):
or whether it relates to medicines or whether it relates
to you know, insurance policies. We've been able to do that,
put money back in people's pockets, utilizing our Consumer Protection
Bureau and my state to do that. You know, we've
sued the opioid companies for, and I've gotten $ 1. 2 billion. Wow.
That's coming back to the states. Now, that's not in
(20:50):
people's pockets per se, but it's helping folks who have
been affected by the opioid epidemic, right? Whether it's mental health,
whether it's, you know, drug treatment programs, whether it's, you know,
you name it. And so these are the types of
things that my office has done in the seven years
and nine months I've been there, and we're very proud
of their work.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
I was always curious to the casinos in Vegas, right?
And they say that some of the state tax that
they have to pay is some of the lowest of
states that actually have casinos. Is there ever a thing
to go at the casinos to make them pay money
to help some of the problems that Nevada is having?
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Well, to be fair, they come to the table frequently.
they do have some of the lowest tax rates in
the nation, but they also are the main driving force
for our economy in Nevada. So there's always conversation around
how to improve resources in our state. I'm proud to
say when I was in the legislature, the gaming community
(21:42):
would come to the table and oftentimes volunteer additional taxes.
They wanted other folks to chip in, though, right? And
so there's a business tax now that's broader, that more
people can actually chip in to to share that burden
these days.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
I saw you say that you don't want to raise taxes, right?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
But you're promising better schools, more affordable housing, better health care.
Where's that additional money going to come from?
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Yeah, it's a great question. And here's the response. First off,
let me tell you the reason why we can't raise
taxes right now. We are in the midst of a
Lombardo-Trump economy that's demolishing small businesses, that's making it tougher
for people to afford to live in their lives. And
I want to look people in the eyes and tell them,
I'm not raising your taxes because during this affordability crisis
(22:25):
that your governor has created. But here's what we're going
to do in the alternative. Also say that we intend
to improve the circumstances, but be real about it. No
one gets everything. I'm not going to be able to
jump our per-people expenditure score from where we are now
to the national average in one year. I'm going to
make modest increases, to be sure, but make no mistake
(22:47):
about it, it's not in one fell swoop. We're not
going to be able to pay our state workers... fairly
at the level they need to be paid, but you're
going to get something, right? So be real about what
we're talking about. And then also check out the fact
that we do, you know, this fraud, waste, and abuse
conversation is a real one as well, right? So, you know,
I know that the current governor hasn't collected some taxes
(23:08):
from businesses that owe them. Give me that money because
we can use that in order to be able to
fund our state. So these are the different types of
ways that we're going to have to operate. We cannot
raise taxes during this crisis. but we can still make progress.
And it's about budgeting. I'll be quiet after this because
I know you probably got another question, but... No, talk, man.
All right, look, check this out. Our governor, one of
(23:29):
the worst antics we have in our state is one
in four of our kids don't know where the next
meal is going to come from. I was one of
those kids in Texas, right, eating stuck candy bars. Our
governor had the ability to do something about that. He
could have signed a bill that would have guaranteed school
meals to our kids. But he vetoed that bill. He
(23:50):
vetoed guaranteed school meals for kids for two reasons. He
says it was too expensive and it was a waste
of money. It wouldn't have been a waste on a
kid like me who was sitting in a classroom with
my stomach growling, not able to concentrate. Or when I
was a teacher teaching those kids whose stomachs were growling
and couldn't concentrate. And it ain't that much of a
waste of money because he said no to school meals
(24:10):
and then went and spent $ 25 million on office furniture.
So I give you that example as a priority. Your
budget shows your priorities. My budget, I'd rather sit on
the floor than have my kids go starving, right? So
I'm not going to put 25 million in office furniture.
I'm going to use that money to do things. 25
million in office furniture? 25 million in office furniture. And
the school meals, by the way, was 48 million. So
(24:32):
he was halfway there, right?
Speaker 3 (24:35):
So let me be very clear.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Let me be very clear. I'm sitting in the exact
same desk surrounded by the exact same credenzas and bookshelves
in my office than were there the day I started.
So I didn't get my office. I did not get
that furniture. It was his budget, by the way. He
did that. And I give you that as an example
of what we can do in order to prove circumstances.
We can budget better. We can prioritize better. And you
(25:04):
show your priorities by showing your budget.
Speaker 6 (25:06):
Is that one of the things that you would have
brought up in a debate with Joe Lombardo?
Speaker 5 (25:10):
I understand he's refusing to debate you.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
He's scared.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Do you think there will be a debate before the general?
Speaker 1 (25:19):
In my heart of hearts, I think he's too afraid
to debate me.
Speaker 6 (25:22):
What are some of the things that you would say...
to him if given the opportunity to debate.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
You know, he has made several statements that, in his
own words, demonstrate his unfitness, if that's a word for office.
And I can give you a rundown of those. But
one of the things that comes to mind about the
purpose of the debate is to, he said he can't
do anything about affordability. That's what he said. He said
that anybody who tells you they can do something about affordability,
(25:50):
that's bullshit. These are his words.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
He just told us a bill that he vetoed.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
And my response to him is, what's bullshit is that
you vetoed a bill that could have fed our kids.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
What's bullshit is that you vetoed a bill that could
have limited how many homes corporations can buy up. What's
bullshit is that you vetoed a bill that would have
limited the cost of certain prescription drugs. What's bullshit is
that you vetoed some protections for seniors who are suffering
from rental increases year over year when they're on a
fixed budget. There's plenty he could have done, too. We
could be experiencing relief from him from those bills right now, right?
(26:21):
And so he needs to get on that stage and
talk about that. Instead, he wants to talk about, you know,
his people want to talk about, you know, cracking silly
jokes or whatever and lying about things because he can't
talk about the affordability crisis that he has created.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
If people came back to you and said, what's BS
about what you're saying is during the primary.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
You also refused to debate. What would your response be
to that?
Speaker 1 (26:42):
My response is during the primary, I was talking. I
was on my statewide tours talking to voters, getting my
plans together. My affordable Nevada plan. Again, it didn't come
from your corner sitting pontificating. I was talking to folks,
developing my plans. Right. And at the end of the day,
you know, we won by 40 points in the primary.
So I spent my time doing what I thought was necessary,
(27:03):
which was talking directly to voters, hearing what they had
to say so I can develop plans that respond to them.
And that's how we're in this fight right now, because
we actually have done the work. Joe Lombardo has not.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
You know, you're asking people to fire an incumbent governor. Right.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
So is there one thing that you could look at
and say, all right, Joe Lombardo, You did this.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
That was actually good for Nevada.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Oh, sure.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Nevada. Nevada. I'm sorry. Nevada.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Yeah, thank you. I got tired.
Speaker 5 (27:26):
Come on.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
You've been doing it for 48 years. I'm trying. It's
only been 30 minutes. Nevada.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
Nevada.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah. No, absolutely. So he signed my bill related to
fentanyl trafficking. I'm glad about that.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Right?
Speaker 1 (27:39):
We had to lower the threshold for trafficking in fentanyl.
He signed it.
Speaker 5 (27:46):
Right.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
I mean, he's also... you know, signed some bipartisan bills
that the Democratic legislature has sent to him. So, you know,
he gets credit for signing on the good idea. There's
no question about that.
Speaker 4 (27:57):
What's the strongest argument somebody could make for voting for
him instead of you?
Speaker 2 (28:03):
And what would you say to that voter?
Speaker 1 (28:04):
What's the strongest argument they could make?
Speaker 4 (28:06):
They could make for voting for him instead of you.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
And what would you say to that voter?
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Well, I mean, I guess what he's saying right now
is that, you know, he's doing okay with the economy.
He's saying he's created all of these jobs and we've
gotten some economic development. And my retort is tell that
to the people who are telling me they can't afford
their lives right now. What kind of jobs are you creating?
Speaker 5 (28:32):
Are you being the fans today?
Speaker 2 (28:33):
I know, right?
Speaker 3 (28:34):
I got a security system, so when somebody comes on
the property, I got kids and family.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
I want to make sure I know.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
I got to call 911, you know, make sure the
family's safe.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
Sorry, Envy, that's a good reason.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Look, when I tell you that this man has said
things that show his true character, I mean that. I mean,
I told you one about, he said, this bullshit, you know,
if someone says that can affect the economy. He's also
said that if you are unemployed right now, this is his, because,
you know, under his tenure, we've had one of the highest,
if not the highest, unemployment rate for his entire tenure, y'all.
Right now, I think right now we rank number four
(29:03):
or five.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
So but he says if you're unemployed, in his words,
behind closed doors, talking to some of his friends, he
says it's because you're lazy. And he said this is
the type of disdain he has for Nevadans. You're lazy.
It's because you don't want a job that's available. You'd
rather rely upon the government. That's what he said. You
remember when we had the no kings marches? He said, yeah,
they must be getting paid. Right. He doesn't believe you
(29:25):
have the wherewithal to actually have an opinion. And by
the way, if you have an opinion that's opposite his,
you know what he says? He has two words for you.
F you. These are his words talking about the people
who he's supposedly representing. It shows the disdain. that he
has right you know he he he's just not um
and he thinks he's better than all of us to
(29:47):
tell the truth right he's abused his authority on you
know at least one time that we've seen on camera
right Y'all have heard about the body camera thing?
Speaker 2 (29:54):
No, I haven't.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Oh, come on now. So he's mad about it, by
the way. I can tell you he's mad about it
because I'm the one who passed the bill that made
the cops wear body cameras. So a cop pulls him over, right?
He's with his wife. He gets pulled over. A cop
walks up to the passenger side and says, sir, I
pulled you over because, and before he can finish his sentence,
the governor says, I'm Joe Lombardo. And the officer says, well,
(30:19):
I'm well aware. And I pulled you over because you
ran a red light. And before he can finish his sentence,
the governor says, oh, come on, man. And the officer
ultimately lets him go, right? I'm not talking about the officer.
It's his discretion to let people go. I'm talking about
a governor who abused his authority, who invoked his name
to avoid a consequence, right? This law and order guy.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
I ain't mad at that. I can't sit and act
like I'm mad at that.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Let me tell you who mad at it, though.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Because I would want you to do the same thing.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
I'm going to pay my ticket.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
I would hope you wouldn't get one.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Well, but I'm not going to invoke my name. I'm
not going to be the one to say it before
you can even tell me what the charge is. Oh,
by the way, I'm Aaron Ford. So you might not
want to give me this ticket right here. Right.
Speaker 5 (31:02):
Well, you can't because of white privilege in this country.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
That's a whole nother question. That's a whole nother. You
brought that up.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Attorney general privilege, too, though.
Speaker 6 (31:10):
I actually, this is going to sound elitist, but I
agree with you on this. I'd be like, do you
know who I am? What's my fucking name?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Attorney General Ford. Like, look at him.
Speaker 5 (31:18):
He's like, I see nothing wrong with this.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I get pulled over all the goddamn time.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
He's going to be like, I'm DJ Henry.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
And you'd be driving it, huh?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
You'd be driving it.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
You know why?
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Because a lot of times, yeah, like, you know, sometimes
you do get pulled over for things that you don't know.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
You don't recognize his voice. Absolutely. No, I don't do that.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
If the person recognizes me and be like, oh, I'm like, yeah.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
No, I will.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
I'm not going to say it.
Speaker 5 (31:35):
He's definitely doing it.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
I'm going to say it.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
I got what you're saying.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I'm going to ask him and say, hey, what happened? Oh,
I ran a red light.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
I'll be like, hey, you listened to the breakfast of
some DJ Gammon.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And he's usually like, oh, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
But also, we're talking about elected officials. It's the governor
of the whole state. You should know who I am.
It's the attorney general.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
Also, where was his detail? Why was he driving?
Speaker 1 (31:51):
I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
Where was he going?
Speaker 1 (31:53):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
That's the question.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Well, he was with his wife, though. He was with
his wife, though.
Speaker 5 (31:58):
Oh, but still, where were they going? Where they couldn't
go with the detail? These are the questions I would ask.
Area 51.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Hey.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
Or maybe, you know.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
That ain't my business.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
I'm just saying. Bunny Ranch out there.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
Oh, Lord.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
See there. Both of them going?
Speaker 5 (32:11):
You never know.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
I mean, true that.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
They were going to Area 51.
Speaker 5 (32:14):
Were they in Vegas?
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Yes. I'm just saying.
Speaker 5 (32:19):
I would definitely. Y'all causing problems.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
Y'all causing problems.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
I'm squeaking.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
I'm making a noisy withdrawal from this conversation right now.
I'm making a noisy withdrawal from this conversation. This is
good opposition.
Speaker 5 (32:34):
Research for an ad. It might be for independent.
Speaker 6 (32:36):
Expenditure not associated with your campaign, but I mean, ask
the questions.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
What's something you couldn't fix as AG that you believe
you could fix as governor?
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Oh, look, that's a great question. Look, I think one
of the main roles as governor is to be the
biggest cheerleader for our state is to stand up. And again,
I told you I knew he wasn't going to stand up.
And as AG, I'm able to sue and I'm able
to win, which is great. But I need to be
able to I mean, our state deserves a governor who
is willing to stand up to people who are hurting us.
(33:10):
I did it with Biden. I sued Biden several times.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Right. Four.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Well, one of them was meant for Pristone that comes
to mind, dealing with birth control issues and some other
things related to climate, as I recall. But the point
I'm making is you've got to be willing to stand up.
And from the top, he's not. He lies down. He capitulates.
He kisses up to and kowtows to Donald Trump at
every turn. And then when I stand up and defend us,
(33:36):
he says my lawsuits are unfortunate. I won that terrorist lawsuit.
I said we need to get refunds. He said we
don't deserve refunds. I mean, this is the kind of
mess that this man says. This is the one who
says billionaires need to be taken care of, but we
don't do our refunds from the tariffs that I've had.
$ 1, 700 extra I had to pay because it is unlawful tariffs.
It's that level of disdain that he shows from that
(33:57):
level that needs to be replaced.
Speaker 6 (33:59):
I'm curious to know, you've done a lot of work
around voting rights, protecting election integrity in the state. Mail-in
voting is big in Nevada, just like it is in
my home state in Washington. Can you talk about the
frustration you're experiencing having to litigate these issues in 2026
(34:20):
with the Voting Rights Act essentially gone, all those protections
gone that were hard fought in 1965?
Speaker 5 (34:26):
Can you talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Yeah, I sure can. And, you know, I get asked,
you know, what my favorite part of being in this
job is, is the fact that Lord DeLore put me
here for a time such as this. Because we are
fighting fights that my grandparents had to fight. And the
alternative to me in this office? I can guarantee you
would not be standing up for these rights, right? So
we have led the lawsuits, actually. Me, I've co-led with
(34:50):
a few of my colleagues in lawsuits that have defeated
Trump's effort to take over the state's role in elections, right?
We've defeated his lawsuits as it relates to birthright citizenship, right?
These are the types of things that we've had to
stand up for. It's painful to have to re-litigate these
(35:11):
issues But it's powerful in a sense that we get
to reiterate and reaffirm to Nevadans and others all across
the nation now that the law still means something. We
don't win all of them, but we win 85 to
90 percent of them. Right. We got a B plus,
a minus.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
And working hard on this stuff. And it's a and
it's also part of why I say my name is
I'm a husband and a father and then attorney general,
because it frees me up. It frees me up to
take on challenges that some people would be afraid to
take on because they don't want to be, they want
to be reelected. I'm going to take up these challenges
because these things, they have more permanence beyond my position
(35:53):
right now. And I'm proud to continue fighting.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
What did you tell Nevada businesses that, you know, I
was going to let you finish before I correct you.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Nevada.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Long A.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Long A. Yeah. Nevada.
Speaker 4 (36:06):
No.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Nevada.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
What did you tell Nevada businesses that convinced them you'd
be better for business than a Republican governor because they
backed Lombardo in 2022, right?
Speaker 2 (36:16):
The Retail Association of Nevada?
Speaker 1 (36:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
So what did you tell them to convince them to
back you now?
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Yeah. I can show them better than I can tell them.
I mean, these tariffs. So let's back up again. Your governor,
our governor says that We need to protect the billionaires
because they just create the jobs. Last I checked, small
businesses are the ones creating those jobs. And they're getting demolished.
And so the 8,000 members of the Retailers Association appreciate
the fact that I recognize that they're the ones, they're
(36:41):
the backbones, they're being demolished. And I stood up and
fought those tariffs while Joe Lombardo said we should feel
a little pain from them.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
That's crazy. Trump said that too. That's talking points great
from Trump.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
I mean, when I tell you that this is his acolyte,
it's Trump's acolyte, when I tell you that this boy...
Kisses up to, kowtows and capitulates. This is what I mean.
He lies down. This is what he does.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
And so the retailers have seen that they've seen me
fight for the tariffs against the tariffs. They've seen me
fight against organized retail crime. Right. They see me fight
against them on things, but do so in a in
an amicable way. You know, I know how to work
with folks.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
I return phone calls. That's important.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
And so at the end of the day, the retailers,
I think, appreciate it and recognize the fact that I'm
going to be a governor who represents the entirety of
the state, businesses and consumers, right, who's open-minded, who understands
that we've got to move the ball forward. And that
requires us to work across the aisle and across industries.
And so I think that's one.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Of the reasons why they— You said organized retail crime?
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
What is that real quick?
Speaker 1 (37:43):
Yeah, you've got groups of folks who literally are— groups
who organize how they're going to steal stuff. Gotcha.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
We used to call them boosters.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
We used to call them boosters.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
I do have a question.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
So would you, I don't want to say attacking, but
suing and getting a lot of money from people, whether
it's the Warner Brothers Paramount lawsuit or the energy company lawsuit.
When you start suing these companies and these huge companies, Now,
on the other side, are these companies against you on
the other side, giving money to the people that you're
going against and giving them millions of dollars?
Speaker 1 (38:17):
And how does that affect your campaign? My presumption is
that some of that money is going to the other side.
Speaker 5 (38:25):
Right.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
I don't track it, frankly, because it doesn't matter to
me one way or the other. I'm going to do
what I think is right.
Speaker 3 (38:30):
Period.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
If you're harming the bad ones, I got to get you. Right. Period.
So but let's be clear. Business interests have more generally
aligned themselves with the Republican in the race, the incumbent, right?
And mine has been more grassroots. We've been able to
break records in terms of our fundraising. Nowhere near what
he's raised, though. Of course. Let's be clear. You know,
(38:54):
this data center conversation that's happening right now, he's received
$ 2 million from data centers into a pack, right? Flock cameras,
you've heard this whole thing about. He's gotten at least
half a million, I think maybe a million dollars from
flock camera folks, right? from the energy company out there,
he's gotten tens of thousands of dollars. I've gotten zero.
(39:14):
Not that I would take it. But you sued him,
so they ain't going to give you nothing. I mean,
you know, I guess though, but even if they try it,
I mean, you know, the fact of the matter is,
you know, we are, you know, we have different opinions
on these issues that, you know, I'm fine with them
not supporting me on this. You know, we're going to-
to win. This is always a case between the money
versus the many.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
He got the money. I got the many. And this
is how we're going to win.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Do you want more data centers?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
I do not want more data centers per se. What
I want is that data centers are going to actually
be in our state. They're going to have to do
a few things. Number one, not raise money. a consumer
rate by one red cent, right? And I've already introduced
legislation to stop them from doing that, right? They're going
to have to ensure they use something alternative to our
fresh water. They're going to have to build out the
grid to accommodate their need. They're going to have to
(40:01):
use green energy to fuel their facility. They're going to
have to have community input before these things come in.
If they don't want them, they should be forced on them.
And I'm going to end the tax breaks going forward
because our current governor hasn't audited the other data centers
to see if they've actually upheld the end of the
bargains relative to what they're supposed to do to get
(40:23):
these tax breaks.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
That just makes sense. I was just thinking about this,
but I don't know anything about any of this. Right.
Speaker 4 (40:27):
But I was just thinking for all of these communities
that don't want data centers in their communities, if the
data centers are going in their communities, why don't the
data centers just pay the community's water.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
And electric bill?
Speaker 1 (40:39):
There's a community benefits program. portion that i think is
very important i don't know if that's what it would
be i mean that you know communities need to be
able to organize and and negotiate that themselves but there
certainly should be a benefit that these data centers are
bringing to the communities in which they're operating.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
Because they're making billions of dollars absolutely yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
So i mean that's part of what i would say
as well there needs to be a community benefits plan
that requires local higher union work and you know things
of that sort so some of it.
Speaker 6 (41:04):
Ain't worth the death you know like there's all the
environmental issues that they bring to like dirtying the water.
Speaker 5 (41:09):
It's not just paying the bill, but what it does
to the actual water.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
And we live in the desert, man, so you can't
take my water.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
You can't mess up with the water.
Speaker 4 (41:15):
I'm with you, but they're building them anyway. So to
your point, there has to be some type of community benefit.
Speaker 6 (41:22):
I'm curious on this, because this has overwhelmingly and disproportionately
impacted communities of color throughout the country, the data center issue.
You are a black man from Dallas, running in Nevada.
The black population there is roughly 10%. But overall, do
you have a targeted black agenda? Like so often our
(41:43):
folks are asked to wait until after election and then, well,
let's just wait for the second term. We saw that
happen with President Obama. How important is it to you
that black Nevadans know that you're not going to just be, again,
a symbolic figure, but a representational one with an agenda
that meets the demands they have?
Speaker 1 (42:01):
I'm glad you asked. And my answer is similar to
what I said a minute ago. I can show you
better than I can tell you. I've been in office
now since 2012, and I have always demonstrated my desire
to ensure that all communities, including the African-American community, get
opportunities that are presented to them. I'll give you a
prime example. When we were bringing the Raider Stadium deal,
I was the minority leader in the state Senate. They
(42:23):
needed votes because they needed some of my votes because
it was more than just a half, you know, a
50 percent plus one vote. And part of my negotiation
was that I speak in the community benefits plans. you
have to have a community benefits agreement associated with anything
coming out of this chamber. And that agreement is going
to have to include opportunities for minority owned businesses, black
owned businesses, women owned businesses, veteran owned businesses. And not
(42:46):
just at the, you know, operation stage at the design
stage and the construction stage. And so I initiated the
conversation and that type of conversation has occurred subsequent. You know,
when we talked about trying to, we try to bring a,
electric car shop called Faraday. You know, I reiterated that.
You know, if you're going to do it in North
(43:07):
Las Vegas, North Las Vegas has a lot of black folks.
I want them employed, right? And so, you know, I
stand on that. And part of it is because of
my philosophy that the entirety of the Nevada family deserves
to be represented, period. I believe everybody from every background
should have an opportunity to succeed in our state. And
I'm going to stand on that when I'm governor as well.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
I mean, it's interesting, right?
Speaker 4 (43:30):
Because we was just in Vegas over the past weekend
and it feels to me like, you know, this beautiful
state that was built around gaming and tourism is kind
of changing a little bit.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
I don't know if people are gambling like they used
to be. I don't know, right?
Speaker 1 (43:45):
I don't think people got the money.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Yeah, they don't have the money.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (43:48):
So when you got AI and technology reshaping the economy,
what does the state's next industry need to be? Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
Well, I think we need to be open to Many
different industries. One of the ones in which I've said
I want to try to attract and diversify is the
financial industry. We're one of the largest metropolitan areas in
Las Vegas without a financial district. And I've already been
in conversation with some folks in the chamber organizations to
see what that looks like. I'm not trying to replicate
Wall Street, per se, but certainly an industry that can
(44:21):
chime in when we are existing like we are right now,
which is with a downsizing of tourism. and gaming numbers
going down. I do have one.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
I know you got to go.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
I do have one question.
Speaker 3 (44:31):
You know, just reading some of the, when I read
Reddit and some of the things when I ask about you, brother,
some people would say, well, you know, you do a
lot for the community, meaning you see a lot of
these companies, whether it's Discord or social media companies or,
you know, kids being addictive, whether it's fighting monopolies in
the city with ticket sales or it's different targeting, deceptive lending.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
People always say that's amazing, but how does that help Nevada?
Did I say it right? Yeah, you said it right.
Speaker 2 (44:55):
How does it help Nevada? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
So what would you say to those people? Well, I say,
I think in a few ways, let's talk about protecting
our kids in the first place, right? That's actually, it
makes me smile because that's, that's, that's one of the
most things, the things I'm most proud of is this
meta settlement that we just got. I sued Facebook, Instagram,
and Messenger, I think three years ago, maybe two years ago.
And about a month ago, we settled this case in
(45:16):
a multi-state settlement, which is separate and apart from our
own lawsuit. And because of that work, our kids' mental
health is going to improve virtually overnight, right? Because they're
not going to be getting these pings during school. They're
going to be off the thing between 12 a.m. and
6 a.m., right? They're getting rid of the filters that
are causing young girls to have body dysmorphia issues, right?
(45:38):
They're getting rid of the likes and the loves as defaults, right?
These are the types of things that we know because
we've done a study in our own state. Our university has.
University of Nevada has done a study, and it has
demonstrated that these things have bad mental health impacts on
our children. And there, there, there is no question that
there's a positive impact on those types of things. I
(46:00):
was in my state. I got a settlement with Roblox,
which is a, you know, a kid's social.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
We know what Roblox is.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
I got six kids.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (46:08):
Well, you would, you'd be happy to know then that
I have gotten a settlement with them. There's requiring them
to put in new requirements and protections to keep your
kids from having sexual predators approach them on Roblox. That
that's my word.
Speaker 5 (46:21):
Right.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
That's what I was able to do. And it's through
working with other attorneys general to be clear, but also
being being unafraid of these big corporations who have a
lot of money, who might give their money to the
other team, to your point. But it's benefiting our children.
And I'm happy about that.
Speaker 6 (46:38):
The one thing that I that I would say to
Envy's point is there is now running for governor in particular,
an intense focus that has to be placed on Nevada
as attorney general. And in a certain period, oftentimes in
the courtroom you have a closing argument. So if you
were making a closing argument to Nevadans, what would your
closing argument be for why you're the best person for
(47:00):
this role as governor?
Speaker 1 (47:01):
No, thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. Look, I
just firmly believe that Nevadans deserve to have a governor
who's going to look out for the entirety of the
Nevada family. And by that, I mean as broad as
you can think of it. You could have been here
for three generations or for three days. If you live
in Nevada, you're part of the Nevada family. You can
be married with two and a half kids or a
single parent with three kids. If you live in Nevada,
you're part of the Nevada family. Black, white, Latino, Asian,
(47:23):
Native American, if you live in Nevada, you're part of
the Nevada family. Gay or straight, if you live in Nevada,
you're part of the Nevada family. Democrat, Republican, Independent, you
deserve to have someone who's going to look out for you, period,
point blank. And I've demonstrated my ability to do that
as your senator, as your attorney general, and I'm looking
to take that fight for you over to the governor's office.
And I hope I get that opportunity.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
You'd be the first black governor. How significant would that
be to you?
Speaker 1 (47:47):
Very meaningful. And at the same time, pretty pitiful.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
Attorney General hungry, man. His stomach been over here growling.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
Why you calling me up, man? I shouldn't have told
you nothing. He didn't even hear my stomach growling.
Speaker 6 (48:02):
If that doggone Republican governor takes that tire thief.
Speaker 1 (48:05):
I'll fight you.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
I think we got a chocolate bar if he that hungry.
All right, well, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (48:10):
Can I get a stale score bar or something?
Speaker 2 (48:13):
We appreciate you. We wish you the best of luck.
Speaker 1 (48:16):
Please visit my website, ford4nevada. com. Check us out. Thank you.
A-Ron Ford.
Speaker 5 (48:20):
Did I say it right?
Speaker 2 (48:21):
A-Ron.
Speaker 4 (48:21):
A-Ron.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
Damn it, damn it, man.
Speaker 2 (48:22):
I've been practicing, too.
Speaker 1 (48:24):
A-Ron Ford.
Speaker 2 (48:24):
It's The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1 (48:25):
Good morning. Hold up. Every day I wake up.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club. Y'all finished or
y'all done?
Hold up. Every day I wake up.
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Wake your ass up.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 2 (00:05):
Y'all finished or y'all done? Morning, everybody.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
It's DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, Charlamagne Tha Guy. We are
The Breakfast Club. Our sister, Miss Angela, rides with us today.
We got a special guest in the building.
Speaker 4 (00:18):
And you better get his name right. He just gave
you a whole tutorial on how to say his name.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
You just messed with me, but I had it flowing.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
Now I can't remember. He's running for Nevada.
Speaker 2 (00:24):
No, you better get that right, too.
Speaker 4 (00:26):
He did.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
I think Nevada.
Speaker 1 (00:28):
Don't let him get to the intro.
Speaker 2 (00:29):
Ladies and gentlemen, Aaron Ford. Aaron Ford. That's right.
Speaker 1 (00:34):
Not Aaron.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Aaron.
Speaker 1 (00:35):
It's spelled Aaron, but Aaron. That's right.
Speaker 2 (00:37):
The 34th Attorney General.
Speaker 5 (00:38):
Excuse me. I was doing that right now. Just go ahead.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
You stay excited.
Speaker 6 (00:42):
He's the 34th Attorney General of Nevada, and he is
the first black Attorney General.
Speaker 5 (00:48):
Before that, a state legislator, now running for governor.
Speaker 2 (00:51):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Well, welcome, brother. How are you feeling? Hey, I'm feeling good, man.
Happy to be here. Good to see everybody.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
Why do you want to be governor, man?
Speaker 1 (00:57):
You know, it's funny, right? Some people thought it was
a foregone conclusion I was going to run, but I
didn't make my mind up, frankly, until after Trump won.
You know, I knew. I talked to my wife. I
talked to my family. We prayed on it, thought about it,
talked about it. We just knew that we'd have a
governor who wasn't going to stand up to Trump, who
wasn't going to defend the badness from what I anticipated
would be some unlawful action, some undermining of our ability
(01:20):
to even exist or survive, let alone thrive. And, you know, unfortunately,
I've been proven right. whether it is the tariffs that
he didn't stand up to, whether it's trying to get
rid of the Department of Education, whether it's been birthright citizenship.
Our governor hadn't stood up, and I knew I would
need to. And so praying on it, thought about it,
and here we are.
Speaker 4 (01:41):
I respect that answer, but I don't like it. And
I'm going to tell you why, because everybody says it.
Everybody says it's because of Trump. What is it about
your vision for Nevada that requires you to act?
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Nevada.
Speaker 5 (01:51):
You already missed it.
Speaker 1 (01:52):
First, I'll get it right. It's Nevada.
Speaker 2 (01:53):
Nevada.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
What is it about you?
Speaker 2 (01:56):
Aaron Ford's vision.
Speaker 5 (01:57):
Aaron Ford.
Speaker 2 (01:59):
Attorney General Ford.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
How about that? I'll take that.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You can just call me General.
Speaker 4 (02:04):
What is it about Attorney General Ford's vision for Nevada.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
That requires you to have this job?
Speaker 1 (02:11):
That's a different question, and I'm glad you asked me that.
So here's what I have learned talking to folks all
across the state. They broke. stuff's too expensive right now.
They broke, right? And whether it's housing, whether it's healthcare,
whether it's gas, whether it's groceries, whether it's our energy prices,
they want somebody who's going to help them be able
to pay for their lives and take care of themselves
(02:33):
and take care of their families. Look, like me, I'm
in a sandwich generation. I got older parents and I
have grown kids, but they sit in my pocket.
Speaker 2 (02:42):
You understand?
Speaker 1 (02:43):
And so I know what they're going through. And this
is something that, frankly... The word is affordability. That's what
you hear all the time, Charlemagne. I didn't know what
that word meant when I was seven or eight years old,
but I know my parents couldn't always afford food. You
know what I'm saying? I mean, I grew up eating
stale candy bars for dinner that my daddy found next
to the dumpster behind the grocery store he worked at. Right?
(03:03):
The grocery store was throwing them away because they couldn't
sell them because they were stale, but the fours got
to eat. So my daddy bought him these stale candy bars.
And to this day, I keep a candy bar on
my nightstand at home from that day. Score. A score bar.
Speaker 4 (03:15):
S-K-O-R.
Speaker 1 (03:16):
I keep it on my nightstand. I keep it on
my office desk at work, all my offices. It's a reminder.
First thing I see when I get up in the morning.
Last thing I see when I go to bed. I
think about it all throughout the day when I'm at work.
I'm reminded of what struggle feels like, what it looks like,
and who I'm fighting for. You know, your boy went
from eating stale candy bars to being a single dad
in college.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
Right?
Speaker 1 (03:35):
Welfare, living on Section 8 housing, Medicaid, food stamps. So,
You know, I'm not talking about what I heard, like
I said in church. I'm talking about what I know.
And that's why my message is resonating with folks in Nevada.
That's why we're going to win.
Speaker 6 (03:49):
I want to ask you, you know, talking about the
struggles that you've endured. Some of the struggle is normally
fought hard and won in solidarity. So there are a
lot of attorneys general who have worked really collectively and
together to fight against some of the onslaught of Trump
administration's policies. You've done that with several black AGs. But
(04:12):
when you look at what's happening with governor's mansions all
over the country, it's just Westmore. So, of course, Governor Moore,
Maryland governor, he is now the chair of the Democratic
Governors Association. And recently, he said over the weekend during
the annual legislative conference for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation,
he said, I'm looking forward to a gubernatorial black caucus
(04:35):
so we can come together.
Speaker 5 (04:36):
And be in fellowship with you. How important is that?
Speaker 6 (04:38):
I think sometimes we do, and we talk about this
all the time, talk about the symbolism of the moment,
but there's something way more important about electing black governors
that goes beyond the symbolism.
Speaker 1 (04:49):
Yeah, look, no question. And I, like Wes, has been,
you know, I've been the only black person in a
lot of my environments, right? And I'm looking forward to, frankly,
replicating what we did in the AG space. When I
was elected attorney general, before I got elected, there was
only one black Democratic attorney general. It was Carl Racine
out of D.C. Carl Racine's work, when we were done
(05:11):
in 2018, we went from one to five black Democratic AGs.
We had a Democratic Black Caucus immediately, right? And Wes,
the work he's putting out right now, he has the
ability to go from one to several as well. And
so it is going to be a great opportunity for
us to, you know, obviously not only represent our states,
but represent our culture, represent who we are, represent the background,
(05:33):
show what it's like to be able to, you know,
manifest at this particular level, and I'm looking forward to that.
Speaker 5 (05:39):
But why does that matter in terms of, like, that representation?
Speaker 6 (05:42):
So, again, going beyond the symbolism of us being able
to see it, which is important for our kids, for
our communities to see ourselves represented, but why.
Speaker 5 (05:51):
Does it matter?
Speaker 1 (05:52):
Look, I think it matters for a number of reasons,
and not the least of which is because I've raised
three black sons and a black nephew, right? I come
from eating stale candy bars and being a single dad.
I come from tough times and tough neighborhoods. And my
sons have always been taught that they can be whatever
they want to be, irrespective of what the world would
expect of them or how they want to pigeonhole them.
(06:14):
And so I think it's a visual manifestation of opportunity
and the ability to accomplish. Look, I learned this when
I was working on my, this is funny, my PhD program.
There was a word I learned, efficacy, self-efficacy. This notion
of seeing somebody who looks like you doing something that
you want to do. And when you see that, it
makes you think you can actually do it as well.
(06:35):
And so, you know, I've had the ability to look
at a black attorney general and Carl Racine and see
myself doing it. I'm looking at Wes Moore. I can
see myself doing that. And I want others to be
able to look at us and see, yeah, I can
do that as well. And that's that's what's so important
to me about this.
Speaker 3 (06:48):
I want to start from the beginning, if you don't know,
if you don't mind.
Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (06:52):
Talking about Aaron, a person, right?
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Aaron.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Aaron, a person, right? Thank you.
Speaker 2 (06:56):
Originally from Dallas, right?
Speaker 1 (06:58):
Yes, sir.
Speaker 3 (06:58):
Now you went to Texas A & M.
Speaker 1 (06:59):
That's right.
Speaker 3 (07:00):
Explain your process and what got you to Nevada.
Speaker 2 (07:02):
Cowboy fans?
Speaker 1 (07:03):
Absolutely. All right. That's what I'm talking about. I'm glad.
Speaker 5 (07:07):
I didn't know if that was going to.
Speaker 1 (07:10):
Be a setup or not.
Speaker 2 (07:11):
Watch that now.
Speaker 1 (07:12):
It's a rebuilding year.
Speaker 3 (07:13):
What got you in politics and why the move from
Texas to Nevada?
Speaker 1 (07:18):
Yeah, no, that's a great question. So, yeah, like you said,
from Dallas, went to Texas A & M. My first
degree was in teaching. I used to be a teacher.
Met my wife my junior year in college. college, and
then I went down to Austin and taught school. And
when we graduated, I got a scholarship to go to
George Washington. I went there for my first master's degree
in international education, went to Ohio State for my law degree,
(07:41):
my second master's degree, and my PhD in education. Now,
what took us to Vegas in the first place was
because my wife was a lawyer. She got a job
with a federal judge. So we were out there, I
like to say, at the turn of the century, in
the year 2000, we moved there. I got involved in
politics a couple years after that, you know, seven years
after that, because We had just moved my son back
to Texas, my whole family. My oldest son, the one
(08:01):
I had in college, was a freshman in high school.
He wasn't happy to be moving back to Vegas because
he had made friends in Dallas and this, that, and
the other. And so he said to me, he thought
he was cracking a joke. He said, Dad, you say
everything you do is for the family, right? I said,
that's right. I'm glad you recognize every decision I make
is for the family. He said, well, why you move
us from Texas to Nevada, which is ranked like number
(08:21):
50 in education?
Speaker 2 (08:22):
Damn.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
He was like, ha, got you, Dad. And I was like, yeah,
it's not a good one. I mean, actually, I hear
what you're saying. And so I got engaged and I
got involved and I ran for office to help improve
the educational system because my son has always wanted to
be a medical doctor. And I saw the schools weren't
prepping him for that, you know, and so I got
involved and I got engaged. I ran for office in 2010.
Wasn't successful then, but I ran again in 2012. Juan, 2014,
(08:45):
I became the minority leader in the state senate. 2016,
became the majority leader in the state senate. In 2018,
I became the attorney general for the state of Nevada.
In 2026, I intend to be the next governor for Nevada. Now,
you always talk about your arrest. Why do you feel
important to talk about your arrest?
Speaker 3 (09:05):
Is it because you don't want other people to talk
about it, or is it you're owning it and saying, hey,
I did it when I was young.
Speaker 1 (09:09):
And all that? Yeah, so college was tough for me, man.
College was tough for me. I transitioned tough times, tough neighborhoods.
It wasn't just that. It was from being a young
boy to a young man. I remember being in high school.
I was president of a club called Allied Youth. which
was a no drugs, no drinking thing, right? I got
to college and I started drinking. And so as a
(09:29):
freshman walking home on campus, I was walking on campus,
not driving. I was walking on campus and the cops
stopped me because I had been drinking. They had a choice, obviously, right?
You got a DUI for walking? For walking home to
my dorm on campus. That's insane. Campus police stopped me
and gave me and took me to the holding cell.
You know, I was one of the, I was the
(09:49):
only one. I'll leave it that way. But yes, I'm
just saying I was walking home to my dorm and
they could have driven me. They could have walked me,
but they gave me a ticket.
Speaker 6 (09:58):
Right.
Speaker 1 (09:58):
And so for my lifetime, I've been. having to answer
yes when asked, have you ever been arrested for anything
other than a minor traffic violation? So yes, public intoxication.
But I also got in trouble because I used to
drive home, you know, in my little hoopty between A &
M and Dallas three and a half hours. And so
I would get speeding tickets. And in Texas, if you
don't pay your speeding tickets, they go to warrants. especially
(10:20):
if you don't go to court. And so I had
a couple of warrants for speeding tickets I didn't pay.
Your boy broke, didn't pay him speeding tickets, and I
got in trouble. And then that last one, I'll just
say it out loud because people say it is wrong.
They say I stole tires. First off, it was not tires, plural.
It was only one, number one. But number two, I
didn't steal it. What had happened was real talk. So
(10:43):
this was right after.
Speaker 5 (10:43):
You know whenever somebody says what had happened was.
Speaker 1 (10:45):
But that's why I followed up with real talk. Because
I want you to understand.
Speaker 2 (10:47):
What happened was real talk.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
Real talk, real talk, real talk. No, this is real talk.
I want you to hear this because this is real talk.
So this was in 1994. I just had my son.
But my wherefore hadn't come through yet. So I was
still living on campus and my son was back with
my mama down in Dallas. And I would drive home
every weekend. And this one weekend I went to drive home.
I had a slow leak in my tire. I needed
to get it patched. They told me I couldn't patch it.
(11:08):
So they gave me a tire on layaway, essentially. They
let me use it. I had to pay it off.
Paid it off too slowly. Old boy filed a theft
charge against me. And, you know, I paid it off
and then they dismissed the charge. So I didn't steal
the tire. It was just. a payment dispute, essentially. But
that's what happened, right? But that's what happened 33 years ago.
Speaker 2 (11:26):
Attorney General Ford, respectfully, who gives a fuck?
Speaker 1 (11:29):
I'm with you.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
With all the stuff that we done seen these crazy
ass people do nowadays, what you talking about sounds like.
Speaker 2 (11:35):
I hear what you're saying. I wouldn't even explain that
to no one.
Speaker 1 (11:37):
I hear what you're saying. But they're using it.
Speaker 2 (11:39):
They're using it right now.
Speaker 1 (11:40):
They try to use it, quote, unquote, against them. You
know what's funny? Joe Lombardo, the guy who's the governor
right now, his own people talking about the only thing
he's scared of is you stealing his tires.
Speaker 2 (11:48):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (11:49):
That's the kind of stuff they said. You feel me?
Speaker 4 (11:52):
Right?
Speaker 1 (11:52):
So that's the kind of stuff. So they're going to
use that. You know, they're going to villainize me. And
so the fact of the matter, though, is that look
at what I've done in the last 33 years. I've
gone from being on Medicaid to having a son who's
a medical doctor. You feel me? My middle son's a
third-year law student. My youngest son's a biochemistry major who
wants to go to med school.
Speaker 2 (12:08):
Right?
Speaker 1 (12:08):
My wife and I have done, I think, yeoman's work
in representing. And so we're proud of that. Proud of that.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah, but isn't Joe Lombardo a Trump guy?
Speaker 1 (12:17):
A very big Trump guy.
Speaker 2 (12:18):
Okay then, so therefore he has no problems with criminals.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
I agree with what you said. Pedophiles and criminals and
Epstein-Fowl participants. You're right.
Speaker 4 (12:29):
Like you said, you've been AG, state senator, Senate majority leader.
How do you know the difference between wanting to serve
and just simply wanting the next position?
Speaker 1 (12:37):
You know, it's funny because I've never had to worry
about that. If you pick up my phone, if you
look at my Twitter page, On Purpose by Design, this
is how I describe myself because I don't want nobody
to get confused. I want nobody to get confused. Look
at how I describe myself, Charlemagne. I want you to
see it. When you look at there, it says, how
do I describe myself?
Speaker 2 (12:58):
Tired thief. Husband. Tired thief.
Speaker 1 (13:02):
You a fool. You a fool. Angela, why you bring
me here?
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Why you bring me here, Angela? Let me just say this.
Speaker 4 (13:09):
Now that ain't nothing.
Speaker 5 (13:12):
Wait, hold on. Here's the problem. So you can't tell
us on here that you're not a tired thief, and
that's self-described.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
It ain't on there.
Speaker 6 (13:18):
Don't say that.
Speaker 1 (13:19):
Don't say that.
Speaker 2 (13:21):
That's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (13:23):
I didn't. I didn't.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
I thought he was.
Speaker 5 (13:25):
Leading into it.
Speaker 1 (13:27):
This is the real answer right here.
Speaker 2 (13:28):
Husband, father, and Nevada Attorney General. Attorney General.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
In that order.
Speaker 2 (13:32):
Running for governor.
Speaker 1 (13:33):
Get my phone, man.
Speaker 2 (13:33):
That's right. I can't believe you did that.
Speaker 1 (13:35):
I believed you for 35 seconds. No, no.
Speaker 5 (13:36):
I would not do that.
Speaker 1 (13:37):
I would not do that. I was like, why would
you do that?
Speaker 2 (13:40):
Okay.
Speaker 5 (13:40):
Bernard did it.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
Pretty usual. But to his question, though, that's how. That's how. Because, look,
a lot of people get, I've seen it happen before.
A lot of people get in these positions and it
becomes our identity.
Speaker 6 (13:51):
Right.
Speaker 1 (13:52):
It's what defines them. It's where they get their prestige,
their influence, their power, their ability to convene. It's where they...
And when you attack their ability to be elected or reelected,
they view it as you attacking them. I've never had
that problem. Because this is what I do. It's not
who I am.
Speaker 6 (14:08):
You know, I do want to say this, and I
think it's important for you all to know. I've known
Attorney General Ford for some time, and I could say
in every position, you've been the exact same person. And
I do think there's something... unique about candidates who hold
on to their personhood as their superpower. So can you
(14:28):
talk about why, not just how you grew up eating
what you had to eat or the challenges that you
experienced being a single dad, but talk about the other
points of connection in Nevada that's so important because It
can be purplish. And so you've got to build inroads
with other people. You've done that statewide once.
Speaker 5 (14:46):
What's the difference?
Speaker 6 (14:47):
What are the tactics that you're deploying this time that
are different to connect with everyday Nevadans?
Speaker 1 (14:52):
Look, here's the deal. I remember being a single father
about to drop out of college. I couldn't even think
about education because I was thinking about food for my
kid and a roof for my son. You understand? And
if it wasn't for welfare, give me a Section 8
housing and Medicaid for health care and food stands for food,
I wouldn't have finished college, you see? So I think
(15:15):
about that in terms of how people today are likely
living as well. They broke, Charlemagne. They can't afford gas
and groceries, and so they're not thinking about other things,
and so I'm thinking about what they're thinking about. What
can I do to help you fulfill what it is
you're trying to do, which is take care of yourself?
And so we have plans that are going to help
lower drug costs. We've got plans that are going to
(15:35):
help free up housing. We're going to have plans that
address the energy costs. So this is the way I'm connecting.
By talking to folks, my philosophy is that take no
one for granted, especially your friends, and then talk to everybody,
especially those who may not be your friends, so that
you can hear what's going on and be responsive and
be responsible and responsive to what their needs are, and
(15:56):
that's how we win this race.
Speaker 5 (15:57):
There are Trump voters now, Cy Brother, there are Trump
voters now.
Speaker 6 (16:00):
Who are experiencing some regret from the votes they cast
in 2014. What have been some of the ways that
you've worked to connect with them? I know they were
bought and sold into the idea of, like, we're going
to make eggs more affordable. Eggs is more expensive now.
Gas is more expensive now. So what are the connection
points with them?
Speaker 1 (16:17):
Yeah, so you're right. They are disappointed because they were
lied to. Egg prices ain't gone down. Gas prices have
actually gone up, right? But here's what I've learned. I've
learned that irrespective of who I'm talking to, because I've
done these statewide tours, I could be talking to an urban, rural, suburban,
a black, white, Latino, Asian. I can talk to a
man or woman, Democrat or Republican. Here's what I'm hearing.
(16:39):
Most folks just want a good job to buy a
house in a safe neighborhood, whether schools are preparing their
children for careers or college, whether healthcare systems are available
and affordable to them, and then finally, through all of that,
to be treated with humanity, dignity, and respect. That's across demographics, period.
Whether I'm talking to a Trump voter or a Kamala
(16:59):
Harris voter. It's the exact same. And so speaking to
those commonalities is what has allowed me to be neck
and neck against the incumbent in this race, even though
they've spent $ 30 million against me with negative lies and ads.
I'm still neck and neck. In fact, the last poll
has us up two points. I'm running like I'm back 10,
to be clear.
Speaker 2 (17:17):
Right.
Speaker 1 (17:17):
But it's because we're able to talk about things that
are resonating across the board and across demographics.
Speaker 2 (17:22):
Yeah, I saw the latest, I think it was the
Emerson poll.
Speaker 1 (17:25):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (17:25):
And it found 43 percent. of Nevadians. Am I saying
that right?
Speaker 1 (17:29):
Nevadians.
Speaker 2 (17:30):
Nevadians.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
It's all right.
Speaker 5 (17:31):
Just say the people of the state.
Speaker 4 (17:33):
The people of the state of Nevada. They named the
economy as their top issue. And housing was second at 15%.
What has gotten too expensive in Nevada? And what can
a governor actually do about it?
Speaker 1 (17:45):
Yeah, no, it's great. Housing's too expensive. 15% of the
homes in the Clark County, which is where Vegas is, 25%
of the homes in North Las Vegas, they're owned by corporations.
Corporations are living homes. Even Trump said that, you know,
people live in homes.
Speaker 2 (17:58):
Right.
Speaker 1 (17:58):
And they are pricing us out of our neighborhoods. You
can't go in and apply for a 30 year mortgage
like my son wants to do when he graduates law
school and compete against a company buying a home in cash. Right.
So I'm going to limit how many homes corporations can
buy up. That's one of the things that's tangible. Rental
prices in our state right now, the average price is
two thousand dollars a month, maybe more now. And they
can charge three times as much for a security deposit.
(18:20):
$ 6, 000 before you can even move in. We're going to
limit how much they can charge to one month of
security deposit. Healthcare, we're going to limit certain amounts of
drugs to the Medicare negotiated price. I talked to a
lady in Minden, Minden, Nevada, which is a rural part
of town who was buying groceries, had a basket full,
went over to the pharmacy section to pick up her prescription,
looked at their price and left those groceries in the
(18:41):
aisle because she couldn't afford both. See, Joe Lombardo could
have signed a bill, number one, that would have did
what I said about housing. He could have signed a
bill that would have limited her drug prices. that puts
money back in people's pockets. They can use on those
expensive-ass eggs. Oh, sorry, I shouldn't say that on TV.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Go ahead, man.
Speaker 1 (18:56):
Okay. Be myself. Okay, be myself, right on. My people
won't get mad because I said the A word, but whatever. But, yeah,
so they can, this extra money, they can spend on
other things, right? So these are the types of things
we're going to do. And we've laid this out on
our website, FordForNevada.com, under the issues prong with all of
our different planks on all of these things. And they're tangible.
These aren't pie-in-the-sky stuff, by the way, that I sat
(19:17):
in a corner pontificating about. This is me talking to
Nevadans all across the state and getting ideas and putting
them down and figuring out ways we're going to get
this stuff passed.
Speaker 6 (19:27):
You've done a lot as attorney general for consumers. Under
this presidential administration, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is virtually gone.
Speaker 5 (19:37):
Can you talk about the importance of.
Speaker 6 (19:39):
Affordability and protecting consumers, how those two agenda merge, and
how you would continue to protect consumers in Nevada as governor?
Speaker 1 (19:47):
Yeah, look, and this is the prime example of one
of the reasons why I had to run, because I
knew we would have a governor who is not going
to look out for everyday Nevadans, who himself has said
he and Trump need to look out for the billionaires, right,
because they're the ones creating jobs. And what we see
is that we have consumers every single day who are
being scammed and defrauded, and who aren't able to make
(20:09):
their own ends meet. And so the Democratic attorneys general,
generally speaking, well, I should back up. Consumer protection oftentimes, frankly,
is a bipartisan issue. We have Democrats and Republican attorneys
general working on these things. But I'm proud that I brought,
for example, $ 200 million of settlement funds back for consumer
fraud things, whether it relates to housing and the mortgages
(20:30):
or whether it relates to medicines or whether it relates
to you know, insurance policies. We've been able to do that,
put money back in people's pockets, utilizing our Consumer Protection
Bureau and my state to do that. You know, we've
sued the opioid companies for, and I've gotten $ 1. 2 billion. Wow.
That's coming back to the states. Now, that's not in
(20:50):
people's pockets per se, but it's helping folks who have
been affected by the opioid epidemic, right? Whether it's mental health,
whether it's, you know, drug treatment programs, whether it's, you know,
you name it. And so these are the types of
things that my office has done in the seven years
and nine months I've been there, and we're very proud
of their work.
Speaker 3 (21:07):
I was always curious to the casinos in Vegas, right?
And they say that some of the state tax that
they have to pay is some of the lowest of
states that actually have casinos. Is there ever a thing
to go at the casinos to make them pay money
to help some of the problems that Nevada is having?
Speaker 1 (21:20):
Well, to be fair, they come to the table frequently.
they do have some of the lowest tax rates in
the nation, but they also are the main driving force
for our economy in Nevada. So there's always conversation around
how to improve resources in our state. I'm proud to
say when I was in the legislature, the gaming community
(21:42):
would come to the table and oftentimes volunteer additional taxes.
They wanted other folks to chip in, though, right? And
so there's a business tax now that's broader, that more
people can actually chip in to to share that burden
these days.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
I saw you say that you don't want to raise taxes, right?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (21:59):
But you're promising better schools, more affordable housing, better health care.
Where's that additional money going to come from?
Speaker 1 (22:05):
Yeah, it's a great question. And here's the response. First off,
let me tell you the reason why we can't raise
taxes right now. We are in the midst of a
Lombardo-Trump economy that's demolishing small businesses, that's making it tougher
for people to afford to live in their lives. And
I want to look people in the eyes and tell them,
I'm not raising your taxes because during this affordability crisis
(22:25):
that your governor has created. But here's what we're going
to do in the alternative. Also say that we intend
to improve the circumstances, but be real about it. No
one gets everything. I'm not going to be able to
jump our per-people expenditure score from where we are now
to the national average in one year. I'm going to
make modest increases, to be sure, but make no mistake
(22:47):
about it, it's not in one fell swoop. We're not
going to be able to pay our state workers... fairly
at the level they need to be paid, but you're
going to get something, right? So be real about what
we're talking about. And then also check out the fact
that we do, you know, this fraud, waste, and abuse
conversation is a real one as well, right? So, you know,
I know that the current governor hasn't collected some taxes
(23:08):
from businesses that owe them. Give me that money because
we can use that in order to be able to
fund our state. So these are the different types of
ways that we're going to have to operate. We cannot
raise taxes during this crisis. but we can still make progress.
And it's about budgeting. I'll be quiet after this because
I know you probably got another question, but... No, talk, man.
All right, look, check this out. Our governor, one of
(23:29):
the worst antics we have in our state is one
in four of our kids don't know where the next
meal is going to come from. I was one of
those kids in Texas, right, eating stuck candy bars. Our
governor had the ability to do something about that. He
could have signed a bill that would have guaranteed school
meals to our kids. But he vetoed that bill. He
(23:50):
vetoed guaranteed school meals for kids for two reasons. He
says it was too expensive and it was a waste
of money. It wouldn't have been a waste on a
kid like me who was sitting in a classroom with
my stomach growling, not able to concentrate. Or when I
was a teacher teaching those kids whose stomachs were growling
and couldn't concentrate. And it ain't that much of a
waste of money because he said no to school meals
(24:10):
and then went and spent $ 25 million on office furniture.
So I give you that example as a priority. Your
budget shows your priorities. My budget, I'd rather sit on
the floor than have my kids go starving, right? So
I'm not going to put 25 million in office furniture.
I'm going to use that money to do things. 25
million in office furniture? 25 million in office furniture. And
the school meals, by the way, was 48 million. So
(24:32):
he was halfway there, right?
Speaker 3 (24:35):
So let me be very clear.
Speaker 1 (24:42):
Let me be very clear. I'm sitting in the exact
same desk surrounded by the exact same credenzas and bookshelves
in my office than were there the day I started.
So I didn't get my office. I did not get
that furniture. It was his budget, by the way. He
did that. And I give you that as an example
of what we can do in order to prove circumstances.
We can budget better. We can prioritize better. And you
(25:04):
show your priorities by showing your budget.
Speaker 6 (25:06):
Is that one of the things that you would have
brought up in a debate with Joe Lombardo?
Speaker 5 (25:10):
I understand he's refusing to debate you.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
He's scared.
Speaker 6 (25:13):
Do you think there will be a debate before the general?
Speaker 1 (25:19):
In my heart of hearts, I think he's too afraid
to debate me.
Speaker 6 (25:22):
What are some of the things that you would say...
to him if given the opportunity to debate.
Speaker 1 (25:28):
You know, he has made several statements that, in his
own words, demonstrate his unfitness, if that's a word for office.
And I can give you a rundown of those. But
one of the things that comes to mind about the
purpose of the debate is to, he said he can't
do anything about affordability. That's what he said. He said
that anybody who tells you they can do something about affordability,
(25:50):
that's bullshit. These are his words.
Speaker 2 (25:52):
He just told us a bill that he vetoed.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
And my response to him is, what's bullshit is that
you vetoed a bill that could have fed our kids.
Speaker 2 (25:58):
That's right.
Speaker 1 (25:59):
What's bullshit is that you vetoed a bill that could
have limited how many homes corporations can buy up. What's
bullshit is that you vetoed a bill that would have
limited the cost of certain prescription drugs. What's bullshit is
that you vetoed some protections for seniors who are suffering
from rental increases year over year when they're on a
fixed budget. There's plenty he could have done, too. We
could be experiencing relief from him from those bills right now, right?
(26:21):
And so he needs to get on that stage and
talk about that. Instead, he wants to talk about, you know,
his people want to talk about, you know, cracking silly
jokes or whatever and lying about things because he can't
talk about the affordability crisis that he has created.
Speaker 6 (26:34):
If people came back to you and said, what's BS
about what you're saying is during the primary.
Speaker 5 (26:39):
You also refused to debate. What would your response be
to that?
Speaker 1 (26:42):
My response is during the primary, I was talking. I
was on my statewide tours talking to voters, getting my
plans together. My affordable Nevada plan. Again, it didn't come
from your corner sitting pontificating. I was talking to folks,
developing my plans. Right. And at the end of the day,
you know, we won by 40 points in the primary.
So I spent my time doing what I thought was necessary,
(27:03):
which was talking directly to voters, hearing what they had
to say so I can develop plans that respond to them.
And that's how we're in this fight right now, because
we actually have done the work. Joe Lombardo has not.
Speaker 2 (27:13):
You know, you're asking people to fire an incumbent governor. Right.
Speaker 4 (27:16):
So is there one thing that you could look at
and say, all right, Joe Lombardo, You did this.
Speaker 2 (27:21):
That was actually good for Nevada.
Speaker 1 (27:22):
Oh, sure.
Speaker 2 (27:23):
Nevada. Nevada. I'm sorry. Nevada.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
Yeah, thank you. I got tired.
Speaker 5 (27:26):
Come on.
Speaker 2 (27:27):
You've been doing it for 48 years. I'm trying. It's
only been 30 minutes. Nevada.
Speaker 4 (27:32):
Nevada.
Speaker 1 (27:32):
Yeah. No, absolutely. So he signed my bill related to
fentanyl trafficking. I'm glad about that.
Speaker 2 (27:39):
Right?
Speaker 1 (27:39):
We had to lower the threshold for trafficking in fentanyl.
He signed it.
Speaker 5 (27:46):
Right.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
I mean, he's also... you know, signed some bipartisan bills
that the Democratic legislature has sent to him. So, you know,
he gets credit for signing on the good idea. There's
no question about that.
Speaker 4 (27:57):
What's the strongest argument somebody could make for voting for
him instead of you?
Speaker 2 (28:03):
And what would you say to that voter?
Speaker 1 (28:04):
What's the strongest argument they could make?
Speaker 4 (28:06):
They could make for voting for him instead of you.
Speaker 2 (28:09):
And what would you say to that voter?
Speaker 1 (28:11):
Well, I mean, I guess what he's saying right now
is that, you know, he's doing okay with the economy.
He's saying he's created all of these jobs and we've
gotten some economic development. And my retort is tell that
to the people who are telling me they can't afford
their lives right now. What kind of jobs are you creating?
Speaker 5 (28:32):
Are you being the fans today?
Speaker 2 (28:33):
I know, right?
Speaker 3 (28:34):
I got a security system, so when somebody comes on
the property, I got kids and family.
Speaker 1 (28:37):
I want to make sure I know.
Speaker 3 (28:39):
I got to call 911, you know, make sure the
family's safe.
Speaker 5 (28:41):
Sorry, Envy, that's a good reason.
Speaker 1 (28:43):
Look, when I tell you that this man has said
things that show his true character, I mean that. I mean,
I told you one about, he said, this bullshit, you know,
if someone says that can affect the economy. He's also
said that if you are unemployed right now, this is his, because,
you know, under his tenure, we've had one of the highest,
if not the highest, unemployment rate for his entire tenure, y'all.
Right now, I think right now we rank number four
(29:03):
or five.
Speaker 2 (29:03):
Right.
Speaker 1 (29:04):
So but he says if you're unemployed, in his words,
behind closed doors, talking to some of his friends, he
says it's because you're lazy. And he said this is
the type of disdain he has for Nevadans. You're lazy.
It's because you don't want a job that's available. You'd
rather rely upon the government. That's what he said. You
remember when we had the no kings marches? He said, yeah,
they must be getting paid. Right. He doesn't believe you
(29:25):
have the wherewithal to actually have an opinion. And by
the way, if you have an opinion that's opposite his,
you know what he says? He has two words for you.
F you. These are his words talking about the people
who he's supposedly representing. It shows the disdain. that he
has right you know he he he's just not um
and he thinks he's better than all of us to
(29:47):
tell the truth right he's abused his authority on you
know at least one time that we've seen on camera
right Y'all have heard about the body camera thing?
Speaker 2 (29:54):
No, I haven't.
Speaker 1 (29:54):
Oh, come on now. So he's mad about it, by
the way. I can tell you he's mad about it
because I'm the one who passed the bill that made
the cops wear body cameras. So a cop pulls him over, right?
He's with his wife. He gets pulled over. A cop
walks up to the passenger side and says, sir, I
pulled you over because, and before he can finish his sentence,
the governor says, I'm Joe Lombardo. And the officer says, well,
(30:19):
I'm well aware. And I pulled you over because you
ran a red light. And before he can finish his sentence,
the governor says, oh, come on, man. And the officer
ultimately lets him go, right? I'm not talking about the officer.
It's his discretion to let people go. I'm talking about
a governor who abused his authority, who invoked his name
to avoid a consequence, right? This law and order guy.
Speaker 2 (30:41):
I ain't mad at that. I can't sit and act
like I'm mad at that.
Speaker 1 (30:45):
Let me tell you who mad at it, though.
Speaker 2 (30:46):
Because I would want you to do the same thing.
Speaker 1 (30:48):
I'm going to pay my ticket.
Speaker 2 (30:49):
I would hope you wouldn't get one.
Speaker 1 (30:50):
Well, but I'm not going to invoke my name. I'm
not going to be the one to say it before
you can even tell me what the charge is. Oh,
by the way, I'm Aaron Ford. So you might not
want to give me this ticket right here. Right.
Speaker 5 (31:02):
Well, you can't because of white privilege in this country.
Speaker 1 (31:05):
That's a whole nother question. That's a whole nother. You
brought that up.
Speaker 2 (31:07):
Attorney general privilege, too, though.
Speaker 6 (31:10):
I actually, this is going to sound elitist, but I
agree with you on this. I'd be like, do you
know who I am? What's my fucking name?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Attorney General Ford. Like, look at him.
Speaker 5 (31:18):
He's like, I see nothing wrong with this.
Speaker 2 (31:20):
I get pulled over all the goddamn time.
Speaker 4 (31:21):
He's going to be like, I'm DJ Henry.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
And you'd be driving it, huh?
Speaker 2 (31:23):
You'd be driving it.
Speaker 1 (31:23):
You know why?
Speaker 3 (31:24):
Because a lot of times, yeah, like, you know, sometimes
you do get pulled over for things that you don't know.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
You don't recognize his voice. Absolutely. No, I don't do that.
Speaker 4 (31:30):
If the person recognizes me and be like, oh, I'm like, yeah.
Speaker 5 (31:33):
No, I will.
Speaker 2 (31:34):
I'm not going to say it.
Speaker 5 (31:35):
He's definitely doing it.
Speaker 1 (31:36):
I'm going to say it.
Speaker 2 (31:36):
I got what you're saying.
Speaker 1 (31:37):
I'm going to ask him and say, hey, what happened? Oh,
I ran a red light.
Speaker 2 (31:39):
I'll be like, hey, you listened to the breakfast of
some DJ Gammon.
Speaker 1 (31:41):
And he's usually like, oh, okay, yeah.
Speaker 2 (31:42):
But also, we're talking about elected officials. It's the governor
of the whole state. You should know who I am.
It's the attorney general.
Speaker 5 (31:49):
Also, where was his detail? Why was he driving?
Speaker 1 (31:51):
I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 5 (31:53):
Where was he going?
Speaker 1 (31:53):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (31:54):
That's the question.
Speaker 1 (31:55):
Well, he was with his wife, though. He was with
his wife, though.
Speaker 5 (31:58):
Oh, but still, where were they going? Where they couldn't
go with the detail? These are the questions I would ask.
Area 51.
Speaker 2 (32:03):
Hey.
Speaker 5 (32:03):
Or maybe, you know.
Speaker 1 (32:05):
That ain't my business.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
I'm just saying. Bunny Ranch out there.
Speaker 4 (32:08):
Oh, Lord.
Speaker 2 (32:08):
See there. Both of them going?
Speaker 5 (32:11):
You never know.
Speaker 1 (32:13):
I mean, true that.
Speaker 2 (32:14):
They were going to Area 51.
Speaker 5 (32:14):
Were they in Vegas?
Speaker 2 (32:15):
Yes. I'm just saying.
Speaker 5 (32:19):
I would definitely. Y'all causing problems.
Speaker 1 (32:22):
Y'all causing problems.
Speaker 2 (32:24):
I'm squeaking.
Speaker 1 (32:25):
I'm making a noisy withdrawal from this conversation right now.
I'm making a noisy withdrawal from this conversation. This is
good opposition.
Speaker 5 (32:34):
Research for an ad. It might be for independent.
Speaker 6 (32:36):
Expenditure not associated with your campaign, but I mean, ask
the questions.
Speaker 1 (32:40):
Oh my goodness.
Speaker 4 (32:42):
What's something you couldn't fix as AG that you believe
you could fix as governor?
Speaker 1 (32:47):
Oh, look, that's a great question. Look, I think one
of the main roles as governor is to be the
biggest cheerleader for our state is to stand up. And again,
I told you I knew he wasn't going to stand up.
And as AG, I'm able to sue and I'm able
to win, which is great. But I need to be
able to I mean, our state deserves a governor who
is willing to stand up to people who are hurting us.
(33:10):
I did it with Biden. I sued Biden several times.
Speaker 2 (33:13):
Right. Four.
Speaker 1 (33:14):
Well, one of them was meant for Pristone that comes
to mind, dealing with birth control issues and some other
things related to climate, as I recall. But the point
I'm making is you've got to be willing to stand up.
And from the top, he's not. He lies down. He capitulates.
He kisses up to and kowtows to Donald Trump at
every turn. And then when I stand up and defend us,
(33:36):
he says my lawsuits are unfortunate. I won that terrorist lawsuit.
I said we need to get refunds. He said we
don't deserve refunds. I mean, this is the kind of
mess that this man says. This is the one who
says billionaires need to be taken care of, but we
don't do our refunds from the tariffs that I've had.
$ 1, 700 extra I had to pay because it is unlawful tariffs.
It's that level of disdain that he shows from that
(33:57):
level that needs to be replaced.
Speaker 6 (33:59):
I'm curious to know, you've done a lot of work
around voting rights, protecting election integrity in the state. Mail-in
voting is big in Nevada, just like it is in
my home state in Washington. Can you talk about the
frustration you're experiencing having to litigate these issues in 2026
(34:20):
with the Voting Rights Act essentially gone, all those protections
gone that were hard fought in 1965?
Speaker 5 (34:26):
Can you talk a little bit about that?
Speaker 1 (34:28):
Yeah, I sure can. And, you know, I get asked,
you know, what my favorite part of being in this
job is, is the fact that Lord DeLore put me
here for a time such as this. Because we are
fighting fights that my grandparents had to fight. And the
alternative to me in this office? I can guarantee you
would not be standing up for these rights, right? So
we have led the lawsuits, actually. Me, I've co-led with
(34:50):
a few of my colleagues in lawsuits that have defeated
Trump's effort to take over the state's role in elections, right?
We've defeated his lawsuits as it relates to birthright citizenship, right?
These are the types of things that we've had to
stand up for. It's painful to have to re-litigate these
(35:11):
issues But it's powerful in a sense that we get
to reiterate and reaffirm to Nevadans and others all across
the nation now that the law still means something. We
don't win all of them, but we win 85 to
90 percent of them. Right. We got a B plus,
a minus.
Speaker 2 (35:29):
Right.
Speaker 1 (35:29):
And working hard on this stuff. And it's a and
it's also part of why I say my name is
I'm a husband and a father and then attorney general,
because it frees me up. It frees me up to
take on challenges that some people would be afraid to
take on because they don't want to be, they want
to be reelected. I'm going to take up these challenges
because these things, they have more permanence beyond my position
(35:53):
right now. And I'm proud to continue fighting.
Speaker 4 (35:56):
What did you tell Nevada businesses that, you know, I
was going to let you finish before I correct you.
Speaker 2 (36:02):
Nevada.
Speaker 5 (36:03):
Long A.
Speaker 2 (36:04):
Long A. Yeah. Nevada.
Speaker 4 (36:06):
No.
Speaker 2 (36:07):
Nevada.
Speaker 1 (36:07):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (36:08):
Okay.
Speaker 4 (36:08):
What did you tell Nevada businesses that convinced them you'd
be better for business than a Republican governor because they
backed Lombardo in 2022, right?
Speaker 2 (36:16):
The Retail Association of Nevada?
Speaker 1 (36:18):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
So what did you tell them to convince them to
back you now?
Speaker 1 (36:20):
Yeah. I can show them better than I can tell them.
I mean, these tariffs. So let's back up again. Your governor,
our governor says that We need to protect the billionaires
because they just create the jobs. Last I checked, small
businesses are the ones creating those jobs. And they're getting demolished.
And so the 8,000 members of the Retailers Association appreciate
the fact that I recognize that they're the ones, they're
(36:41):
the backbones, they're being demolished. And I stood up and
fought those tariffs while Joe Lombardo said we should feel
a little pain from them.
Speaker 2 (36:48):
That's crazy. Trump said that too. That's talking points great
from Trump.
Speaker 1 (36:51):
I mean, when I tell you that this is his acolyte,
it's Trump's acolyte, when I tell you that this boy...
Kisses up to, kowtows and capitulates. This is what I mean.
He lies down. This is what he does.
Speaker 2 (37:01):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:02):
And so the retailers have seen that they've seen me
fight for the tariffs against the tariffs. They've seen me
fight against organized retail crime. Right. They see me fight
against them on things, but do so in a in
an amicable way. You know, I know how to work
with folks.
Speaker 2 (37:14):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:15):
I return phone calls. That's important.
Speaker 2 (37:17):
Right.
Speaker 1 (37:18):
And so at the end of the day, the retailers,
I think, appreciate it and recognize the fact that I'm
going to be a governor who represents the entirety of
the state, businesses and consumers, right, who's open-minded, who understands
that we've got to move the ball forward. And that
requires us to work across the aisle and across industries.
And so I think that's one.
Speaker 2 (37:39):
Of the reasons why they— You said organized retail crime?
Speaker 1 (37:41):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
What is that real quick?
Speaker 1 (37:43):
Yeah, you've got groups of folks who literally are— groups
who organize how they're going to steal stuff. Gotcha.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (37:52):
We used to call them boosters.
Speaker 2 (37:54):
We used to call them boosters.
Speaker 1 (37:56):
I do have a question.
Speaker 3 (37:56):
So would you, I don't want to say attacking, but
suing and getting a lot of money from people, whether
it's the Warner Brothers Paramount lawsuit or the energy company lawsuit.
When you start suing these companies and these huge companies, Now,
on the other side, are these companies against you on
the other side, giving money to the people that you're
going against and giving them millions of dollars?
Speaker 1 (38:17):
And how does that affect your campaign? My presumption is
that some of that money is going to the other side.
Speaker 5 (38:25):
Right.
Speaker 1 (38:25):
I don't track it, frankly, because it doesn't matter to
me one way or the other. I'm going to do
what I think is right.
Speaker 3 (38:30):
Period.
Speaker 1 (38:31):
If you're harming the bad ones, I got to get you. Right. Period.
So but let's be clear. Business interests have more generally
aligned themselves with the Republican in the race, the incumbent, right?
And mine has been more grassroots. We've been able to
break records in terms of our fundraising. Nowhere near what
he's raised, though. Of course. Let's be clear. You know,
(38:54):
this data center conversation that's happening right now, he's received
$ 2 million from data centers into a pack, right? Flock cameras,
you've heard this whole thing about. He's gotten at least
half a million, I think maybe a million dollars from
flock camera folks, right? from the energy company out there,
he's gotten tens of thousands of dollars. I've gotten zero.
(39:14):
Not that I would take it. But you sued him,
so they ain't going to give you nothing. I mean,
you know, I guess though, but even if they try it,
I mean, you know, the fact of the matter is,
you know, we are, you know, we have different opinions
on these issues that, you know, I'm fine with them
not supporting me on this. You know, we're going to-
to win. This is always a case between the money
versus the many.
Speaker 2 (39:33):
Of course.
Speaker 1 (39:35):
He got the money. I got the many. And this
is how we're going to win.
Speaker 2 (39:38):
Do you want more data centers?
Speaker 1 (39:40):
I do not want more data centers per se. What
I want is that data centers are going to actually
be in our state. They're going to have to do
a few things. Number one, not raise money. a consumer
rate by one red cent, right? And I've already introduced
legislation to stop them from doing that, right? They're going
to have to ensure they use something alternative to our
fresh water. They're going to have to build out the
grid to accommodate their need. They're going to have to
(40:01):
use green energy to fuel their facility. They're going to
have to have community input before these things come in.
If they don't want them, they should be forced on them.
And I'm going to end the tax breaks going forward
because our current governor hasn't audited the other data centers
to see if they've actually upheld the end of the
bargains relative to what they're supposed to do to get
(40:23):
these tax breaks.
Speaker 2 (40:23):
That just makes sense. I was just thinking about this,
but I don't know anything about any of this. Right.
Speaker 4 (40:27):
But I was just thinking for all of these communities
that don't want data centers in their communities, if the
data centers are going in their communities, why don't the
data centers just pay the community's water.
Speaker 2 (40:37):
And electric bill?
Speaker 1 (40:39):
There's a community benefits program. portion that i think is
very important i don't know if that's what it would
be i mean that you know communities need to be
able to organize and and negotiate that themselves but there
certainly should be a benefit that these data centers are
bringing to the communities in which they're operating.
Speaker 2 (40:53):
Because they're making billions of dollars absolutely yeah yeah.
Speaker 1 (40:56):
So i mean that's part of what i would say
as well there needs to be a community benefits plan
that requires local higher union work and you know things
of that sort so some of it.
Speaker 6 (41:04):
Ain't worth the death you know like there's all the
environmental issues that they bring to like dirtying the water.
Speaker 5 (41:09):
It's not just paying the bill, but what it does
to the actual water.
Speaker 1 (41:12):
And we live in the desert, man, so you can't
take my water.
Speaker 5 (41:14):
You can't mess up with the water.
Speaker 4 (41:15):
I'm with you, but they're building them anyway. So to
your point, there has to be some type of community benefit.
Speaker 6 (41:22):
I'm curious on this, because this has overwhelmingly and disproportionately
impacted communities of color throughout the country, the data center issue.
You are a black man from Dallas, running in Nevada.
The black population there is roughly 10%. But overall, do
you have a targeted black agenda? Like so often our
(41:43):
folks are asked to wait until after election and then, well,
let's just wait for the second term. We saw that
happen with President Obama. How important is it to you
that black Nevadans know that you're not going to just be, again,
a symbolic figure, but a representational one with an agenda
that meets the demands they have?
Speaker 1 (42:01):
I'm glad you asked. And my answer is similar to
what I said a minute ago. I can show you
better than I can tell you. I've been in office
now since 2012, and I have always demonstrated my desire
to ensure that all communities, including the African-American community, get
opportunities that are presented to them. I'll give you a
prime example. When we were bringing the Raider Stadium deal,
I was the minority leader in the state Senate. They
(42:23):
needed votes because they needed some of my votes because
it was more than just a half, you know, a
50 percent plus one vote. And part of my negotiation
was that I speak in the community benefits plans. you
have to have a community benefits agreement associated with anything
coming out of this chamber. And that agreement is going
to have to include opportunities for minority owned businesses, black
owned businesses, women owned businesses, veteran owned businesses. And not
(42:46):
just at the, you know, operation stage at the design
stage and the construction stage. And so I initiated the
conversation and that type of conversation has occurred subsequent. You know,
when we talked about trying to, we try to bring a,
electric car shop called Faraday. You know, I reiterated that.
You know, if you're going to do it in North
(43:07):
Las Vegas, North Las Vegas has a lot of black folks.
I want them employed, right? And so, you know, I
stand on that. And part of it is because of
my philosophy that the entirety of the Nevada family deserves
to be represented, period. I believe everybody from every background
should have an opportunity to succeed in our state. And
I'm going to stand on that when I'm governor as well.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
I mean, it's interesting, right?
Speaker 4 (43:30):
Because we was just in Vegas over the past weekend
and it feels to me like, you know, this beautiful
state that was built around gaming and tourism is kind
of changing a little bit.
Speaker 2 (43:42):
I don't know if people are gambling like they used
to be. I don't know, right?
Speaker 1 (43:45):
I don't think people got the money.
Speaker 2 (43:46):
Yeah, they don't have the money.
Speaker 1 (43:47):
That's right.
Speaker 4 (43:48):
So when you got AI and technology reshaping the economy,
what does the state's next industry need to be? Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1 (43:57):
Well, I think we need to be open to Many
different industries. One of the ones in which I've said
I want to try to attract and diversify is the
financial industry. We're one of the largest metropolitan areas in
Las Vegas without a financial district. And I've already been
in conversation with some folks in the chamber organizations to
see what that looks like. I'm not trying to replicate
Wall Street, per se, but certainly an industry that can
(44:21):
chime in when we are existing like we are right now,
which is with a downsizing of tourism. and gaming numbers
going down. I do have one.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
I know you got to go.
Speaker 1 (44:30):
I do have one question.
Speaker 3 (44:31):
You know, just reading some of the, when I read
Reddit and some of the things when I ask about you, brother,
some people would say, well, you know, you do a
lot for the community, meaning you see a lot of
these companies, whether it's Discord or social media companies or,
you know, kids being addictive, whether it's fighting monopolies in
the city with ticket sales or it's different targeting, deceptive lending.
Speaker 1 (44:50):
People always say that's amazing, but how does that help Nevada?
Did I say it right? Yeah, you said it right.
Speaker 2 (44:55):
How does it help Nevada? Yeah.
Speaker 1 (44:56):
So what would you say to those people? Well, I say,
I think in a few ways, let's talk about protecting
our kids in the first place, right? That's actually, it
makes me smile because that's, that's, that's one of the
most things, the things I'm most proud of is this
meta settlement that we just got. I sued Facebook, Instagram,
and Messenger, I think three years ago, maybe two years ago.
And about a month ago, we settled this case in
(45:16):
a multi-state settlement, which is separate and apart from our
own lawsuit. And because of that work, our kids' mental
health is going to improve virtually overnight, right? Because they're
not going to be getting these pings during school. They're
going to be off the thing between 12 a.m. and
6 a.m., right? They're getting rid of the filters that
are causing young girls to have body dysmorphia issues, right?
(45:38):
They're getting rid of the likes and the loves as defaults, right?
These are the types of things that we know because
we've done a study in our own state. Our university has.
University of Nevada has done a study, and it has
demonstrated that these things have bad mental health impacts on
our children. And there, there, there is no question that
there's a positive impact on those types of things. I
(46:00):
was in my state. I got a settlement with Roblox,
which is a, you know, a kid's social.
Speaker 2 (46:05):
We know what Roblox is.
Speaker 1 (46:06):
I got six kids.
Speaker 2 (46:07):
Okay.
Speaker 1 (46:08):
Well, you would, you'd be happy to know then that
I have gotten a settlement with them. There's requiring them
to put in new requirements and protections to keep your
kids from having sexual predators approach them on Roblox. That
that's my word.
Speaker 5 (46:21):
Right.
Speaker 1 (46:21):
That's what I was able to do. And it's through
working with other attorneys general to be clear, but also
being being unafraid of these big corporations who have a
lot of money, who might give their money to the
other team, to your point. But it's benefiting our children.
And I'm happy about that.
Speaker 6 (46:38):
The one thing that I that I would say to
Envy's point is there is now running for governor in particular,
an intense focus that has to be placed on Nevada
as attorney general. And in a certain period, oftentimes in
the courtroom you have a closing argument. So if you
were making a closing argument to Nevadans, what would your
closing argument be for why you're the best person for
(47:00):
this role as governor?
Speaker 1 (47:01):
No, thank you. Thank you for the opportunity. Look, I
just firmly believe that Nevadans deserve to have a governor
who's going to look out for the entirety of the
Nevada family. And by that, I mean as broad as
you can think of it. You could have been here
for three generations or for three days. If you live
in Nevada, you're part of the Nevada family. You can
be married with two and a half kids or a
single parent with three kids. If you live in Nevada,
you're part of the Nevada family. Black, white, Latino, Asian,
(47:23):
Native American, if you live in Nevada, you're part of
the Nevada family. Gay or straight, if you live in Nevada,
you're part of the Nevada family. Democrat, Republican, Independent, you
deserve to have someone who's going to look out for you, period,
point blank. And I've demonstrated my ability to do that
as your senator, as your attorney general, and I'm looking
to take that fight for you over to the governor's office.
And I hope I get that opportunity.
Speaker 4 (47:43):
You'd be the first black governor. How significant would that
be to you?
Speaker 1 (47:47):
Very meaningful. And at the same time, pretty pitiful.
Speaker 2 (47:53):
Attorney General hungry, man. His stomach been over here growling.
Speaker 1 (47:55):
Why you calling me up, man? I shouldn't have told
you nothing. He didn't even hear my stomach growling.
Speaker 6 (48:02):
If that doggone Republican governor takes that tire thief.
Speaker 1 (48:05):
I'll fight you.
Speaker 2 (48:06):
I think we got a chocolate bar if he that hungry.
All right, well, let's do it.
Speaker 1 (48:10):
Can I get a stale score bar or something?
Speaker 2 (48:13):
We appreciate you. We wish you the best of luck.
Speaker 1 (48:16):
Please visit my website, ford4nevada. com. Check us out. Thank you.
A-Ron Ford.
Speaker 5 (48:20):
Did I say it right?
Speaker 2 (48:21):
A-Ron.
Speaker 4 (48:21):
A-Ron.
Speaker 1 (48:22):
Damn it, damn it, man.
Speaker 2 (48:22):
I've been practicing, too.
Speaker 1 (48:24):
A-Ron Ford.
Speaker 2 (48:24):
It's The Breakfast Club.
Speaker 1 (48:25):
Good morning. Hold up. Every day I wake up.
Speaker 2 (48:29):
Wake your ass up. The Breakfast Club. Y'all finished or
y'all done?
The Breakfast Club News
Hosts And Creators
Charlamagne Tha God
DJ Envy
Jess Hilarious
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