A Conversation with Matt Schlapp and special guests Sen. Joni Ernst and Rep. Scott Perry

Hello, everyone. It's great to be back with you on CPAC Live. I just came back from a great trip seeing my family in Kansas, specifically in Wichita, Kansas. Brought all the children to see their grandmother. Sadly, we were out there to say goodbye to a friend, one of our great family friends, Kathy Nock, who recently passed. Interestingly enough, my mom has had too many friends die, not of Chinese Corona, but of complications from not going to the hospital because they were told that that somehow was unpatriotic, allowed the hospitals to be for Corona patients. And we're sorry that our good friend is no longer with us. I also received tragic news today that another friend, a friend of ACU, tragically took his own life. I think it's important in all these conversations about the virus and everybody trying to take responsible steps for their own health and safety, that we have a balance to things. And unfortunately, this idea of shutting in your house, not having social interactions, not sending kids to school, which is something my wife and I feel very strongly about. We want our kids back in school. We feel like that can be done safely. Kids, as we know, are not a high risk category, especially if they don't have other health concerns. But the mental health impact of telling everyone that it's unhealthy to talk to people, to interact with people, to have social interactions, to be involved in our communities, it can have a devastating impact on people. So let's keep everyone in our prayers and in our thoughts. And let's keep our good old fashioned American common sense as we face these battles. Now, it's our great we have a great show for you today. We have a great conservative senator from the state of Iowa, Senator Joni Ernst with us. And we also have a great conservative from the state of Pennsylvania, Scott Perry. And so we're going to talk mostly about China with each one of our guests. But first, let's bring in Senator Joni Ernst. Senator, thanks for joining us on CPAC Live. Oh, gosh, it is so great to be with you, Matt. Thank you so much. And I'm sorry to hear about your trip to the Midwest. And certainly our thoughts and prayers are with your family and Kathy's family as well. That's very kind of you. You know, Midwestern people are so different from Northeastern people. It's really it's almost schizophrenic when you're out here in the swamp and then you go home. You understand this. And I just talk to people that would grab me by the shoulders at this funeral and say, what is going on in my country? When did it become controversial to stand for the flag, to stand for cops, to stand for families, to stand for statues of Jesus and Mary and churches and the state of Israel? When did that become controversial? You're someone who has served your country in so many ways, including in the military. When did the flag become controversial? Yes. Well, it shouldn't ever be controversial. And I'm always reminded of a song that a friend had written. And it says something about one old man in the crowd that stands up as the color guard is leading the parade down the street. And, you know, we all need to be more like that one old man and stand up, place our hand over our heart and make sure that we are respecting the values that and opportunities that this great country has given us. I am so proud to be an American and we have had challenges, no doubt about it, folks. But for heaven's sakes, I look around this globe and there is nowhere else that I would rather be. Because, again, while we have challenges, this great country also provides us opportunity, opportunity to overcome. And so I think we've just got to get right back to that. We've got to celebrate families. We've got to celebrate God. We've got to celebrate our nation. All of those things don't have to be exclusive. We can all be inclusive. Let's do it. Really, again, greatest country on the face of the planet. And one of the great things about Americans is we're tolerant. We have this idea that each individual is going to live their great big American life as he or she chooses. And the problem with what's going on in these big cities, with the riots and the fires and the hate and the anti-Americanism is they don't want to allow people they disagree with to be able to speak freely. They want to shut them down. Did you get a chance to watch any of Bill Barr's testimony yesterday? And do you have a reaction when you literally see federal law enforcement under attack in these federal buildings like courthouses? Yes, I did see clips throughout the day. Of course, I had a very schedule, very busy schedule over here in the Senate. But what I did catch on C-SPAN and on TV was very disheartening, very disheartening. Our federal law enforcement agents have a job to do, and that's protect our property. And folks, when did it ever become OK to destroy somebody else's property? We can't stand for that. We certainly will support people that are peacefully protesting. And you know what, when there is splintering wood and shattering glass, all of the peaceful protests get lost behind that noise. Or as the founder of the 1619 Project has said, it's not violence and it's not destruction against individual private property if it can be rebuilt. So that's a dangerous idea that could allow someone to burn down your house as long as you can rebuild it. And that's not what we believe. It is, but then peaceful protests. Peaceful protests, please. So we have been watching what you've been saying about this important relationship we have with China. We were reading this great piece that was on your website. You're somebody who believes in having reciprocal trade agreements. Obviously, the people of Iowa, the great farmers of Iowa and manufacturers want to sell their products all over the world and their commodities. But America needs to do a better job of not making it uncompetitive for people to make things in America. Is that the gist of what your push is legislatively? Absolutely, Matt. And as a former battalion commander of a logistics battalion, understanding our supply chain and having been trained by the military, I understand the needs of an organization and how to get those supplies to the organization. And when I look at what China is doing to the United States, it is absolutely unbelievable. When we need to protect our own citizens, whether it's through national defense, whether it is through making sure we have the right medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, rare earth minerals, we should not be relying on communists for that. We need to find a way to bring industries back into the United States, manufacture our own type of equipment, whether it's for national defense or for the health and well-being of American citizens. We have to do that here. We have to protect our technology. And so I do have a number of initiatives, one being the Beat China Act, which would be very, very helpful in getting those industries back into the United States. So what we're hearing from the other party and their candidate for president is America should go back on this tax cut that you voted for and raise taxes on something like 80% of Americans, increase tax rates by a third. How will raising taxes and then putting on all the Obama-era regulations, how will that help make American businesses competitive? It's illogical. It is illogical. And we've had many discussions about that just in my office and with other senators. And fact of the matter is when you have those tax cuts that benefit our hardworking Americans, we've had over 1 million Iowans that benefited from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. We had employers that were able to reinvest those dollars that they were saving in employee bonuses and additional benefits for their employees. All of that was very, very good and very healthy for our economy. Our economy was booming before coronavirus because of those tax cuts, because of deregulation, getting rid of regulations that made no sense. All of that is very important to getting our economy and our country back up on its feet. But I can tell you the 1 million Iowans that benefited, they don't want to pay more taxes right now. During coronavirus, they are just trying to make ends meet, do the right thing for their families. And what they don't want to hear is that someone who is aspiring to be the President of the United States is going to raise their taxes first thing. You know, these are hardworking folks, and I think they should be able to keep more of their own hard-earned money. Well, you know, when Democrats say they want to tax the rich, the middle class better get themselves some protection. Because when they want to soak the rich, it's the middle class who needs the umbrellas, right? That's the way it always works, because still in America, there's this big, vibrant middle class, and that's where the taxes always tend to go. And the middle class has been doing so well. Senator, let me ask you another question. Obviously, Mitch McConnell came out with this Republican version of kind of the next step to help Americans get through their problem or their financial issues with this government, this economic shutdown, which we all want to see get the economy, you know, let's get it open again. But still, people are suffering. Not all businesses have been able to open. We've also read stories about how some of this aid through cities has gone to actually state-owned enterprises in China. You know, this money is intended, when you vote for these bills, it's intended to help Americans not somehow be funneled through, you know, public transit departments or other city departments to state-owned enterprises in China. Are you aware of this? And it's just kind of the stuff that the American people read about, and they're like, hey, what gives? Why are we being so stupid? Right. It doesn't surprise me in the least. And of course, with the CARES package, the phase three package we did, it was close to $3 trillion. And the objective was to get the dollars out of Congress as quickly as possible, send it out from the federal government, get it to those individuals and those small businesses that really needed that support. And in that effort, we know that we'll have to go back and double check and audit and make sure that those dollars were going to American-owned enterprises. That's what the dollars were for. It needs to stay here in the good old U.S. of A. to make sure that we are supporting our businesses and our hardworking families. So we do have to be very careful with that as we're considering this next package as well, because we want to ensure the dollars are getting out to those individuals that really do need it, those businesses that are still not up and where they should be. But we have to be very cautious. What we don't want to do is be supporting red China. So that's why I always call it Chinese Corona. I know some people said, well, is that really the accurate medical term? It's just important to remind folks, whether on purpose or out of incompetence, China left this virus loose on the world. And when I hear people like Nancy Pelosi call it the Trump virus, you realize there's too much politics in all this. We got to get the politics out of this. And I actually do want to listen to the doctors, including the doctors that want to put videos on Twitter and on YouTube, talk about therapeutics and stuff. We got to get the politics out of this so people can start to know what to believe. Yes. And to blame this virus on our president, who was under scathing criticism for shutting down our borders very early on, shame on them. You know, they were so critical of the president. And if it had been left up to a democratic administration, they wouldn't have shut down the borders, which would have exposed us much, much faster and let all kinds of people in from those hot spots that we were trying to protect our people from. So just very, very difficult situation. But the president made the right decision by shutting down our borders, by quarantining Americans coming back from some of those hot spots overseas. And again, you know, I'll just remind everyone, the Democrats didn't think that was the right thing to do. They are armchair quarterbacks. They keep looking back and back. And while we would have done it differently. Well, no, you wouldn't have. You would have opened up our country to even more trouble. Well, the word racism gets bandied about a lot in American politics. And they basically called our president racist for stopping travel from China. He didn't do that because of their race. He did that because that's where the virus had first exposed people. So, you know, this whole idea of just going after people and immediately giving throwing up a slur of racism. It's so damaging. It's really hard to recover from really get after you. And now and now look how it's infecting sports. Do you kind of want to turn on ESPN or turn on a ball game and just get your mind out of politics instead of? I tweeted the other day that I think I think I want to get more involved in politics. Maybe I should work for Major League Baseball. It might be a good step forward for you, Matt. You know, you mentioned getting schools back in and doing that safely. We think that that is really important. And I know that our kids are so anxious, you know, to play. Get out there and play baseball. We have had some local groups in Iowa that are doing that. So, you know what? I might encourage a lot of folks instead of focusing on the major leagues and a lot of the folks that are making big bucks, let's really focus on our children and make sure that we're supporting them in any activities where they can safely engage with each other. You know, it's really healthy for children to be able to socialize together and have fun doing something like softball or baseball. And, you know, let's let's do that instead of enabling others that really are not happy about our country. Hey, let's get back to high school football, right? Go go to your local school. Hopefully it'll be open and watch the kids compete. I agree with you. We all need a break from some of the oppressive news that we get inundated with. And remember that this is a great country and we've got great people, great institutions. And we're going to get through this, right? We are going to get through this together, Matt. The American people are absolutely resilient. So we're going to get through this. And no doubt there will be hardships along the way. But together we're going to do this. We're going to lick this virus and we're going to come back with a strong economy better than ever because we are the United States of America. Well, Senator Joni Ernst, we really honor you for the work you do in the Senate. We actually feel sorry for you some days because it seems so dysfunctional. And we're so happy that you're there because we need more good people that will just stand up and do the right thing and use good old fashioned common sense. Some of this actually isn't that complicated that needs to be done. So thanks for being with us on CPAC Live. And I hope you get back to Iowa soon because I know you like it there a lot more than out here. Tomorrow night. Tomorrow night, Matt. Every weekend. That's awesome. And also Senator Ernst brought up the fact that we had this rather appalling experience in the House yesterday in the Judiciary Committee where the Attorney General of the United States was basically disrespected on a fairly regular basis. Of course, he had the greatest line of all because he's a very bright man and he's very just kind of placid in this hurricane of rudeness. And he said, I thought that the reason why you brought me to a hearing is because you wanted to hear me. We're going to be right back to CPAC Live after this short video with Attorney General Bill Barr. I gave instructions as to what my time. Yeah, I'm answering your question. You gotta let him answer my time. The effort there was Mr. Barr. I guess there was no. So let me just tell you, of course, I'm starting to lose my temper. We're not taking down public health orders. We were making narrow time as we were calling attention. Will you restore my time? Because this witness is speaking. Well, I just think Attorney General Bill Barr has a lot of patience, shall we say. And I always think he kind of looks like the cat playing with the mouse that, you know, he's got the upper hand, I think, intellectually and morally in that repulsive display in the House of Representatives yesterday. Now, we're now joined by a great conservative congressman, a real conservative crusader with a 96 percent, which is basically a perfect lifetime voting record with the American Conservative Union, Congressman Scott Perry. Congressman, thanks for being with us today. Thanks so much, Matt. It's great to be with you. And I hope I'm sure you're going to give me better treatment than some of my colleagues on the other side of the aisle gave Attorney General yesterday. I'm reclaiming my time. How about Jerry Nadler chastising his colleagues for having the temerity to drink coffee? What was that all about? It's just Jerry Nadler. Look, Matt, you know it's the left. They love to have control and authority. And if you have a control and authority, you must exercise it at every turn. That's what they're about. You know this. Yeah. So I always say that the only kind of homeschooling a liberal likes is when he can mandate it on everyone. Yeah, that's exactly right. It's all about controlling your life and everything you do and them having all the answers and you doing as you're told. That's what it's always been about. You know, it went from the Democrat Party, and they have now accepted the socialist moniker. Not only accepted it, but they're extolling it as a virtue. And let's face it, Matt, these folks, these are socialist policies. But socialism is an economic construct. When the American people reject it, they'll move on to the next construct. And you know what that is, where they force it on you like it's been done around the rest of the globe because they just know better. And you must submit to that. And that's what this is. A lot of this is about is conformity to their requirements. You know, Congressman, when we picked the theme America versus socialism at our last CPAC conference earlier this year, we were trying to have like a stretch theme that would make people think like, what if it really was about whether or not America would turn socialist? Fast forward now to July, and you can see that America is actually experiencing the initial effects of socialist policies, whether it's anti-military, anti-police, the dysfunction of the cities, this cancel culture where they try to not just disagree with you, but destroy you, shut you down, put a gag in your mouth. Did you ever think that you'd see what's going on in this country? I actually honestly didn't. You always knew it was going to be out there on the fringes, but for it to become mainstream. And of course, we watched Bernie Sanders, who wasn't a Democrat, right? He's a socialist, but he was running on the Democrat ticket. And Matt, from my experience, we're all informed by our life experiences. I grew up in the Vietnam era, and so I was around Korean War veterans and World War II veterans and, of course, Vietnam veterans. All of those people fought the agents of socialism and communism, totalitarianism. That's what it's all under, the totalitarian umbrella. And that's what America stood against. We stood for freedom. Sometimes you didn't agree with the other person's viewpoints or what have you, but we understood that that's what was enshrined in America in the rights given by God, enshrined in our Constitution, is the right to say those things and to think those things. But we never believed it would become mainstream because we knew the history. And we assumed everybody knew the history and would know the history that this oppression, this totalitarianism associated with communism and socialism worldwide has been devastating for the sake of humanity and that no one would willingly try and do this and go there. And in our present time, as we watch Venezuela, a former first world country, descended to a third world lawless misery, you just think to yourself, why would anybody in the right mind ever advocate for or be for this? Yet it is happening right before our very eyes. It's so disappointing. But at the same time, what did we expect, right? We have ceded all our most important institutions, education, the media. We have ceded all these over the past 40 or 50 years to radical leftists who protest in the streets in the 60s. And now they're all in charge of this stuff. And because it was too uncomfortable to fight, because it was just easier to, well, we'll just give them a little bit. We'll agree on this point, or we just won't fight them on this point. Over time, that accumulated to where we are now, where now this is mainstream. And literally, there's no more room for compromise. People say to me, you folks in Washington, D.C., why can't you get along? Why can't you work on a bipartisan basis? Matt, it's very difficult for anybody who loves America and has taken an oath to defend the Constitution, who actually believes that, to find some agreement, some point of agreement with socialists and totalitarian. It's hard to come up with a compromise, which I know is a little bit of a dirty word, but it's hard to find any common purpose with people who don't love America. American officeholders who are trying to transform America, and they use that word, which means fundamentally change it, which means scrap it, basically, and start over. And you are doing a lot of work highlighting the problems of this relationship we have with the CCP, the communist government in China. And unfortunately, some of the abuses that the communists in China have been successful in dominating their people with, like I said, we're seeing the sprouting of it here in this country. Talk to us about your view about how the president has approached this relationship with China and what you're trying to do in Congress. Well, I think it's important, and thanks for the opportunity, Matt. It's important to set the predicate here. So for 40, 50 years now, our government, the United States of America, federal government, has told the American people that China is a strategic competitor. And Americans love to compete. We always think we can do it better because we have been able to do it better. But what we've lied to the American people about is that China is not a strategic competitor. They are our adversary. They seek to overcome us and to diminish our prominence in the world. They seek to replace the United States. And because we live in cancel culture, we must be sure that we delineate the difference between the Chinese people, billions of Chinese people seeking to breathe free, just like American citizens and like freedom-loving people around the globe. We differentiate between them and the Communist Chinese Party or the CCP who runs that country. And I will tell you, Matt, I describe them as a thugocracy. The Chinese Communist Party is a criminal organization that has seized control over the country of China. They did this, by the way, and this is important for context, too. They did this with the assistance of the United States of America at the end of World War II, where an avowed communist, John Service, working in the FDR administration for treasury, led FDR to choose Mao Zedong over Chiang Kai-shek. And so that's where the roots of this really begin. But if you fast forward to where we are now, China is obviously guilty of egregious crimes, not only to humanity, but directly to the United States of America. Three hundred to six hundred billion dollars of intellectual property theft every single year to include hypersonic cruise missile technology, the plans to the C-17 and the F-35 and the buildup of their military, the overtaking of the Spratly and Senkaku Islands in the South China Sea and then militarizing them, the construction of an aerial defense information zone over international territorial waters or non-territorial waters. So China seeks to export its totalitarianism and the communist Chinese Marxist ideology through a thing called unrestricted warfare, where they're involved in commerce. See, they don't want to get into a shooting war with the United States, Matt. And so far, they haven't had to. And if they continue on the course, they won't have to. They're just going to subsume us. So whether it's 5G, whether it's intellectual property theft and the destruction of every small job creating business in every small community around the country, China has been very effective in destroying America's economic vitality. And we've actually assisted them in that. So this president, after all the other ones, has been the first to actually take China on. Now, he said it long before he was elected, as you know. He's always talked about this. But he has been the first to take it on. But Matt, it takes time for Americans after 40 or 50 years, one thing by the government to all of a sudden switch around on a dime and say, oh, my goodness, China is the enemy. And that's where we are. Congress, let me ask you this. Why has Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and the Democrats, why have they become such patsies? Why have they become so weak on these questions? You would think, you know, the Democratic Party of old would have tried to stand up for the little guy and the person being tortured, persecuted in China and in their orbit. What happened to them? Nothing happened to them, Matt. They've always been complicit. They've been part of this all along. And so to turn around and say our whole lives, everything we stood for as long would be an admission of their failure to protect not only their country, but like you said, the citizens in their districts that they're allegedly representing while they're exporting their livelihoods, their prosperity and their opportunity to China, to the Chinese Communist Party. And so what they're trying to do is have it both ways. Talk tough on China, but then do nothing about it. Matt, I've been on the Foreign Affairs Committee since I've been here. And so far to date, excepting this year, we have moved zero legislation to rein China in. Zero legislation. So Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer and the Democrat Party at all is great at talking big. But when it comes to actually doing something, there's only one person in Washington, D.C. that is driving the train. And as you know, that person is Donald Trump. Now, there are many in Congress on the Republican side that are trying to be, we've been in this fight since the beginning, but we haven't had the support of any Democrats. And they're going to be dragged screaming and kicking to the fight because let's face it, there's a lot of money at stake for the people that pay for their campaigns. And they don't want to jeopardize that. They would much jeopardize the country than jeopardize their own campaigns and their positions of power here in Washington, D.C. When you're in Pennsylvania, what's the feedback you get from Americans about this new approach to China and especially what China is doing with cyber warfare, what we read about computer application companies like TikTok and this whole battle on 5G? What's China's plan to use cyber to implement their grand global takeover strategy? So China's plan is to gather up all the data from every single American, quite honestly, from every human across the globe, and then leverage that data to control our very actions, whether it's through a system of social credits, whether it's to destroy your local small business in a contract where they're competing. And China says we want to take them out because they might be a competitor. I mean, that's the unrestricted warfare approach. Now, I think that people understand, and I will tell you, Matt, but most citizens, just like in the 10th District of Pennsylvania, where we're hardworking, taxpaying individuals who love our country, who love our family and our community, but this is kind of new to us, this 5G stuff. People don't understand the nuances of that, but they do understand that China wants to take over. But that understanding is a new revelation for many, many people. And quite honestly, that revelation has come by virtue of the coronavirus, the Wuhan virus, created one way or the other in China, either by happenstance or design, and then exported around the globe. That has really heightened all citizens' awareness to who China is, whether it's because they intend malign activities or just because it's the Chinese Communist Party and they're not going to be transparent. They're going to lie, and they're going to do everything in their own self-interest to preserve their position of power in the Chinese Communist Party. So I think that, like around the country, South Central Pennsylvania is understanding that. But we're obviously late in understanding that for an average citizen who's going to work every day trying to just pay their bills and buying stuff at Walmart, and if you turn it over, it says made in China. They're used to buying goods that have been very affordable because they're made in China and oftentimes with slave labor. But at the same time, their government's been telling them for 40 years that it's okay to do this because we're just competing and China is a developing nation. They don't understand that China has well developed and is a competitor to the United States on par in many cases, in some cases beyond par with the United States. And so they're getting it more and more, Matt. And I think that the polls would show that the numbers are very high, but they're unsure exactly what to do about it because decoupling might also mean loss of jobs or loss of opportunity because we're so interconnected as an economic force with China. And one of the things that Tucker Carlson has brought up on his show on many occasions is a lot of these American companies have worked with consulting companies like McKinsey, which actually also represents entities very close to the CCP, to the communist government, almost in like this collusion to get American companies to do more things overseas. And I think a lot of the American people just didn't really see behind the curtains. No, they don't see behind the curtain, Matt. And God bless you and CPAC for bringing this information to light, because if we're counting on the mainstream media to hear these reports, we're never going to hear it. For instance, the folks that run Google will come out and chastise the American people about the faults of America as founded and all our flaws along the way, but we'll be happy to participate with the Chinese Communist Party at oppressing billions of people around the particularly in China with a system of social credits, or actually support the Chinese Communist Party by limiting the access to free and open information to the people of China. Google actually does that while lecturing us about how unfair we are. So you got to wonder, Google, headquartered in the United States of America, why can't they support America? China is at some point, when they take over as much as they want to, going to shut Google down as well, right? That's the plan. China is interested in making money, preserving their authority and spreading their view of totalitarian government around the globe. And America is not immune to it. And you got American companies that are loved by Americans supporting that effort. Well, Congressman Scott Perry, we appreciate the fact that you're raising these important issues. All you're doing legislatively, as we said, to start this conversation, you have a lifetime rating of 96% with the American Conservative Union. We encourage everybody in the state of Pennsylvania and across the country to go to our website and look at these ratings. Know how these members are actually voting. What is unusual about Scott Perry is he doesn't just talk the talk. I'm supposed to end that by saying you walk the walk, but you vote as you talk, which is actually very refreshing. And we appreciate your important voice on all these questions. Congressman Scott Perry, thanks for being with us on CPAC Live. Thank you very much, Matt. And thanks for this opportunity. And you're right. Check the members' votes, because everyone tells you they're conservative, even Democrats, but that's not how they vote. Yeah, that's exactly right. Hey, we also score the liberals. And it's interesting to see how many of them now are getting zeros. It's historic, by the way. So surprising, I'm sure. Yeah, surprising. We're going to be right back with some final thoughts at CPAC Live after this short video. The president wants footage for his campaign ads, and you appear to be serving it up to him as ordered. In most of these cities, the protests had begun to wind down before you marched in and confronted the protesters. And the protesters aren't mobs. They are mothers and veterans and mayors. We fought for a democracy, for the right to speak freely, and you are attempting to take that away. What's worse, you're doing it for the sole purpose of furthering the president's political agenda and generating footage for Trump campaign commercials. Well, I think our Attorney General, Bill Barr, has a lot of grace and class to put up with what he put up with the other day. I mentioned that we had gone out to Kansas. And while we were gone, a really disgusting thing happened. Black Lives Matter Incorporated, in association with some of our very own neighbors, decided to take to the streets to oppose somebody who lives in our neighborhood, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf. Chad Wolf did the high crime for the left of actually trying to put out fires in our major cities, bring back order to those cities, working with Bill Barr to make sure federal property isn't destroyed, that statues aren't ripped down, statues of our religious leaders, of saints, of the founders of our country, of people who have made a difference in Western civilization. He had the audacity to stand up for the rule of law and to make sure that the left doesn't, in essence, eat its own with its own nihilism. To quote one of our board members, Bill Walton, who's always reminding me that it's not just Marxism, it's nihilism. It's the belief in nothingness, in chaos, in just destruction. And of course, as a Christian, I understand that that's what the devil wants to do. He wants to create destruction and chaos, so there's no order. Nothing makes any sense. Bill Barr said something in a great speech at the University of Notre Dame. He said, these people call themselves progressives. My question is, what are they progressing toward? When you listen to hateful, radical, violent people talk about what they hate and what they want to destroy, the next question is, what would you put in its place? They have no vision for what they would put in the place of America, but they know they hate America. So this idea that Chad Wolf, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, has to be subjected to protests from some of his very own neighbors, one of his own neighbors even offered these protesters refreshments as they terrorized his children in front of his house. My friends, this is un-American. When they say it's peaceful protests, I'm for that. I've participated in that. CPAC went to the streets of Hong Kong and stood with the democracy leaders in Hong Kong. You know what they want in Hong Kong? They just want human rights. They want to be able to vote. They want to be able to go to work and participate in commerce, to have as many kids as they want or not want to have, to marry who they please, and to live their life. That's what they want in Hong Kong. When these radical Marxist nihilists, Antifa, Black Lives Matter Incorporated, which are all working in collusion with the Biden campaign, Joe Biden has yet to call out any of this violence, any of this lawbreaking. None of these Democrats are calling out any of it. They're fanning it. Why are they fanning it? These are the ground troops of Biden for president. You notice you don't see any announcements about Joe Biden hiring swaths of people in all the battleground states. Their goal in the battleground states is to create chaos in the cities, to scare suburban voters that somehow Donald Trump is doing things that are making matters worse instead of trying to make them better. They choose chop over Chad. They would rather have chop than have law and order that Chad Wolf and Bill Barr and the President of the United States is trying to make sure we have. Who are the ultimate victims? The ultimate victims are probably not people like you and me, although I think we fear it. The ultimate victims are these young kids that are trying to grow up in these very, very dangerous cities, cities like Chicago, cities like Los Angeles, cities like San Francisco, cities like New York City, unfortunately cities like Washington, D.C., cities like Milwaukee, St. Louis. The victims often are young boys and girls of color who have done nothing wrong. They're not political. They're just trying to grow up in America. I think it's a sad day when liberals don't stand alongside law enforcement to say, thank you for trying to bring order to the cities. I love watching these videos. Actually, I don't love it, but I appreciate watching these videos of black voices on Twitter, on Facebook, before they're taken down saying, my life matters too. I want the cops to come in and protect my business, which I've built up my whole life. And there are, you know, I looked at the Gallup poll the other day, up to 25% of African Americans call themselves conservatives. And so what we have to do as conservatives is keep reaching out to all of these groups that people don't think would be with us. I think there's a lot more people who agree with us than the media likes us to believe. Once again, they want us to feel isolated, alone, depressed. That's why these polls come out that try to make it seem like Donald Trump cannot win, that Nancy Pelosi cannot be taken down, and that the Senate is inevitably going to fall into the hands of Charles Schumer. I don't believe it. I believe this could be the most consequential race we've ever seen, not because of Donald Trump, who, as you know, I respect, admire, and strongly support, but because now it's bigger than just a man. It's about America. It's about our country. Will it continue to be a union? Can it exist going forward, promulgating the same fundamental values that our founders wished each of us to understand, the most important of which is, yes, there's a God, and yes, He created you, and He created you for a distinct reason. You get to use your own providential judgment to determine how you chart the course of your life. It's a very radical concept these days. It's a very American concept. It's a very Christian concept, a God-centered concept, a faith concept that the individual is infused by their creator. Part of that is the ability to speak, to have an opinion. I said yesterday on television, and I reiterated here, whatever happens to that great liberal idea that I can disagree with what you say, I can condemn what you say, but fight to the death for your right to say it. Well, thank God on CPAC Live, we still have the right to say it, and we're going to keep saying it. We're going to keep working with you, and we're going to be out on the road having these CPACs, and we hope to see you, and thanks for joining us today on CPAC Live.