From President Biden's recent legislative victories to the overwhelming
victory for abortion rights in Kansas and the FBI search of Mara
Lago August so far, has been full of surprises. And with some 90
days to go before the November midterm elections, it's not clear
of such events will influence how Americans cast their votes this
fall.
Senator Tim Scott, Republican from South Carolina is up for re election
in November. His new book, America A Redemption Story is out this
week, and he joins me now, Senator Scott, Congratulations on the
book and Welcome to the news hour. Thank you for being here. It's
good to be with you. So I want to ask you about the book, but I also
want to ask you just a couple of questions about
Former president Trump. He's very much in the news. This
search by the FBI is his home in Palm Beach. You your comments, among
other things, You said, Let's see how the facts play out. Let the
facts play out. I've been looking at social Media and some supporters
of the former president are saying you should be more aggressively
supporting him. What are you saying to them? I do think that my comments
are really important. Number one. I
I was saying to my friends on the other side of the aisle, as opposed
to rushing to judgment as it did in the Russia collusion. Uh, episode
Be patient. I would say to the rest of the country. We should be
alarmed at the way that the Department of Justice and the FBI have
gone after someone. This is unprecedented. It is shocking and quite
surprising, and we're waiting to see what happens or the Trump. We
are told that the Trump attorneys
Have a list of what was taken out of the Mara Lago estate. But we
haven't we haven't seen that yet. The other thing I want to ask you
about is former President Trump today. Appearing before the New York
state attorney general, answering questions about his real estate
dealings he spent hours day Ernie said afterwards, he didn't answer
any questions.
Invoke the fifth Should he have answered those questions? If I were
his to turn, I would probably tell him not to say a word to anyone
from the Department of Justice anytime soon. I think he's protecting
himself. And frankly, if I were in his seat or his lawyers, I would
be very concerned about getting a fair shake from this Department
of Justice. Let's turn to your book title. As we said, It's America,
a redemption story, choosing hope.
Creating unity. It's your story, but it's also the story of others.
Why did you want to say that? What you're saying in this book right
now? Country faces polarization and skepticism about whether or not
America works together. I wanted to be emphatic about the fact that
I believe that we've been evolving in the right direction that in
my life, much like America's. We've had challenges we face to our
original scent of racism. We had a civil war to solve that issue.
We're continue to working on it.
My personal life. My eighth grade year I was facing a race right
at the high school four years later, I would like that. The student
government president, the one thing about America is that we're the
solution.
Sometimes it's hard to get there, but we always arrive at the right
place. I'm very confident that working together we can get things
done. Your call for America to work together seems to be one of the
lone voices at a time of great division in this country. Do you think
people are ready to hear that message? Especially in your in the
Republican Party? I certainly hope so. I believe that division and
polarization is not a Republican or Democrat thing. It's a human
thing. So
My thought is in my book. America Redemption story. I talk about
how good people of good intention
Are good conscience came together and helped me form a foundation.
How to think for myself, as opposed to what thing what to think.
And today's environment. It feels like people are being indoctrinated
as opposed to saying, Think for yourself. Come to your conclusions.
Wait patiently for all the information and then make a decision.
And And how do you think? How do you think that's being received?
I mean, are you I know you're talking to
You're talking to your certainly your fellow Republican senators
and other members of Congress on both sides of the island. I do believe
that today you look at some of the polarization that we have around
the country today. It's not because of Republicans as much as it
is about the administration's inability to be the great uniter that
he campaigned on President Biden. We have a big responsibility of
bringing this country together. I believe we can get it done. It
will take both sides of the al, but more importantly, it will take
individuals.
Embracing the concept that America is better together, leaning into
opportunities. I write about it in my book about some of the people
that came together at a wonderful mentor and a great orthodontists
who changed my smile and my self esteem permanently. And I thank
God for people who had the opportunity and they did because they
wanted to you have been you created a political committee called
the Opportunity. Uh, I think it's not the opportunity zones opportunity
matters. Family matters.
And you have your paying for ads supporting your fellow Republicans
running around the country. We we looked at a number of them, including
one in Wisconsin for
Senator Ron Johnson, and I listened to it today and I noticed you
said. We need we need new leadership in Washington. Of course, Senator
Johnson served 12 years he's running for a third term. So how do
you see that so easily? One of the things that Ron Jon brings to
the table is he's a small business owner. Here's a person who understands
how to sign the front of the paycheck and not just the back of the
paycheck.
Washington has lots of lawyers, but not a lot of business people.
So I feel like having someone like him is the new brand of leadership.
That is so important for those of us who understand how to run a
business, hiring people and the red tape or the headwinds that comes
from the government. And I'm asking because he has served two terms.
Yes, ma'am. Yes, sir. The new brand of leadership he'd be serving
for for another six. You are also sending out requests for people
to donate.
To your campaign, and we looked at some of what you're asking for.
And you, among other things You say Democrats want abortions at 52
weeks. The normal human, of course term for an abortion and
pregnancy is 40 weeks. Two weeks is a whole year. What? So I'm curious
which Democrats are calling for 52 weeks we were talking about was
Governor Northam comments about infanticide that literally up to
the day of birth, but one can be aborted. I think that is unconscionable.
Frankly, there
Arab seven countries on earth that allow for a late term abortions
in the way that we do in this country, and so we were trying to use
a hyperbolic approach to bring more attention to the fact that there
are late late term abortions as well as people in the governing world
that
Seems to think or believe that you could have an abortion up until
the day of birth. You're not saying that Democrats want a baby when
you say infanticide. I mean, it sounds like you're saying Democrats
want babies to die after they're suggesting that all of the Democrats
want anything. I'm suggesting that Governor Northam made comments
that were consistent with the latest term of abortions happening
in the latest part of the of the pregnancy. But you're not saying
that's what most Democrats Of course not. No, we would never, uh
Whitewash everyone into the same category. And finally, Senator you've
commented on this. But there is a paragraph in your book on the copyright
page talking about you're running for president that this is a statement
that prepares you to run for president. Are you Are you How seriously
are you thinking about that after five. I do talk about becoming
president of my student government. And certainly my my publishers
were ambitious in thinking that there was a presidential election
this year. I think they were way off there, and fortunately, they
issued an apology for making such a drastic mistake.
My goal is this very simple goal that's running for reelection to
continue to serve the great people of South Carolina. And while I
find it humorous that I have a chapter about being president, my
student government and my publishers
Had a comment that I did not approve. The most important thing is
to focus on is what's now It's something you're open to in the future.
You never know what's gonna happen, but I certainly am open to being
reelected.
All right, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina. The book is America.