Candidate joe walsh. Hes a radio host and former republican congressman from illinois and cspan asked him why hes decided to run for president and hisfeelings about the trump administration. This is half an hour. Joining us from manchester New Hampshire is illinois congressman and republican president ial candidate joe walsh, thanksfor the little. A opening question, why are you running . Its good to be with you im running because i think donald trump is unfit. I think hes a danger to this country. Look, taking on sitting in president is a big deal. Its a tough thing to do and youd better have a darn good reason for doing it and i do. I think trump is a danger. The country would be in real trouble with four more years of him. Wi this is in sharp contrast to what you wrote on twitter in 2016. He said im voting for trump on november 9. If trump loses i am grabbing my musket. Whatschanged . My infamous musket to. I didnt love trump and i didnt like trump. He wasnt hillary. So i think like a lot of republicans steve, it was a pretty easy boat. I figured at that time trump is kind of a booth but maybe he will appoint a few good people and maybe a few good thingsmight happen. I realized pretty quickly steve after he got elected that almost every time he opened his mouth, he told a lie. We have a president who is incapable of telling the truth. When he first got elected i was on the radio, a nationally syndicated radio host. I tried to do the whole good from bad trump thing. When he did something good id praise him, when he did something bad id slap him upside the head. That didnt last very long because again, we got a president who cant tell the truth and when im out on the trail steve, i say that donald trump is unfit. And what i mean by that is i dont think hes capable of telling the truth. I think thats a danger and i think hes incapable of putting the countrys interests ahead of his own. Were seeing that play out withthis ukraine scandal ra right now and thats a danger to , to have a president who simply cant place anybodys interests ahead of his own. Thats a scary thing. If you were in the house of representatives today, would you vote for the articles of impeachment as outlined by nancy pelosi . In a heartbeat, i dont think its a close call but understand i felt like trump deserved to be impeached after i read the mueller report. Thats how crazy this is. Among the report seems like 100 years ago. It just came out last april. And its clearly showed that the president not only welcomed and encouraged a Foreign Government to screw with our elections but then that same president obstructed the very investigation into what russia did. Fast forward a few months, here we are. I dont even know why were having this discussion. Once again, the president of the United States this time pressured another Foreign Government to screw with our elections. If thats not impeachable, then i dont know what is but heres whats sad. If i were still in the house i would vote to impeach and id probably be the only republican to vote to impeach him. That said, because i know most of my former colleagues feel the same way about trump that i do. Theyre justafraid to say. Why is that, why are so many republicans in the house and senate in lockstep President Trump and if you look at the National Polls among republicanss approval is anywhere from 85 to 90 percent area. Theyre not afraid of trump. Theyre in lockstep with trump because theyre afraid of his voters. They think trump is a moron. They think hes incompetent. They think hes a serial liar, they think everything i think about him. Theyreafraid of trumps voters. And we talked about the fact that 80, 90 percent of republicans support trump. I think thats really deceptive and i think that support is soft. Im in New Hampshire today. I was in iowa a couple days ago. Im not exaggerating what i say that about 70 to 80 percent of the republicans that i speak with, they all say the same thing. I like some of the things trumps done. Im sick and tired of him. Im exhausted. Im tired of all of his bs. Im tired of his cruelty. I dont want fourmore years of it. I hear that over and over again from people. I really do. From republicans. What you need to do iniowa and New Hampshire and i know your competitor in this race is also formal governorbill erweld of massachusetts. You talked to him, what are you looking at . I have to let all of these republicans who are genuinely sick of trump and this is really important because they tell me this. Theyll acknowledge like i will, i voted for trump. A couple of the good things hes done but they cannot fathom enduring another four years of the Donald Trumps obama. And so what i have to do is let them know othat there is an alternative. Im a conservative. Im a departing conservative. Youll get a lot of the good conservative policies that you want Republican Voters but youre not going to get the cruel tweets. Youre not going to get its all about me every single day. This is the biggest problem with trump trump doesnt give a damn about anybody else but himself. So were not going to get anything done on the climate. Are not going to get anything done on healthcare, nothing done on infrastructure because its the donald trump show. I have to be an alternative for that area and its not easy. Mistake some of those issues. First, Climate Change. Is it a serious threat . Yes, its real. It exists really is a threat and we need to do something about it. Now, thats sad to say steve but in todays politics, thats a fairly courageous ring for a republican to say. Because donald trump called Climate Change a hoax. This is like the cult of trump. Ive said before my Republican Party, its not a party. Its a cult of personality. Most of my former colleagues, republicans, they understand Climate Change is something we need to do something aabout. Its real but theyre afraid to say anything about that issue the cause trump calls it a hoax. Heres what i know. We need to be at the table. People like me who believe in american innovation. We believe in american entrepreneurship. We believe in america solving problems. Not always via the hand of big government. We need to acknowledge that Climate Change is real and sit at the table to work on solutions. Oo lets talk about gun control. Would you support any type of gun control legislation and if so what . Sure and steve, whats interesting is im a huge Second Amendment guy. Im a big gun guy. Theres no moreprogram person in the country and me. But come on now. If i go across the street and i buy a gun from a licensed gun dealer, ive got to undergo a background check, a federal background check. It just makes sense to me that if i buy a gun online or by a gun at a gun show, i should have to undergo that same background check. Our focus should be on keeping guns out of the hands of people who shouldnt have them. Not going after the 99. 99 percent of gun owners in this country for legal lawabiding gun owners. I think the notion of universal background checks is an idea that both sides can come together on. You were critical of president barack obama essentially saying that his policies were bankrupting the country and i mentioned that becauseas you look at the debt and deficit today, not exceeding 23 trillion , you get ahigher rate under this president , a republican with democrats in the house, republicans in the senate. How do you stem the tide mark. My friend, not a word from my former republican colleagues read your right. I went after obama hard, sometimes i went after president obama to hard and ive apologized for some of that when it came to the debt , when barack obama was president every time our debt increased, every time our deficit increased, myself and all of my former conservative colleagues, we hold the press conference and we would rake barack obama over the coals. As you just acknowledged, President Trump is increasing the debt and a faster clip than barack obama and the republicans dont say squat. Look, the reality is the driver of our debt is healthcare. Our entitlement programs were 23 trillion in debt, the American People are living longer and longer. Thats a good thing, but how do we pay for all of that healthcare for americans living longer and longer . We have to as a country have that conversation. Because if we dont do something about it soaring healthcare costs, we will never get out of this debt. Also critical of president obama was your former colleague mick mobley, white house chief of staff. How is he doing on this issue swith mark. Is failing. But steve, like Mick Mulvaney and i were friends. Jim jordan and i were friends. I dont recognize these i really dont. I mean, they know what donald trump did is wrong. They know that donald trump acts like hes above the law. They know that donald trump ask like a dictator. They know that our founders feared foreign influence in our rselections read it yet Mick Mulvaney and jim jordan, its like its so disappointing. Its like all of my former colleagues , and this is a strong thing to say. But its like they sold their soul. And i just dont understand that. They know what donald trump, they know he doesnt give a darn about the debt but they dont say that. Its like they sold their soul to the be accepted by this president. I find that so discouraging. You said earlier you were a little too hard attimes towards president barack obama. Cite one example where you had to apologize area. On the radio, i called barackobama a muslim. Something for which i profoundly apologize. Look steve, i came out and announced three months ago im running for president and when i announced i was running for president in essence also apologized for help bringing Us Donald Trump. When i went to washington in 2010 i was part of the Tea Party Class and we went there to stop all this government spending. We went there to fight and i was at the tip of the spear fighting on things that i believed in and often times over the course of the last seven, eight, nine years i got over my knees in that fight and i got away from the policy and i engaged in ugly personal attacks, not just against barack obama against other people who i disagreed with personally and i regret a lot of the things ive said and i do believe some of the hateful politics that i practiced and others practiced, i think helped bring Us Donald Trump who is like the personification of ugly personal politics. Ive learned since trump has gotten elected that im done doing that. I dont want to engage in that kind of ugly rhetoric anymore. I want to have spiteful conversations and debates about policy. To that point, lets provide Historical Perspective the cause as you look at the civil rights legislation of the 1960s, Social Security reform under Ronald Reagan in the 1980s and welfare reform in the 1990s, that required democrats and republicans sitting at the table with bipartisan legislation. How do we get back to that point in washington . We have to take the first step which is weve got to get rid of the guy in the white house because as long as donald trump is there, whether i defeat him in the primary or a democrat beats him in the general, hes got to go because as long as donald trump is there, it will be only about donald trump. There will be no big policy debates and discussions. It will be trump 24 seven so then we get rid of trump, trump is gone and republicans and democrats have got to learn again how to debate and fight about issues respectfully and just learn how to come together. Steve, whoever the expresident is there going to have to try to unify the country area and maybe somebody like me who has been involved in the fights and has been pretty divisive. Maybe its going to take somebody like me to say that thats wrong and weve got to come together but look. Weve got to a country at bankrupt. Weve got big profound issues of healthcare and immigration and climate to just name a few that we have to have both parties sitting at the table. Its going to take a real president ial leadership to bring both parties together. Lets talk about you, born in illinois. Nine children, what was it like growing up for you and your family. It was a lot of fun. You come from a big family. It was a lot of fun. Its a lot of fun now when all the kids, when all my siblings wereolder and we got kids and their grandkids. Its like youve got eight or nine great friends. I love the big family. I love my momand dad. They both passed away within the past year and a half. My mom loved politics. She gave me my love for politics. She loved john adams and i love Thomas Jefferson and i genuinely miss all of the debates that we have about jefferson and adams but she gave me my love forpolitics. She was a historian through and through. My mom who raised nine kids, seven boys, the longest lasting image ill always have of my mom and maybe the comic was the story for you. My mom was always the last go to bed and the first one to get up. And my image of my mom is always at 11 00 or midnight or one in the morning after she had cared for nine of us all day and then been there for my dad, my mom with a book often times with a cigarette in her room reading a book until two or three in the morning. She read and read and read. She ate American History which settled down to me because American History is my greatest love. Why did you decide to enter politics in illinoisand at the federal level as a member of congress . I wanted to, ive always been fairly libertarian and freemarket oriented. And ive worried even since i was a young man that weve moved away from the country of our Founding Fathers gave us. That weve moved towards a country where we passed government to do too much and governments has gotten to me and this was 20, 30 years ago, look at where we are today and i wanted to get involved in politics to try to remind americans of what our founders envisioned. An america where you had a Good Government that was there to do certain things but an america with a vibrant state and local governments area vibrant charities, vibrant churches but weve got away from that. I wanted to just sort of teach people about what america was at its founding. You are the founder of five children, how did you meet your wife and i know she has been in politics as well. And in my second wife, so i have three. My beautiful bride lean has to so we have five together. She is my partner. Look, when you do what i do the last nine or 10 years, becoming a congressman, then on the radio around the country speaking around the country and im a lousy detailed guide, somebody needs to be right there with me or iwouldnt know how to walk. She spent a wonderful partner. You mentioned that shes been in politics as well. She was appointed lastyear as an illinois data representative. Which was quite an honor and she served out that term but she loved it as well and its really neat steve, as i do this having a partner right there with me. Where did you go to college . I went to Grinnell College in the middle of iowa or 2 and a half years then transferred to the university of iowa and thats where i graduated with an english degree a long time ago. That gives you an understanding of the first in the Nation Office state. It really does and weve been to iowa a bunch and ill be there a whole lot more next month and a half. I love iowa, steve. Im in New Hampshire right now, ilove New Hampshire as well. I like New Hampshire and people in iowa, they love to be very independent. And they love to be very informed. And they actually want to meet candidates for president. Its really cool. They take their politics very, very seriously. What your childrenthink of the Center Running for the republican president ial nomination . They think its kind of crazy in a good way. They think its a lot. None of my kids are very political. They follow it and they hope for the best. Theyre praying for me and all the rest, but like a lot of my friends and a lot of my siblings, this is a big deal. Not everybody just wakes up and says im going to take on the sitting president of the United States. My kids were surprised. A lot of people were surprised but theyre there for me. What would your parents think of this . My parents love and they were also proud to have been me as a member of congress. I know my mom and dad well enough to know that upon learning of this, both of them would want to slap me a little bit and say joe, my god. Do you really know what youre doing . So there would be some initial concern. But then as they saw me dive into this, and they saw me on cspan and cnn talking about what i believe in and saw me in New Hampshire and iowa, my mom and dad would be rooting for me but they always be read about their little joey you. Let me take that question, do you know what youre doing mark what is your path to the nomination . Thats a great question. Do i know what im doing . Yes and i want to get this out of the way right away. Why am i doing this . Because i want to win. I want to become the republicannominee. This is been the most difficult thing ive ever done in my life. I gave away a life to do this. I threw away my livelihood to do this. I get threats every dayand every week from people around the country. Im doing it to win. Im not dumb or nacve, i know its going to be difficult to win but we have a shot and even with what, weve got eight Republican Party bosses in eight states today that have basically canceled primaries. Disenfranchised Republican Voters so im up against a Republican Party establishment that is trying to protect a very vulnerable king but were going to work our panties off. What is the rnc not a fair arbiter in this process . Is it the party of donald trump . Its not a party, its a cult of personality. The Republican Party is not a Republican Party. Its not a party that believes in any ideals or principles. It is a party that worships at the feet of donald trump and the Party Establishment is doing that. These party bosses to protect their king and thats what they believe he is. Theyre eliminating elections. I think theyre doing it steve because theyre scared to death that hes vulnerable. They know like i know donald trump is an erratic and reckless and dishonest area they know like i know the Republican Party bossesdo, they dont know where donald trump is going to be in a month or two. They dont know what the Senate Republicans are going to do. They dont know what trump is going to say in the middle of february so theyre worried, they know hes vulnerable and because of that they dont want joe walsh on the ballot in all of these states. Trump to have any competition. There will not be a republican primary debate, the president has been clear about that but if you were on the debate stage with the president , what would be your biggest argument to him . Id ask him why he lies so much. And when he said he doesnt lie, i pull out a sheet of paper steve and i tell him, id show him the first line he told. And i asked him why he lied and then when he wouldnt answer that id ask him about his area i asked him why because i consider this to be so profound. I dont care what your politics are conservative, liberal, republican or democrat. We cannot as a people accept a president who lies every time he opens his mouth. I would call this president on that. And id demand that he answer it and i wouldnt move on until he acknowledged that he told a lie. As a radio listener called into your program and so joe walsh, three years into his presidency donald trump has meant what to thecountry , how would youanswer that . Hes what our Founding Fathers feared. Thats what i would tell that color. This country that we all love was founded because our founders rebelled against a king. Our founders rebelled against somebody who considered himself to be above the law and now 240 something years later in the very white house right now, we have somebody whoconsiders himself to be above the law. Thats more important than where you stand on health care or immigration or the debt. We cannot have a king or a dictator in this country. Thats what i would tell that color. Let me ask you about some of his biggest supporters including a former republican colleague in the house, mike pence. His performance on the job has been what . Its been embarrassing. Again, and i served with mike pence. I like mike pence but mike pence is a donald trump enabler. I know if mike pence and to publicly tell you the truth of what he thought about donald trump, hed say almost everything im saying about donald trump. Mike pence would say that. Lindsey graham would say that. Rand paul, go down thelist. Theyd all say about donald trump what i say about donald trump but theyre afraid to say it publicly nowbut thats what they believe. Theyre all trump enablers right now. Would you put sean hannity and fox news in that same category . Sean hannity is an idiot but yes. Sean hannity is probably in the same category. Theyre just cheerleaders. People like hannity, fox news and lets be real, its the world i come from. Conservative talk radio. If i were still a congressman id vote to impeach this president. There would be enormous pressure put on me as a republican congressman if i impeach this president but i lived with three years of normas pressure on me being a conservative talk radio host. My radio companies, the company i worked for. They busted my chops every week. The only thing, to only sing trumps praises, to say donald trump is the greatest. Thats what you have to do in conservative talk radio if you want great ratings. Thats what hannity does, thats what all the rest do. I could never do that because i can only say what i believe but theyre all trump servants and sycophants. As you talk to peopleand they look at the root causes of partisanship and the bitterness in american politics they in part look at congressional districts and gerrymandering. That was one of the contributing factors in your own defeat against tammy duckworth. How would you fix the system . You got to get the decision every 10 years out of the hands of politicians. Period. I come from a state, illinois that democrats controlled so they gerrymandered me out of the district but republicans do the same thing in republicancontrolled states. We have to get that decision out of the hands of politicians. Put it in the hands of a commission, a Bipartisan Commission every 10 years. Put it in the hands of a computer. The state of iowa by the way i think does thecommission route and when you look at iowa , the congressional districts almost look like squares and rectangles but weve got to get it out of the hands of politicians. When voters look at joe walsh, what do they need to know about you as a person . That im passionate. I got strong beliefs and over the course of the last 8 to 9 years, i have passionately argued for the things i believe in and often times i said things in those debates invites that i apologize for. Steve, i call myself, ive been like an outlaw in that ive fought hard for things i believed in , but now these past two or three years its like im a reformed outlaw because i understand how ive helped divide the country and i understand now that weve got to do one hell of a job uniting this country and as our reformed outlaw whether i win or lose im going to do what i can to help unite the country coming from someone whos been kneedeep in these fights. Is there a present or a target you need to reach in iowa and New Hampshire in terms of the overall vote . Yes and ive been told not to give you a number. Ivebeen told not to give the media a number so ill answer it like this. Right nowwith impeachment , all everybodys talking about is impeachment so its hard for me to get attention. Its hard for the democrat candidates to get attention right now in this impeachment world. So what im doing is im in iowa New Hampshire area and i got my head down and im talking to iowa voters. Heres what i want. I want the night of the iowa caucus, i want Republican Voters all around the country to wake up the next morning and to say wow, look. There is money running against donald trump. There is anotheralternative to trump. That has to be the story coming out of iowa. I got an idea of what that number needs to be but thats how i want republicans all over the country to react to iowa. One final personal note, you talk about yourparents, your wife. Who influenced you the most in terms of ideology and your own political belief. Im going to give you 80 a bad answer area its nobody personally. And maybe i got this on my mom. I just read so much from an early age and i followed all it takes so much from an early age. That people like Barry Goldwater influenced me. People like Margaret Thatcher influenced me. Ronald reagan. I went to college with Ronald Reagan. A lot of reagan influenced me. A lot of remarket thinkers influenced mypolitics. And what has surprised you the most on the campaign trail so far. How receptive Republican Voters have been to an alternative to trump, but then part and parcel with that, ive got to behonest. What surprised me is how difficult the Republican Party establishment has been. I knew they werent going to welcome me with open arms that ive been blown away with how difficult theyve made this process. How the lengths that have gone to to protect trump, is made it really difficult. Ive been surprised by that. Joe walsh, former illinois congressman, hes joining us from the first in the nation primary state of manchester New Hampshire. Harassmentwalsh, thank you for beingwith us. We appreciate. Its always great to be with you , thank you. Our campaign 20 20 team is traveling across the country asking voters what issue should president ial candidates address. A top issue for this Election Campaign cycle is the national debt. I dont think its being talked about enough and i know mike sanford got into the race but it does need to be addressed. Its over 22 trillion and it does impact our Foreign Policy. Dad does affect what were able to do with our children but it should be detailed. Id Like Washington throughout some of the Foreign Policy issueswith more analytical approach. Im currently pleased with President Trumps choices and his actions in that area but i dont want to him blindly. All the politicians would approach it more analytically. I think in 2020 what the candidates should address are the crisis going on right now in the United States. Mainly Climate Change, the crisis of gun violence. I think right now the United States and overall humanity, we are at a crossroads tween potential disaster and a result that could work out for everyone of the end. I want candidates that will
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