Ep. 14 - Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose talks about the economy, Israel, the Border, TikTok and more

Ohio Secretary of State (and United States Senate candidate) Frank LaRose joins the show to talk about his priorities in his senate camoaign, Israel, the economy, the border, TikTok and more. Go to https://www.franklarose.com/ for more information

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
This is the FCB podcast Network.This is Pillow Talk with Ali Michelle on
the podcast Network. Welcome back toanother episode of pillow Talk with Ali Michelle.

(00:26):
I am your host, Ali Michelle. Today I have a very very
very interesting guest who I You guysare going to fall in love with him
just as I did. And withthat we're rolling right into it. Today.
I would like to introduce you tothe Ohio Secretary of State, who
too is running for the United StatesSenate, Frank Loose. How you doing.

(00:50):
I'm doing great, Ali, We'reexcited. You know, it's election
season. We've got an important electioncoming up next Tuesday. And yeah,
you're right working hard out on theSenate campaign that's next year in where we've
got a primary and a general election, and the mission's clear. I'm an
army guy talk in terms of missiona lot. My missions to beat Shared
Brown and help us put our countryback on track. I agree with that.

(01:11):
So before we get to the nittygritty, I started something new on
my show and you are the firstperson to participate. So it's it's called
break the Ice. So essentially,what I do is ask you to pick
a number one or two and Ialready have questions that have been pulled.
So I'm going to ask you andyou just give me your best answer and

(01:32):
we'll go from there. Are youready? All right, let's go with
number one? All right? Ohyes, I'm so happy. Okay.
So if you had to sing akaraoke song right now, in this very
moment, what would you sing?Journey Don't stop believing? Oh I like
that. That's a cheesy choice,but especially after a night out with friends,

(01:59):
that always that always feels good andI love belting that one out.
That gives the crowd going. IfI you know, in every bar you'll
hear them. You know, wellwe all start screaming that song. So
you know that you have a greatthat you have great taste in music.
Tell us who you are, whatyou're about, and yeah, So my

(02:21):
name is Frank LeRose. I grewup in the Akron area and I had
a few experiences as a kid thatreally helped form who I am. I
worked on a farm. I lovethat, In fact it was it was
a great lesson in work ethic andand and and that kind of thing.
I still go back there when they'rebailing hay and stuff like that. Just
it was an assume way to growup working on a farm as a kid.

(02:42):
And the other real formative experience forme was I was involved in the
boilouts, and for me, myboy Scout leader was my hero still is
a guy named Bill Maher who wasa World War Two veteran. We lost
him a couple of years ago inhis late nineties after a long, full
life. But I got to hearstories around the campfire about being part of
the Normandy invasion, about liberating aconcentration camp, and I remember thinking,

(03:08):
man, I want to live alife of service to others. I want
to do something like what Bill didand do my part to leave this place
better than we found it. Iknew from a young age I wanted to
enlist in the Army, and myparents thought it was a terrible idea.
They said, no, you gotto go to college. But my heart
was set on it and I signedup. After that, I was looking

(03:30):
for a new challenge. I becamea Green Beret, got to serve on
a special Forces team to point toIraq, Morocco, Omon and really had
a great experience with that, servingwith some of our country's finest soldiers.
It was a real honor to beable to do that. Came home to
Ohio after that experience, went toschool at Ohio State, earned a business
degree, got involved working on campaigns. I was too old to join a

(03:53):
fraternity at twenty eight years old atthat point, so I my social circle
was people that worked on political campaigns. And I found something with a real
purpose, and I thought, here'sa way that I can make a difference
and give back, and then decideI'd run for the State Senate kind of
on a wing and a prayer.I was running in a really tough district
for a Republican, but I wont. In twenty eighteen, I was elected

(04:14):
Secretary of State. What really excitesme about this office is that we're responsible
for two things that are really empoweringin the life of an individual. We
help people vote, and we helppeople start businesses. And so I'm the
person responsible for making sure that astate of eight million registered voters has elections
they can trust, where it's easyto vote and hard to cheat. That's
something we're proud of. But we'realso the office where people start a new

(04:38):
business. So if you're ready tolive that American dream of being an entrepreneur,
We want to make it easy tostart your business so that you can
thrive right here in Ohio. Sothat's exciting and something I love, and
I've been doing that now for thelast five years. But I decided a
few months ago to launch this campaignfor the US Senate and the reason,
in my mind is very clear.We've got a country to save. It's

(04:58):
not exaggeration at this point to saythat America is heading in the wrong direction.
And I think each generation has beenresponsible for making this country a little
bit better, whether it's the youknow, winning the World Wars, or
getting us through the Great Depression,or the Civil Rights movement, each generation
putting a man on the moon.Each generation has done something to leave this
country better than they found it.And I'm starting to worry that if we

(05:21):
don't act quickly, that our generationI'm forty four, is going to be
the first one in American history toleave this country weaker, poorer, and
less secure. And I'll be darnedif that's going to happen on our watch.
This country is worth fighting for.I decided when I was eighteen this
country is so precious it's even worthdying for. And so isn't it also
worth living for. And that's thedecision that I've made, is to live

(05:42):
to help make this country better andstronger. And that's why I'm running for
the US Senate. Wow, thatgave me. I'm not even exaggerating like
Goosey's because that was literally one ofmy next questions is you know, America
wants our country back, right,so we the people are We're mad.
We are literally mad. And youjust covered everything in that right there,

(06:03):
because we're in uncharted waters, likeuncharted waters, and it's just a really
weird time. And that brings meto you know, as millennials, some
of us some still have not votedonce in their life. And I just
turned thirty and I voted for thefirst time at the Trump election. But

(06:24):
I do know many others who refuseto vote because they don't really understand the
severity and how sacred that really isand how important it is to protect our
home. We have a messy houseand it is time to start cleaning it
up. And I'm so glad thatyou are so dedicated to that from what
I just heard. And Ellie,let's think about the power of a vote

(06:48):
too. And you know, weall have friends that say, man,
I don't get involved in politics,all right, Well, that's like saying
I don't get involved in weather.It's going to impact you. But unlike
weather, we can change politics.And the power of free people to choose
their leaders is really remarkable. Forthousands of years that people have lived on
this rock, there's never been thatchance until recently. We can choose who

(07:11):
our leaders are. We can seta new course for our nation. I've
traveled around the world and observed foreignelections in places like Ukraine. I was
in Nigeria last year for their presidentialelection. I saw people vote for the
first time in Iraq when I wasthere, where they were risking their lives
to cast a ballot. Here,it takes just a couple of minutes.
You get a free sticker and youknow that it's a trustworthy process. There
is no reason not to make yourvoice heard, and it does really make

(07:35):
a difference. Yeah. Yeah,And like some of my friends even are
I don't want to vote. Idon't want to get into politics. I'm
like, you don't have to beyou know, like me, you don't
have to be this far into it. But to just understand what's going on,
and so I participated in my Niecesschool. I volunteered for the Halloween

(07:56):
party and of Ukrainian boys was inher class. Doesn't speak much English,
but he had a US Army costume, and that to me just spoke volumes
for a little ten year old torepresent US but coming from another country.
So the power of us and weshould embrace that. America. Listen,

(08:18):
when we get involved in things aroundthe world, we're we're the good guys.
And that doesn't mean that we getinvolved in things that aren't in America's
interest, to be very clear,but when America leads the world safer.
More importantly, when America leads weresafer and more prosperous. And this is
a big differentiator between me and someothers. I think that it's not American

(08:43):
strength that causes problems around the world, it's American weakness. When we're weak,
then you see invasions of places likeUkraine that would have never happened if
Trump was still in the White House. When America's weak, you see Iran
give the green light to Hamas togo kill Israelis that would have not happened

(09:03):
if President Trump was in the WhiteHouse. This administration, the Biden administration
has been weak on our border onUkraine with the withdrawal from Afghanistan. We
need to get back to a placeof American strength. That's one of the
reasons why I'm such a strong supporterof President Trump and why I'm supporting him
for election next year. Oh mygosh, I'm so happy that you said
that. It's just it's, youknow, because there's so many people that

(09:26):
are very anti him still, andit's the proof is in the pudding.
He made it better. Everything aboutour country and the world alone was better.
So as social media, we allknow, like that's you know,
that's where we get our daily newsnow as millennials and gen zers. But
there's good and there's bad when itcomes to social media. What are your

(09:48):
thoughts on the anti Israeli propaganda.Our Vice President said some pretty interesting things
the other day about the hate onPalestinians, but war is war. Innocent
children are suffering in a so people, what are your thoughts on the anti
Israeli propaganda. Let's start by puttingthis into perspective. On October seventh,

(10:09):
there were more Jews murdered brutally murderedthan any day since the Holocaust. These
blood Thursday Hamas terrorists broke through theborder wall at Gaza and flooded into the
southern Israeli towns, places like Starotewhere I was just eight months ago,
Places like Kafar Azah, this littlefarming village where I was eight months ago,

(10:33):
where forty children were brutally murdered.This is the kind of thing that
needs to bring back the memories ofwhen we say never again, when we
go to a Holocaust memorial and wesay never again. The way that we
actually put those words into action isby standing with Israel. Because Israel didn't
stop this fight, but they've gotevery right to end this fight. And

(10:56):
what that means is they need toeradicate Hamas. You can't negotiate with people
that want you dead, you can'treason with them. Israel has to eliminate
Hamas, and that's what they're doingright now as we speak. And the
fact that there are knuckleheads on Americancollege campuses who are somehow equating Hamas and

(11:20):
Israel as though they're equal, asthough one side and the other are are
are the same, is completely It'sugly, and it's anti Semitic, and
anybody who is out there waiving Hamasflag. What they're doing is engaging in
ugly anti semitism. Now let's alsobe clear, because you're talking about social
media. The way that we getinformation, yeah, is on social media,

(11:43):
and Hamas is very good at propaganda. They are flooding the zone with
false information. They're flooding the zone. Look at what happened with the hospital.
Just a week ago, there wasan Islamic jihad rocket hit a hospital
and the Hamas statement that came outwas that it was Israel's fault. The

(12:05):
mainstream media didn't question that. Theyjust ran with it. They just ran
with it as though it was fact. The proof was later exposed that it
wasn't Israel that hit this hospital,it was their own rocket that malfunctioned.
But people believed that stuff, andwe're you know, protesting and violently trying

(12:26):
to storm American embassies around the world. That kind of thing is dangerous.
But here's what we need to understand. Hamas uses human shields. This is
the simplest way to understand this.Israel uses rockets to protect their civilians.
Hamas uses civilians to protect their rockets, and so as Israel moves through Gaza
to eliminate this terrible thread, thereare going to be some civilian casualties,

(12:50):
even though Israel tries really hard toavoid that. They drop leaflets, they
warn people, they tell them toget out, but Hamas intentionally puts pavilions
in harm's way and then they usethat to put out social media to make
people sympathetic to Hamas. Understand thatHamas and their backers Iran are responsible for

(13:13):
any bad thing that happens right nowin Gaza. It's not the Israeli's fault.
It's Hamas and Iran that have causedthis problem. Yep, I totally
agree, and I hope that youknow, those that are listening and will
listen to this fully understand what you'resaying is truth. And social media is
just flooded with the bull crap propagandapushing weird different ideologies. For what reason

(13:39):
that brings me into you know,issue one that has to do with the
most innocent and most vulnerable is theones in the womb, and I want
you to if you could, canyou please explain how important this is.
Many folks are totally misunderstanding what thisentails. Can you, like break it
down in simple terms because of lotof women think we're quote unquote losing healthcare.

(14:03):
A lot of commercials are false advertising. How can you, in the
position you are in reassure women thatyou know voting no is is not taking
away from your healthcare, saving savinglives lives. I was just on the
phone last night with a friend Iwent to high school with who was confused
about this, and so I wastrying to make it clear exactly what Issue

(14:26):
one does. So let's understand thatif Issue one passes, it is the
most extreme pro abortion law in thecountry. It would put Ohio further than
California or Massachusetts. It would allowlate term abortion through the very end of
pregnancy. So imagine a fully formedchild that can feel pain, that could
survive outside of the womb, beingbrutally killed as a result of this.

(14:52):
The ugliest thing in here is thatit takes away parental involvement. Listen,
my daughters need a permision slip toget an aspirin at school, or permission
from parent to get a tattoo ora piercing. But if Issue one passes,
then some guidance counselor from their schoolcould ship them off to a planned

(15:13):
parenthood facility without their parents knowing,and this life altering, life ending procedure
could be performed. It's completely it'scompletely crazy. And here's where even our
friends that are pro choice should understandthis. This goes too far for them.
Also, this is not just aboutyou know, abortions being performed in

(15:33):
the first couple months of pregnancy.This goes to the extreme and pro choice
Ohioans should reject this as well becauseit really is radical. Yeah, yeah,
I completely agree, and I believein Ohio we already have it up
to twenty one weeks, which Ithink is still too much. You know,

(15:54):
a life is a life. Youknow, science proves. They want
to scream about science for the lastthree years, but then want to deny
science right now. But it's reallyugly what they're trying to do. And
understand this too. The reason whythey're doing this in Ohio in twenty twenty
three is that they want to provethat it can be done so they can
take it nationwide in twenty twenty four. Ohio's a test market. If you

(16:17):
have a new consumer product or anew menu at your fast food restaurant,
you test it in Ohio and ifit sells here, then you do it
throughout the country. And so that'swhat the left is trying to do.
They're trying to prove that they canwin this in Ohio and then go to
their tech billionaires on the coasts andget funding to do this in the rest
of the country in twenty twenty four. And so in this case, the

(16:38):
world's watching, the nation's watching.Ohio needs to stand up and stand for
life and say we're not going tohave this radical, brutal late term abortion,
no parental involvement kind of a lawin our state. I didn't know
that about Ohio. So that's veryinteresting and it's a scary time I think

(16:59):
for you know, women like mewho stand for life and stand for parental
rights, and some people failing tounderstand that a lot of people want to
take away your power. A lotof people want the power to tell your
kids what to do. I haveto remind my friends this all the time,
Like you have the power to gointo that school and demand change or

(17:21):
if you don't like how they're sayingsomething, you have that right. So
if that's taken away, that's that'sgoing to homeschooling. Home schooling parents' rights
is one of the parents' rights.Is one of the main things that I'm
focusing on in my Senate campaign aswell, and one of the reasons why
I'm spending all of my free timeright now out campaigning with school board candidates.
If you do nothing else, makesure you pay attention. Of course,

(17:45):
vote no on issue one, butpay attention to who's running for school
board in your community and support theconservative, reasonable people that are running for
school board because we've got bureaucrats atthe local, state and federal level who
think it's okay to step between aparent and their child. I'm the only
candidate in the Senate race that hasschool aged children learn and I have an
eight year old, a ten yearold, and a twelve year old,

(18:06):
and we're not interested in co parentingwith the government. We want our children
to be raised with our values,and I think that's what every parent should
want. It's time that we standup for parents rights again. That's a
major major issue that I'm focusing onin the Senate race as well. I
love that I can relate to youguys so so much for the fact that
I too, I'm in a kinshipprogram with my nieces, so they're in

(18:27):
my household right now, which isseven, and then I have ten,
and then my son, you'll myson's twelve, So I can't it's I
adore you, like I instantly justfell in love with you as a candidate,
just because you're relatable and a lotof issues that we have with you
know, politicians and stuff is we'renot we can't relate. And I think

(18:48):
that since you gave us a littlebit inside of your home that I hope
this resonates with a lot of listenersand my followers, and I did want
to touch base if you have amoment. So again with social media,
you know, our kids watch socialmedia. I watch, I'm on social
media. That's you know, myplatform. And so it's flooded with its

(19:10):
gen zers and millennials. Again,like I said, it's it's part of
our news outlet. So we seea lot if they're not censored or you
know, flagged for misinformation. Butwe see a lot of talk about the
border crisis. There's a lot ofthose quote sleeper cells sneaking in from our
border. It's a lot of there'sa lot of uncertainty here. Like I

(19:32):
said, it's unchartered waters we're freakingI'm freaking out. My one of my
sisters just went to New York andI had to tell her to be careful
and what do you think we shoulddo to protect our borders and our future
of our country. Well, Icould hear in your voice that that you're
afraid about this, and we allare. The Biden administration admitted just a
couple of weeks ago that thousands ofpeople on the terrorist watch list have come

(19:56):
across the border. This one,for me, is a another area where
I have the experience to actually goto the Senate and make a difference because
I served on the border. Iwas part of a counter narcotics task force.
Allie, let me tell you.When I was there twenty two years
ago, we would go out onpatrol with the border patrol at night and
we would find the smugglers coming acrossthe border carrying children, precious innocent children.

(20:18):
When the border patrol would search them, they would find bags of drugs
in the diapers of the children.Now, there's a special place in hell
for somebody that would put a bagof cocaine in the diaper of an innocent
child, thinking that we weren't goingto search there. It's worse now because
what's coming across the border is fentanyl. In Butler County, Ohio, just
a couple of weeks ago, justa traffic stop, somebody who's pulled over

(20:40):
for a traffic violation. There wasa dog, a canine with the police
officer. They found one enough fentanylto kill one point five million people in
a little four door sedan on theside of the road in Butler County.
And we know where that poison iscoming from. It's chemicals from China mixed
together in Mexico, smuggled across theborder by the these cartels that should be
defined as foreign terrorist organizations so thatwe can use the full power of the

(21:04):
government to stop them. Now,listen, we know how to secure a
border. It's building the wall.It's building fences and physical barriers and walls.
It's putting sensors and cameras on bothsides of the wall so we know
what's going on. And then it'salso taking away the incentive to come here
illegally. I've been very clear thatthere should not be any amnesty for those

(21:26):
who come here illegally. If youbreak our law, if you come here
illegally, you should never be ableto have US citizenship. You should never
be able to have government benefits.We should fix the asylum process so people
don't just come and get a slipthat says all right, appear in court
in a year and a half,and then they're set loose to go do
what they want. This administration,the Biden administration, and Shared Brown are

(21:48):
culpable for the invasion that's occurring onour border. When I get to the
Senate, this is going to bejob one. I hope they fix it
before then, But in twenty twentyfive, when I get to the Senate,
if it's not fixed, this isgoing to be job one. Secure
the border and fix our immigration systemso we stop rewarding lawlessness. Well that
you said when I get to thewhen I get to the Senate, not

(22:08):
if when i'm I love your Ilove your enthusiasm, I love your you
know your bravery, and I loveeverything that you're staying. I just can't
say it enough. Like your confidenceis amazing. And people that I know
personally want to talk about, oh, well, they're keeping children locked up
in these cages. How can youreassure them that that's not the case,

(22:32):
Like that's not true. And Itry to say there's people that are you
know, there's a market for children. It's true, it's real, it's
there. It's not a conspiracy.I would rather them be, you know,
in a place where I know oursoldiers and our people are watching over
these these little babies, and theninstead of having them go free and then
be shipped off who knows where.Never forget that America is the good guys,

(22:56):
and we have been and we continueto be. Uh. Yeah,
there is a crisis on our borderthat's both a public safety and national security
crisis, but also a humanitarian crisis. These people that are trying to come
across the border are desperate because ofthe failed, dangerous countries they're coming from.
That's a Central American problem largely.And you know, we know that

(23:18):
human trafficking is a real thing.It's modern day slavery, and so what's
happening down there involves some very difficultdecisions when people have to be detained and
held for a period of time,and the United States of America acts in
a way that is humane, Ican tell you that's not the case in
a lot of these Central American countrieswhere these people are coming from you know,

(23:40):
it's such a scary thought. Butso do you like tic tac or
do you hate it? I tellyou what, Given my work as an
Army green Beret and some of theclassified briefings that I've gotten, I've got
some concerns. But I'll just saythat the control that the Chinese Communist Party

(24:00):
has over TikTok really worries me.TikTok in China is educational videos. They're
trying to educate children in China.TikTok here in the US is something very
different, and so I've got someconcerns about it. Would that be like
maybe a proposal to maybe have Americaown more of it? I tell you
what, I am open to suggestionson this one. I want to learn

(24:22):
more about it. I do thinkthat American ownership of an entity like that
would would make me feel a lotbetter. But I know for a fact
that, for example, people inmy line of work in the special operations
community are told not to have iton their phones. Members of the federal
government are told do not download thatapp because of some very real security concerns
that go along with it. Andso that's a real thing that we have

(24:45):
to be aware of. Yeah,so what makes you different than your other
opponents. I'm the battle tested conservative. Talk is cheap. It's easy to
say whatever you want to say whenyou've never run for wide office before.
But I'm the one that has aone hundred percent pro life voting record.
Nobody else in the race does.I'm the one that has a one hundred

(25:06):
percent pro Second Amendment voting record,nobody else in the race does. I'm
the one who has a consistent recordof voting to cut taxes, and that's
what we need. We need thatin Washington. We've got people in DC
Republican and Democrat political insiders that agreeon spending more of your money on nonsense
government programs. We need to cuttaxes. We need to cut spending at

(25:29):
the federal government level. I'm alsothe only one in the race who's not
a millionaire. And again, wecelebrate prosperity, and that's wonderful that people
have been financially successful, But Laurenand I aren't millionaires. The other two
candidates are. Lauren and I arethousandaires. And so we know what it
means to struggle, we know whatit means to sit there after we put
the kids to bed at the endof the month and try to figure out
how we're going to pay the bills. And that real experience and that real

(25:53):
empathy that I have for the strugglesthat normal Ohioan's face, I think will
make me a much better senator becauseI know that this economy is hurting people.
I know this firsthand. It's aboutseven hundred and fifty dollars a month
that cost of living has gone up. And so you know, I'm one
that believes that the solution isn't hiringmore irs agents like Joe Biden and Sharon

(26:14):
Brown have proposed. The solution isnot trillions of dollars of federal spending.
The solution is unleashing American prosperity throughthe free market, cutting taxes, streamlining
regulations, helping entrepreneurs get their startso that they can start the next great
American businesses and put people to work. That's how we return to prosperity,
not more government, more freedom.See tell them up with you again all

(26:37):
over again. So where can peoplefollow you? How can they get more
information about your campaign? Yeah?So our website is Franklerooes dot com.
I'd ask you to sign up tobe part of our battle tested team at
frankleros dot com. If you're willing, maybe think about throwing a couple bucks
our way. We're a grassroots campaign. We're working hard to raise the money

(27:02):
that we have to raise because that'show you beat Shery Brown next year.
And so we've had thousands of Ohioansthat have pitched in with just five or
ten bucks on our website at franklerosedot com. And then you can find
us on all the different platforms thatjust at frank LeRose, on Facebook,
Twitter, or x LinkedIn YouTube,all the different social platforms also, by

(27:26):
the way, yeah yeah, wellmaybe not that one. So then you
said truth Social, you're on trueSocial too, Yes, yep, absolutely.
Well again, I think you're extremelyrelatable. Thank you so much for
coming on my show. It's beena real real honor. And you have
my vote, Ali, that meansa lot. And listen, you're a
courageous, smart, young female voicein the conservative movement and that makes a

(27:48):
difference. So don't back down,don't let them cancel you, don't let
them intimidate you. I know youwon't, but what you're doing truly makes
a difference. Oh, thank you, well, Thank you again. You
bet these days it seems like everybody'stalking, but no one is actually listening
to the things they're saying. Criticalthinking isn't dead, but it's definitely low

(28:10):
on oxygen. Join me Kira Davison Just Listen to Yourself every week as
we reason through issues big and small, critique our own ideas, and learn
to draw our talking points all theway out to their logical conclusions. Subscribe
to Just Listen to Yourself with KiraDavis and FCB Radio podcast on Apple,
on Spotify, iHeart, or whereveryou get your podcasts. Thank you for

(28:37):
listening to my show. That wasPillow Talk with Ellie Michelle. Again.
I had Frank Lorose. He isthe Secretary of State running for Senate.
I hope he enlightened you and allyour questions answered anything you needed to be
answered. Just make sure when youare voting, make sure you research your
candidates, talk with some, emailthem, do what you have to do

(28:57):
to feel secure about your vote,but most importantly, get out and vote
with that. I will see youon the next one. Don't forget to
follow me on TikTok at Ali UnderscoreMichelle Instagram Ali Underscore Michelle twelve, and
don't forget to subscribe to the podcastand it to your friends, your haters,
and all of the above five.This has been a presentation of the

(29:27):
FCB podcast Network where Real Talk lives. Visitors online at fcbpodcasts dot com.