tv Washington Journal Sean Spicer CSPAN October 25, 2021 10:47pm-11:31pm EDT
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federalizing our elections are things that once done can't be undone. and is antithetical to what our clint is founded on. >> he wrote in the book, the election of joe biden, harris is the loudest wake-up call i've ever heard. most progressive president, he's already proven it, take him out at his word. what has he done, what can prove what you're claiming here? guest: look what they're doing $3.5 trillion on top of $1.2 trillion. to take this back a step, great tark three fridays ago inner a interaction with the press he said if we pass my $1.2 and $3.5
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pieces of legislation we'll fundamentally transform the structure and nature of our economy. fundamentally transform the structure and nature of the economy if that doesn't spell radical, no one asked him to do that he told us he would be the most progressive president ever. the policies he's pushing are with that intent. we're talking about spending upwards of $5.5 trillion in a matter of months. it took several administrations multiple years to do even close to that. we have $28 trillion in debt, we're adding on another $5.5 trillion and change right now. i'm very concerned about the direction this country. i think that what they're doing this in front of our face, the idea of trying to take over our elections with h.r. 1 or s. 4, whichever piece of legislation you want to look at. either one of them does the same thing. takes away sovereign rights granted to the states and puts them in the control of the federal government.
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host: what do you think is the president's plan for america? guest: in the quote you read, the president said, i intend to be the most progressive president r. i think we do need to take him at his word. president biden, you've got to give him credit for this. he understands that time is limited and that he has x number of years cement a legacy. he talks about f.d.r. all the time. he met with a group of historians that i document in the book early on in the administration. he wants to go big and go bold. he wants to be the modern day f.d.r. for him that means cementing a legacy as the most progressive legacy ever, somebody who puts policies in place that can't be undone that ensures his legacy is cemented forever. host: we've seen recent poll number, we talked about them yesterday here on the program that show the president is losing independents on the issue of the economy, immigration. his numbers are sinking on his economic proposals you write in the book, joe biden is
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stubbornly committed to the failed keynesian notion that if you just print up a bunch of money and spread it around like confetti, good things magically happens. that notion fail evers time it's try. in all of history no one has made a $multitrillion dollar wager before. the biden-harris administration is betting we can pile up debt and the future will be rosy. point to specific here's. where are they doing this? guest: where are they prints up money sni just -- they're talking about a $3.5 trillion soft quote-unquote infrastructure plan on top of a 1 . 2. we have courts that aren't oarmting. we have businesses that can't find employees. stores that are -- shelves are empty. their answer is to print more money, hand out more money to folks. you can't get people to work the shifts that exist right now. and the answer is then to pump more money into government to
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give more people -- we have a fundamental problem right now it's not a labor problem we have a government problem. that's issue we need to get over. their policies are doing the exact sop sit of what they're intended for. government disbetting in the wife this economy recovering, of people getting back to work. all of these things are the result of government, not from government. host: were president trump and the republican responsible with spending? guest: were they what? host: were they responsible with the spending levels when they were in charge in republicans and president trump? guest: i think both parties are to blame for spending. i think republicans have a lot of that on their hands as well. there's no question about it. the one caveat i will say is that it at least -- is that at least it was a bipartisan nefort a worldwide pandemic that. kies cross once in a lifetime, hopefully not even that often. so if there's any consolation it's that it was done under extraordinary circumstances. that being said, i still think
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there was a lot of misguided spending where we were printing money and saying i hopes this enough, i hope this fixes it, as opposed to let's figure out what the need is first and then what it's going to cost. we went backwards, how much money can we teleat the problem and hope it work. look at the rental assistance. it was $49 billion set aside to help pay mortgages and rent. there's upwards of $40 billion left in that program now. so it can mean one of only two things. one, it's that they got it wrong, right. that there weren't that many people. i don't know that that's true. or secondly they did it wrong. because if people can't access the capital it's no good anyway. but one of those two things has to be the problem. because you have a bunch of people. we have a ton of money. billions in fact. way more than half that was ever allocated for use. meaning the government got this completely wrong. so the government continues to be part of the problem. i think republicans were complicit in that. frankly i think that republicans if they are honored and hope to
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get back to the majority especially in the house and hopefully the senate need to pledge to the american people that they're going to make deficit reduction and spending a serious issue again. host: what's your solution? in the book, you write about what needs to happen, what's the rally cry for republicans? guest: chapter 20 in the book is an action plan of i tole everyone from parents, here's how you can get engaged if you want to get in engaged in your community if you've got a son or daughter if you're a younger reader and want to get involved in organizations like turning point u.s.a., campus reform, leadership institute. there's ways to get involved. i think you're seeing that with parents at school board meetings all along. there's an old saying in washington i've seen on some tie here's and there it says democracy isn't a spectator sport. i think the more people get involved in our democracy, the more people get involved in their local communities and their state and federal government and campaigns, the
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better. because there are things that are happening right now, policies that will affect our live, not just their live bus their kids' lives and kids' kids' lives that once government gets their hands on thing is unretractable. if you care about what's going on, if you're concerned about what's happening, even if you disagree with me if you like what joe biden is doing, get involve wesmed need more people involved in our political process, more people involved in the community discussions of what's going on at the state and federal level. we need towns that sitting back on the sidelines isn't good enough anymore. last lot of things happening. a lot of changes that could be made. policies that can act, spending that can occur. the only way that can change is if people who either agree or in many case disagree with what's happening get out there and have their voice heard. host: are there radical and dangerous members of the republican party? goim i'm sure --
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guest: i'm sure there are. but right we're not in power. the white house is controlled by democrat, the house and senate are controlled by democrats. when we cross that bridge, hopefully next year, we can have this discussion again and talk about whether there are members of the conference on the house or senate side that fit that bill but right now it doesn't matter because the house is entirely controlled by the democrats. the majority in the senate is controlled by democrats and the president is a democrat. host: let's get to calls. brent in quincey, michigan, democratic caller. caller: yeah, sean. your old boss' plan for america is autocracy. your party is violent, right-wing, nationalists, authoritarian, your party's idea of involvement in government is threatening school boards members at their homes, online, howling at -- at them at meetings until they get them to
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resign. your party never cares about, you never hear anything about spending when you're in -- when your party is in power. they don't give squat about spending. the national debt went up $7 trillion under your old boss, the liar in chief so give me a break. don't tell me about, don't even talk about spending to me. host: i'm going to leave it there. sean spicer, your reaction? guest: as i mentioned, i think both parties are to blame for the spending. i don't think it's entirely one party. but i do think it's, right now, on a trajectory that's exponential to what it's ever been before. that is a big problem. i don't think that republicans have clean hands on. this i think republicans need to recommit themselves to spending the way they did after 1994 and recognize this isn't about the short-term, but the long-term of the country. i do think both parytses are to
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blame. i think the republicans need to reclaim the mantle of fiscal discipline and spending. i think the pandemic made it hard, no question about it. but that's an excuse that i think a lot of people fall back on. i still think we have serious issues here. and if we don't, framgly, one party can't solve them. medicare, a lot of spending is short-term. it's one-off. the discretionary spending isn't going to do. this we don't seriously look at our entitlement programs we're going to be in big, big trouble shortly. i think we have to have a serious discussion. last lot of fear mongering that goes around. but at the end they have day the entitlement programs are where the real spending problems are. i think we need to make people understand that we can keep putting band-aids on these problems but eventually the roosters will come home. host: how do you describe what happened on january 6 at the u.s. capitol? guest: um. it's an embarrassment. it was despicable. i mean, i was very vocal about it that day, greta.
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i worked up there for many year, i worked for over 10 different members of congress. it was a big part of my life for a long time. i'm a big believer, as i said a moment ago, in having your voice heard. i believe you should get out there at every opportunity and make your position known but i don't think you ever resort to violence you don't ever resort to destruction. i was very vocal in the b.l.m. riots. i think you should never resort to destruction, to violence. and i was -- i made it clear then and i'll say it, it doesn't matter what party is responsible, what person is responsible. at the end of the day that is never how we act as americans. frankly as a conservative i was disheartened that many people who associate themselves with conservative causes were part of that. in the sense that i believe we've always had the higher ground. we were the party that supported law enforcement. we were the party that supported law and order.
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to watch people disobey, to enter through broken windows into a u.s. federal building, made my stomach turn. it's never the way we resolve differences that we have our voices heard. there are so many ways our framers gave us to do that i want to maintain the higher ground. i don't think there's ever an excuse for it. that's not how we act as americans. and i think with the rest of the world looking at us, that's never an image i want to project as an american. host: what role did your former boss, president trump, play in that day? guest: i don't know that he played a role. i know there was a rally earlier that day. but look, there are people, at the end of the day, greta, i believe that individuals need to take responsibility for their actions. if you're climbing into the u.s. capitol through a broken window i don't think that anybody forced you to do that. i think individuals who acted inappropriately who broke laws need to be held accountable, plain and simple. i'm not one of these believers who say, you can be told to go
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down and do something. i listened to the speeches. i've heard all the stuff. but at the end of the day individuals who broke laws should be held accountable. but i think it is really the wrong thing to do to start to say, what happened -- i can go back in the book that we're talking about, i can tell you about maxine watters who told people to surround bush administration officials. eric holder said said when they go low we hit them. hillary clinton. there's a list. cory booker, in the book, of democrats who told people to take action. to hurt people. to surround them. if we want to go down the list of all of that, i've got a long list, it's all in the book, democrats who have said some nasty things about what to do to trump official hours, to have their shoises heard through means that i don't condone in any way. so if we want to start holding people accountable to that, let's bring it. we got a whole list on both sides that can be held accountable for that. to turn it all on one side, i don't think it's the right way
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to go right now. host: listen to liz cheney who had this warning for republicans in looking at the events of january 6. here's what she had to say. ms. cheney: almost every one of my colleagues knows in your hearts that what happened on january 6 was profoundly wrong. you all know that there is no evidence of widespread election fraud sufficient to have changed the results of the election. owe all know that the -- you all know that the dominion voting machines were not corrupted by a foreign power. you know these claims are false. yet former president trump repeats them almost daily. and he has now urged republicans not to vote in 2022. and 2024. this is a prescription for national self-destruction. i ask my colleagues, please
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consider the fundamental questions of right and wrong here. the american people must know what happened. they must know the truth. all of us who are elected officials must do our duty to flefnt dismantling of the rule of law and to ensure that nothing like that dark day in january ever happens again. host: do you agree with congresswoman liz cheney? guest: i gree with the end of it, i hope to never see what happened on january 6 happen again. i hope we never see the riots we saw last year happen in the sense that the violence, the destruction, the hurting of fellow citizens ever happens again. i think we should have our voices heard. i think that's what makes america so amazing and unique but i don't think that violence is r the answer. i don't think destruction of public property or private property is ever acceptable. i think if we're going to call
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out one, we call out the other. we cant say one thing is bad and not the other. the second thing i'll say is i think it's inappropriate for congresswoman cheney to ascribe motives and thoughts into what her fellow members believe or don't believe. i don't propose to suggest to know what's in her heart or what her beliefs are. i think it's inappropriate, and too often we see thait in washington, here's what you must think or must believe. i don't know what everyone believes or thinks. i know what i think, i know what i believe. i made it clear to you what i believe. but i believe we need to focus on what's happening right now, great tasm we have a big problem in this country. that's why i wrote the book. it's a clarion call to what's happening in this country, to the direction we're going in if we don't wake up and recognize that so many policies if they go into place, they are going to be things we can't undo and will change the trajectory of this country in a direction i hope i never see. host: let's go to darrell in
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idaho. independent caller. caller: it's nice to know that being an independent i'm not involved with my party game. you're skilled in putting together a book, at least i know this is from your heart versus all these people in the political scene, they all have a staff, when merrick garland was there before the congress, every two seconds he would say, my staff will get back to you. my staff -- then you listen to liz cheney, she is sitting there reading something that probably 50 people had to put together for her. and right now in the local news media, there's a 3,000 people caravan on their way here. and the other day i listened to the german -- they got the electric buzzers, they're catching on fire. we're not set up to go into this electric car thing where who knows how long you got to sit there to charge your car up to
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get across the united states. so mr. spicer, i really think that your book might bring the people's minds' eye that we've got a government right now that is all staff-run and who is on the staff and you listen to mr. biden, he can't keep his thoughts going because i'm 78 and he's 78 and i go, i would embarrass the country because i can hardly walk anymore. i hope your book does good, buddy. host: sean spicer? guest: thank you for your kind words. last few thing he is touched on there. number one, i do think we need to understand, i talk about immigration in the book. think about this. last caravan of at least toafns thousands, who knows how much bigger it's going to be, headed toward our southern border. it's not getting the attention it deserves. frankly the policies i lay out in the book are obvious. one of the things i think president trump did with respect to the border, he brought up
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qualifications to office but he brought commonsense. if you don't tell people to come they won't come. if you tell them they're not going to get let in, they won't get let in. people are coming because we created a magnet in this administration of telling them if you come we'll be let in. we know that that's what they're telling us. they're even covering it on mainstream media. but there are so many issues at stake right now. what are we going to do with the tens of thousands of people who come over the border and into the clint? we give them a court date and upwards of 95% never show up again. every 20, 1kwr50 years, whatever we have a discussion, they're here nowing their deserve sirntship. this administration knows full well what they're doing. i think that we know the policies that work remain in mexico, title 42, stronger immigration structures. whether it's a wall or fencing or whatever. we need to protect our borders. we need to protect our country. it's not getting the attention it deserves. it's getting ignored. frankly, i don't think this administration wants to solve the problem. the ability to solve it is
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frankly pretty easy. it's obvious they're not doing what they need to to ostop it. host: reuben in philadelphia, republican caller. caller: glad to have you on, i was just wondering, i heard that the $3.5 trillion will be spent over a 10-year period and that it will be paid for through the major corporations and the rich and the wealthy taxpayers. and also don't you think it would be right for federal government to step in on elections after so many people have been murdered because of statewide elections in the 19 50's and 1960's that the federal government had to step in and had to do oversight because of the way the state-run elections were being done? we do -- so we do need federal government inside of our elections. don't you think we need to build up a projection after the 2016 elections have been hacked by
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russia? at the same time he said that it would be $a .3 trillion over a matter of months when we know it's over a 10-year period and it will be doing health care, medicare and community college and such, what is your opinion on that? guest: can you tell me the first part of the question? i heard something about the rich but couldn't hear the first part. caller: you were saying the bill is going to be -- the money that's going to be spent is a matter of months but it's over a 10-year period from what i'm understanding and that the wealthy and corporations are going to be the ones paying for it. host: ruben are you in support of the wealthy paying for it? caller: yes, i am. host: sean spicer? guest: first of all, ruben, you are correct. there is a time period that the money will be spent over, i don't know that all of it is over a 10-year period. number one, one thing the
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federal government does very well is creates budget systems where it gets the government on the hook for something so it is in perpetuity. we put it over a 10-year window but there are things we're going to pay for it forever. if you truly believe that corporations and 700 people will tai pais for. this think about the fact that they're saying it's over $5 trillion and it's going to cost you zero. you don't even need to take a fourth grade math class, there's no way we can bring in the tax revenue handle that. they're talking about adding a billionaire's tax on the 700 people. let me explain to th to you. if you're in the top 700 richest people in america, my guess is you have a lot of attorneys and accountants and folks like that that are ensuring that you shelter your money in the right places and will move it appropriately. if you think these people are
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rich because they haven't learned to do that, we have another thing coming us to. this is not the way to go. i thinks the idea we think we're going to tax our way out of spending problems is not the right answer. and so i fundamentally disagree with the whole promise of what the administration is putting forward. i think the democrats are trying to lock more people into government. through their programs. and i think that we're trying to out-- to keep spending money we don't have. this money is being financed by china. we have learned nothing from this pandemic. china brought us a pandemic, we bought our p.p.e. from them, we pie pharma products from them, we continue to be relianten this em. we're doing the exact opposite of what we should be doing which is bring the manufacturing back home. do you think a company will want to move back to america if it's going to cost more and more to do business here? there's a reason they left in the first place. the administration doesn't understand the basic
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fundamentals of business because most of the people running this administration have no expertise in business. have no private sector background. they spent their entire life in government. you know. if that. and i think that in a lot of cases they're not qualified to be in a position they are. one of the chapters in the book i present talks about the people who are part of this administration. both the people that were confirmed by the senate and people appointed by the administration. prankly in many cases how they're just flatly unqualified to serve. not because they're not smart people or good people but because they don't have the qualifications for the job they have and they were more chosen because they check a particular box for this administration. host: we're talking with sean spicer, author of the new book "radical nation." mary in cambridge, massachusetts. you're next
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caller: pose people who are not going back to their jobs. i heard the discussion the other day, apparently the statistics show that the people who are not going back to their jobs are first the majority of them are women. and second of all they are low-paying jobs, they're not careerings, they're not important jobs. they're the jobs that women usually have. and they're not going back because they realized after being away for a while that they didn't like the circumstances at all. didn't like the way they were being treated. didn't like the pay. that's a big thing. and that and -- when i heard that people weren't going back
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to their jobs, i thought it was very strange but then when it was explained the kind of jobs that were being abandoned, it doesn't seem so strange. host: ok, mary, i'll have sean spicer jump in. do you have thoughts on this? guest: i would say, respectfully, ma'am, i don't necessarily believe that. i work alongside some unbelievably talented women who have been my bosses, who have been my colleagues. so i don't think women necessarily fill some of the jobs that you are describing. i know your intention with the question. but i think that this is a bigger and broader problem. than just one particular gender. there was a story on the news this morning that at one of the airports, they had a job fair where they expected thousands of applicants to come in to fill thousands of jobs. they had 100 applicants. that's to fill thousands of jobs from executive down to blue collar type and retail jobs.
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we can't even get people to apply for jobs right now. so i don't necessarily agree with the premise. you've seen institutions and associations and corporations and small businesses who are looking for everything from mid to executive-level type employees and still can't get people to apply. the government has made it recently more incentivized to stay home, not to work. we're seeing this, yes, at some of the low end of the wage scale, but also at the medium and higher end. we need to fundamentally understand that there's a problem. i saw the labor secretary on television a week or so ago, he said, i don't know why. if your labor secretary doesn't know why, that tells you a lot. this administration doesn't understand the fundamentals of what's wrong with the economy. i think that incentivizing people not to work, paying their rent, doing all these things, at some people -- at some point people are smart, intuitive,
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they'll say i can make more money not going to work, staying home, than re-entering the work force. we have more jobs than people right now. that is a fact. so the question is, what is causing people not to go back? yes there is still a covid issue here. but i don't think that that's the majority of the reason why. and we need to figure out why that's happening and we need to start in-- stop in-- stop incentivizing people from staying home. host: monty in spring, texas, independent. good morning, monty. caller: can you hear me? host: yes, we can. caller: my question for mr. spicer is not about fourth grade basic math. it's more high school government and zivics class. i want to know how mr. spicer feels about the 39's comments, preelection and postelection that mike pence has the ability to somehow desert fi or reject a tate state's chosen electors when it is a -- this is a clear separation of powers issues. mr. spicer was not vocal at all at any time about this.
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i would like to get his opinion on it now. host: ok. we'll do that. sean spicer. guest: i'm not -- my understanding is the vice president's role is ceremonial. and he performed that duty. host: what do you think about what president trump was saying about what he wanted the vice president to do that day? guest: well look, i will say this, i'm not an attorney. i've read that there were different briefs. as far as i know, as far as my government classes that i took in college, the vice president's role is ceremonial for the counting of those ballots but i'm not privy to the briefs that either one were presented. i know through some of the books i've read about what was going on at that time, there were lawyers on both sides trying to make a case. i haven't read those. i'm not a lawyer. but i do know that from what i learned in college and high school, that the vice president's role in terms of counting the electoral ballots
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in the house of representatives is ceremonial. host: how often do you talk to former president trump? guest: um, probably every four to six weeks. host: are you able to pick up the phone and call him? how do those conversations happen? guest: both. i've called him, he's called me. usually it's just to catch up about an issue of the day. as you mentioned, i host a show on newsmax every night at 6:00. i've called him to talk about coming on the show. we've caught up on issues and people we share an interest in. sometimes it's literally just to catch up. i was in new jersey three, four, five, six weeks ago, i called him on my way, i said, i'm going to be near you, i don't know if you're around. we caught up on the phone. there's plenty of times we just pick up the phone and call. but there's no set pattern. host: do you think the former president will run again?
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guest: doivment. host: you do. what advice are you giving to him on that? guest: i've learned a listening time ago you don't necessarily give president trump advice. he hasn't asked for it. i think that, you know if you look at the rallies he's held and the poll that was come out, there's no question that he has a tight grip on the republican party. it's not just the base. you're seeing numbers as high as the mid 80's. there's a lot of support for him to run again, especially -- after what we see now, i think that this first, what, 10 months of the administration? has shown us the difference that elections have. and that the different policies that we can pursue and the directions we can go. i think there's a lot of people, whether it's the southern border, whether it's -- how we're addressing our allies, what was going on with domestic policy, taxes, maintaining the right to life, religious liberty. all of those we saw a huge sea change with the change of administration. he recognizes that.
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he's talked to people who care about those issues about the need to come back in and fight for them. i believe he'll run again. i think that the jury is still out for him on whether or not he's going to do it again but he always keeps his cards close to the vest? host: would you work for him again if he were to win? guest: saying this in all seriousness, i loved being white house press secretary, it was an honor and privilege. i was rhode island kid hoping someday to get a tour of the white house and i ended up working in it. it's a cool and awesome thing this country provides a kid like me. but it's intense, a ton of scrutiny comes with it, not just of me but my family. i'll leave that up to somebody else going forward. i love he'sing a show every night. i love waking up every morning, thinking about what is in the news what guests would be great to talk about and at 6:00 having that conversation on newsmax
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with my co-he's lindsay keith. host: karen in alabama, republican. are you there? caller: yes, can you hear me? host: yes. what's your question for mr. spicer. caller: good morning, thank you for being on c-span. we appreciate you coming here. at least the republicans do. can you please explain to the c-span audience that there is a political elite in washington on the republican and democratic side who are there for the ben -- for their own benefit, not the benefit of the american people. that's why millions of people voted for president trump in 2016 and 2020. number two, i just want to say also that for the january 6, the day of january 6, it's coming to light that a lot of these people that stormed in the capitol in the begin wrg f.b.i. agents or informants. and the other thing i want to point out is that greta is pushing back on you and asking
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you lots of questions but doesn't usually do that for liberal guests. i think that's interesting. the last question, what do you think of the currents presecretary. to close with your quote, we don't have a labor problem, we have a government problem. that was great. thank you so much and have a good day. guest: all right. let me tie to take those in order. i appreciate being here. i've always been a huge admirer of c-span. what makes c-span so special is they air thing they let the viewer look at them and make a decision whether they agree or disagree. frankly we need more of that. too often i think the mainstream media tries to tell us what to think. i have two chapters in the book that talk about not just what they do to tilt their i think if ore then skill of -- but to cover up thing, not to cover up things. i think the beu i have to c-span sit brings us into government and lets us see things and see
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for our own eye what is a member or senator is saying, an administrator or another government agency is doing. i think that's important right now because too often we try to get told what to say or do. with respect to you greta, look, i think greta is respectful and civil. and we need more of that. i don't mind any of the questions. i came on the program voluntarily. c-span was kind enough to invite me to talk about this book. and as long as i'm treated with respect and civility and we can have an open dialogue that's all i've ever asked for. too often i think that's what was missing when i was press secretary. greta can push back and ask anything she wants. she does in it a tone that's respectful and kind and civil. i think that's what we need more of. the ability for people to feel that you ask questions and respond, not be cut off or yelled at. i appreciate c-span, the way in which they present issues. i've forgotten, there were two other issues.
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with rment to january 6, if there's any -- with respect to january 6 if there's evidence of anything like that that should come out. like i said, i think people who broke laws should be held accountable. and that's it, full stop. and if people have evidence of a law being broken or a person doing something nefarious they should expose that that's it, plain and simple. we have a sort of laws in this country. we can't just go off hearsay. if something is done wrong, bring it to light. alert the proper authorities. with respect to my current successor in the white house, here's what i would say. i've always maintained and i said this when i left the white house. the job of the press secretary is speak in lieu of the principal when they can't speak for themselves. sometimes people misconstrue that job and suggest that the press secretary should be saying what they think or believe. trust me, i think you'd last
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about 60 seconds as press secretary if you said, my bloses believes the following but i think that's rid close. you're not there for yourself. you're there to serve the principal. sometimes people may not like the message they're receiving but that's not your job, tell your own side of the story or your own beliefs or positions. it's to tell theirs. and so with respect to that, i don't necessarily take issue with the way that ms. psaki is doing her job or do not i take issue with the way the white house press corps is not doing their job. they are not holding this administration accountable. they are not pushing back. they are not calling out the hypocrisy or double standards that exist. and time and time again you're watching them literally sit there and take, you know, notice as to what is said and transcribe them as if they're an extension of the white house press office as opposed to journalists that are supposed to be holding government officials accountable. host: the only other issue, sean, you didn't talk about was the political elite and that is
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why eight million people voted for president trump. guest: well, i think, was her name karen from alabama? i think. host: yes. guest: i think karen is right. look. one of the things president trump did so well as candidate and president is to speak to people who have been forgotten by government. i remember at one point i spent three years talking about trade deals for the bush administration. and when president trump came into office he said, and a half fa -- nafta is not working as well as it can for american workers, whether it's dairy farms for the wisconsin or autoworkers in detroit or throughout the country or people who have invested in the i.t. world. intellectual property had been stolen and nafta which was done in the 19 -- done in the 199 09s didn't address those issues because it couldn't. that was a different way of thinking. and to karen's point i think there's too many people both --
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on beth parties that sort of enjoy the system because they benefit from it. they make money from it. and i think trump spoke to people who had been forgotten. who weren't part of the system. who weren't high enough on the food chain. he represented the workers out there that are going home every day after a hard day's work just trying to put food on the table to pay rent, to make sure they maybe sock a little away for their kids' college fund. they're live big the rules every day, working hard, sometimes two or three jobs but don't feel like the system is actually looking out for them or protecting them in. many cases screwing them. i think in -- i think we need to remember that that's the function that we should all approach this job in government by is what benefits people? are systems and government programs and agencies good stewards of tax dollars? are they running efficiently? are they doing things that help people move in the right direction, to get them out of -- provide them a hand up to help
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them facilitate businesses and grow jobs as opposed to becoming bureaucratic and stuck in the weeds which is too often the case. host: our viewers can find sean spicer every night on newsmax at 6:00 p.m. he's the host of "1350euser and company," former white houses presecretary out with a new book, "radical nation: joe biden and kamala harris' dangerous plan for america." thank you >> c-span's washington journal, everyday we are taking your calls live on the air on the news of the day and we will discuss policy issues that impact you. coming up tuesday morning, we discussed the latest on president biden's build back better agenda and upcoming fiscal deadlines. and pennsylvania democratic congresswoman mary gay scanlon. on the pending expiration of
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federal money for roads and bridges and the status of the bipartisan infrastructure bill. watch washington journal live at 7:00 eastern tuesday morning, on c-span, or on c-span now, our new mobile app. join the discussion with your phone calls, facebook comments, text messages, and tweets. this morning the fda advisory committee meets to discuss authorizing pfizer's covid-19 vaccine for use with children ages 5-11 permit watch beginning at 8:30 eastern on c-span3, online at c-span.org, or watchful coverage on c-span now, our new video app. >> get an early start on holiday gifts on c-span shop.org. shop now through wednesday and save up to 15% on her latest collection of c-span products.
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