so try to think back to 2013 it wasn't that long ago we had air travel and electricity and air conditioning it was part of the modern era 2013 Tulsi gabard who was in her early 30s had just been elected from Hawaii she was a member of Congress first sturmer a Democrat and not just a Democrat she was the single most famous freshman that year and she was FedEd by her party the Democratic party made her Vice chair of the DNC as a freshman that year and she was on the cover of magazine she was the future of the democratic party it was 2013 fast forward 11 years to the beginning of 2024 that very same person was a headliner at CPAC the conservative political action committee and not only did she speak there she was arguably the most popular person who spoke there this year 11 years later here's part of what she said our democracy is under attack the perpetrators of this attack are those who in the name of saving our democracy are destroying it I don't use these words lightly every one of us who loves this country and who cherishes Peace and Freedom should be very alarmed by those who driven by their insatiable hunger for power are actively undermining all that we stand for and almost every single day if you're paying attention to the news and the headlines there is some new assault and some new attack now it's the Democrat Elite and the swamp creatures in Washington who are doing all that they possibly can to keep us the American people from a very simple thing having the freedom to choose who we want to be our next president and it is clear through their actions they have no respect for us and they have no respect for our fundamental rights as citizens of this Democratic Republic they are so terrified that we the people may make what they think is the wrong choice that in the name of protecting democracy and saving us from ourselves they're actually destroying our democracy and taking away our freedom wow you can see why she was the most popular speaker at CPAC this year but again 11 years from Vice chair of the DNC to headlining CPAC some people have asked well wait a second that's awfully fast this must be an OP she must be a secret lefty or a CIA agent well of course we can't know but if she was she'd probably be getting something out of it she'd be really rich but no Telsa Gabbert is probably the least Rich famous person in the United States she is not cashed in just the opposite she's actually really suffered for her change of heart so what was the process that led her from freshman in Congress 11 years ago to headliner at CPAC this year it's a very interesting story and she's written in a book that has just come out for love of country leave the Democratic party behind and she's joining us today to explain what exactly happened in her life tulsy gabber joins us now thank you very much T gabber thank you so much and congrats on the book and I have to say the first thing that jumped out Tulsa is one of the most rocksolid honorable people I've ever met says Joe Rogan and I can attest to that that is true I feel the same way thank you uh so how but I can also see why people are like what is this yeah tulsey Gabbert from Hawaii probably the most reliably Democratic liberal State argument there maybe but subjective but pretty close if not the most and now this like what happened it's it's you know a lot has happened in that 11year per as you were talking I'm just thinking through like gosh has it only been only been 10 11 years but uh it to me it just shows how insane today's Democratic party has become yes really truly you know I joined the Democratic party uh in 2002 I was 21 years old when I ran for the state house in Hawaii and as you know I come from you know my parents have are very independent-minded people they raised all of us five kids to be critical thinkers and independent-minded make make your own decision but do your research and figure out why you are coming to this conclusion or why you are coming to this decision and so when I had decided to run for office in Hawaii um there wasn't just like well of course I'm going to be part of this party or that party because you know somebody told me to her because it was like a family generational thing none of that was there and so I really started to look at um you know Hawaii's history in politics why was Hawaii such a strong Democratic State as it still is now it's it's a little bit less so but uh at that time what I saw was a party that uh welcomed freethinkers it was truly a big tent party even in their own words um it was a party that stood up for civil liberties it's a party that stood up for freedom of speech and was willing to fight for it that is true it was a party that in Hawaii's history fought for working people it fought for average everyday Americans against the the corporate industrial complex which in Hawaii was the big four plantation owners back in the day and so it was because of those reasons and looking at leaders like JFK can I ask question for people aren't familiar at the history of the state which is actually very interesting completely different from the history of any other of the 49 states yes it was almost like a feudal system yeah in Hawaii is that fair it was it was and going back and this is where there was a big shift and and people in the political world ask all the time is like why why did Hawaii become such a strong Democrat State uh it was because there were four major land owners that came in and essentially took the land uh from the local people uh through the queen in jail and decided okay well here's what we're going to do we're going to start growing sugar cane we're going to start growing pineapples and they essentially installed themselves as the government of what was then the territory of Hawaii and uh local people really didn't have a whole lot of say in it but through that process there were immigrants coming from Japan and from the Philippines from Portugal from places all over the world seeking opportunity getting work visas and work contracts to go and work in the fields and these massive plantation owners essentially treated them like crap subhuman living conditions abysmal pay and and essentially what what we would call complete abuse in in in this day and age uh but they got away with it because they the people had no voice uh when one group started to rise up and say hey we got to stick together and demand better living conditions and better pay let's say it was the Filipinos who did it and they said okay well fine we're just going to have the Japanese workers come in and take over your fields and leave you with nothing and so pitting one group against the other so in Hawaii it was uh it was the ILWU Union primarily that came in and actually started organize workers and there was a uh de couple of democrat political leaders who had failed uh at the polls previously because they didn't have the votes they came in and said hey look we're going to fight for you and they did and that was when Hawaii shifted from Republican to Democrat control because the Democrat Party at that time was the party of the people didn't matter where you were from didn't matter your background how much money you made or didn't made your education or anything else they were the party of the people uh battling against the the the elite and so so I this the reason why this story is important is because you look at that Legacy in my home state of Hawaii and then you look at what's happening in our politics today where unfortunately the Democrat Party uh and those in charge of it are now the party of the elite who are way out of touch with the experience of everyday working people across this country uh and and it it is unfortunate um it is unfortunate that that party has gotten so far away from its roots uh its roots of being a party that celebrated Freedom its roots of being a party that fought for for civil liberties to one now where with the Biden Harris Administration uh and the Democrat Elite across Washington are intentionally politicizing and weaponizing the tools of our own government and their friends in big Tech and social media and their friends in the mainstream media to take away our freedoms to take away our right to free speech to violate our privacy and our civil liberties they have become the party of War uh in in every respect uh unfortunately the Democrat Party has become a party that is is undermining the very fabric of our country of our freedom of our Constitution and the rule of law uh which is why ultimately I I left the Democratic party and I'm why it's why I am sounding the alarm Bells as we head into this very critical election year about really what's at stake the reason that I know you're sincere is because you left the Democratic party at exactly the moment that it solidified its position as the party of the rich yeah and there's so many rewards that you can receive if you sign up so I I know a million people who' moved in the other direction you know Joe Scarboro or Stuart stevens or Steve Schmidt or all the guys from the Lincoln project Bill Crystal right and they've all been rewarded for it a lot because there's a lot of money to pass around if you do that but you left at exactly the moment when you could have gotten kind of Rich by staying and reading the talking points yeah it when I first got elected in uh 2012 it was it was it was a race that I was not supposed to win if you listen to anybody who know anything about politics um and I I won that election zero support from any you know local or national Democratic party individuals or the party as a whole h it it was imagine this uh the people's voices were heard through their votes and they were sick and tired of of the pay-to-play corruptt politics and uh wanted a new Direction and a fresh direction of leadership and so it was it was a hard-fought uh election but I I had no idea what was in store when I actually went to Washington so what did you notice I mean Hawai the obvious is very far away it's just so far physically from DC it is it is uh and you would think in the age of technology that distance wouldn't matter so much but it kind of does some way um but shortly after my primary election I got a call from Nancy Pelosi saying hey do you want to uh speak during prime time at the Democratic Convention coming up and I was like uh yes how old were you I was 31 what a trip that must and I said I would like to speak about veterans um I was serving in the Hawaii National Guard at the time I'm still serving the US Army Reserve now but to me hey here's an opportunity to speak to millions of people across the country about the people who are nearest and dearest to my heart my brothers and sisters and so the whole thing was it was quite surreal because I didn't I didn't seek it out I didn't know I didn't know how that machine worked uh but I found myself getting these phone calls uh from people within the Democratic Party like hey go and speak at this like Premier event that like most people don't get invitations to and a couple of weeks after I was in office I got a call saying hey what would you say if you were asked to serve as Vice chair of the DNC and I was just literally my response was like what does a vice chair of the DNC do I don't know nothing about this what what do you really want from me what do you asking of me uh ultimately said yes because this is an opportunity to be in a position to make some positive change uh but these kinds of things kept on happening uh over over the yeah was kind of my first year first couple years in office but and and you'll appreciate this one of the major turning points uh that started to slow down the the the the Fanfare and and like the the headlines of like I remember there was one at the Democratic Convention I don't know if it was CNN or MSM some someone's like oh I wonder who's going to play Tulsi gabard in a movie and like all this stuff I'm like this is so weird but that summer of 2013 my first year in Congress um as you know one of the main reasons that I ran for Congress was because of the experiences that I'd had on both of my Middle East deployments uh where I experienced the cost of War firsthand serving in a medical unit and I wanted to be in a position where I could help influence and impact those foreign policy decisions that were directly impacting uh my brothers and sisters in uniform I didn't realize that um my opportunity to be able to do that would happen so quickly but it was August of 2013 that President Obama announced then President Obama announced that he was going to seek authorization to use military force from Congress to go and drop some bombs on Syria in what would be kind of the first volley of regime change War there and uh um I was on the Foreign Affairs committee at the time August most members of Congress are at home during recess and I was home in my district and I remember like it was yesterday uh pumping gas at the gas station and this woman came up to me and I'd never met her before local local lady came she grabbed my arm and looked at me with this intensity in her eyes telling me that her son had just come home from Iraq and she had been terrified that he wouldn't come home he was finally home with her and now they wanted to they wanted to send him back to another war in another country and begged me please Tulsi don't let them take my son from me geez and as the next couple of days went on I would bump into more people like that in the supermarket or just around town who were absolutely terrified um I went back to Washington we held all the committee hearings open hearings classified briefings and I went in with an open mind saying give me all of the information um I want to make sure that I do my due diligence before I take a position or make a decision on this and ultimately uh secretary KY came in and briefed us the answers to very direct questions that I had such as what is our objective what what is your objective in wanting to go and start another war in another country uh what do you how do you think they will respond uh what will you do next what is that second third fourth order of of effects and consequences that will always happen uh and the the the question you know when I said what is your objective uh I believe it was secretary Cary or someone from the state department who said well you know we don't want to deliver a a decapitation we don't want it to be a pin prick we want this to be a punch in the gut and send a message and my question was okay so a punch in the gut like what will you do when they respond they said well we don't think they'll we don't think there'll be a response that's your plan you don't think there will be a response Gary said that if somebody came up and punched you in the gut would you like just not respond if they don't respond they've got some pretty you know weaponized powerful friends uh you don't think they'll respond and what if they don't respond to us but they respond by attacking some of our friends who may be in the region all of these different kinds of questions there's like well we just don't think they'll do that well what happens next well you know we think this will send a strong message and and it's the same kind of like political BS talk that means nothing and is so disconnected from the reality of the people on the ground who have to live with those consequences and it really surprised me and maybe I shouldn't have been surprised but it surprised me that after so many years of looking back at the massive mistakes of Iraq that they could be so glib and just saying oh we'll just go drop some bombs and send a message and and that'll be it they learned nothing they learned nothing and so I I penned an oped and uh published it and I was I was certainly the first Democrat maybe the first member of Congress to to come out in opposition to President Obama's request and uh within hours of publishing that oped I got a call from the white house uh and essentially what they said was how dare you how dare you go against your president how dare you go against the president who came from your home state not a moment of the conversation there wasn't much of a conversation first of all but they were not interested at all in the reason for my opposition which I I stated pretty clearly in the oped how how well uh thought out this decision was it was not made haphazardly they weren't interested in my experience that I brought that helped inform my decision of having deployed twice to the Middle East before uh and it it told me a lot about them that they were more uh concerned with and they cared more about like being a good member of the team and go team Obama and go team Democrats then they were concerned about um the actual consequences of the very serious request that he was saying he would come to congress with it sent a strong message to them as well that I wasn't the person that they thought I was going to be and in someone who could be puppeteered who could be bullied into just uh going along with the boss or whatever they had in mind uh that was kind of the beginning of of their realization that okay this one thinks for herself and she's not afraid to take a stand so I mean at that point you know they have two options they can either try and Crush you you're a freshman so it's a little early for that and they've also ginned up the publicity machine on your behalf you probably weren't even aware of this but most people come most congressmen come to Washington no one ever hears no one knows they're there yeah everyone knew you were there yeah so they can try and Crush you or they can try and suborn you bribe you give you stuff to win you over yeah what did they try um you know it it's it is kind of the public things like I I remember and I think you'll get a kick out of this being invited to the White House Correspondence Dinner my first year in Congress yeah I had guys who were been in Congress coming up to me saying gosh Tulsi how come you got invited I've been here for four terms eight years and I still haven't gotten invited to that and I was I I was like do you want to go I really don't like going to these kind of things I hate these big kind of parties and social things like you can have my seat but but it was that kind of thing where oh go to this Embassy for this fancy party like all this stuff that unfortunately too many members of Congress um find very very appealing and get some kind of I don't know I don't want to use the word fulfillment because it's not fulfilling but but I guess it it um it's what they want and I I didn't want any of that so so the thing things that they were putting before me um were not attractive to me at all and um it all it all uh kind of definitely Came Crashing Down in 2016 when I uh when I took a step that uh to go after Hillary Clinton when she was running for president the Democratic primary I was vice chair of the DNC and uh I saw that the mainstream media they were all saying she was the most qualified person ever to run for president and listing out all of the titles that she has held but not a single one of them was questioning or holding to account holding her to account for her record on foreign policy or or challenging her on what kind of commander-in-chief yeah or the job that she had done in any of those jobs like that was irrelevant and then right the the the actual record of what happened what tell us what happened in Libya actually for for you you know for her pushing uh for the the regime change in Libya and what happened as a consequence there are so many different examples for sure so so you said that out loud what happened then I resigned as Vice chair of the DNC um why because the rules said that as officers of the DNC you can't take sides in a partisan primary uh the DNC itself under Debbie wasman clearly was in every way tilting the scales for Hillary Clint uh but I resigned as Vice of the DNC and endorsed Bernie Sanders around this single issue of foreign policy yes specifically because uh while I disagreed with Bernie on on a bunch of things he was certainly more of a non-interventionist uh than the warmonger that Hillary Clinton is and I knew that would provide me with a platform to have a voice and actually speak the truth to the American people about her record and how dangerous she would be if she were ever our president and how how personal um this was for me because the cost is real so what happened when you did that I did I announced it on Meet the Press on a Sunday morning didn't tell anybody I was doing it no one before I went and and uh made that announcement on that show Monday morning came back to work and a lot of a lot of my Democrat colleagues were basically reading um you know drafting their political eulogies for me just like you're done you're done Tulsi uh Hillary will be president you will not get a single dime for your District anything that your community needs for your district for my district not for your campaign not for me for my district they've never given me anything for any of my campaigns and and I'm totally fine with that but that my district and my constituency in Hawaii would be punished for for doing what I did uh I also learned that there is an actual list of people who are um you know blacklisted I suppose uh and I was told that it would take years and years and years to ever work my way off that list um I I was chuckling at all so they said this out loud they thought this or they said it out loud oh yeah no no no these were these were many conversations walking to and from votes with different people who are pulling me aside um and offering their condolences their political condolences to me uh because that I had I had made a decision that they said would be uh equal to my poit the death of my political future that's crazy yeah MSNBC I remember doing an interview I think it was one of the first debates that that uh Bernie and Hillary had um in Florida I think it was and uh an MSNBC anchor said like aren't you afraid of the clintons and what they'll do uh and I said no I'm not afraid but I thought it was quite curious that he felt compelled to ask that question with concern in his voice yeah well people who've been around them knew yeah so you still though were in the party when did it become clear like I can't I can't represent this party anymore it it was uh in the fall of of 2022 uh there were a lot of critical midterm elections uh happening that year increasingly over time and it wasn't one specific thing that that caused me to make this decision but it was increasingly over time uh a couple of things obviously the the radical change that the Democratic party leadership went through uh in in really truly become a woke warmongering party of the um but also it was it was a recognition that I had done all I could to to try to change the party from within uh I I tried as Vice chair of the DNC I tried as a candidate running for president in 2020 in the Democratic primary and uh the things that I was talking about about bringing the party back to its roots bringing the party back to being the party of the people and the party of freedom uh the party of of peace and security it not only fell on deaf ears I was booed by you know the the the party Elite for having the audacity to push for these sorts of things yeah you're this is a very restrained version of what I saw they didn't just boo you they accused you of being an agent for foreign power and a disloyal American and an evil person yeah I mean I saw that it's true it and it you know it's it's such a crazy crazy accusation to make obviously completely baseless the media never asked Hillary Clinton for evidence of this traitorous treasonous act that she's accusing me of as a sitting member of Congress and as a soldier wearing our country's uniform um yeah an officer right yes and and here's the problem is is that it works and that's why they continue even now how many years later they continue to fall back on the Russia Russia Playbook it's a Russian asset they've used this against you they've used this against Donald Trump and they continue to come back to this yeah but I'm not an officer in the United States Army and you are so it's a little weird to say I mean Hillary Clinton I will never forget it accused you of being a disloyal person that's a crime on of the military code I think it is yeah it is and one that would not only be grounds for them to remove my security clearance but it would be grounds for discharge and it would be grounds for uh you know enforcement under the uniform code of military Justice yeah if you're actually working for a foreign power as a military officer you can be executed for it so like it's not a small thing to say so rather than just saying you know tulsy Gabbert's an idiot or I disagree with her or whatever they went right to that the heaviest thing you could ever say about somebody about an American that was all foreign Poli policy related right yes that's the way it felt to me I it was foreign policy related um and it was related to the fact that I had I I had the um I had the audacity to go against them to challenge the elite of the democratic party which is Hillary Clinton and it's Barack Obama and it's it's the people who surround them uh in the military industrial complex in the media industrial complex those who are pushing and it's not limited to the Democratic party of course Mitt Romney also called me a treasonous uh person who is a Russian asset or something along those lines so um you know they they are all part of this permanent Washington Elite who cannot allow for uh those who challenge them to go unscathed uh because their their whole existence is based around that it's a Bas it's based around power and where they get their power from and the main source of power obviously is the exercise of military force yes it's the most powerful it's the most powerful thing we are the most powerful military in the world and that's what's so offensive about them and what they're advocating for is is they they treat our military um it's it's like and actually I don't want to say they forget uh because they're not stupid they really don't care about the men and women who make up our military and who live and die by the consequences of their actions whether they're holding office or not Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are not in office right now but they still continue to wield immense power in influencing the decisions that are being made so can I just sort of sidebar but I think relevant interesting are you answering the question that everyone watching has which is who is running the government at this point is obviously not Joe Biden yeah you think Hillary I there it's not a a leap of of imagination to know that that's true when you look at the people who are in Joe Biden's Administration they are the the the people who were the right hands for the Obama Administration for President Obama and for for Hillary Clinton uh when Hillary Clinton said herself the other day she said oh yeah talk to the White House every day so it's not there's no shock or surprise uh who the influences are behind the policies that are coming out of this white house that many people say is the most radical and woke White House that our country has ever seen oh well there's there's no question about it so but as this was happening to you I mean I'm sure you don't want to go to the White House Correspondence Dinner good for you tiresome but on the other hand it is a lot easier and much more pleasant to be loved than it is to be hated I think it's just true and so as you became like really hated by the leadership of the democratic party and they weren't hiding it at all no did you ever think like maybe it's just easier to kind of pretend bombing Syria is a good idea did you ever question your decision to say no no I I knew what that that would be true I knew that there was certainly an easier path to take you think it was kind of laid out for me when I first got there uh but I I never second guessed my decision um my decisions about these different positions that I took um I never regretted them uh never not to this day and I never will because I didn't go to Washington to be loved by the people who live and exist and thrive in that bubble well sure I get it and their their love is not worth having I totally agree but their money's good yeah and I think you're the only famous person I've ever met who flies coach and you're certainly the only very very well-known member of Congress and former presidential candidate I've ever met in my entire life who didn't cash in personally and I know that is factually true yeah so like do you ever think like maybe I don't know it's easier to fly first class maybe I should have just it's not worth it okay it's not worth it do you think it's weird that we never talk about the money involved like I just know that from living there yeah and from knowing a lot of well-known people who've you know become famous in politics yeah and there's not one of them not one not literally not one on either side who's not in the top 1% for income but you're not no why doesn't anyone ever say that yeah because because it is the assumed Norm it's not the exception what they're doing is the norm so why would they talk about it there's nothing to talk about because they assume that every member of Congress whether you're a Democrat or Republican the day you walk out you get your payday what did you get when you walked out uh nothing nothing I had to come up with a plan of you know like all right uh we got to figure out how we're going to pay the bills how much how much money had you amassed during your Tri time in Congress you know I every financial adviser would probably uh be very disappointed cuz you know my my husband and I were you know I had like okay we got we got a couple of months we got a couple of months that we can make it through we got to come up with we got to come up with a plan uh otherwise before you'd have to sell your weekend house or sure the imaginary weekend house yeah no it's were you able to buy a big house when you're in Congress of uh no no no we had we we bought a house um I don't think you ever came to our house there but but here here's I'll give you a little hint where uh and we shared it with my sister and her husband uh but we did buy a house in a in a neighborhood that was affordable in DC and we found out the first week that we were there that uh we order try to order takeout from somewhere oh oh in DC oh you lived in the hood I knew that DC and and as soon they're like okay put the order in and everything else and as soon as I I gave them the address they're like oh no we don't deliver to that neighborhood we won't cross that bridge we won't cross the Anacostia bridge to get to your house you lived on what we what we call the other side of the river literally um anyway it it it's you know there there was a question that a reporter asked me a couple of years I foret two or three years after I'd been in Congress they're like okay you've been here a while now um you know do you feel like you fit in and it was a surprising question to me and I said no I don't ever want to fit in here this is not like this is not my home uh I'm grateful to get out of here as quickly as possible as soon as votes are done as often as possible get back to my community in Hawaii or get get out and visit other communities in the country and and remain very closely connected to the people who I am I am you know I'm there to serve and as you know we've talked about this before there's just there there are far too many politicians from both parties who spend their time uh at Social hours and happy hours with lobbyists uh than they do actually spend time at home does anyone ever oh that's certainly true and they have sad sad personal lives almost not all but most as you know but I'm always amazed by the financial disclosures and again since this the last question but since no one else talks about it I will and you see these members of Congress who are you know some cases they're clever maybe even smart some cases are just pretty ordinary actually and they're so rich relative to the mean oh yeah does anyone and I have no idea how they made all that money I no clue at all how Nancy posy is just so rich or how she her stock picks are like way better than Warren Buffett's like how does that happen but um does anyone ever talk about that internally like on the hill no because most of them benefit from it it uh I love these these like accounts on X and on Instagram that pop up now that are actually tracking I don't know how they do it I really don't know how they figure it out but they are tracking what she's buying and what other members of Congress are buying Nancy py stock tracker oh yeah that's definitely one of them they're likey everybody pay it is it's incredible to see um and and when you watch that and I'm so glad for the transparency that they're providing to people uh in real time almost but but it's no wonder why she and others Democrats and Republicans who could very easily pass the legislation that says no member of Congress or the senate or their spouse or their senior staff should be allowed to trade in stocks period full stop it it's such an obvious way to stop even the perception if you want to claim like innocence or whatever there should be no perception that our elected leaders are profiting off of the knowledge that they have as policy makers that directly impact industry and businesses that's a no-brainer to me I introduced legislation when I was in Congress to do that many people have since then there's been a lot of talk and conversation why hasn't it gone anywhere that's why because they profit off it so they don't of course they don't uh want to talk about it that's just an easy one it is and frankly like why why do they need to be forced when I you know I'm not I'm not some kind of stock Trader but but you know when I was like 23 and 24 I had like $5,000 in my savings account I like okay cool let me learn a little bit about stocks I put some money in some stocks and I don't remember how they did but I knew I I knew immediately like going into Congress perception is reality yes and so it doesn't matter like well I've had this stock for 15 years or whatever it doesn't even matter what it is I got rid of uh I I did not participate in anything related to stocks or stock trading or buying or selling or anything for the entire time that I was in Congress and it's not some like oh look at me I'm so great it's just common sense that we have people in great positions of power why should they be forced to do something with the passage of a law why don't they just do the right thing and say you know what we get that even an innocent thing could be perceived as insider trading we're just not going to go there because it's too lucrative to give up and they know they can get away with it so it's interesting so you have explained and thank you the history of Hawaii which I think is directly relevant to the choices that you've made and and as far as I know it's everything is true um and so the party has changed a lot in just the brief time that you've you that you remember of it a lot dramatically unrecognizable but also in the process of going through all these experiences and being attacked by people who thought who said they were your allies you've got to change yeah I've changed dramatically in 20 years just through you know we all do If we're honest so how have you changed like what perceptions of yours are different from what they were five years ago you know it is it is that that like the last five years um that it became more and more clear to me how many people especially in the Democratic party uh in Washington specifically uh how little they think of the Constitution and you know I think the last 5 years especially are pretty pivotal because you look at what happened with covid for example as a starting point of how people both at the federal level at the state level county level in a lot of places when given just a little bit of power man they they took advantage of that and continued to abuse that power in a way that just didn't make sense it didn't make sense you know when they like okay well for public safety everybody's got to stay in indoors and you can't go to church and you can't even worship you know out like in Hawaii on the beach you can't you can't have like an outdoor Service uh but if you're going to go and do a black lives matter March that that actually rises above any public health and safety concerns that we talked about and so that's okay uh the the the politically motivated decisions that were being made in the midst of what they were calling this you know the greatest Health epidemic of our time uh I think exposed pretty deeply to a lot of people uh that it was really all just about power and how little they were concerned about things like freedom and civil liberties and the ability for us to make our own choices for ourselves and then it just continued to escalate more and more with the Biden Harris Administration um in in how they were undermining the rule of law continuing to this day uh and how willing they were to both directly and indirectly uh censor Blacklist and smear um everyday Americans uh across the country if you happen to challenge them whether it be on covid or it be on uh things like it and this this was uh I think this was the thing that that caused Mitt Romney to to call me a treasonous liar was saying hey there are um us funded DOD funded biolabs in Ukraine that should be secured because there's a war going on over there and the last thing we or the world needs is anything going on in those biolabs being Unleashed in a way that could pose a threat to people that that was seen as uh but I should just say you weren't guessing no you got that or it was confirmed in any case in a public Exchange in the Senate between Marco Rubio of Florida the sitting Republican Senator and Victoria nulan the under Secretary of State who volunteered it on camera yes so and it was on the dod website talking about their long history right of funding these biolabs not only in Ukraine but in many other countries course because outside US law right so they can and it's it's bioweapons research obviously but you just you I don't even think you said that you just said basically what the under Secretary of State said in the Senate right and then you have a creature like Mitt Romney calling you um a traitor to your country um so what do you think of him like what is that why would he be so committed to a lie that he'd be willing to try to destroy your character he is part of that neocon neolib establishment in Washington that poses a direct threat to our Republic to our democracy and to our freedom uh and that that really is at the heart of why I chose to leave the Democratic party seeing people and and yep got it he's a republican but he took the same position as Hillary Clinton and many other Democrats uh who don't care about our country that's what it comes down to agree they don't care about our country I challenged Mitt Romney I sent him a legal letteren in him on his accusation for the very reason that we talked about as a uniformed officer serving the United States Army uh his accusation as a US senator is is is a crime punishable by death so if you're going to make that accusation as he did on what was then known as Twitter you better freaking back it up is it a little if you take three sets back it's like obviously Mitt Romney is emotionally a child he's very much a subgenius he's like not a genius let just put it that way and he's made hundreds of millions of dollars in our economy like what does that tell you about our Eon like how could a guy like that get so unbelievably rich like there's something systemically wrong right yeah yeah I mean there there's a whole I think there's a huge and and I I think this will be the topic of the next book that I'll write is as we talk about the military industrial complex there is a corporate industrial comp that exists as well I'm all about capitalism but when you look at the monopolies of that's not Capital that's not capitalism at all you look at how many small businesses are suffering in this country because of overregulation by government and because they can't afford to pay millions tens of millions of dollars to have lobbyists going and scratching the back of politicians so that they can create the loopholes that allow their business to thrive at the cost of the the mass majority of the small businesses in our country and the elimination of competitiveness true true competition what capitalism is all about true competition uh in our country and that's how when you look at people like Mitt Romney and you see how they have done uh so well that that's that's the reason why he's just so disgraceful um it's hard to believe he's real but he he is so how did he respond when you said he didn't his silence was he didn't respond at all did not respond at all not to my lawyer and not on Twitter and and not in any way uh shape or form uh which it it didn't it didn't surprise me so dishonorable it is it is it is I I am so grateful and really truly feel like it is a privilege to be able to serve our country in uniform uh April makes 21 years for me um I'm grateful to serve as a battalion Commander currently where I have the opportunity to work with Incredible Americans uh who come from all over the country and who deeply love our country uh it's not a it's not a small sacrifice to make both for those who are serving as active duty service members as well as those who serve in the reserve component there's a reason why we do it and it stems from a deep love for our country and to have a guy like that uh make such an accusation yeah it hits it hits close to home not only for me but the the real issue with that and why I challenged him on it is because when people like Mitt Romney uh make that kind of accusation people like Hillary Clinton uh call me a traitor and a a Russian asset or a puppet of Putin I this is not about me it's about the message that they're sending to every service man and woman in this country and every American that if you dare to challenge just we will come we will come at you it's always the least American people who make the claim that you're not American enough yeah um so but I do you ever think so again this is demonstrable if anyone who's made it to this point in the conversation can decide you know do I agree or disagree withy Gard that's fine but I don't think any Fair person could say you're in this for the money yeah or the accolades just the opposite you're continuing to get deployed and you're not making any money doing that you're doing it anyway it's quite a time commitment um do you ever think like maybe politics is not the business for me because I'm just I believe what I believe and I'm and I'm kind of never going to sell it out maybe you're not transactional enough for this I'm serious uh I I I have never thought of of quote unquote Politics as a career yes at all ever and so the different times in my life where I have held public office it's never been well this is what I'm gonna do for the next few decades and then I'll retire uh and it's why I have left at different times um I did not run for reelection when I was serving in the state house because I decided to volunteer and deploy to Iraq with my brothers and sisters in the Hawaii National Guard at the time uh I did not run for Congress uh again in re-election in 202 20 because I felt like I could um the the climate of the House of Representatives had had gotten to that point where I felt like I had maximized the impact that I could make there and I could I could be of more influence um at that time on the outside kind of holding their feet to the fire uh and being able to share exactly what I am now with the American people the truth about what's going on in Washington and the truth about these politicians who claim to care for you but show through their actions that they don't more and more brazenly and this is this is really you know you'd ask the question about what happened over the last five years and um yeah how was CH the change the change really uh where there has been a change it has come from a a much deeper appreciation um frankly of of of our Constitution and the role that our leaders must have in truly upholding the Constitution it's obviously something I've I've sworn oath to twice in my life and I care very deeply for uh to see how those in power were so brazenly and continue to so brazenly abuse their power and uh weaponize you know our law enforcement the National Security State all all of these different tools that are at their disposal increasingly pushing us toward towards a place where our country is being led by a tyrannical government yes the problem very real it's a very real danger oh I agree that I I frankly couldn't you know I 10 years ago maybe even maybe even you know less than that I I I don't think I would have I don't think I would have said that oh I don't think most people would have said it at all because it seemed like just the the normal disagreements between people with the same goal which is to help the country that's not the case the obviously the problem with the Constitution though is that the whole document basically is just like a limits on the power and authority of politicians that's the whole purpose of it here's what you can't do to the population but it's in the hands of politicians to uphold yeah so you s i mean maybe that's like the core problem with our government our system of government is they have to restrain their own power like what if they're like we don't care about the Constitution like old white guys wrote it and they were racist and like it's now invalid and that's exactly where the leaders of today's Democratic party are that is their mindset but what do you do about that that's that's where going and and actually looking again at our founding documents looking at the Declaration of Independence looking at the Federalist Papers yes uh where we are reminded over and over and over again about how our nation's Founders continued to say it's we the people that our government does not exist without the consent of the governed and this is the message I'm carrying everywhere across the country is that if you are not happy with the direction that our country is headed um and I think that most people are not happy with it this changes only when we take action only when we take action there's no night and shining armor that's coming to save the country our founder specifically uh built our country on the foundation of we the people taking ownership and responsibility for the kind of leadership that we want and the kind of future that we want and right now uh I am sounding the alarm and encouraging everyone to sound the alarm the name of my book is for love of country leave the Democrat Party behind specifically and very directly pointing to those who pose the greatest threat to our democracy to our freedom to our security and our ability to live in peace right now and my concern my my grave concern is that in this next election if President Biden or Harris or whoever they may put up if it's not President Biden if they are allowed to remain in power then we will get to a place where the country that I love that you love that so many of us love and appreciate will become uh unrecognizable and uh to a place where the freedoms that we are already starting to lose um that that we won't be able to get them back I know I know a lot of people have been to jail in the last three and a half years like a lot I've interviewed a lot just interviewed one today um and they've gone to jail for their political views and for their willingness to challenge the people in power if Biden or if Clinton and Obama get reelected using Biden as a cutout and KLA Harris are you worried that I mean we're talking about like actual Americans American citizens going to jail we're going to see a lot more of that it feels like to me we are already seeing more of that uh and I have no doubt that that will only escalate dramatically because every time uh you know they could win the election by theoretically one vote and they will run around the country and say well the American people have given us a mandate to continue the Great work we are doing for this country well the great work that they see they are doing for this country is actually for themselves and they are completely undermining uh the fabric uh that that makes this country what it is that's for sure but are you worried I mean you're in this interesting position because you know they've always they've disliked Trump for a long time disliked me for a long time they thought they could use you they thought they loved you and so they hate you with a very very intense and very specific kind of hate and you've given them the finger at every turn yeah like and you won't stop so like do you ever think to yourself I wouldn't be surprised yeah why wouldn't they indict you for being a Russian agent or whatever there there's um a as we are seeing now uh they are completely willing to use the Department of Justice and law enforcement to serve their own political means um so so no it wouldn't surprise me at all uh they are they are showing that even without evidence without basis without anything to back up their claims they are uh you know they they and and this is they've been doing this against Trump since he first ran for office in 2016 launching yearslong investigations into him this whole Russia collusion thing things that were you know proven through those investigations like no there there was nothing here and there there's been no accountability for them whatsoever which goes back to just emphasizing how critical it is uh if if you are a person who cares about Freedom who cares about our country who cares about you know being able to make your own decisions as parents about what kind of education you want for your child if you care about having a safe Community for your child to live in if you care about having a a a secure country with borders uh the Democratic party is is um not the answer it is not the answer they are in fact the problem so you've been um in a lot of different news stories uh talked about as a potential VP choice for Trump I have no idea if that's going to happen or not probably unknowable are you open to that if you don't do that what else are you open to what's your plan um I would I would be honored I'd be honored to to serve our country uh in that way or in other ways um and to be in a position to to help president Trump If he if he is reelected uh to actually address these challenges to help execute those policies that will bring back a secure border that will Breathe new life into uh our economy and start to get this radical inflation uh out of control which on that note I I was in a conversation the other day with like two different groups of people uh one one was with uh a very very wealthy couple and they were saying well gosh you know and they're not fans of President Biden either but like you know the econom is not actually that bad the stock market's doing all right and you know it's it's not really as bad as a lot of people are saying it is um and then the next conversation was with uh people who are not part of that that wealthy class class who were talking about you know a loaf of bread is three times more expensive today than it was 6 months ago or a year ago basic necessities electricity uh food medicine all of the things that that people need just to live and and to try to live in a healthy way uh are far more expensive but they're not making a whole lot more the dollar is going uh you know not not going nearly as far as it needs to in order to be able to afford this inflation and so I I just mentioned that because this disconnect still continues between the elite in Washington uh and the reality that they live in versus the reality the rest of us live in in this country and and president Trump recognizes that I'd love to be in a position to help [Music] um to help secure our country and to get us off this path towards World War III and nuclear war that uh the Democrat Elite and President Biden's policies have us on right now so my last question a lot uh has been written about you uh and um a lot has been written about your spiritual life I don't know if any of it's accurate or not um most politicians don't have a spiritual life so I think it it Spooks our media that you clearly do you can feel it but I want to ask you a specific question so there was a fairly famous exchange on MSNBC a week or two ago with a reporter from Politico who was attacking Christians and that reporter said um you know the crazy thing about Christians is they think their rights come from God when of course the implication is they really are granted by Joe Biden like what uh where do you think our rights come from our rights come from God it's and it's it's I I I saw that clip um and I laughed when I saw it and then I was concerned because I saw the people sitting around the table in one of those panels and they all had serious looks on their faces as they were nodding along with this woman saying this as though like first of all whatever her spiritual beliefs are or the lack thereof that's her business yeah but have you read the Declaration of Independence ever certainly not recently because again whatever your own personal thoughts may be uh the Declaration of Independence is not they don't mince words yes that that our god-given rights are inalienable and they do come from our creator uh and and again recognizing that as the basis for our founding documents uh is a very powerful message to every person in politics or in power that you don't get to try to take away those rights God gives us those rights only God can take them away and this God complex that so many of our politicians have is at the heart of the problem is they're so eager to put themselves in a position of power where they they believe that they have the power to say what is true and what is not true that something as undeniable as the fact that I am a woman and you're a man is something that they have now declared to be uh a fun uh label I suppose that you can just say oh you know I I I believe I'm a man so I'm a man and and and let it be so the this is this is it would be laughable if the consequences weren't so dangerous uh to have people in power who don't recognize that our our rights and freedoms come from God and you follow that track and where does it lead is is they really do believe that they are God or should be God God and that they are self-appointed themselves to be in that position of authority and have a lot of tools at their disposal to try to enforce that and that is what is at the heart of the danger that we face as a country right now this is something that transcends party affiliation it transcends how you may like or dislike certain candidates this is the fact and it's the reality that we have to confront ourselves with if we we care about peace if we care about Freedom if we care about security if we care about our country and our future uh the choice is very clear in this election and what we must do in leaving the Democrat Party behind TSA gab I don't know what's next for you I don't know what's next for any of us actually but I hope you will keep talking I will thank you for having me thank you it's so good to see you hey it's Tucker Carlson the internet is crowded with interesting things that don't really matter on TCN we attempt to bring you interesting things that actually do matter and a lot of them interviews long form and short videos documentaries you can find all of it on tuckercarlson.com and we hope you will free speech is bigger than any one person or any one organization societies are defined by what they will not permit what we're watching is the total inversion of virtue