On Monday, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) discussed his possible run for New York Governor.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00I don't know, there should be like five cigars in the morning.
00:02I mean, I had fun with CNN.
00:05Was it as bad as your town hall on Sunday?
00:08My town hall was fine.
00:10Honestly, look, this is democracy.
00:12People have a right to come out and protest, boo, jeer, heckle.
00:18Ultimately, from my vantage point, I was happy to stand there, take questions, and provide them with answers.
00:26Some of them don't like those answers, but that's why we have elections.
00:29Do you think that these are Republican voters, independent voters, or these are all Democrats?
00:33Oh, it's almost entirely Democrats.
00:36You know, we could show you chapter and verse who the attendees were.
00:40But the bottom line is Indivisible Rockland, the Indivisible groups, they've been organizing their whole intent.
00:47We have them on video from last week talking about how they were going to interrupt, jeer, boo, hiss, holler, yell, scream.
00:54And they did it.
00:55So, you know, from my standpoint, at the end of the day, that's not reflective, certainly, of the district.
01:01It's not reflective of, you know, where folks are.
01:05Do people have concerns?
01:07Sure.
01:08They always do when decisions are being made.
01:10And that's why you work through it.
01:13You know, on the issues that matter to my district, whether it's SALT or protecting Medicaid, I've been very clear on my positions and will continue to represent my district effectively.
01:24So I have no qualms about last night.
01:28We're on to the next town hall next week and keep going.
01:31Do you think that, though, you know, poll numbers have shown that Trump is struggling, at least he's slipping, including the economy.
01:39Are you worried that this could threaten swing districts like yours, could threaten Republican hold of the House?
01:44No.
01:45No, look, at the end of the day, we're in the process of negotiating the reconciliation bill.
01:50When the tax bill is complete, as these trade negotiations start to take hold, I think you will see the economy take off.
02:00And that is where people are going to be focused on, not, you know, as the sausage is made.
02:07Yeah.
02:07If it doesn't, though.
02:09Look, at the end of the day, we have a job to do.
02:12And the job is to get the reconciliation bill done and get the economy moving in the right direction.
02:19That's what we're focused on.
02:20That's what we're doing.
02:21That's why the tax bill is so critical.
02:23Getting these trade agreements done is paramount.
02:28So failure is not an option here.
02:29You have to get the work done.
02:31And I fundamentally believe the economy will take off as we get these things into place.
02:38Is Trump a net positive for your efforts to keep the House?
02:41Look, he's the president of the United States, and he won overwhelmingly in this country.
02:45You know, in Rockland County, where I live, two-to-one Democratic County, he won by a significant margin, almost about 12, 13 points.
02:57So, you know, at the end of the day, all of us have to go out and make the case to voters about the issues that matter to them.
03:07And I think you look at the border, the border is under control.
03:13The fact is, you had over 7,000 border crossings for the month of March a year ago.
03:19You're talking upwards of 180,000 under Joe Biden.
03:22The American people support what the president has been doing to secure the border, to deport criminal aliens.
03:28And obviously, as the economy takes off, I think most Americans are going to look and say, look, they said what they were going to do.
03:38They did it.
03:39Obviously, these conflicts around the globe, getting them to come to an end, are critical.
03:44So this is the work we're focused on.
03:47And I think that's ultimately what matters, the results of what will matter.
03:51And on the governor's race, Stefanik runs, are you going to run?
03:56Her candidacy has no bearing on mine.
03:59I will make a determination in June, as I said.
04:03And ultimately, the question to me is, who is best poised to win a general election, period?
04:09I've won three times now in two-to-one Democratic districts, garnering broad support because of the way that I approach the job,
04:18the way that I approach the issues, and build consensus and coalitions.
04:23And that's the only way you're going to win in a state like New York.
04:26So I'll make my determination solely based on my own considerations.
04:33Have you talked to her about it yet?
04:34No.
04:35All right.
04:36Thanks.
04:36Appreciate it.
04:36Thanks for the time.