Tweets. Next, white house chief of staff mark meadows sits down for a conversation with tony perkins, president of the Family Research council as part of the 2020 values voter summit. This is 20 minutes. You were in some of those early value voter meetings. Attended and i had like many of the people tuned in tonight, literally are activists wanting to make sure that their values are heard at washington, d. C. Aboutr us, it was more making sure we were not silent, and so 15 years seems like just yesterday, but there is probably no more impactful gathering of conservative christian values that we get to hear, whether it is in the administration or capitol hill. You get a lot of energy, a lot of headlines, and a lot of press. I remember having a conversation with you after one of those gatherings. That you areing being led more directly into the arena, and not long after that, you were elected to congress. Know, it was not the thing that i ever had on my bucket list. I never wanted to be a member of congress. The next thing you know, the people of Western North carolina had elected me as a member of congress. We started the freedom caucus, a number of things, i never thought i would be with cameras and lights and microphones. Whether it is in this building or my home or anywhere else, now it is pretty much something that you have to get use to used to because i am a fairly shy individual. I never thought i would be on tv, and now that i am, it is one of those things that you want to make sure you do not mess up. You are very successful in business. You came up to North Carolina. Yes, we have done things together. Me when i came, an thatand, he used to say personnel is policy. And when we talk about the value voters, you look around the president , you look at his cabinet. This president has surrounded himself by true conservatives. He has. For him, it is all about the forgotten man and woman he wants to make sure that all of the values evident on main street, not just places of businesses and schools, churches, that those values were bought brought to washington dc. They want their values to be put out across the country, whether it is in florida, maine, new york, california, or in between. They want to take the d. C. Values and put it that way. This president was right that he wanted their values to be represented in his administration. He has been purposeful in doing that. With a great degree of success. But also a great degree of criticism, and hopefully we will see in a second term how hes ab le to accomplish that much more. I want to talk about that in a moment. I want to know what it is like to be a chief of staff or president donald trump. You represent what i see happening in the Republican Party and in the conservative movement, which reminds me of the scripture, if you do not lose heart. I have a timeframe here. I have been here 20 years. Your congressional district, 2006, the democrats were able to knock off a pot a moderate spoke to himd i many times. He is a good friend. Withs forced to go along the Democratic Party barack obama as health care obamas Health Care Plan and set himself up for defeat. You defeated him. Actually been happening across the country. And for those conservatives who are discouraged by what they see happening in the streets or the media or this cancel culture, the reason i think it is happening, and correct me if i actually is that is prevailing by our steady commitment to core values and principles. It is a commitment to the principles and willing to be the same person in washington dc that you might have campaigned on back home. For me it was North Carolina, but also the values that resonate most, which actually a swing district back and forth to one that was tocted a conservative member congress. But there is another message, which is that you need to speak for theirak up values. There are a lot of people who are not willing to speak up, but if their neighbor speaks out, or their friend speaks out, all of a sudden they say i am not alone. What we saw was that my old district, actually the registration changed by almost 17 . In the four terms that i was there to become more conservative. It wasnt necessarily with people moving in. People moving in were probably more liberal than the people who already live there. Yet, it was one person speaking up, talking to a neighbor and saying you know what i am not alone in that i believe and value. And we the influence stand for those core values. Mark meadowset to making a transition from a businessman to the chief of staff or donald trump for donald trump. You and i worked on a number of issues a number of successful issues. When you were driven by your convictions and you were in these positions, you could make a difference. , youhat is publicly known are it was a collaborative effort, but she is now living here free when she was on death row. Last year when i was in sudan, i went to the prison where she was chained to the floor and gave birth to her baby girl. She is free because you are willing to advocate along with that smith and others, but is a very tangible example of how we can make a difference when we enter an arena, there is often difficult, challenging, and uninviting. That particular story was one that you played role a key role, as most of america should know, but you played a role. Conversations, and i said who am i . I was a new congressman at that particular point, and yet, we were able to act in a real way for freedom for someone who is sentenced to death because of her Christian Faith and not denying that. It makes a difference. People ask me, what are some of your greatest compliments . Accomplishments . They are the wonderful victories you get when you hopefully sit back on a rock or a front porch and tell your grandkids about that you had a small part and watch god work. But andrewexample, brunson, he is from North Carolina and you weighed in on that and helped guide the administration on that issue as well. There is a reason not only the reasons you see in the papers are the headlines, the things that happen each and every day that men and women of deep conviction that are here do and go unseen. That is the message for people tuned into this summit, which we happen to have in an unconventional way instead of an auditorium filled with people. There hopefully tuned in online this evening, but as we look at that, my message to them is very simple. If they will stay engaged and remain true to their convictions, and no matter how small their contribution may or may not be, i look for it to blossom and build great food bear great fruit. I have been able to look backwards and say boy, it is amazing how god can bless it. When you were running your first race for congress, did you ever vision yourself being the chief of staff or president . Being chief of staff is the greatest honor anybody could ever have. People look at this job and this role very differently than i ever did. I never expected to even meet the president of the united states, let alone work for him, and it has been a great honor. Day, youeach and every look at what are the priorities . What are the priorities the president has . How do we best make sure to get this done . This president is a man of action. If you give him words and no action, he will call you out immediately. He is clearly getting it done have a front row to history. This president cares deeply about these issues, and i know he does not come from the same he was never an attendee at the voters summit until he was a candidate. He was a successful businessman. A different set of values to some degree, but there has not in a president that has embraced these issues of religious freedom. I know you have heard more conversations in private than i have, but he has set the same things privately. Wants tot, he says he make sure that he fights for that forgotten man and woman and their values and ensure ing sure that [no audio] we have an embassy in jerusalem that many other president s and it was this president that was willing to go against advisors, even in the white house. Createid it is going to all kinds of problems. We see a president that is willing to engage and really take bold and courageous actions because of the American People are willing to stand up with him and behind him and encourage them. And that is why is a businessman, you are a risk taker. The word was in proportion to the president here, it isy get like lord of the rings. And get that precious ring they cannot let go of it. Thing they do is run for office and they do everything to mitigate the risk but they become ineffective. This president is a risk taker and in spite of unbelievable persecution, he will take the risk and promised the American People and it is an honor to serve him. One of the moments that is most accurate is in the courts. M not going to squeeze you it would not work, anyways. I would love to put it all out there, but i have more media call me about who is it going to be you see the Political Class wants to go down the path of least resistance. He isident just going to go for the biggest return. Him as what defines making a difference and quite frankly, our nation is at that point where if we do not make a big difference, a change, we are on a path that is not sustainable, both culturally, economically. It has been those who are willing to make the most Significant Impact on their Current Society that histori cally meant the most. Sometimes, people want to be a historical figure, but that is not the way great leaders and the way this president inc. s about it. He wants to in the moment make the right decision, do something that will truly make a difference, and because of that, they are historical in nature. Looking at the things he has done in the first four years, history books will be kind to the accomplishments of this president where he set in motion things that will forever be remembered. One final question. It is a nonorthodox question, but what surprises you most about the president when you became his chief of staff . How hard he works and how much he personally cares. Talkingot even like me about the personal care that he has. I thought i was the hardest working, but that is not the case. Something that he does not like, he will pick up the phone and call and say, lets get this taken care of. That was a big surprise, but the other part of it is when he hears the stories of people hurting in america. Regardless of the other party affiliation, he wants to do something about it, and oftentimes has done things about standpoint,rsonal not in his capacity as president. The media can write about the president and the men that i get to see behind the scenes, they would write a very different story and theyd be touched by the things i get to see. I have seen a little bit of that in 2016 when he was actually running for president. We had the flood in louisiana, he came down, i traveled with him. He would stop and get out to talk to those who were dragging their things out of their homes that were flooded. He did care. You do see that. Mark meadows, i want to thank you for sitting down. One final thing. I brought something for the president , a bumper sticker. Pray, vote, stand. I love it. Those are all good action words. He would be focused on the vote. Thanks so much. Alright. We take you now to the white house rose garden or President Trump will reveal his pick to take the vacancy in the Supreme Court following the death of Justice Ruth Bader ginsburg. This is live coverage on cspan. [times of liberty 51 playing]
comparemela.com © 2020. All Rights Reserved.