Wake that ass up in the morning.
Breakfast club.
Yes, it's the world's most dangerous wanting to show to breakfast club. Charlamagne the God just hilarious. Envy is out but laurn l Ross And we have the twenty twenty eight presidential candidate and the governor of Maryland.
Wes moorees here. How are you my brother back man? It's gonna be bad.
Good to have you back, man. How you feeling. First of all, I'm feeling great. Okay, I'm feeling great, man.
Listen. And you know, contrary to everything else going on in the country, Maryland's doing great.
Yeah.
We continue pushing, I mean, honestly, like getting really big wins for our people, and so we're we're excited.
I wanted to.
Talk to you about all of that because you know, I know that you're implementing a lot of great things in Maryland, and I wonder what could be replicated on a national level to protect us from a lot of things that this administration is doing that hurt working class people especially.
Well, here's the thing, I mean, I think right now we're seeing you know, people you keep on talking about what's the power of the president and how the presidency. I think people all see right now, what's the power of governors, what's the power of states? We have a whole lot more authority than people sometimes give us credit for, but frankly a whole lot more power and authority than
think a lot of governors understanding can take on. So, for example, you know, Maryland has more exposure to these federal cuts, the federal public service cuts that the Trump administration is just arbitrarily and in many cases by the
way illegally doing. And so what Maryland has done, We've come up with the most aggressive plan to be able to say, how are we going to streamline and support our federal workers, create advanced supports for them, but also making sure that we can streamline them into available state jobs that we need. So, for example, there are tens of thousands of vacancies when it comes to credentialed educators
inside of the state of Maryland. We have thousands of people in healthcare, nurses, etc. That we have as vacancies
in the state of Maryland. So I'm like, so, if people who are qualified and who are interested, we're going to streamline them, get them trained up, credentilled, and get them inside of the classrooms, get them inside of our health care facilities, because you're solving two problems, right, You're solving a fact that we have a shortage of people in education healthcare and at the same time creating jobs.
You're creating jobs, right. So I look at how Maryland has moved now in just these first months where Maryland now is going on really a fourteenth straight month of amongst the lowest unemployment rates in the entire country. Maryland has now has an unemployment rate of three percent, which is below well below the national average, despite the fact that we've had more federal cuts because the Trump administration
than most other states. And so I'm just like, as as governors, you can be creative about making sure that you can get your economy moving. You can be creative about how you getting new businesses on board, about how you're supporting your small businesses, how you're supporting your minority owned businesses, and you don't have, like I don't wait for permission from the federal government to do anything. And
that's the thing. I think that's the kind of posture that you're watching governors now able to move in.
Am how do you continue to do that if somebody like Trump says, you know what, we're not sending no more federal aid to Maryland.
I mean, here's the money come from.
He's done that, okay, So so where's the money coming from.
Well, the money comes from you're actually having to build coalitions with the private sector, you're building coalitions with with your other independent partners. It also comes from making sure that you're being creative about who your partner is actually going to be. So for example, you know, I've said very clearly, we've got to make sure that we're focusing
our economy on growth. You know. You know, we've gone from this year loan, Maryland has gone from a three and a half structural debth three and a half billion dollars structural deficit that I inherited. So now Maryland has a structural surplus, right. And part of the reason we're able to do it is two reasons. One, we're able to be very strategic about our budget and really have some strategic cuts. There's about two and a half billion dollars of cuts in Maryland's budget, the largest amount of
cuts that we've seen in sixteen years. But also what we're doing is investing in new industries. You know, I just came back from a trade mission in Japan and Korea where we were talking with companies and life sciences and IT and aerospace and defense. I'm going anywhere and everywhere where we think there's unique opportunities and partnerships to build our economy and then build an economy that diversifies
off of Washington, DC. And so we've just been very intentional and focused when I've said, listen, I will work with anyone that includes the federal government, but I will bow down to no one. And we are going to make sure we're going to protect our people and make sure that our economy grows.
And you all be wondering why I act like that, Me and him act the same way.
Now that was his version of Instagram Live.
You already know, you already know.
Now how would you How would you graide Trump's first hundred days back in offs?
I mean, listen, I don't even need to because I talk to the people. You know what I mean.
They told me the grade.
When I'm talking to to the farmers in the Eastern Shore who watched all their prices get jacked up. Whether you're the poultry farmer, where you're the barley farmer farms that have been around, and and agriculture is actually Maryland's largest industry. Farms that have been around for over one hundred years, who now say, I don't know if I can survive the next six months. Right, I go talk to the poor workers down to the Port of Baltimore, you know, and that's one of the largest and most
effective ports in the entire country. Two thirds of the country gets their goods from the Port of Baltimore, either import or export. Right. And I talk to them who are now watching a significant pullback in goods, which means less hours for them, which means less work for them. I talk to everybody who's going out to grocery stores
and watching rising prices. I talk to people whose job it is to make sure that our food is protected, Federal workers making sure that they're doing focusing on cybersecurity, making sure that veterans are getting a proper burial, who.
Now are out of a job.
Ask them how Trump is going. I'm say, how the first hundred days is going.
I'm no Joe Biden fan, but when I heard Trump say yesterday that the GDP, the falling GDP, was Biden's fault, I'm like.
Well, that's just not true.
What would you say to people, because you know more about this than any of what would you say to people when you hear that, when people say, well, that's Biden's GDP.
Listen, you can't when when the stock market jumps, you can't take credit, and when the stock market falls, you can't. You can't deploy, you deploy blame. That's not the way this game goes. You know, when you're the chief executive, you take the good and the bad. That's part of
the job. That's what leadership actually means. And you cannot look at the policies that have come on board those thus far from this administration, the impact that it's had on people and pretend like, well, that's someone else's fault. It's just it's fundamentally not true. And if Donald Trump wants to try to take credit for things that go well, he also has to take blame for the fact that this is the first time that we've seen our economy contract,
our economy gets smaller since two thousand and two. So you know, if Joe Biden in two thousand and two could have turned around and said, well, that's actually Trump's economy, but he didn't because he actually chose to lead. Well, Donald Trump take on that same responsibility. I understand this is yours what.
Things because I know you did the service your option. Yeah, so you know, workforce is really important to you. But in the firste hundred days, I'm looking at an article that says one of the big effects to Maryland is that one in every ten workers in the state is employed by the federal government, and almost half of Maryland's federal workers live in Montgomery and Prince Georgia's county. And a lot of those people are gonna lose jobs. It's
going to heavily affect black people's right. So what initiatives are you preparing now? Because they want those hits are happening, they're going to fill it and you know what I mean, in real time they won't need money and work they.
Are and you know, and we've actually been really aggressive when it comes to not just protecting federal workers, but also looking at the you know, when you look at the racial wealth gap that is in the state of Maryland, for example, you know, when I was first inaugurated, and we've actually been able to address it when we come on board, But it was eight to one when I first became the governor, and I'm you know, I'm the only black governor of the country, the first black governor
of the history of the State of Maryland, and only the third African American ever elected governor in the history of this country. And so when I came on and said we have to address the racial wealth gap, the fact that in our state it's eight to one, I was like, the reason we have a racial wealth gap is of a to one is not because one group
is working eight times harder. I mean, like, these are policies, these are systems that are put in place that have allowed certain groups to be able to gain wealth and certain groups not right. And so we came in very clear that we're coming to the focus of work, wages, and wealth. When we came on board, and when we talked about work and meant doing things like investing in the service year option for every high school graduate now is a chance to have a paid year service to
the State of Maryland. That we have made a historic investments and apprenticeship programs. We have quadrupled the amount of apprentices in the State of Maryland. And basically saying that while four year college degrees are great, not everyone needs
to have one in order to be economically successful. And we got a pipeline people into real occupations, trade school trade schools, you know what I'm saying, and starting early with that process with young people, because that not every person Like listen, I joined the army when I was seventeen, you know what I mean, And you know I went to a two year college and things worked out pretty well.
So we have to make sure that everybody knows that their path doesn't have to be the same, but their path can be uniquely theirs and they can benefit from it. That we've been able to pass not just the most comprehensive procurement reform built in the history of the state of Maryland, making sure that we're actually properly and evenly allocating capital to small businesses, black businesses. Over three billion dollars have gone to black businesses and MBE since I've
been the governor. Right, eighty six percent of all Maryland contracts now require some form of MBE participation in it, and that number was at thirty five percent Minority Business ENTERPRISEECT. Yeah, So making sure we're being very clear that if we're going to use state dollars, which by the way, oftentimes is capital that's coming from from African American dax bayers that we need to make sure that we're being even and we're being fair about the way we're talking about
allocation of that capital that we have done. Not just signed the largest part in in the history of the United States, one hundred and seventy five thousand part in, the largest mass part in the history of this country
for misdemeanor cannabis convictions. I just signed a bill on expungement on sponge reform, the most comprehensive exponge reform that our state has ever seen, on a bill that I introduced and that I proudly signed that focus on making sure we can give people a second chance and actually
clean their records. And so we've been very clear that being able to add a culture of repair is something that is really important to us because when when we all do better, we all do better, and and and and racism is really expensive and we're really trying to address that in the state of Maryland. I'm proud of the progress for making Jesse.
You're you're from Maryland.
I am, and I want to ask you, how is it working with Mayor Brandon Scott Baltimore. Yes, my god, Maryland is leading right now with black excellent. Shout out to Angela also Brooks the most talked about most and we got a lot going on in Baltimore.
We got the C I double A. Is that continuing?
Do you know? Yes, we we want C I double A and we want that to be c I double A b out of Baltimore at the end of it. Though, no, it's not.
I'm not going to a lot of people said, I'm sorry, don't don't talk about Sorry, how about it's never come to Delaware.
So okay, you got that one.
Baltimore's got a better build up right now. Baltimore is going to generate more economic activity. Baltimore City, for example, right now has the seventh fastest growing economy in the entire country. If you look at what's happening in Baltimore City, Baltimore City is on a rise. And we were very clear. You know, it's funny. When I first ran, I was like, we've got to put a real focus on Baltimore, and people is like, of course, you say that you're a
Baltimore and you're a Homer. I was like, I'm not saying it because I'm Baltimore, and I say it because I'm very good at math. Tell me a single state that is clicking on all cylinders and the city and the state's largest city is not. And the answer is it doesn't exist. That you got to invest in your largest city. In that case, in the state of Maryland,
it's Baltimore. And so Baltimore if you look at what's happening again, the seventh fastest growing economy in the entire country, the Hamas the violent crime rate in Baltimore City in the state of Maryland. Maryland's having amongst the fastest and most impressive drops in violent crime anywhere in the entire country. Baltimore City before I became the governor, when eight straight
years of three hundred plus homicides in Baltimore City. Now, the homicide rate in Baltimore City, the last time it was this slow, I wasn't born yet. Wow, it is literally having amongst the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in America. So so shout out to to Mayor Scott, shout out to the entire team, because you know, this is this really is this is going to be this is going to be Maryland's decade. But in order for it to be Maryland's decade, it's got to be Baltimore's time.
To baltimore'slother Nick's Fish House in Baltimore. They just showed me some lov and all this. I want to shout them much.
Yeah, shout out to interview with the governor, just because.
The only thing that can hurt you and Maryland right now is the Poland? So what'll be doing.
About that Poland?
Is bad? I wish there was an executive board I could.
Sunt on that way.
You know what I love about Maryland.
A couple of months ago, I was in Maryland for my daughter's cheerleading competition.
I was a what's that place called? Just National Harbor was it?
And literally that's the first time people were coming up to me saying, Yo, with everything that Elon Musk and Doge is doing.
Don't I don't know if I'm gonna have a job. My wife don't know if she's gonna have a job.
And these were just regular every day working class people that was so concerned and they probably did ended up end up losing their jobs because ten thousands of jobs got lost.
And so I was like damn man.
That's what really made me realize what they were doing was impacting you know, every day working class people in that way.
And what they're doing is illegal. Yes, I mean, listen, if you look at every one of these decisions that Donald Trump is making, and let's be clear, when people say he's passing all these bills, no he's not. Actually there's hardly any bills as this executive orders executive orders right over one hundred and fifty executive orders, and all of his executive orders can really fall into three different categories. Right,
it's ineffective, it's performative, or it's illegal. Right, those are the three buckets that every one of his executive orders really pretty much fall into. And the problem is is when you're talking about all these cuts and you're talking about the elimination of the Department of Education, do you know what, Donald Trump does not have the authority to eliminate the Department of Education in latterly, that's Congress, right, because Congress is the one that that allocates the capital
for it. So this is actually a moment when we need to see Congress have a spine. We need to see Congress step up, because right now Congress. Uh, you know, the president is chumping you. He's pretending like you don't even exist. So I'm really curious to see is Congress going to step up and do its job?
Well, no, they already I mean a lot of them have already had been.
The need completely benefiting completely benthany do you I.
Have conversations like that? Is it worth you calling them out publicly? Especially you know Democrats in Congress?
Oh yeah, and not not only is it worth that we do? And and I think and and and actually in shout out, I mean our congressional delegation, uh, you know, actually, led by Senator Chris van Holland Angelo also Brooks, is actually doing a really good job because I think our Congression delegation is really helping to hold the line on a lot of these things, on a whole collection of different issues. But but but Congress is the one that
that fundamentally has to pass a budget. Congress is the one that fundamentally has to make sure that laws can get to a president's desk. Congress is the one that needs to make sure they actually hold on to their authority. And we need in this moment, we need leaders to lead. That's what we need. And that's again one of the really I think unique things that we're saying about governors right now is that we have a chance to uniquely
show a different way. We have a chance to show, you know what, even in this time of chaos, we can still drive the fact that in Maryland we're having historically low unemployment rates, that even in this time of chaos, that we are having historic drops in violent crime within our state, that even in this time, even in this time of chaos, we're still able to pass legislation that is not just important, but also is scalable and can
take place around the country. So that's a great thing about being a chief executive in this moment, But we still need Congress to do his job.
Well.
When you see the power that Trump wields, right like we had congressman I agreeing up here, and I was like I said to him, I said, Man, I didn't even know presidents had this kind of power, And he was.
Like, neither did I.
So when you see the kind of power that he wills, is it make you push the levels of your power as governor? Do you use like, well, damn, let me see what I can do?
Well, you know, I Actually, I think the things that we were doing even before Donald Trump came out is I've always been wanting to say I'm always gonna push to make sure that we are doing justice to a job. You know. I keep a clock that sits on my desk every single day that tells me how many days I have left in my first turn and I'm gonna running back because I'm running for re election in twenty six, but it tells me, in fact, right now, it's six
hundred and thirty four days left before my reelection. The reason I keep that clock on my desk is it reminds me, do not waste a day.
Man.
You got six hundred and thirty four days right now until this time is up and someone else eventually will sit in the seat as the governor Maryland. I'm not
going to waste a day. And so I do think that our ability to be able to be creative about the levers that we're using to make change, the levers that we're using to make sure that we were doing important things like raising a minimum wage in the state of Maryland, because I want you to be the days when you have people who are working jobs, and in some cases multiple jobs, and still living at or below
a poverty line. Right, that we are going to make sure we're aggressive about doing things like funding having a storic funding of childcare because parents shouldn't have to decide between is my kid gonna be okay? Or can I go back to the workforce?
Right, that's why Jess was off for so long that none knows.
But but this is real. This is a this is a real thing. I mean, it's situations like my mom, my, mom, mom. I I was raised by an immigrant single mother who worked three different jobs and did not get her first job that gave her benefits until I was fourteen years old.
She was Jamaican, right, that's right, Yeah, that's common for Jamaica's one job that you wanted to do that.
Part time. But I mean, like, but but, and here's the thing about it. This is a woman who went on to earn a master's degree and didn't get her first job that gave her benefits until her son was fourteen. So when people are having conversations about inequitable pay between men and women or the racial wealth gap, I tell people like I don't need a white paper to explain it,
you know what I mean? Like I grew up in this that when we're doing the work that we're doing right now in the state of Maryland around young men and boys, about making sure that we are protecting our young men and boys and making sure we are lifting them up. Because it's not just because when you look at the data, how drastic and staggering some of this data is that we're seeing right now around on young men and boys. It's because I came up in this.
I was eleven years old when I had handcuffs on my wrists, So I get this, and so our ability to now use these seats and use these moments and not waste a single day is something that I take very, very seriously. And frankly, I didn't need Donald Trump to show me the power of the executive because I think in Maryland we've been showing the power of an executive. You know for the past two years.
What are your thoughts on Trump not wanting to bring home kill mar Garcia because he was living in Maryland.
I was the guy that was wrong to report it.
And here's the thing for me, this actually has nothing to do with immigration, because people will talk about this is a you know, I love what he's doing right, immigration, I said, well, first of all, if Donald Trump really wanted to fix immigration, he could do it simply by calling up Speaker Johnson and saying, I need a comprehensive immigration bill on my desk next week. And you know we'll be on his desk next week, a comprehensive of
immigration built. Because Donald Trump is the votes, he's got the House, and he's got the Senate. This has nothing to do with immigration. This just simply has to do with violating the constitution.
That's what this is.
And so when I think about the case of Abregio Garcia, my point is this due process matters in this. He needs to come home, he needs to stand trial and then let a judge decide what is what the long term what you know, what is what is what is long term? You know a situation is going to be not Donald Trump. You know, if they say, well he was doing X, Y and Z okay, fine, let him come home, let him stand trial, and let him do
what basic due process offers to every single person. And if all of that determined is true, then absolutely he should then face consequences and face the sentencing. But but not because Donald Trump looked at a photoshop picture and said this is going to be his fate because that
is a very very dangerous slippery slope. And so my whole thing is this, just follow the Constitution, follow due process, and follow what the Supreme Court in a nine zero decision said that he needs to come home and stand trial. I just I stand with the law on thiss and I stand with the Constitution correct me.
On some things, right because they mister Garcia has acknowledged that he entered the US illegally in twenty twelve, So was he he.
Was here illegally, that's he was undocumented, That's right.
So if he's undocumented, does the Constitution still apply to him?
Yes, Okay, there's still constitutional protections, okay, and and and not only and especially because what he is being held for or tried for right now are things that he has not not only not been convicted for, not even had a formal accusation of. So this is the problem, is that so Donald Trump right now is trying to rewrite the Constitution. Donald Trump right now is violating the Constitution by not allowing him to come home and have
due process. So yes, so the constitution still offers, uh, you know, still offers what is the guidance around the federal government's responsibility, around states responsibility, and that still does fall under the situation of Killbergo Garcia.
I think that's what's missing in this whole conversation, the fact that, you know, Martin Luther King Jr. Said an injustice anywhere as a threat to justice everywhere. So if you see somebody not receiving due process when they're supposed to, that could impact any of us at any given time. And none of us want to just be snatched off the street and the port it to another country just because and.
And and listen, here's the danger today. It's k Abergio Garcia. Who is it tomorrow, Laura Larrosa.
Oh my god name.
You know, I'm just saying it couldn't be saying. I'm using an example and you.
I'm trying to try to get him, and you can't tell them that you're from Dela because they like, oh please, nobody's gonna even respect then why would y'all put me in it?
No, but we're just using it as an example. It could be anybody.
Charlie Magne the guy, but it could be anything.
He's coming for you, for me, did you watch the interview that when Trump sat down with Terry Morin.
I didn't watch the whole thing, okay.
But did you see the part I said, the tattoo thing, because they were going back and forth about the tattoos or whatever. When you see stuff like that, because then media picks it up the other way and uses these tattoos that Trump that there's evidence that doesn't support what Trump is saying, but they use it as a well, he deserved what he got and how do how do you guys in the government didn't fight that because the public opinion sways so much.
It's I didn't see the whole interview. I saw I did see clips of it, and I saw that part. And what's really sad to me is it isn't just the fact that we have a president of the United States who is literally buying into conspiracy theories, uh and and photoshop pictures in front of our eyes. What really also bothers me about it is it's the people around him who enable this. Is the people around him who
tell them this is true. The people around him will feed him these pictures and say, yes, mister president, you know he had MS thirteen on his knuckles when he didn't. And so it's and this goes back to and this goes back to the idea that in many ways, this has nothing actually to do with kill Marlburgo Garcia. This has nothing even to do with his situation. This just simply has to do with are we willing to follow
the law? We Are we a country of laws? Or are we now a country where president of the United States gets to pick and choose which laws we follow, which laws we don't. Are we a country that actually follows the constitution? Are a country that listens when the Supreme Court and a unanimous decision. And let me be clear, this Supreme Court hardly ever decides anything.
Is Trump's card exactly, this is Trump's card. He put three people on nine zero.
The man needs to come home and stand trial. And we have a we have an administration right now that's literally using the Constitution as a suggestion box, you know what I'm saying. So that's fundamentally the problem and what we continue to, you know, deal with, and the fact that the relationship between the federal government and our states really has been ruptured.
So when you run for president in twenty twenty eight, I am not run when you run for president in twenty twenty eight, and and Trump runs again for his third term, what if the point of even running.
Because you know it's just gonna be all for.
Show wes like you know it, because because literally the thing that bothers me the most is people are normalizing that conversation like Trump running for a third ten.
Well, then Obama can run it. If Trump runs for a third term, it's over. The fight is fixed.
We notice I am so one, I'm not running, okay, But also I also believe that anyone who's talking about twenty twenty eight is really delusional because they don't understand
what's going on in twenty twenty. I agree. I think anybody is talking about twenty twenty eight right now doesn't understand the situation we are in right now, where we have people who are getting laid off, who have devoted their life to public service, who are getting laid off because someone who wasn't willing to take the same oath that they took now tells them their job is useless.
Right that, we have situations where we have small businesses, some cases generational small businesses that are going to go out of business simply because we have these arbitrary tariff policies that have nothing to do with economics but have
everything to do with ideology. Right that we have that we have children who rely on the Department of Education, kids who are you know, children who are receiving special needs right, kids who are in rural areas and parts of my state, who now are going to watch their funding not just cut, but in many ways evaporated, because we have a president of the United States who somehow
believes the Department of Education is not important anymore. Right. So, I think for anyone who's talking about twenty twenty eight or trying to make moves for twenty twenty eight, my answer is this, I really hope you wake up and realize the world we're living in right now and understanding what's at stake.
I think that they're talking about twenty twenty eight because they really don't have any plans for now, Like they don't even they've never seen this before, right, and they don't know how to fight it.
So they're just resorting back.
To what they know, which is the next election midterms in twenty twenty six, you know, presidential election in twenty twenty eight.
But that's why I think leadership matters, right, And that's why I think that's why I'm really proud of the work that we're doing inside of the State of Maryland, Because in the State of Maryland, we basically just said, you know, I'm gonna lead regardless, and our state's gonna
lead regardless. And so when you're looking at the momentum that we now have within the State of Maryland, the fact that we have gone from a structural deficit to a structural surplus, that for the first time in ten years, we're watching labor force participation actually increase, and new jobs, new business starts actually increasing in the State of Maryland
for the first time in ten years. The fact that we are watching new partnerships and new builds, things like the service Yeer option, you know, things like making sure that we're giving people second chances when they're coming back home, like that kind of stuff matters because I think people. One thing I always learned in the military was this, no one pays attention to how you perform when times are easy, because when you're easy, you can show me anything.
I mean, if you ever want to learn anything about anybody, watch them when it was hard, right, Watch them when it was tough. Watch them when the heat got turned up. Watch them. Did they curl up in the fetal position and just sit there and take it, or did they actually mobilize? And I think what you're seeing in the
state of Maryland. When we knew we had this crisis, for example, of violence, that I walked into and saying, I refuse to be a governor that will just sit there and attend funerals and offer thoughts and prayers while my people are dying on the streets, right And so we came in and we said we were going to have the most aggressive push to be able to curtail violence in our state. And now Maryland has amongst the
fastest drops and violence anywhere in the country. When we saw what happened in the Key Bridge, when we saw a ship the size of three football field slam into the Key Bridge, knocking out the port of Baltimore, and when people said it's going to take eleven months to be able to clear the channel, when we got together, we supported those families of the six people who we lost that day, and we got that channel cleared in
eleven weeks. And when we watch this onsot, we're now standing from the Trump administration where it is very clear my state has become public imming number one for these folks.
I get it.
Why is it because of you? Well, I think boss is a lot of proximity. And just look at the decisions that they're making when you're going out, when you're going after the NIH the National Suit of Health, when you're going after Social Security, right, you know what those also are. In addition to things that are that are some of America's crown jewels, they are also Maryland assets.
When you stand up there to press conference and say, yeah, the FBI building, which by the way, was going to be responsible for about four billion dollars of economic activities, seven thousand jobs, something that we worked on for a decade independent of politics, and Maryland won that bid fair and square. And to watch a present in the United States in a press conference stand up there and say, yeah, that's not going to the state of Maryland because they
are a liberal state. At least he showed it. At least he showed himself.
Have you have you met him yet? Have you all spoken? We have, okay, and we have all those conversations like, uh.
You know, they're interesting.
You never see the photo. Ops, you stay away from the cameras when you were around him.
Huh, well, no, you know, it's funny. I actually I actually met with him during the Army Navy game, because you know, because I go to the Army Navy game every almost every year, and when he came to the Army Navy game last year, we had a chance to meet and we talked about the bridge, and I explained to him why the one hundred percent financing, why the cost share for the bridge was so important, because this was a port that really serves the entire country, that
this was a unique situation because we are currently in litigation the reason that the porter, the reason that the the Key Bridge collapsed was not because of an act of God or because of a storm. It was because of negligence, because the ship the size of three football field slammed into it. Right, and we're currently litigation, and so the American people are going to be made whole on that. So I walked them through it. I talked
about the economics. I was thankful that Congress actually passed one hundred percent cost share, and so we're in the process right now making sure we're going to fulfill the commitment to the American people. But I've met with him before and again, I will work with anybody. But partnership only works when it's both ways. Partnership doesn't work when you're given and you're getting nothing back in return.
Yeah, I've heard you talk about the importance of finding common ground with the Trump administration, But when you think about all the moves that they've currently made, what opportunities do you see for y'all to collab?
I don't, I can't see it.
Partnership only works when it's both ways. And if you're coming after my people, you're if you're literally trying to creator our economy, that's not partnership. And so it's just very, very difficult to be able to say that this administration has been a good part and forget about to me, to my people, to the people of Maryland. And I think when you go around the state of Maryland, you
you will hear exactly what I am saying. There is a level of frustration that people have right now about the situation where where we as a state are actually moving, not because of our relationship with the federal government, but in many ways, in spite.
Of you signed into the second look in the expungement reform right, and some people feel that expungeon records may heighten the sense like heighten the public safety, you know, giving people giving some people a second chance, and you give some criminals a second chance, they feel like, you know, they're gonna make it.
It's gonna make it hard for certain people who are hard for.
Those you know what I mean, Like.
You know what I'm saying, a lot of times that's the case. A lot of times it's not What would you say to the people that feel that way?
Yeah, I mean, first, I would say, I understand the concern of something. I also know this, like I'm a I'm a child of God, and my faith teaches me that that we we believe in second chances and we should offer second chances. I also know that when you look at things like the Second Chance Act, Uh, not only are there there's certain crimes that are not eligible for for the second for the for the Second Chance Act.
So so there are some specific carbouts about you know, people who it's you know, when it's had something dealing with you know, sexual assault, dealing with children or you know, you you know, something to deal with law enforcement. So there's certain things that do not fall into the category. But also with the Second Chance Act does do it says it's not saying it's automatic that you happen. It's just simply saying you have a chance to petition, to
have a second chance and have a second look. And so it's just simply giving an opportunity for people who in many ways, uh you know, have have now been caught up in this system for a long period of time. And for us to say that that you know that that we don't believe that every sentence should be a life sentence, and that again, my faith does teach me that second chances should actually mean something and there should be pathways for it in in in certain cases, and
people should have again just the opportunity to petition. This is not automatic, but it is the opportunity to petition. And I do think for the people who then will then qualify these are people who are ready to enter back into society and be contributing members to society.
You know, if people forget about the the second chance, if you get the number after that three the three strake law two.
Kamerlynd doesn't have a three strake law right.
Well, and here's the thing, it's like we have to who of us haven't needed second chances?
And if you mess that up, that's on you.
I mean, I'm like again, I'm a person who is needed second and third and eighth chances, and it's because people gave me a second chance. It's because people help me to understand that the world was bigger than what was just directly in front of me, and that not all of my prior decisions helped to determine my future. That I'm now standing here as a sixty third governor
of my state. Right, I believe in second chances, and I believe that people should earn the right to be able to have a second chance as long as you have those certain things that are in place, and people
should have the right to petition for it. And so I just find it really you know, at times when i'm people when people like no, no, no, no no, I just find it really rich because for a lot of times the people who are like no, no, no, no, no, who are people who are standing there because someone in their life said.
Yes, sure, talking of second chances.
Right.
Going back to Kim Mark Garcia, so I know that Senator Holland is like he went and visited Salvador, and people were upset that you quickly said that you weren't planning to go there. Why were people upset about you not going there when you already have boots on the ground.
Yeah, I mean, and that's thing I was. I've been in very close touch with Senator van Holland. I applauded him when he went. We spoke before before or before he went, and so you know, I know that as a member of the Senate, there are certain responsibilities and there's certain uh, there's certain uh uh pathways that they have that I, as a governor, do not. That they have certain jobs that they can do. As a governor,
there's certain I know my job is different. Uh. We have always been completely aligned on making sure that due process is followed, making sure that we can bring kill Maarr back home so he can then stand trial. And so I've been saying in lockstep with Center van Holland the whole time. I applauded him going down and making sure that he could come back and report back to the family that he had that he put eyes on him, uh and said that he's that he's that he's physically okay.
Because remember when Chris went down there. Nobody was sure because no one had heard from him. And so Chris going down there to say I now have seen him, I know he's okay. Was a really important thing, not just for the large society, but it was really important for the family. But I also know as a governor, I have certain responsibilities and restrictions on things that I can do, and I'm going to make sure that we're leading from from the perks that I said.
I think I think you'll have to stop making it about Garcia and just start making it about making it about the issue of due process.
That's all it is.
Yeah, because people because it's too you know, they love to do that at to folks. The point the things in his character and we I really don't know, but let's talk about the constitutional violation that's happened.
And Chelman, you're absolu right, because I'm not. I am not and I won't defend him.
I don't know.
His situation, I don't know his background, I don't know I have never met with him. So I'm not defending the person. I'm defending the constitution, right, I'm defending the fact that there is due process and we've got to be able to follow that. And frankly, once due process happens again, if a judge rules that no, you know, he is a threat to side, he is this, he is that he needs to be set back, then you
know what, go ahead. Because there is nothing that I care about more and I think people are saying that with our track record in Maryland, there's nothing I care more about than public safety. Like I make sure that our people are safe. I will make sure we have
made historic investments in local law enforcement. We have made historic investments, and not just our state's attorneys, but also Maryland's one of the only states that actually puts balance sheet into the US Attorney to make sure we're getting trigger pollers off the street, to make sure we're getting violent offenders off the street. That we've made historic investments in violence prevention programs and violence interrupts, you know, people like we are us and safe streets that are down
in Baltimore. So no one can ever question my commitment to public safety. But also I think you can be committed to public safety and committed to the Constitution, and I don't think that those two things are at odds with one another.
I got two more questions because I know you gotta go. I love the fact that governors have their boots on the ground. And I saw Governor Jos Shapiro on Bill Maher and I forgot what Bill asked him, but he was just like, look, I'm not focused on what they got going on in DC. I'm focused on what I got going on in Pennsylvania. So I like that, how do we keep you from being a corny DC type in DC?
So corny man, listen, you know the You know how I guess is I didn't come from that. You know what I mean? Like, like, listen, when when I first ran for governor, I ran against statewide elected officials. I ran against cabinet secretaries, the former head of the DNC, the former head of the Democratic Party ran for governor, and then me, guy who'd never run for office for my life. But I was connected to the people, right. It was the people that made me the governor. It
wasn't a party, it wasn't a political establishment. In fact, the political stablishing wanted somebody else. So when I got into that seat, I decided, I'm not going to turn into something that I never was in the first place. You know what I mean, so the way I have continued to lead is I'm about the people. I will always stand with the people. A political party does not give me my talking points.
Good, don't let them change you, because you know they're already talking about you in twenty twenty eight and they'll be like, well's come over and start saying this, and start doing that, and meet this person and take money from this person.
And then you know what I mean, Like, I don't.
I don't. I don't play that game because I didn't get here. That's not how I got here in the first place. Man, Or like I mean, like I'm I am, I am. I am the most improbable governor in this country when you think about my journey, right, when you think about my life path, and you know, and and and again, I'm a person of faith. And Hezekiah Walker, No, he's got a line he says, when I think about my story, I can't help but give God glory. There you go. I know where my strength comes from. My
strength doesn't come from a political party. My strength don't come from political bosses. I don't. I don't.
I don't.
I don't follow that. I follow the people that got me here in the first place the people who bucked the political system, which was the people. And so I'm not at all concerned about becoming a creature of something that didn't create me in the first place. And actually, I think that the main thing that people can do right now is stay true and stay committed and stay authentic. You know, when people say, well, what direction should people go in or how should people talk or whatever like that,
I always find that question so confusing. I'm like, be authentic, because if you're not authentic, the people will suss it out, and the people will snuff it out, and they'll take care of you the way they take care of you.
My final question, this is something that I love about you. Is something that doctor Lumar Johnson loves about you, the fact that.
You have a black woman.
Because so many people in positions of power like you and government, especially black people, they don't.
Now, love is love, love who you want to love.
But as a man who loves to see black men with black women, and I have a beautiful black families.
I love it. What is the importance to that.
You know, It's funny when when I got married we're married now, but eighteen years my wife, she's beautiful, man, and she's just an amazing human being. And I remember when we said our vows. This shows you how corny I was when we first got we give our vows, and I'm like, you know my vows. I'm gonna keep it fresh and sexy.
Jesus Christ, I'm gonna keep that sound like someone fly a party Baltimore.
But you know what he was to me. She said, I will be your greatest defender. I will be your greatest defender. That's what Black women are and that's what they've always been. Like I'm telling you, man, when you think about what black women have meant to us, you know, the whole you know, we was you know, raised by women. A game came from women, you know what I'm saying. Like, Black women have always been our anchor. Black women have
always been our guide. Black women have always been the ones to when the whole world denied us, they defended
us and they lifted us up. And you know, and I think about this where even the work that we're doing right now in Maryland around our young men and boys, do you know who beautifully have been some of the greatest champions of the work that Maryland is doing that really the nation leading work on supporting our young men and boys women because they know that's talking about their sons and their husbands and their fathers and their uncles
and their friends. And it's so beautiful to watch because it is very indicative of how Black women and women as a whole have always been our greatest defenders. That when the whole world came at us, oftentimes it was women who stood in front of us with shields and say not today. And I'm so i cannot be more lucky about the fact that I've married my best friend.
I married someone who I love and who I respect and who I adore, and someone who you know, I'm so thankful is on my side because I never want to be on the other side of her spirit ever, but someone who I am who.
I would ride for because she's always wroth.
Oh my god, beautiful.
She's the first African American first lady to say she is.
She sure is, she sure is. She's a beast too, She's a beast. Y'all gotta come down, y'all gonna come.
In fact, you're gonna have crabs if we come.
Oh absolutely absolutely. And in fact, she is the co chair of the Prignance festival, so for y'all, so you know, you know, pregnant, so pregnant, pret pregnant. The second Yes, it's a second leg of the Triple Crown, one of the biggest horse races inside of the entire country. But it's but it's also it's a big deal because it's a whole festival around it and it's in beautiful Park Heights, Baltimore, the home of Brandon Scott. But my, but my amazing wife,
our States First Lady is the coach chair. You got to see what she is doing the build out. She's having club quarantine. Uh d Nice is coming down there, bringing a bringing, Jada kids, bringing too short, I mean, bring everybody from seventeenth.
Yes, I'll be there at me fourteenth, full week of stuff.
Well, right, Governor Westmore, thank you brother. We appreciate you man. We love the work you're doing in Maryland, and I mean, you know, somebody need to replicate it on the national stage. And I hope that you know, somebody gets the opportunity to so, because I don't know if we will have a democracy in twenty twenty eight or night, but we'll see, oh we.
Will, as long as we don't as all, we're gonna forfeit it. Yeah, now that's what I'm saying, like like, I mean, like we have to understan and it's like the power does belong to the people. That's the beauty of where we're at right now. And I'll say this one thing for our close too, And this is why Maryland,
I think actually is really important in this situation. I'm a big I'm a big history buff, so like, especially in really difficult times, I generally tend to lean on history, and I like a lot of Maryland history, and you know, in really difficult times like now, I'll read about famous Marylanders like Harriet Tubman or Frederick Douglass or Third Good Marshall, And I think to myself, imagine having a conversation with Harriet Tubman, who, by the way, one of the great
things about being governor is I have the power to commission. And I made Harriet Tubman a general last year, so she's now General Harriet Tubman. And I think about what would a conversation be like with General Tubman telling her about the dangers of this moment. And I think about the way she would look at me and say, do you know what I've been through. M hmm. Do you know what it was like when I had to run from my life for my freedom in the middle of
the night, running from dogs and people were guns. And then when I finally made it to Pennsylvania and I got my freedom, I then decided to go back to bring more people and where she became one of the greatest conductors in the underground railroad.
Right.
And I think to myself, what a conversation where Harriet Tubtan will be like telling her how tough my job is, how difficult we've got it, and watch her look at me and say I would have shot him.
Yeah, why are you arguing with people in Congress.
In the middle of the night. Not get what you you know what I'm saying, but like, let's let's not forget where we come from, Like for all these people like, oh this is tough, and oh this please don't forget our history. Please don't forget our ancestors. Please don't forget what they had to go through. And listen, you know, as Kate I says, we're gonna be.
Don't take the Harriet tell meing thing out of context. That was a nice black joke.
We're not trying to shoot anybody, Okay, think about exactly.
But you know, tell okay, I know you gotta go. Do you listen to Votto?
Shut up jes. Thank you, appreciate you, We thank you for coming. Governor west Moll Wake up in the morning Breakfast Club