PRESIDENT TRUMP: HE'S A SMART
GUY, HE'S A GREAT GUY, AND HE'LL
KEEP YOUR JOBS GOING WAY UP,
HE'LL KEEP YOUR TAXES GOING WAY
DOWN.
RON STANDS 100% WITH THE MEN AND
WOMEN OF LAW ENFORCEMENT LIKE WE
ALL DO.
>> [APPLAUSE]
MARIA: PRESIDENT TRUMP AT A
RALLY IN PENSACOLA FLORIDA LAST
NIGHT FOR BOTH REPUBLICAN
GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT WHOSE
RUNNING FOR SENATE AND THE MAN
WHO WANTS TO REPLACE HIP AS
GOVERNOR FORMER REPUBLICAN
CONGRESSMAN RON DESANTIS.
HE IS IN A HEATED RACE AGAINST
DEMOCRAT AND TALLAHASSEE MAYOR
ANDREW GILLUM.
THE VERY LATEST REAL CLEAR
POLITICS AVERAGE SHOWS JUST HOW
CLOSE THIS RACE IS WITH GILLUM
LEADING RON DESANTIS BY LESS
THAN THREE PERCENTAGE POINTS
JOINING ME EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
FLORIDA REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL
CANDIDATE RON DESANTIS.
WE EXTENDED AN INVITATION TO
ANDREW GILLUM TO JOIN THE
PROGRAM WE DID NOT HEAR BACK
FROM HIS PEOPLE.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US
GOOD TO SEE YOU.
>> GOOD MORNING.
MARIA: WELL I GUESS FIRST GIVE
ME THE STATE OF AFFAIRS.
I KNOW FLORIDA HAS LONG BEEN
UNPREDICTABLE BUT IT HAS
APPEARED TO BE A RED STATE FOR A
LONG TIME NOW, CERTAINLY SMALL
GOVERNMENT, LOW TAXES, NO INCOME
TAX FOR INDIVIDUALS AND YET
YOU'RE TRAILING GILLUM WHO IS A
SELF-STATED PROGRESSIVE WHO
WANTS TO RAISE TAXES.
WHAT HAPPENED TO FLORIDA?
>> WE'RE NOT TRAILING IN ACTUAL
PEOPLE WHO HAVE VOTED MARIA.
WE HAVE MORE THAN HALF THE VOTE
HAS BEEN CAST.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE EARLY
ABSENTEE VOTES REPUBLICANS ARE
LEADING FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER
AT THIS STAGE.
DONALD TRUMP HAS DOWN 17 5,000
REPUBLICAN VOTES GOING INTO
ELECTION DAY IN 2016.
HE WON BY ABOUT 17 5,000.
WE ARE GOING TO BE GOING INTO
ELECTION DAY AS REPUBLICANS TO
THE FIRST TIME IN RECENT FLORIDA
HISTORY UP GOING INTO ELECTION
DAY AND A LOT OF OUR VOTERS WILL
NOT VOTERLY.
THEY WILL NOT TRY TO DO ABSENTEE
THEY WANT TO VOTE ON ELECTION
DAY SO I THINK OUR TURN OUT IS
EXACTLY WHAT WE NEED TO BE ABLE
TO WIN AND IF YOU HAVE A POLL
THAT PREDICTS A DEMOCRATIC WAVE
THAT'S GOING TO SHOW SOMETHING
DIFFERENT THAN WHAT'S ACTUALLY
HAPPENING ON THE GROUND SO I
THINK WE'RE IN GOOD SHAPE AND
THE REASON WHY WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO MOBILIZE REPUBLICANS SO MUCH
IS PRECISELY BECAUSE OF THE
CONTRACT YOU TALKED ABOUT.
PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHAT HAS MADE
FLORIDA SUCCESSFUL.
WE HAVE HAD LIMITED GOVERNMENT.
WE HAVE HAD A PRO-BUSINESS
CLIMATE AND A LOW TAX
ENVIRONMENT.
THAT ALLOWS US TO DRIVE
INVESTMENT FROM HIGHER TAX
STATES AND I THINK WE'RE POISED
TO DO BETTER THAN EVER MARIA.
YOU KNOW IN NEW YORK, PEOPLE ARE
GOING TO BE FILLING OUT THEIR
TAXES IN THE SPRING.
THE SALT DEDUCTION IS GOING TO
BE GONE AND I THINK THAT'S GOING
TO CAUSE AN EVEN INCREASED FLOOD
OF INVESTMENT INTO FLORIDA IF WE
HAVE GOOD LEADERSHIP AND GOOD
TAX POLICY.
ANDREW GILLUM WANTS A 40% TAX
INCREASE THAT'LL KILL JOBS CAUSE
BUSINESSES TO LEAVE AND IT'LL
STOP THE HISTORIC FLOW OF
INVESTMENT COMING INTO FLORIDA
IT WOULD BE A BIG MISTAKE AND I
THINK REPUBLICAN VOTERS IN
PARTICULAR REALIZE THAT THAT'S
WHY THEY'RE COMING OUT.
MARIA: ANDREW GILLUM SAID HE
DOES WANT TO RAISE CORPORATE
TAXES.
LET'S GO THROUGH SOME OF THE
PROPOSALS AND REALLY, YOUR
PLATFORM VERSUS GILLUM.
HE HAS ALSO SAID HE WANTS
HEALTHCARE TO BE, HE THINKS
HEALTHCARE SHOULD BE A
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT FOR EVERYONE
MEANING MEDICARE FOR ALL.
WHAT IS YOUR PLATFORM RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, MARIA UNDERSTAND AND
YOU POINTED OUT IN THE LAST
SEGMENT MEDICARE FOR ALL IS
MEDICARE FOR NONE IT ABOLISHES
MEDICARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE AND
FORCES SENIORS ON TO A
GOVERNMENT-RUN, A NEW GOVERNMENT
-RUN SYSTEM.
FLORIDA SENIORS DO NOT WANT THAT
AND IT ALSO TAKES AWAY PEOPLE'S
EMPLOYER-PROVIDED HEALTH
BENEFITS THEY'RE EARNING IN
THEIR JOBS AND IT MAKES THAT
ILLEGAL AND FORCES THEM ON TO A
GOVERNMENT SINGLE PAYER SYSTEM
SO THAT WOULD UPEND THE LIVES OF
MILLIONS AND MILLIONS OF
FLORIDIANS OF COURSE REQUIRE
MASSIVE TAX INCREASE, IT WOULD
BANKRUPT SUSPECT, THE PROGRAM
WOULD HEMORRHAGE MONEY AND YOU'D
HAVE RATIONING AND LESS ACCESS
TO CARE, SO IT IS SOMETHING THAT
I THINK IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE
IN FLORIDA AND SO I WANT TO
PROTECT PEOPLE'S BENEFITS THAT
THEY'VE EARNED.
I DON'T THINK GOVERNMENTS SHOULD
BE TAKING THAT AWAY FROM ANYBODY
MARIA: HOW IMPORTANT IS THE
REPUBLICAN VICTORY IN FLORIDA,
GOING INTO THE 2020 ELECTION,
THE RE-ELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP?
>> WELL I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT
FOR THE STATE OF FLORIDA TO
BUILD OFF THE MOMENTUM WE'VE HAD
GOVERNOR SCOTT HAS DONE A GREAT
JOB FOCUSING ON JOBS AND THE
ECONOMY HAS GOTTEN EVEN BETTER
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP BEING IN
OFFICE, AND ENACTING PRO-GROWTH
POLICIES SO CLEARLY, FLORIDA, I
THINK, WITH ME AS GOVERNOR, WILL
CONTINUE TO BE A SUCCESS STORY,
SO AS WE'RE GOING INTO 2020
THAT'LL BE GOOD FOR THE
PRESIDENT POLY BUT ALSO AN
OPPORTUNITY FOR FLORIDIANS TO
VOTE AT THE PRESIDENTIAL LEVEL
AND SAY OKAY THINGS ARE GOING
WELL WE'RE ON THE RIGHT TRACK
LET'S KEEP IT GOING IF YOU HAVE
GILLUM AS GOVERNOR, HE'S REALLY
GOING TO WRECK A LOT OF THE
MOMENTUM THAT WE'VE HAD AND I
JUST THINK IT WOULD BE MORE
DIFFICULT ALL THE WAY AROUND FOR
THE NATIONAL STUFF.
MARIA: LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT
FOREIGN POLICY FOR A MOMENT YOU
WERE A FORMER MILITARY MAN,
SERVED OUR COUNTRY.
TOMORROW, IRAN SANCTIONS WILL
TAKE EFFECT.
THE U.S. SLAPPING SANCTIONS ON
IRAN OVER ENERGY.
I'M ABOUT TO SPEAK WITH THE
PRINCE OF SAUDI ARABIA.
WHERE DO YOU STAND IN TERMS OF
THE U.S.' POSITION WITH THE
SAUDIS AND THE SUCKS' POSITION
WITH IRAN REAL QUICK.
>> THE PRESIDENT ABSOLUTELY
RIGHT, THE SANCTIONS ARE THE
RIGHT MOVE, EVER SINCE HE NIXED
THE IRAN DEAL, THE IRANIAN
REGIME IS ON THE DEFENSIVE, THE
ECONOMY IS HURTING THIS WILL
CONTINUE TO WEAKEN THEM, AND
THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU NEED TO
DO, THEY'RE THE WORLD'S LEADING
STATE SPONSOR OF TERRORISM THEY
WANT TO ANNIHILATE ISRAEL,
THEY'RE HOSTILE TO US, TO THEIR
CORE, AND THIS IS THE RIGHT
POLICY AND I SUPPORT THE
PRESIDENT ON IT 100%.
MARIA: WE WILL LEAVE IT THERE.
WE WILL SEE YOU SOON WE'LL BE
WATCHING THE DEVELOPMENTS YOU