My story about being born lower, middle class in akron, ohio. During the military at 17 years old to get a chance to see the world, to do a lot of Different Things. It is the journey about serving in the army in the era but also deploying to iraq, deployed overseas. And how i basically learned to love america. And then came out as conservative in order to help save it. That is what always a soldier is all about. He got the military memoir aspect of it, meet crushing it through basic training, me getting to know 70 different types of people that i had never been exposed to before. And then i get out of the military, i was a leftist for a few years in new york city. That it couple of years ago i came out as a conservative and got a lot of blowback about tha that. It is all about loving American Fighting for america as a republican that i am now. Host usurper five years the u. S. Army including two tours in the middle east. During iraqi freedom your awarded the Army Commendation medal and the infantry badge. So you have this military experience, did that shape you becoming a conservative . Talk about that that evolution. Guest having military experience really does shape you into becoming conservative, lisa did so for me. Not only military experience, but people who are Law Enforcement officers. People who are in some sort of service in that way. I think that turns a lot of us conservative. Because you really do realize the need for law and order. When i was patrolling the streets of iraq, at that point in time when i was deployed he would see a lot of chaos and stuff going on on the streets people you go and then try to defuse the situation. I think being able to see things from that side as opposed to just a regular citizen who is never really served or is never served in that way. When you have seen things from that side it really does it really does put you into more of a conservative side. A lot of my buddies i served with, i was not always a conservative, i was a democrat up until about three years ago. And then they just got too crazy for me and i decided to come over to the sane side. A lot of my buddies that i served with an eye still talk to this day, they were conservative then and there conservative now poorly talk about stuff like that. We talked about being in the military, military Service Really shapes the way that you see this country and the world. And i think any super positive way. Host so what else, what happened recently that you said yourself i am a conservative . Guest it was quite an evolution and for me as a couple of things. First of all, i dont like being told how to think and i dont like to be told what to believe just because i am black, just because i am yea or both. There is a lot of that stuff coming from the left. But even outside of that but we are talking pure politics and pure policy, there is a push for massive un checked illegal immigration that happens on the left. This is something that has been documented to hurt workingclass africanamerican communities the most. I talk about this a lot in always a soldier. Black americans are always left last when it comes to the left. But also with the game and when the terrorist attack happens, it was devastating, it was mortifying. And at that point in time i expected for the left to have my back. And i expected for them to defend me. And as a matter fact they did the exact opposite. And i was not even in support of the president at the time. I would not call myself a conservative or republican in any capacity. But a solidly republican response to this horrific acts of terror that is perpetrated on yea and lesbian americans. And i thought, i need to look a little bit more strongly into this. Because i feel like the left to some so into being politically correct or not fitting this group or that group or whatever. That they miss out on defending the rights of interest of the american people. Sue and how is he enjoyed turning. Usa and what is the goal . Guest turning point usa found me on instagram actually prayed when i decided to come out as conservative. There is an article in the daily mail about me and theres a whole lot of press. And then it basically started making videos and tweeting and saying how i really felt about the situations that were going on in this country. And i put it on instagram. At that point in time its own turning point usa in our member posting something about the daily mail article where i quote came out as a conservative. She commented on it. When the communications were the turning point at the time. Ive got to do a lot of great work with turning point. Their overall goal is to definitely get conservative students on college campuses. And for me the goal is that. The goal is also to make people more comfortable and competent with being open about their conservative beliefs. Because i know what its like to lose friends would you come out as conservative. I know is like to lose friends would you support the president. I know what its like for people of known you for five, ten, 15 years completely have nothing to do with you. At the strong sense of self that what you believe when you make that leap. So would i like to do, when i work at turning point usa from these campuses as i want to encourage them to make that leap. And i want to make them Strong Enough to make that leap. Because we need people who are open more open and honest about saying exactly what they believ believe. Because the left does this all the time for their open and honest in them to exactly what they think of what they feel. That there are too many conservatives and too many republicans that are afraid of the blowback. Afraid of losing their jobs. Afraid of losing their friends. Afraid from being estranged from the family. That is what i am trying to fin find. Stu and what about the role of those in the military . And getting them to vote what is your message to them . Guest my message to active duty military is people that are serving right now see what is happening in our community the riding in the streets for they dont need to hear this from me. They notice like to serve and they know what it is like to be on the other end of those riots. They know what it is like to be the Law Enforcement officer or the person whos trying to keep the peace in the midst of all this chaos. Soap might message to them is do you want to put the people who are the architects of this chaos in power . Or do you want somebody who is a law and order president was a law and order person . And do you want america to defend into mob rule and chaos . Or do you want somebody whos going to enforce law and order . Thats the message. That is the question. Not only to military members but to everybody in america. That is the question. Let me invite our viewers a call this morning republican 2,027,488,001. Democrats two oh 27488000 independence 2,028,002. For active retired military or 202 7488003. Logos anton in florida republican. Good morning go ahead. Good morning thanks for taking my calls. I just wanted to make a comment because of your guests. I had the conversation this morning ive been antigay even ive had yea friends all my life but because of this judgment i change my mind god bless him. God bless america respect anton why is that . I dont know, all the sudden i know but turning points and so on. I become a citizen only because of trump after many, many years living here in the country. I have hope again part of it was because of this judgment i listen to him. My son was in the military my grandson is in the military i change my mind. I remember the time of dont ask dont tell in sewing and so forth. We had the conversation this morning. From now on one 100 pro yea, nevermind as long as you love the country. The reaction hearing that . Sue back my reaction to that is that is amazing to me. The reason i decided to come out and do all the stuff on the way i become out is americas favorite government is i think we are in a time when americans it does not matter black, white, yea, straight, but yea and lesbian americans we need to say that we love this country as well. This country is ours too. And i am so glad to be a part of the president has a coalition that the Trump Pride Coalition for these are gays and lesbians standing up in support of the president. As an Organization Called get outspoken it is the voice for yea and lesbians online follow them on twitter get out and spoke 20. That makes this very, very happy to hear because i think that it is all about coming together as americans i am trying to do a show that we can do that matter black, white, yea, straight, what ever to come together as americans because in america, as a yea man i am more freakier than any place on the planet. And god bless america. I mean i am very thankful for that. I am thankful to hear that as well. Sue and linda in texas independent collar. Caller i am a yea americans are back in the core of the before there is a luxury of dont ask dont tell her i just dont understand how a yea person let alone a black person would be a republican. This is not a law and order president pretty breaks the law anytime it is inconvenient or expedient in the first place. In the second place there working in the background to change the laws against yea people with this religious conscience baloney. Its working against our rights for adoption. And other areas. I just dont see how you can do this. Switch it okay. I went to address first ill have to break that down because that was a lot of comments. So first of all you say you dont see how i as a black person or yea person can support the president. So basically what youre saying because of these immutable characteristics that im supposed to think a certain way because you cannot understand that. So i am not told, there is no reason for me to it thinking anyway because of these characteristics for small part i have a podcast called rob smith is problematic right now. And thats what that is all about. So i am problematic because i do not subscribe to leftism and the Democrat Party just because i am black and just because im yea pete that summer one. Second of all, the idea that this administration is somehow anti georg doing things to hurt yea and lesbian americans is wrong. Thats push on the left a lot. You brought up religious exemption and religious freedom bird i want to address that. Because first of all think one of the biggest issues, would yea and lesbian americans over the next ten years is going to be religious freedom, right . So how do we balance peoples religious belief with the fact that we live in a free country and gays and lesbians are as american as anyone else. So whats up with yea and lesbians being denied adoption , there are so many places were gays and lesbians can adopt the dont have harcourt religious things attached to them. So the freedom is all about if we have adoption agencies that say we are christians that we dont believe gays and lesbians should adopt or whatever, they cannot force them to do that. Because that is not a free country. It is not a free country where the state forces you to do anything. And as a yea man who has a family whose gate may be able. Maybe i will have surrogacy im not entirely sure. But i know if there is an agency that steeply religious that does not want to adopt to me just because im yea, there are a million other choices that i can go to. And said that is where the tolerance comes into play, righ right . You also have far left many people like, i think it was better over and a lot of people that said oh we need to challenge, we need to make sure that these churches perform yea marriage. And if not were going to take tax dollars away from them. I find that so curious. That everybody is so focus on the christians what they do or do not do been terms of yea or lesbian americans. But nobody talks about how we should use the government to go into their places of worship. And we should make them be pro yea. We should make them do this or make them do that. That is a conversation that generally seems to only go one way. I am very serious about that. I think the reason why is because, like i said, people on the left people on the left do not want to sort of irritate or make some of what i called their victim route mad. Very curious to me how those conversations are always kind of completed. To wrap up this response, not been going on for a while. You cannot tell me what im supposed to think, or hoodlums was a vote for just because i am black, and yea, and you dont like it. What will go to florida, mark active retired military. Im sorry active or retired, mark . Caller tired. Steven go ahead. Caller brought by dont you can hear me, i was a combat engineer in the marine corps. And guarded the United States embassy. I have a diverse background. And there are conservative marines and their democratic marines. We got into a lot of discussions on this during duty. We lived and worked together just like any units. I have never changed i voted for president carter at age 18. And i definitely did not support this current president. Because i find him to be at the extreme right of your options. But my question to you rob, from one veteran to a nether is can you tell me what the minimum wage in australia is . Switch to i do not live in australia fixing . would be at the high inhere in florida. Its very difficult to make a living. So we on the left, apart from your permanent identity which i respect totally, including the factor conservative, make it very difficult to make a living so in of this organized labor and support labor and the rights to not. They may talk at it but in reality the administrative Legislation Group called alec and supports the president , very antilabor and this is why many of news organized labor dont support the president because they dont support us youch hang in there robb and learn loud the learn about the rest though world because were all connected. Have a great day, bro. Guest you, too. I just want to say, to talk out labor unions and all that stuff. Im obviously not a carpenter but i do know about certain unions and i always think about teachers unions and School Choice and that conversation, and i think that sometimes unions are there to protect the workers but sometimes unions are just there and the people at the top are taking a lot of kickbacks from the left and the workers on the ground are not really getting all of those benefits. So ill leave it like that. Host nancy a republican in rather a, illinois, youre next. This is nancy. We have been told from lincoln said united we stand, divided we fool but the democrats have continued to divide us, whether its rich against poor, straight against gay, black against white, and with that they have said that some people have to be sacrificed in order for the rest of to us rise. The rich have to give away the money. The poor have to be satisfied with their status. But this president has proven that he can make us all rise. No one is in country has to forgive or forget their dream. People 0 who come to the country legally have their opportunity to have the their deemed come true, not a year or five years or 20 years but right now. We can all rise together. And that is why this president is great. And i just wondered, do you feel this amongst the people . They belief, that we can all rise . Another thing, too our schools use to be ethe equalizer, but theyre screwed up our schools and our kids dont have the same opportunity. Id like to hear your comment on that. Guest my thought is i believe what you believe. We believe the same thing. I believe that if you take responsibilitiorunder life, if you have personal responsibility and work hard enough anyone can be successful. God lows my lifes story is a testament to that. I would a lot of the criticism i get as a front facing public figure is people think i have somehow okay to conservative values because i was born wealthy or my family is politics. This is none of that. I came from a single parent household in akron, ohio where the median wage is 20,000 a year. The issue right now when you talk about our Education System and the issue when you talk about Public School and college and all that stuff, and particularly with our education you have to realize this is all run by the arrest, by the hard left, particularly our larger cities, and what kids are being told nowdays, black kid more than anybody else, but our kids are being told you cant, you cant do this, you cant do that. You cant succeed because of this, you cant because of that the gentleman that just called me that talked about the unions and talking about making 15 an hour, i think that theres a mentality and all of this stuff and i think that what we need is an overall mind shift. What you will see with a lot of conservatives but particularly africanamerican conservatives and other conservatives of color because most of the time we do not come from wealthy backgrounds. But we know that personal responsibility, belief in ones self and motivation is key, and if you have an Education System and if you have a value and belief system that comes from the left and tells people they cannot, they cannot, they cannot and the reason they cannot is because wealthy people, the reason they cannot is because of whoever the president is, the reason that they cannot is because of all the thingses theyll never be able to control, then they start to believe they cannot. And because they believe that, they wont, and i think left or right, doesnt matter what side of the aisle you stan on wishing need to fight against that mentality that its telling citizens of our country that they cannot do it because if you are in america right now, you have already hit the lottery, already doing better than 97 of the worlds population and i just think we need to start letting people know that they can, they should and we will. Host patterson, new jersey, miles, democratic caller. Youre on the air with rob smith. Caller how are you doing . Im calling about the donald trump got out of the service by lying, because he didnt want to go, then the also got miss administrator trying to kick you guys out of the service because youre not allowed in there and then you say democratics say you cannot. The republicans doing the same thing. Then you get republicans calling in and saying that i used to be a democrat. And i changed and the democratics say i used to be a republican changed. How can we get this country back on track if we keep going that way towards each other . Seems like nobody want to sit and talk about, look, just get together, because donald trump going to do whatever he can to win. We all know that. And when he lie lick he do and you sit here and talk but the democrats be lying but this man be lying all the time, but yall overlook that. And then he i just want to know when you was in the military, how did did they know you was gay and if they did how was you treated . Guest so when i was in the military i served dont ask, dont tell so i was enclosessed in the military. I came out to a couple of people and when i came out and people were cool and its curious to me you say trump is trying to keep you guys out of the military. Dont know if thats true because trump is not trying to keep gays, lesbians and bisexuals out of the military. Thats not true. And i think that in terms of, you are right on one thing, politicians are going to say whatever so i spoke cuss on what people have done. I dont focus on what somebody says on twitter, i dont focus on the media trying to gin people up. Thats the world we live in right now. I focus on what has actually been done. Now im not here as surrogate for the president. I do not work for the rnc or trump in any official capacity. Aside from being an advisoryboard member of the trump pride gay and Lesbian Coalition but i focus on things done. Things done, real things. Pacifically im africanamerican voters. President trump permanently fund black colleges and universities, never been done before and cannot be undone when he leaves office. The First Step Act for criminal Justice Reform, so President Trump got that done. Why was own ebb president for eight years and coop get that none i do not know. Was not in that administering but i was making sure and i help i lobbed on capitol hill to make sure the First Step Act was passed. More comprehensive criminal Justice Reform ma generation 91 of the people released after decades in prison for nonviolent offenses were africanamericans. I spoke to somebody when i was in d. C. Last year, i shook the mans hand help had tears in his eyes. These are real people and real things that the administration has done for black americans. And i always you always have to focus on the facts. You talk about i make discussions for republicans and everything does the same thing. Politicians lie. Im not a politician. Politicians lie. Its what they. Do basically a part of the job description. So i think that for we as citizen, win we make the decisions who we going to vote for, macdecisions about how were going to change our own lives because only we can change our life. No politician can do that. Barack obama cant do it, President Trump cant do it. Whoever is president next is not going to do it. Only you can change your own life so i challenge you to dig a little bit deeper interest what has actually been done as opposed to people tweeting and begin gipping up social media outrage or what preside said on twitter or a news conference. Host anthony in minneapolis, a retired naval va. Caller good morning. I like to speak to rob. My problem with whats going on is your president has totally ignored the injustice and shootings going on in the black neighborhood, and im at a loss to understand how you totally tragic about it. Since you said you grew up in this poor neighborhood and everything, then you have been harassed by police, too, or not. And that the thing that bothers me also is that maybe you were lucky, rob. Some people are lucky and get up and then the token gets pulled up and then makes everybody else guest see im a token, thats great. Caller like i say do. Guest when you say token, when you over over. [overlapping speakers] guest you called me a token. Caller apologize. We have batteries put up to stop brown people from achieving. Youre sitting here telling me about a president that basically like i said, i want you to talk to me about just the other day when the brother get shot in the back, do you ever worry about that . Are you immune to that because youre a republican now . Guest so let me respond. Now that im not being called a token. Number one, if this is your first time seeing me youre operating under the assumption that i have innovate said anything or done anything to help the communities impeaked be these. So let me set you straight. We all saw what happened in minneapolis. The riots and everything that happened there. I was so distraught by what was going on i started to gofundme and all of tee evil conservatives donated to this gofundme and we raises over 100,000 and that im going to deliver to minneapolis within a couple of weeks to help the Small Business owners that were affect by that. I speak out a lot about the injustice that is happening in these shootings. Tweet but the shooting of the guy in wisconsin basically. Yesterday i tweeted. I said this stuff is excessive. Said this is not right. This needs to be called on, right . So, if this is your first time seeing me you operate under this assumption and has to are your what assumption you have when you see a black american at that time is a republican, and this is the assumption that number one im a token. Number two i dont care about people in the black communities and number throw, i see violence i stay silent when injustice is happening and thats not true. We need to clarify that. Second, what i believe always is that you say that im special, im this, im that. But the thing is, im not. Im tall limited but im not special. Theres no reason that anybody in america couldnt do what ive done. Let me tell you something. I joined the military, served for five years, risked my life overseas in order to get the opportunity is have today. There is no reason that anybody in america cannot do that; but when you talk but its injustices and stuff, that come down to choices. Other assumption the assumption is i somehow walked down the treat every single day afraid of getting harassed bed the police or had a negative experience with police in my life. Have not had these experiences. So i think that we need to start listening to each other and talking to each other a little bit more and not getting your guard up so much to face negatively about another black person. Im assuming you black to think so negative live about another black person just because im not a democrat, because i dont bleach what the left tells me i should believe. And just because you and i may believe some Different Things because i bet you that we align on more things than we dont align on, and the thing wiz dont align on, those are things that can be settled via conversation, but the conversations never going to happen when you call people token, never going to happen when you have a negative view of somebody that looks like you just because they dont share your politics. Host thank you for having a conversation this morning on our program with our viewers. We appreciate that. Absolutely. For viewers who wants to learn more the book is always a soldier. Service, sacrifice and coming outs a americas favorite black gay republican. You can follow him on twitter if you two go to rob smith online. Thank you again. Next, shaun king reflects on this work in social justice movements. Then, investigative journalist leslie bloom recounts new yorker writer john sher hi her shows hersheys reporting. And watch after words at 6 00 p. M. Eastern. This evening, former Deputy Assistant directoff of counterintelligence peter strzok discusses this career and the work he did on the russia investigation. Find more information on your Program Guide or online at booktv. Org. Im christopher and im the director of welcome to todays program, making change with shaun kentucky. King is a writer, activist, cofounder of the real justice pack and how to fight injects dismantle system jim oppression and own our future. Ing this conversation is moderated by former San Francisco supervi j