President Donald Trump and his administration have moved fast, signing a flurry of executive
orders starting day one. They include everything from a tough clampdown on immigration, energy
policy, DEI, and the federal workforce. Attorneys general from 22 states, including Wisconsin,
have sued to block Trump's executive order that moves to end a century-old immigration policy
known as birthright citizenship, guaranteeing that U.S.-born children are citizens regardless
of their parent's status. Wisconsin Republican U.S. Senator Ron Johnson is here, and this the
first week of the Trump presidency. And Senator, thanks very much for being here.
Well, Fred Rico, thanks for having me on.
So what is your overall reaction to week one of President Trump and his administration?
Well, I'm happy to see him move fast, honoring the promises he made during the campaign.
You know, from my standpoint, I'm focusing on reducing spending to some reasonable pre-pandemic
level. It's gone completely out of hand in 2014. We, or 2019, we spent $4.4 trillion.
Then we had the pandemic spend almost 6.6. But, you know, a normal family would, if they had
medical bills, let's say, had to borrow $50,000 for a medical bill. The next year, if their family
remember that well, they wouldn't keep borrowing $50,000 and spending that level. But that, in
effect, is what we've done in the federal government. We've averaged $6.5 trillion over the last five
years. Last year, we spent 6.9. So it's unjustified. It's unsustainable. It's really absurd. And we
need to return to some level of pre-pandemic spending. And that's really what I'm working on
right now. What's your reaction to President Trump's pardon of January 6th defendants,
including 11 people from Wisconsin? Well, first of all,
I think there was a grotesque miscarriage of justice throughout the Biden administration.
Really a lawless administration. But as it relates to January 6th, I think so many of these people
were persecuted, weren't offered speedy trial. So there was, there were many harms that need
to be rectified there. Personally, I probably would have done it in different stages,
been a little more selective. But I think in the end, President Trump apparently just decided
pardon them all. And I truthfully don't have any problem with that. I don't think anybody is
really a true danger to society. How do those pardons, those square with respect for police,
many of whom were beaten or tased or repelled with pepper or bear spray?
Well, I think most of those people engaged in acts of violence did serve jail time.
You take a look at, again, you just need to compare the jail time they spent versus,
for example, the jail time murders and rape suspended New York. So again, I think you have
to weigh it all. I think President Trump, you know, I would have been a little more selective,
done it in different batches, but he decided just to pardon them all. And honestly, I don't
have much problem with it. Just one more question on this. And that is just this week you introduced
a bill called the Thin Blue Line Act that would increase penalties for targeting law enforcement.
How do the pardons and that introduction of that bill square?
Again, the miscarriage justice in terms of the January 6th defendants, I think, had to be
rectified. And that's what President Trump did. What's your response to former President Biden's
preemptive pardons for January 6th committee members, members of his family and Anthony Fauci?
I think that's a very dangerous precedent for President to potentially direct members of his
administration to commit crimes with the guarantee of a pardon afterwards. I think it's a very
dangerous precedent. It's a double-edged sword for those that are going to obtain those pardons,
though, because now they have no Fifth Amendment protections. If we decide to call them in front
of Congress and testify, they have to testify fully and truthfully.
Did you expect to do that?
I was some of them, I think, almost certainly.
Like who?
We'll see what documentation we get and who we have justification for calling in to testify.
On immigration, how do you expect President Trump's orders to play out?
What will we see at the border, in our cities, and on our farms?
Well, I think you'll see a secure border. I think you'll see an immediate return to
the remaining Mexico policy. You'll see deportations focusing primarily on criminals and people who are
a real dangerous society. That's what President Trump ran on. It's what a large majority of
American public supports, and he's moving swiftly to on that promise as well.
Do you think that the president's call to end birthright citizenship will survive legal
challenges as it's written into the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?
I certainly support his attempt to get this adjudicated. I think it's quite honestly
absurd policy. We're one of very few nations that allow that. I think it had its justification
at one point in time, and I understand why the 14th Amendment was passed, but it really should
not be applying to the current circumstance right now. And I think it really incentivizes
people. I mean, there's birthing tourism. There's all kinds of abuses resolved of that.
I think we need to end that. What do you say to insulin-dependent people who may now see their
costs rise above the $35 a month cap with a Trump order rescinding a Biden order on lowering
prescription drug costs? I don't think that'll happen.
I mean, people still be able to gain insulin at those types of prices.
And so what do you think about the rescinding of the order that was designed to lower prescription
drug costs? Again, I don't really like government price controls on things. So let me see how
this thing plays out. I mean, these are drug pricing is a highly complex issue.
When government involves itself, the marketplace generally screws it up. One of the problems we
have right now with our health care system is we have a completely broken health care financing
system, largely driven by government intervention into it. So from my standpoint, we need to bring
more consumerism, more free-market disciplines into our health care system that includes drugs,
that includes hospital care, that includes, you know, what we pay for doctors as well.
So government intervention in third-party payer systems that, by and large, remove the benefits
of free-market competition and that discipline, we need to bring those benefits back.
You've spoken critically in recent years about the security risks of the China-owned TikTok
and the Supreme Court upheld the ban. Now, President Trump has put on hold that, man.
Where do you stand now on TikTok?
Well, I vote against the Ukraine funding bill where that ban was slipped in.
Yeah, I actually have sympathy with both sides of the argument here, which means I'm somewhat
ambivalent in terms of how it all plays out. I'm not a big user of TikTok. I know a lot of people
are. I understand the freedom of speech aspect of this, but I also understand how China is using it.
So I'll let the courts aside, I'll let this process play out. We have so many other challenges
facing this nation. It's just not one of the big ones on my radar screen.
Will you vote to confirm Pete Haggseth and RFK Jr? And if so, why? Why?
Because President won a very convincing victory. Elections matter. I think the president gets to
decide who he wants serving alongside him in his administration. And, you know, borrowing some
disqualifying factor, which I don't see in any of his nominees so far, I'm going to vote to confirm.
In your mind, what other kind of out of the chutes actions on the part of President Trump
stand out as most important to you? Well, I do appreciate the fact that he's not defining for
America for government policy that, you know, that there are two genders, you know, men and women.
He's moving to protect women from having to compete against male athletes from having
biological males invade their locker rooms and other private spaces, their bathrooms. So,
you know, I certainly appreciate that. That's something that I think is also very popular.
That's what the American people support. But again, across the board, securing our board,
that's incredibly important to tapping in and using our God-given energy resources,
extremely important from standpoint and national security as well as keeping
costs down. So across the board, what President Trump is doing, we'll see the
effect of this, you know, what we're going to have to do in terms of legislation to
to codify these things. But I'm very pleased with how quickly President Trump is honoring the
promises he made during the campaign. All right. Send it around, Johnson. Thanks very much.
Every day.
Thank you. Appreciate it. We'll see you. Take care.