-Welcome back to "Late Night." We're here with Beto O'Rourke.
You mentioned, and I don't want to just pass over it
without talking about exactly how awful it is.
But Governor Abbott made it -- Basically the state of Texas
investigating parents who provide gender-affirming care
to their children, basically investigating them
for child abuse. You went on Mother's Day
and you made dinner for one of these families.
-I did.
-Played a little music, as I know you like to do.
And can you just tell us, you know -- and I'm sorry that
so much of this is so depressing, but can you tell us,
what is it like for a family like that,
to be basically almost criminalized
for being a loving parent?
-First thing I'll tell you is, I've met families like
the Briggles all over the state of Texas,
and these parents are the most loving parents
you'll find anywhere.
They're doing their best to help their kid navigate
this incredibly difficult time in their lives,
and they're searching for answers,
just loving the hell out of them,
just trying to make sure that they're okay.
And our governor, Greg Abbott,
is proposing charging them with child abuse.
And if that charge is sustained,
not only taking their trans kid from them,
but every other child in the household,
placing them in a foster-care system in Texas
that is the worst-run in the country,
where 100 kids in that system died last year in the custody
and the care of the state of Texas.
Instead of fixing that system and the vulnerable kids
that are in it, he's going to take these kids
from their loving parents and put them there.
So I wanted to show up on Mother's Day, cook a great meal,
bring some flowers, have a beer, and just make sure that we
shined a light on this loving family
so that our fellow Texans understand what's at stake.
I mean, they might lose what I take for granted
with Amy and our three kids,
and I want to make sure that we fight for them and fight for
everybody who's under attack in Texas right now.
So showing up for them
and standing up for them was important.
-That's really great that you did that.
[ Cheers and applause ] -Yeah, happy to.
-Let's be honest.
How was the dinner you made?
What do you think? -It was great.
The one thing I can make really well is a diner-style hamburger
where you press the beef down into the pan.
Some Velveeta cheese slices. -Okay, gotcha.
-My wife, Amy, added this twist where we use an English muffin
instead of a regular bun.
Mayonnaise and a raw onion on it.
Just all of that together is just amazing.
-Do you use their pan?
Did you use their pan or did you bring your own?
-We were cooking for so many people that we used
their cast iron, and I bought a cast iron
and donated it to the house as well.
-Okay, that's fair. That's cool.
-We didn't want to show up empty-handed.
-No, that's true. -Yeah.
-If you showed up at our house,
my wife would not let you near our pans.
[ Laughter ]
Hey, you know, somebody who was talking about
and then ultimately decided against running for governor
of Texas was Matthew McConaughey,
who is a friend of the show.
Would there be room for Matthew to do something
in an O'Rourke administration, if you won?
-Absolutely. -Yeah.
-This guy's a great Texan.
Beyond being an extraordinary actor,
when the chips are down in our state, this guy shows up.
So, we had a horrific shooting in El Paso in 2019.
23 people were killed after Greg Abbott, Donald Trump,
and others warned of this invasion of Mexicans
and immigrants who were coming to get us.
McConaughey showed up to El Paso, raised money,
donated it to the community, was there,
you know, physically present to make sure
that we all knew that he was with us.
When we had this winter storm last year
and Abbott couldn't keep the lights on, the power went off,
hundreds died, tens of billions of dollars of damage,
McConaughey gets all of his famous friends together,
and they raise millions of dollars for the state.
So this guy is there for Texas
and he's got such an amazing heart,
so whatever he wants to do and whoever he can help,
we want to turn him loose and let him do that.
But he's an example of the spirit of the state.
I don't know if the guy is a Republican or a Democrat,
and it doesn't matter
because before we're either of those things,
we're Texans, we're Americans, we're human beings,
and we should start treating one another that way.
And so we're going to do that in Texas.
[ Cheers and applause ] -You have often --
Attention has been paid to the fact that you really --
you know, it's a giant state, and you get out and you drive
around and you go to places that maybe people
who run for governor don't ever stop by.
Is that the plan this time again?
I know you were a little -- You know, during COVID,
the way you organize, the way you ran elections in the past
wasn't available in the same way.
Is it nice to be back out there seeing Texans face-to-face?
-I love it. I love being on the road.
I love showing up in communities
where they maybe don't expect you.
So you're going to expect us in Austin and Houston, Dallas,
El Paso, my hometown, San Antonio,
the Rio Grande Valley.
But you show up in Childress, Shamrock, Texas, Pampa,
where Woody Guthrie spent some time,
Dalhart, Amarillo, San Angelo.
These places are so red, you can see them glowing
from outer space as you are orbiting the planet,
but they're also unrepresented
because where Democrats fear to tread,
Republicans don't have to show up and contest the vote.
And so folks don't have anyone to hold accountable,
anyone to share their hopes with or their concerns.
When we show up and hold a town hall, I learn so much,
but I also build support and trust in that community,
and we bring in some more votes.
And at the end of the day, I mean, we lost to Ted Cruz
by 2 1/2 and a half points, right?
There are millions more Texans
who've since been added to the rolls
and millions who've been effectively,
through voter suppression, kept from voting.
We're targeting those who've been the targets of
intimidation and suppression
so that they provide the margin of victory
when we win this thing on November 8th.
So I love traveling the state.
It's the right way to do it.
And I think it's the only way to win.
-Well, you know, stay healthy out there.
I know it probably takes a lot out of you.
And thanks so much for making time for us today.
-Thank you. I really, really appreciate it.
-Guys, that's Beto O'Rourke.