Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news.
Speaker 2: It's on truth, social the message.
Speaker 3: After lengthy deliberation and thought, and considering the tremendous talents
Speaker 3: of many others, I have decided that.
Speaker 2: The person best suited to assume the position of.
Speaker 3: Vice President of the United States is Senator JD.
Speaker 2: Vance of the Great State of Ohio.
Speaker 3: Of course, Donald Trump Junior had pushed hard for this choice, Kaylee.
Speaker 2: And he was, as we mentioned, on every short list.
Speaker 3: He also went through a remarkable evolution from a blue
Speaker 3: collar critic of Donald Trump's he referred to him as
Speaker 3: cultural heroine to clearly a MAGA loyalist. To the point
Speaker 3: now where Donald Trump has made this decision in joining
Speaker 3: us here in Milwaukee to talk about this and some
Speaker 3: of the other issues and themes surrounding the RNC, is
Speaker 3: the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp.
Speaker 2: Governor's great to see you. Thank you for being with
Speaker 2: us today.
Speaker 1: Oh good to be on with you.
Speaker 3: What do you think about this evolution that a guy
Speaker 3: like JD. Vance went on here? Are you going to
Speaker 3: find yourself telling a similar story when Donald Trump becomes
Speaker 3: the official nominee on Thursday night?
Speaker 4: Well, I think it's certainly a lot of excitement. I know,
Speaker 4: looking at the screen and seeing everybody on the floor.
Speaker 4: I'm sure the Ohio delegation's very excited. But look, I
Speaker 4: think it's a good pick for President Trump. I mean,
Speaker 4: Senator Vance brings an element of use to this race
Speaker 4: that we haven't seen.
Speaker 1: That's for sure.
Speaker 4: The guys United States Senator obviously qualified to serve a
Speaker 4: great messenger, which is I think very important when you
Speaker 4: think about what's going to be going on the next
Speaker 4: four or five months in this campaign.
Speaker 5: Well, as we consider this selection, though, knowing that you
Speaker 5: represent one of the key swing states we are watching
Speaker 5: in this cycle, knowing Georgia is not bright red or
Speaker 5: bright blue, what does jd Vance bring to undecided voters
Speaker 5: in Georgia? How is he likely to influence that opinion
Speaker 5: when he, as we've talked about, may just be seen
Speaker 5: as a younger version of Donald Trump himself.
Speaker 4: Well, I think it's not just what jd Vance brings
Speaker 4: to the but also what President Trump and other Republicans
Speaker 4: can do between now November to make sure that you
Speaker 4: know you're getting those persuadable voters. For me, and what
Speaker 4: I'm hearing every day is that you know, Americans and
Speaker 4: Georgians can afford another four years of Joe Biden.
Speaker 1: I think that is a message that jd. Vance can deliver.
Speaker 4: It's certainly a message that President Trump and a lot
Speaker 4: of other Republicans, whether it be you know, people that
Speaker 4: we're trying to help win at the state House and
Speaker 4: state Senate level to hold our majorities in the General
Speaker 4: Assembly in Georgia, are going to be talking about people.
Speaker 4: I mean, obviously he's been very outspoken as well on
Speaker 4: the disaster at the southern border under this administration's policy.
Speaker 4: So I think there's a number of issues that will
Speaker 4: resonate with swing state voters.
Speaker 3: He referred to Donald Trump back in twenty sixteen after
Speaker 3: the book came out as noxious, so leading the white
Speaker 3: working class into a very dark place?
Speaker 4: Was there some truth to that when you look back, Well,
Speaker 4: I haven't. I haven't read the book. You know, a
Speaker 4: lot of people write a lot of different things.
Speaker 1: In the book.
Speaker 2: Did a lot of interviews in that time.
Speaker 4: Yeah, no, Well I get that. I'm you know, I
Speaker 4: was busy doing my job and wasn't too worried about
Speaker 4: his book. But listen, I think you know that this
Speaker 4: is all about the future. You know, there's been a
Speaker 4: lot of a lot of tough politics, a lot of rhetoric.
Speaker 4: I mean, I've been involved in some of that as
Speaker 4: well with the former president, a lot of other people
Speaker 4: have to a lot of other people, he were he
Speaker 4: was considered to be vice president, said you know other
Speaker 4: things that may not have been that flattery's all water
Speaker 4: under the bridge. Yeah, but that you know that happens
Speaker 4: in politics. You're looking on the flip side of that,
Speaker 4: you know. Uh, Kamala Harris said a lot of bad
Speaker 4: things about Joe Biden and ended up being his vice
Speaker 4: presidential pick. So you know it's I think I think
Speaker 4: it's going to be incumbent on people to stay focused
Speaker 4: on the future.
Speaker 5: Okay, So if we stay focused on the future and
Speaker 5: think about the kind of policy that these two as
Speaker 5: a joint ticket are likely to push for, we know
Speaker 5: that they lean toward populism, protectionism. Even Senator ged Evans
Speaker 5: being from Ohio, has been very outspoken, for example, when
Speaker 5: it comes to the steel industry and that it's stay
Speaker 5: in American hands, looking at that US steal nip on takeover,
Speaker 5: something we followed very carefully at Bloomberg. But these ideas
Speaker 5: of say higher tariffs. As you sit here and tell
Speaker 5: us that what Georgians really care about is the money
Speaker 5: in their pocket. Is raising the cost of goods for
Speaker 5: Americans by putting a blanket tariff on everything, perhaps sixty
Speaker 5: percent plus on goods coming out of China, a way
Speaker 5: that you can improve that feeling for.
Speaker 4: People, Well, you know, I would let them speak to
Speaker 4: their policy positions. But if you look at what Joe
Speaker 4: Biden's been doing, he's been picking winners and losers. So
Speaker 4: to me, I think what former President Trump and what
Speaker 4: people like JD Vance look, I don't agree with everything
Speaker 4: that Jade Vance has been talking about.
Speaker 1: I have different views myself.
Speaker 4: You know, a lot of people are going to disagree
Speaker 4: on issues on the economy and on jobs and you
Speaker 4: know other things that are going on. But you know,
Speaker 4: the thing is to try, in my opinion, is let
Speaker 4: the market work and don't pick winners and losers. And
Speaker 4: that's what Joe Biden has been doing. I think the
Speaker 4: populist in Donald Trump and people like JD Vance is
Speaker 4: really trying to fight for the American worker and the
Speaker 4: little guy out there that's you know, they're not getting,
Speaker 4: you know, they're not getting their you know, education tuition
Speaker 4: paid for, their kids may not even have the opportunity
Speaker 4: to go for college, you know, and just trying to
Speaker 4: really fight for that everyday American that's out there, I
Speaker 4: think is really what they're focused on. And look, there's
Speaker 4: a lot of other policymakers in Washington, d C. That
Speaker 4: may not go along with that either. So I mean,
Speaker 4: you have to keep all these things relative. But it's like,
Speaker 4: who do you think is best going to fight for
Speaker 4: you in the White House?
Speaker 1: And to me, it's.
Speaker 4: It's you know, the Republican ticket, the Republican policy makers
Speaker 4: that have been pushing back and didn't create this forty
Speaker 4: year high inflation where people's mortgage rates are gone up,
Speaker 4: their rent's gone up, their insurance gone up. They're complaining
Speaker 4: when they go to gas station, they're complaining when they
Speaker 4: go to the grocery store, and they've seen a disaster
Speaker 4: at the southern border and a weakening in our status
Speaker 4: around the world.
Speaker 2: Well, to pick up on Kiley's point, there's.
Speaker 3: A big debate going on right now about making permanent
Speaker 3: the Trump tax from twenty seventeen. On the surface, this
Speaker 3: sounds like something that might bring relief to consumers, but
Speaker 3: we have economists telling us every day that that will
Speaker 3: stoke inflation even further.
Speaker 2: Would you tell Donald Trump to tap the brakes on
Speaker 2: that idea, Well.
Speaker 4: I would not try to be advising them on what
Speaker 4: they're going to do on federal tax policy, but I
Speaker 4: can say from the state perspective, you know, we have
Speaker 4: to balance our budget in the state.
Speaker 1: Of Georgia, and we've been lowering on what that means.
Speaker 4: Well, yeah, I know, you don't and you know you
Speaker 4: spend too much money too, So I mean there's ways
Speaker 4: that you can offset tax cuts to not having an
Speaker 4: inflationary environment, and that's certainly what we tried to work
Speaker 4: on in Georgia by lowering the rate not only on
Speaker 4: the you know, personal income tax, but also on the
Speaker 4: corporate side of things. So we have a good business
Speaker 4: environment where people can get a good paying job that
Speaker 4: can outpace inflation, have good government benefits, and that's really
Speaker 4: what Republicans are fighting for. Well, Joe Biden and his
Speaker 4: people have been fighting forest picking winners and losers, you know,
Speaker 4: back in the union based automakers versus you know, people
Speaker 4: like we have in Georgia that are non union and
Speaker 4: to me, it's just if the policy is so good,
Speaker 4: make it the same for everybody, and if it didn't,
Speaker 4: then don't have the policy. But look, I agree, we've
Speaker 4: got to look at government spending, especially in Washington, d C.
Speaker 4: It's a reason our debts and deficits are up. Is
Speaker 4: driving you know, part of the interest rate equation. And
Speaker 4: I think as the Fed continues to look at where
Speaker 4: the unemployment numbers are and the slowing of the economy,
Speaker 4: you know, and how they deal with that, it's going
Speaker 4: to be incoment for policymakers in DC to make good
Speaker 4: decisions too.
Speaker 5: Governor. Of course, we thought all of our conversations this week,
Speaker 5: for the most part, would be dominated by policy. But
Speaker 5: in some ways the tone has very much changed given
Speaker 5: the events of this weekend and the attempted assassination on
Speaker 5: Donald Trump. Considering what we did see in your state
Speaker 5: in twenty twenty threats against poll workers, for example, political
Speaker 5: violence obviously on January sixth, as the election was attempted
Speaker 5: to be certified in Washington in early twenty twenty one,
Speaker 5: How concerned are you about political violence or steaked as
Speaker 5: we get closer to November.
Speaker 4: Well, look, we're gonna keep people safe in Georgia. I'm
Speaker 4: not too awful concerned about that, but my job is
Speaker 4: to make sure that we're you know, concerned about that.
Speaker 4: So I mean, I don't want to give the appearance
Speaker 4: that I'm worried about something like that's gonna happen, but
Speaker 4: I also want people to know that we're going to
Speaker 4: be prepared for that. I will just tell you that,
Speaker 4: you know, my thoughts and prayers go out to the
Speaker 4: you know, just heartbreaking loss of a true American hero
Speaker 4: that died in that crowd protecting his family, the others
Speaker 4: that are injured, and you know, thank god President Trump
Speaker 4: is with us today here in Milwaukee. I can I
Speaker 4: not imagine what this country would be like right now
Speaker 4: if that bullet had a moved enter to the wrong way.
Speaker 1: But I think it is an.
Speaker 4: Opportunity for all of us really to just think about
Speaker 4: the words that we're saying and to make sure that
Speaker 4: you know, we're we're having our battles in a respectful
Speaker 4: way at the ballot box, you know, not with fighting
Speaker 4: months one another or you know, weapons of choice or
Speaker 4: is what was reported, you know, bombnake making supplies in
Speaker 4: this kid's car. You know, we need to really think
Speaker 4: through what we're saying to people. I was telling Marty
Speaker 4: my team earlier. You know, I go to church with
Speaker 4: a lot of people that I know don't vote for me,
Speaker 4: but they don't yell at me at church.
Speaker 1: We're just praying together.
Speaker 4: And I think that's really what the country needs to
Speaker 4: think about as we moved to November. You know, fight
Speaker 4: hard for your position, but let's have civil discord, discourse
Speaker 4: and settle this at the ballot box.
Speaker 3: Well, a lot of people remember the language on the
Speaker 3: perfect phone call. A lot of people know who Brian
Speaker 3: Kemp is because of that call, along with your Secretary
Speaker 3: of State Raeflisberger. You fast forward to this political convention now,
Speaker 3: and I wonder what your thoughts are about Donald Trump.
Speaker 3: If you trust him to be the steward here going forward,
Speaker 3: if he does win reelection, would you would endeavor to
Speaker 3: have a relationship with him.
Speaker 4: Well, man, we're going to work with any administration this
Speaker 4: in Washington and d C. And I'll tell you, you know,
Speaker 4: we had a great work relationship with the Trump administration
Speaker 4: when they were in office. I had a great relationship
Speaker 4: with the Vice president with you know, got to know
Speaker 4: really well a lot.
Speaker 1: Of the cabinet. Second, you can recreate that work work
Speaker 1: very closely.
Speaker 4: And you know, I've been asked a question, you know,
Speaker 4: sure do you you know, how do you feel about
Speaker 4: the democracy and its surviving this election? And I actually feel,
Speaker 4: you know, very optimistic about that. I think the institutions
Speaker 4: of government are very strong. There's a lot of good people.
Speaker 4: When they put their hand on that Bible and take that, oh,
Speaker 4: they mean it. And I think they'll do their job
Speaker 4: and follow the law in the constitution, you know, the
Speaker 4: rest of this year and through this election. And you know,
Speaker 4: I think I really feel optimistic about that.
Speaker 5: Well, So, if Georgia's result comes down to a few
Speaker 5: thousand votes as it did last time, twelve thousand whatever,
Speaker 5: and the results is the same where it is not
Speaker 5: a victory for Donald Trump, do you trust him to
Speaker 5: react differently this time?
Speaker 4: Well, I would just tell you I can't speak for
Speaker 4: what how other people are going to react and other candidates,
Speaker 4: because I couldn't do that with Stacy Abrams when she
Speaker 4: never conceded to me in twenty eighteen.
Speaker 5: Stec Abrams wasn't convicted on racketeering charges or indicted.
Speaker 4: Rather well, Stacy Abrams has got a lot of legal
Speaker 4: problems right now that most people don't report on, and
Speaker 4: her groups do. Maybe not her personally, but her groups
Speaker 4: certainly do. But I will tell you that I think
Speaker 4: the institutional institutions of government, at least in the state
Speaker 4: of Georgia will hold in the twenty twenty election. I'm
Speaker 4: very confident on that. I'm very confident that we're going
Speaker 4: to have a secure, accessible, fair election in our state.
Speaker 4: Should Georgia drop the case against Donald Trump, well, I
Speaker 4: don't know that Georgia has a case against Donald Trump
Speaker 4: because of what the Supreme Court says. Well, I mean
Speaker 4: you'd have to ask Fannie willis that question. I mean
Speaker 4: that is the local district attorney that has brought that case,
Speaker 4: not the State of Georgia.
Speaker 5: Of course, we're not expecting it's going to go to
Speaker 5: trial before the election. Governor, thank you so much for
Speaker 5: being with us here in Wisconsin, The Governor of Georgia,
Speaker 5: Brian Company, appreciate your time, Sir.
Speaker 2: I hope we'll have you back