The RSBN Anchor Behind the Autopen Story Joins Tea Party Patriots Action | Robert McNeily

[00:00:14] Welcome to The Jenny Beth Show. Welcome to The Jenny Beth Show. I'm Jenny Beth Martin and I am so excited to introduce our guest today. He's the newest member of our team at Tea Party Patriots Action and he's going to be helping with the show and he's going to be doing some guest hosting and also being a guest on the show with me and going out and speaking to the grassroots as well.

[00:00:38] I think you are going to love him as much as I do and he may not be a brand new face for many of you because he had been an anchor on Right Side Broadcasting, RSBN. So today Robert McNeily is joining me. Robert, thanks so much for being on. Thank you, Jenny Beth Martin. It's such a joy to team up with you and this amazing team right here out of the greatest state in the country, the Peach State of Georgia. It is a great state. Florida's a good state too.

[00:01:06] It is. Free sunshine state. Yes, yes. We've got lots of good states and I'm so excited that you were part of the team. So welcome aboard. Well, thank you so much. It's an honor of a lifetime and the full arc in this movement to come here now with the Tea Party Patriots to continue this mission at such a pivotal time is really an honor of a lifetime. Well, let's talk about what brought you here and the full arc. How did you get here? You have been active in politics for a very long time.

[00:01:34] Yes, all the way back to 1996 at the ripe old age of eight years old. My mother had to stop me from becoming my own self-appointed precinct committeeman for Bob Dole going door to door saying it's Bob Dole country and no one could really understand it. But I can remember just celebrating my birthday recently, my very first birthday. She gave me. And at that time, George H.W. Bush in office,

[00:02:00] a list and a book of the presidents. And I still have that detailing certain aspects of their lives, both personal and professional. And I was always looking at it before I could read. So she said something was peculiar about you. And it's been a real blessing to be able to work in a career path where I have a lot of passion for not only history, but current events and public policy. And you went from looking at a book about presidents to actually interviewing a president.

[00:02:30] Yes. Well, President Donald Trump. So those not familiar with Right Side Broadcasting Network around for a decade now, really known for the rally network and interviewing those who would go out there and stand for hours just to get a glimpse of then presidential candidate Donald Trump. And of course, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, a phenomenon we may not see in coming elections. We'll see what happens with that. But with President Obama and President Trump, they had quite the lines during their campaigns,

[00:02:59] especially the Trump campaign. And I had the opportunity to be on Air Force One to ask him a few questions that gave birth to that whole auto pen narrative back in March of 2025, an honor to do so and to go down to Palm Beach International, which will soon be the President Donald J. Trump International Airport. So we look forward to that renaming in the coming weeks here.

[00:03:21] That is amazing. So you let's talk more about how did you wind up on Right Side Broadcasting and and how are you were doing anchoring of the news? So how do you start anchoring news? Well, that goes all the way back to my time at Turning Point USA. And you knew Charlie. I knew Charlie not only as he was my boss, but a personal friend.

[00:03:46] And it's really been sad over the last course of the few months now as we get to nearing that first year anniversary of his passing. But from there, Charlie found things in me that I did not know I had the potential to do. So I first started my career as an actor studying opera in college. And that stage experience and that film and television experience really gave me, I think, the ability to communicate. And of course, having that

[00:04:16] passion for politics and current events, it was a natural gateway to anchoring the news. So when that all happened, I had the opportunity to work post Turning Point USA all the way up in Anchorage, Alaska for KTUU, America's news source being the city beat reporter. I was someone who did not take the inoculation, the vaccine for COVID because of personal health history. And we could dive into that in a bit. That led to a little bit of a surprise in the career, but brought me down here to Atlanta,

[00:04:45] Georgia to work in communications for Truth Social. And ultimately, it was a Turning Point USA alum who was a campus coordinator who gave me the call during the campaign. Why don't you come back to anchoring and do it for Right Side Broadcasting Network and go be an infield reporter? And that was really a dream come true because I thought that this sad blip in American history of people losing their jobs, losing their lives, really was my last opportunity to be in this amazing field. And

[00:05:15] the last couple of years have been really a blessing from God to be part of it and to not only cover the news, but to showcase what a lot of the mainstream wasn't doing back in the day. And that's why Right Side really came on the scene to show that people are actually showing up in these lines when your local news or those big cable networks sometimes said that wasn't happening. Right, exactly. And you guys helped show the truth of what was happening at the rallies.

[00:05:40] And you did so in a, and that network, the Right Side Broadcasting Network has done so in a very unbiased manner, the way that the mainstream media does. So they'll clip and cut and, and give like a little tiny angle or whatever. And RSVN just shows the whole rally and turns around and shows the whole entire crowd and talks to people and really made sure people understood

[00:06:06] the truth about what was happening at the rallies. I hope from that as well, that people who may have not been fans of President Trump or simply followed it like some of these Tea Party folks and, and those throughout Republican ranks and within the movement did to showcase how good these people are. I mean, really, you would make your best friends in that line. That's not an exaggeration. Right. People really found not only their, their significant other to job opportunities, new friends,

[00:06:34] just from simply being in line and participating in civics. I think that's so important because there's something very special about looking at that ballot as we're in the midst of early voting in the primaries when you can look back and say, not only do I know these candidates personally, but they also know me or they've at least met me. And that's of course, a little bit tougher as we go higher up the ballot, but there's no reason why people should not know their County Commissioner to

[00:07:01] perhaps even their Congressman so that they have that personal relationship and to dialogue once again, as we should be doing in this country. Um, you mentioned opera. What's up with opera? You sing? I do. So I've been very blessed, especially within the church setting to continue those roles, especially post COVID. And that was a tragedy to watch all of that as a staff singer. I never was

[00:07:25] banned from going to church, even after living in the Chicagoland area, thanks be to God. But that Easter when COVID hit in 2021 in full force was a site that I never want to see again. When we televised it all out there and I'm glad we were able to provide that service, but an empty church on Easter was really quite startling. So I hope that it doesn't reach that once again. But that interest came about right along the times of that 1996 campaign. I had the opportunity to see Luciano Pavarotti

[00:07:55] in Chicago at the United Center. So when that happened, I thought, man, I wish I could really sing like that guy. And I became more and more interested in the art form. And I have to be honest, I noticed that in fifth grade, there are a lot more girls who are in choir than there were guys. So I thought maybe a good opportunity to grab a date or two. And as time went on through middle school and high school and several voice teachers, there started to become this idea. And my main voice

[00:08:22] teacher in high school, she actually performed with Michael J. Crawford in the Phantom of the Opera. So when that all happened, it was extraordinary. And she told me, you can actually study this and get a degree. And I thought, wow, no, that's interesting. So I think let's stay in school. Why not sing a note or two? And that's what you majored in? That's what I majored in. And then you didn't do a lot of opera singing? Not so much. There were gigs here and there. It was more of film and television,

[00:08:50] worked on Chicago PD, Chicago Fire. And I always enjoyed those sets because as really breaking in, literally knocking on the door as an extra and then becoming what they call a day player in Chicago, having those small functional roles of being a firefighter, being arrested to being a police officer where the camera comes in. It's dimly lit for those really familiar with Law and Order. It's the Dick Wolf series. He's done an amazing production of really just, I think, portraying art, especially

[00:09:16] on Wednesday nights, Chicago Wednesday, if you watch NBC and the actors, the main actor is very relatable. Also, a lot of Chicago talent hired for that. And that was really remarkable and enjoyable to do because Michael Douglas or someone said it about New York is the glitz and glam. LA is all fake. It's all, you know, just a hoopla. But Chicago, it's a real working actors who are committed to their craft. So between that, it's a nine month shoot schedule and also the singing at church and

[00:09:44] enjoying all that. I try to get a gig or two in the summertime on stage, but the film and television became more of the calling over time. Okay. And then when you were in college, you were active in politics. You said you, you were still staying current and current events and you were rather active on campus, right? Very much so. I actually was the president of the college Republicans back then, 2008. For those that remember, that was the Barack Obama year in Illinois of all places,

[00:10:13] his home state where he was a United States Senator. But I never jumped on that Obama train. I was raised in DuPage County in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. And at the time I was really influenced by Congressman Henry Hyde. He was my Congressman, the Hyde Amendment. And I saw more of a construct of social conservatism through the church. And that's what initially attracted me to the early aspects of the Republican Party, at least for me, that has evolved over time because the people I used

[00:10:40] to support back in high school, let's just say former president George W. Bush, I would never have supported now with the way the economy skyrocketed and two unfunded wars. Now it's six and a half a dozen. And in hindsight, it's 2020. When you look back at what took place, he had a very difficult presidency. There's no question about that. But President Trump has, I think, aligned the Republican movement much more deeply with that of President Reagan and bringing it back to a small

[00:11:09] government Tea Party movement, as we're so passionate about here with this organization. But I was always attracted to that, had the opportunity to intern for Congressman Pierre Roskam, Congressman Hyde's protege. And I was just someone who, like Charlie Kirk, before even meeting him, this is way before Turning Point actually happened, being the two Alex P. Keetons, I think, in our class. We would talk about this a lot, especially during our high school days,

[00:11:32] because it was cliche. It was in fashion to be a left winger. And we did not see it that way. And we are very comfortable not only dialoguing and breaking bread with others, but also being the standouts, not for attention, but rather for standing up for truth. And that's what I saw on my campus. And I think Charlie saw that a lot when he was in high school as well. And then when you were in high school, you how you were in high school, not high school, I'm so sorry,

[00:12:00] in college, when you were in college, when what years were you in college? 2007 to 2011. OK. And then that is also you were the president in 2008. Is that right? Correct. OK. That was early. That was early on. It was a bit of a surprise. And I had gone there my freshman year, started going to those meetings really in January. Had to get the feet wet the first semester. But second semester, wanted to get involved in College Republicans. And sadly, it was a very small organization,

[00:12:28] which you could see on the college campuses even before an election year. Election years helped to build up momentum and build up membership. It was down to five people, but they were all graduating. And they literally asked me, do you want this? And I said, no. But in order for it to carry on and for it to be an organization on campus. And again, mind you. YAF was around Yale, I believe, but no turning point at this point. And the College Republicans

[00:12:55] is really the bulwark of organizing for conservatives on campus. But at that time, I thought if we only have college Democrats, there will be no other voices on campus. And that's not fair. And a Big Ten University, a big campus that is the University of Illinois. So I thought I'd had to take that on. And it led to a lot of stress, but a lot of worthy dialogue and battles. And I felt like in that time, especially in high school and college, I could at least dialogue with those on the left because I was

[00:13:23] in the fine and applied arts. You know, being in the arts world, you just tend to have a few more liberal leaning or liberal thinkers. And that was an opportunity to build some bridges. That's good. That's really good. Did you grow it from one person to more? Because there was five and then one and then. Oh, that year alone, I want to, if I recall, I think 80 in membership. Oh, that's great. And then we continue that momentum later on. And that spilled into another

[00:13:49] opportunity to become a student senator my junior year. And it simply was because no one was running for it was the seat of fine and applied arts B. So a hyphen B. And that was everyone who was in the music school to architects and no one was running. Here's the kicker. Even with my college Republicans experience, even though the Daily Illini wrote terrible, horrible lies about me because I was against Barack Hussein Obama running for office. God forbid you could have an opinion on that on a

[00:14:17] college campus. All the names in the book that weren't true. They still thought I was left wing because I was studying opera. So it helped you to get into that body for at least a year and be a lame duck and actually sit as the chair of the appropriations committee, which we can dive into. I don't know if it's still their rules right now, but you needed the chair of appropriations to sign off on spending within the student body. The problem was the shadow governments on these public

[00:14:44] universities. They can fund all of this to these student senators, student presidents, to faculty senates, and they use millions of dollars to pay for all these DEI initiatives, all the far left things. And the rules were that I had to sign off as the appropriations chair, even with five senators. So often it was a four to one, but my one vote would trump the rest of them to make sure we weren't

[00:15:10] funding days of transgender activities and DEI initiatives that really sought to, I think, silence conservatives on campus. And you were experiencing that even in 2010 and 11? Oh, yes. Far, far before what we see in the last, you know, even decade or so. Right. And then in 2009, that's when the Tea Party movement started in Chicago with Rick Santelli having the rant on the floor of the

[00:15:37] Chicago Mercantile Exchange. And there was a huge Tea Party in Chicago along with 47 other cities in February of 2009. And then six weeks later on tax day, over 850. And Eric Odom was the main organizer in the Chicago area at the time. So did you notice the Tea Party movement, even though you were in college?

[00:16:01] Very much so. And going back and forth from Chicagoland and the suburbs and seeing what was happening on the ground and all that momentum building up for me specifically, it was still through College Republicans, through my internship, but ultimately meeting Bill Montgomery and Adam Andrzejewski and God rest their souls, two wonderful men. Adam running for governor of Illinois in 2010, really as the outsider and someone who wanted to bring common sense fiscal policy back to the state

[00:16:30] of Illinois, arguably one of the worst in the country, just given that the public pension system that was going towards education, really failing so many of the schools there, sadly, all coming from everyone's property taxes. But a main reason why people have left, as I have, for greener pastures elsewhere. But Adam really was someone who was extraordinary to, I think, really give that introduction to students

[00:16:55] into the conservative movement, into the Tea Party movement, even into Republican politics, when many at the time, especially elected officials, just slammed the door. Unless you were in there as an intern working in the office, it was, well, thanks, but no thanks. And Adam really opened that door for me and ultimately led to meeting Charlie Kirk. That is pretty amazing. Before we go to Charlie, I just want to say something about Peter Roskam. He was really quite helpful when we were targeted by the

[00:17:24] IRS. And so I always have appreciated that about him. Oh, yes. He was really a stalwart in Congress and someone who fought for common sense Main Street. So Peter is near and dear to my heart and always loved his ability really to be able to communicate so well. And his saying was, the proof is in the pudding. Yeah. And someone who actually, you know, down here, when you look at the Fifth District of Georgia and

[00:17:50] the civil rights movement, he was not to speak for Peter. He was always enamored with John Lewis and his work in the civil rights movement. And although they disagreed politically on many things, the fact that Mr. Lewis really was willing to lay down his life for civil rights, something that Peter always admired and always spoke to to precinct committeemen into different townships. So I always appreciate that story and that moment of bipartisanship that we would find between Roskam and the late,

[00:18:18] great John Lewis as well. So Georgia and Illinois, lots of connections. Yes, very, very true. OK, so then you met Charlie and I would imagine your life kind of changed after that. No question about it, because the early days of Turning Point, it was Save Our State, Illinois. So he's going around with Bill Montgomery at the time, these different township meetings, and everyone can't believe as you met him back when he was 19, he's giving these incredible presentations, incredible speeches. Who is this kid out of high school with a couple of credits from

[00:18:47] the community college? I mean, it's he's a phenom and meeting him, it was larger than life right off of the bat. And he wanted me to come work in the field initially. So Charlie, we I'm doing all this acting stuff. I'm working at restaurants to support myself as well. But I'm bringing in the dough for someone who just graduated college, in my view. And I'm like, you're giving, you know, just minimum wage at the time. So we stayed in contact. And the Angie Fski campaign and ultimately,

[00:19:17] Senator Brady getting that nomination, Bill Brady out of central Illinois, was somewhat of a disappointment as a Republican in Illinois politics. Fast forward to 2014, Bruce Rauner coming on the scene and he thought about it in 2010. He was one of the first big donors to Turning Point USA. And also, I think, initially involved in that those early Tea Party days. Of course, that was a difficult governance, especially with someone like House Speaker Michael Madigan. For the viewers who

[00:19:42] are familiar with him, was the true governor of Illinois. But it seems as if justice is coming through as he is in jail right now seeking a pardon from President Trump for someone who was deeply, deeply corrupt. But he would tell these governors that he was the true governor of Illinois, that he would outlast them. So during those Rauner days, we would volunteer, be involved. And that's where all these different groups in the movement would really come together. Ultimately, in 2016,

[00:20:11] Charlie would convince me to jump ship and do what we did back when I was a student senator at Illinois, organize with conservative movements on campus, whether it be the Newman Center, where the dorm that I lived at, to different Greek life and initiatives that would get conservatives into these positions. Well, he came up with the idea to put together something called the Campus Leadership Project. And when that came together, we engaged students at a different level, actually running them for their

[00:20:39] student government offices. And we thought, look at all the leaders in America, whether it's Rick Perry to Hillary Clinton to the big household names in politics. Almost all of them had served as college presidents, university officials to student senators during their 10 years in undergrad or postgraduate. So we thought, why not help upend that and give voice to conservatives on campus? So when you were working at Turning Point, how many people were there when you,

[00:21:08] because it was very early and it wasn't even Turning Point. Our very first conference in St. Charles, Illinois, roughly 50 people attending. And this is mostly college students. Of course, Bill Montgomery was there along with Charlie as well, who started up this amazing organization, but very nimble at the beginning, but a force that was going to change all of American politics and a vision that Charlie had on the ground right from the very beginning. And by doing those

[00:21:35] crucial items, that crucial grassroots organizing that allowed it to grow to what it is now. So there were 50 people. And were you paid? Were you an employee? At that point, just volunteering, just enjoying everything. And this led up to Bruce Rauner campaign. That's where I initially established my friendship with Charlie. Okay. And then you went on to become an employee. Yes. And that was in 2016. And how many people were working there then?

[00:22:02] And right then and there over the entirety of it, it at least had doubled. Our specific campus leadership project was 16 who were employed to take on running these students for their student body offices. And then, of course, the field program as well was going through somewhat of an influx at that time. So it actually grew smaller than really ramped up to around the same size as the campus leadership project. You really were working with Charlie in the startup phase. Oh, yes, very much so.

[00:22:29] And I think that's pretty amazing. Let me before we talk about organizing and what you learned from or about grassroots organizing from that. What were the values that you noticed that you cared about American values and principles and that you saw from the Tea Party movement and that you saw from from Turning Point?

[00:22:53] Yes. Well, actually, we'd encompass this into three slogans of warrior spirit to grassroots humility and persistent innovation. And really, both organizations really exemplify that even to this day because they allow people to take where they are living and what they are doing and become part of it, that everyone has something to do in the mission for such a time as this. They can use their skills and talents to make a difference because a lot of times in the conservative movement,

[00:23:22] I feel that people think that it's too daunting or I don't know the people or have all this happening. I'm trying to raise a family and all of that can be true. And yet you can reach out to one, two, three, 15 of your neighbors, as we saw with the 2024 campaign and why President Trump's campaign so effective with those Trump precinct captains. I mean, they had hats on telling you who they were. So there was no worry about a traveling salesman being at your door.

[00:23:51] You know exactly who that person was and coming to talk about the specific campaign. So that really encompasses it. In addition to Charlie's character, I think that's what really pushed through compared to politics in general, because remember, this is Illinois. And I'm starting to see it, again, from a very grassroots level. But with the exception of Congressman Roskam and seeing his office and how a congressional office can make a major difference in veterans affairs,

[00:24:19] to immigration services, to a number of other different services. In fact, the one that really stands out to me, it's the service-based institutions. So West Point, for example, of course, the Air Force Academy, all six branches of our military having some formal training in that regard, post-secondary institutions. Your congressman, your senator nominates you for that. Those phone calls to the students who were accepted and then to come in there with the congressman, take the picture,

[00:24:46] really accept that formal letter is something that I think every American should see because they're the best and brightest among us and the most humble. And I saw all of those really common sense, suburban conservative grassroots that drew me to the entire movement as a whole.

[00:25:05] And then you were with Turning Point and you learned a lot about, well, you already knew a good bit about organizing because you were the president of College Republicans and you helped grow it and you were involved in student government. But what more did you learn about organizing and especially grassroots organizing, working with Turning Point and with Charlie directly?

[00:25:29] Not only getting engaged in doing it at this level and building up with like-minded organizations, but actually studying the left and the history of it. Saul Alinsky to the radicals, rules for radicals, reading Bill Ayers. And he was a disciple of Saul Alinsky and came from my hometown of Glen Ellyn, Illinois. And someone who was a domestic terrorist who actually blew up the Capitol, if you remember that.

[00:25:56] And I believe it was the Carter, President Carter and President Clinton, their administrations, who pardoned a number of the weather underground for their activities. It's something you may not hear on mainstream outlets, but we had the opportunity to study but not employ their tactics. Study how they organized, how they brought people together, how they could build out a movement from within and from the outside as well.

[00:26:20] So really diving into how they were able to be successful studying the Obama campaign and what was forgotten in modern campaigns, really dating back to even Abraham Lincoln, on how you organize and build out community movements to ultimately lead to a multitude of goals. So really what we were doing was what the abolitionists did way back in the 19th century.

[00:26:44] So that was a really formative time to understand that, but also to choose the path of peace, the path of Martin Luther King Jr. And everything that happened right down here in Atlanta, Georgia to Selma, Alabama and across the country, really walking in the footsteps of Christ. I think that's the major difference because you can actually have very similar organizing tactics. But how do you go about employing them?

[00:27:10] And of course, from Saul Alinsky, someone who was very inspired by the devil, whereas Charlie Kirk, very inspired by Jesus Christ. And there are two paths. And I was happy to go down the path that Charlie chose. Well, it's a much better path than Saul Alinsky's path. That is 100 percent for sure. So then you wound up going to Florida and Arizona with Turning Point, right? Well, I was actually living in Arizona for a year.

[00:27:36] Plenty of Florida trips down to West Palm Beach for the Student Action Summit, which is now in the summertime in Tampa. So we went from West Palm over to Tampa. Still a great experience. But now the America Fest is during that winter time when we would have the Student Action Summit. And each year to watch it grow and to watch the president come to the summits as well. What an exciting time for the students to be involved.

[00:28:02] And I thought to myself, I'm sure glad I had a tiny hand in helping Charlie create all of this and his momentum that built this organization. But I wish I had it in college. So I tell everyone out there, if you have students in high school or college, get involved, especially with something like Turning Point USA. Yeah, it is such a great organization. And Charlie created a great organization. He has an amazing team over there. No question. Who is going to help continue the mission.

[00:28:32] And I'm I'm very grateful for that. OK, so during all this time, you were in Chicago and in opera. And I dream for when President Obama became president and you never became a liberal. No, I really was not attracted to it.

[00:28:52] And I think this is the main reason, because as I was in going through college and then graduating and wanting to take on this world of entertainment. It started to become much more common, not only a cliche to tell someone you can't say that I'm insulted. That bothers me. And I saw this at the Second City. So this is ImprovOlympic in Chicago. The very foundations of political comedy.

[00:29:21] And explain that. Right. Yeah. So that those two theaters that you're not that the viewers may not be familiar with, of course, really the minor leagues for Saturday Night Live and everything you see even to this day with sketch comedy. And, of course, the countless famous names from Bill Murray to Dan Aykroyd, Chris Farley, David Spade, all the way to Will Ferrell. And now with some of the cast members who are continuing on a great American tradition.

[00:29:49] But during my time, at least at the Second City at the ETC stage, you had people say, you can't say that about Barack Obama. Now, we're not saying anything that would be widely regarded as offensive, but rather just making fun of policies, poking fun at impressions. Things that you see Dana Carvey as he made fun of President Bush 41. Right. And they became dear friends.

[00:30:12] And now you see that that seems to be coming full circle again, thanks be to God, where it seems as if SNL, in my opinion, can make fun of President Trump without being cruel or offensive. But regardless of any of that, during the Obama tenure, it was if you criticized him in any way, shape or form, especially in the form of comedy. That was in some way. Showcasing blackface or being Al Jolson, for those not familiar, the famous vaudeville actor.

[00:30:41] And of course, that was not the case, but it was more about silencing individuals than enjoying the art of comedy. So I think that's when I saw all of that happening, I started thinking to myself, maybe I should get involved again. Maybe this goes beyond a simple paycheck, but rather being involved in the culture wars because it's affecting every aspect of American society. Elaborate on that. Yes.

[00:31:05] So the DEI movement and I would say the transgender initiatives were probably the highlight of that, where we once could disagree as Republicans or Democrats or let alone get rid of the labels, conservative or liberal, whatever it may be. There was always that adherence to the idea of natural law in the founding, that there may be a creator. There may not be. You can worship as you wish.

[00:31:33] You can not worship at all. But is the grass green? Is the sky blue? It goes back to the basics of journalism, where you ask yourself, who, what, where, why, when? Can I look outside? And there's a truth that even though we may disagree on issues or even philosophy, I can look outside and say something as simple as the grass is green, the sky is blue. And that started to be questioned, I think, during the Obama years.

[00:32:03] There's in addition to, and many people have argued it as well, just the division and the race politics that were implemented by a number of people in his own administration.

[00:32:13] One thing that I told a reporter recently and that I have been thinking a lot about because we've had so many assassination attempts on the president and the assassination attempt on Charlie and the changes that organizations like ours are now having to make when it comes to security at events. And we really had to make that shift when we did the bus tour for citizen only voting last year.

[00:32:40] Every single place we went, even though there were small grassroots events, they weren't big, huge rallies. I wish they had been, but it just wasn't in the news and they weren't, they weren't as big of events. There were protesters showing up at every single one. And then our bus was vandalized and we already had security, but we, we completely changed throughout that tour.

[00:33:03] And then Charlie was assassinated the very shortly after a rally ended in DC, he, he, the assassination happened. And after that security changed for so many of us, I've talked to some of the people who are on college campuses, who are involved in the pro-life movement. And they have security with them.

[00:33:27] They have, uh, they're talking about indoor events only possibly speaking in front of bulletproof glass, especially the ones who are moms or there. They have a responsibility to their children. Like they want to carry on the mission they feel called to do. And at the same time, they, they're, they're, they're moms first before, before, before everything else.

[00:33:49] So there, there, I just don't think that a lot of people understand just how much has shifted now with organizations on the right when it comes to security. And we're seeing it even at turning point events. Charlie was outside. The beauty of what he did was being on a quad and being able to be there and students to come and kind of listen or at a tabling event. And they're listening to him and they go on to class and more people come up.

[00:34:18] And of course, as he got bigger, more and more crowds were there throughout the whole time. But if you're asking a college student to go get in line six hours before an event, and you have to be in line that early to get through security. And then you get through security and you're waiting until the event starts. College students just, they're not that committed to long-term events. Like some will be, but it, there's Trump rallies.

[00:34:44] It wasn't a whole lot of college students compared to a lot more adults. Like they, they have to get to class and they have other things going on. So I just think there's a huge shift in, in what we're having to deal with. Because people are trying to kill us and they wish we were dead. And yet when President Obama was president, I could still see him as a human being.

[00:35:11] I, I could acknowledge that he seemed like a good father. There was nothing that I could see about his ability to be a father that I could find to criticize. I watched his relationship with his wife. And I know in the last few years, people have, have said things about their marriage and maybe it isn't great or whatever. I have no idea.

[00:35:33] But what I do know is that while he was president, he seemed to be a very good husband and you couldn't, there wasn't a lot to complain about with that. And, um, so I could at least see the human side of him. And I think that was really important. I can protest the policy and be upset about the policy, but at the end of the day, walk away and go, okay, we agree to disagree, but, um, we still love our country.

[00:36:02] And I remember there's this hilarious, awful photo of Kelly from our, our team here. And she and I were outside of the Supreme court the day Obamacare, such a bad day, but the day that Obamacare was upheld at, which I think was a terrible ruling, but it was upheld at the Supreme court. And she and I were debating back and forth with people on the other side and screaming and yelling and they were screaming and yelling.

[00:36:31] And, and there's a photo. It looks pretty, we were very, very, very intense and in your face. And the other side was pointing at us and in your face. And then we finished and we're like, okay, it's time to go. And we said to them, we, you know, it's time to go. And we shook hands that day with a guy we were arguing with. So you see this photo of us fighting. But at the end of the day, when we walked away, we're like, okay, but let's at least shake hands here. Let's shake hands before we walk away.

[00:37:01] Because no matter what, even though we completely disagree on all this other stuff, we're still Americans. And I mean, we were so angry that day. We did not like that decision, but we still could find the humanity in the other people. The left isn't able to do that. And they don't want to debate the issues with you. Like they just start calling you names. They're not debating the issue. They're calling you names. And then we see what happened like at the White House Correspondents' Dinner.

[00:37:29] They can't even call you names anymore. Now they just want to end people's lives. Mark Hamill is a great example of that recently with the if only and showcasing a photo. He later deleted that. He should have. And then put a halfway apology, in my opinion, about the president lying on his grave. It was disturbing. It was despicable, especially post the White House Correspondents' Dinner. And I'm so grateful to you, Jenny Beth, because our last two rallies in Arizona, well, four of them,

[00:37:59] between Scottsdale all the way down to Tucson, Fairbanks and Anchorage, your message being just that, to break bread with your neighbors, to remember peaceful protests, to always do this in walking in the light of Christ. It's so important. And Charlie spoke on that a lot often, about that structural order of life, where it's God first, now vocationally, single, married, or religious clergy, wherever some may be. Sometimes it's two at once.

[00:38:28] God coming first, then your marriage, then your children, structuring your life around that vocationally, and of course, then your career. Sometimes we can get that disjointed because of our focus. But many important things in our lives, no question about that. But it's always good to be able to shake hands with your neighbor. Actually, at the opportunity, speak with Jerry Roenick of the Chicago Blackhawks. So he's out in Arizona now, as many athletes were attending the last RSBN event,

[00:38:58] well, his Turning Point event at Dream City Church in Scottsdale, and had the opportunity to speak with him. And I said, you throw down these fists. You go at it in one of the most barbaric sports, a great sport. But if you have the Roman Coliseum, you look at ice hockey, it might be close to it. Some say football. But these guys are able to get up and shake hands in the playoffs afterwards, after going toe-to-toe. And what really brings that courage? Well, it's the American message. And it's the far left.

[00:39:27] It's their opposition to the American Constitution. These 250 years, it's like someone scratching a chalkboard to them because what they believe in, and it seems to be their unholy triumvirate of communism, Islamism, and secular humanist thought, or otherwise known as globalism, what we see at the United Nations. That really seems to be the movement that's trying to destroy America because America as it stands,

[00:39:55] conservative and liberal, Republican and Democrat, those nonpolitical, us literally going out there, getting married, raising families, is their nightmare. We as a nation, as a community, stand in the way of those kind of, what they seek to execute as a society. And I think we have to keep that in perspective and context because a lot of people look at this and say, oh, Republican and Democrat, I don't want to get involved.

[00:40:23] It's more we the people versus that deep state and that unit party. I guarantee, and the viewers here today, you probably have more involved or more in common with your neighbor than you would with some D.C. bureaucrat. Oh, absolutely. And if you don't believe it, just go be around the D.C. bureaucrats for a little while. And you just, they don't, I bet they've never been, many of them don't even know what a Buc-ee's is. You know?

[00:40:51] So I, but they just, they don't, their focus in D.C. is so much on power and legislation and the wielding of power and what's going to pass next and how it affects people in the rest of the country. But in the rest of the country, they're dealing with the effects of it. And, and it's, it is different.

[00:41:15] It is a much different environment because you're, sometimes D.C. winds up being, especially the bureaucrats, they're immune to the effects of, of what they're, they're doing. Or they, or they just write, write themselves carve out. So they, they literally legally are, are exempt from it. So it's, it's real America versus, I love visiting, but that's why I don't live there. Yeah. Yeah. I, I used to love visiting.

[00:41:46] There are times when I land and I'll text someone from the team and I'm like, okay, I landed. I leave in, in 25 hours and a half. And I'm ready to go when I, when I get there. Okay. So, um, you learned a lot from Charlie. Then you went on, you went to Anchorage. I did. And you, um, anchored news, news, a news station. And then you left there because of the situation with COVID.

[00:42:14] How was anchoring, especially in Anchorage and you lived in Alaska. It's as we know, cause we were just there. It is, it's cold in Alaska. When I first went to visit and thank you, these last couple of trips were minor homecomings for me, having spent some time out there professionally in Arizona and Alaska. But my goodness, I actually thought that we would not have ice on the ground and snow, but we did an Anchorage in the first week of May and it's, it's cold up there. So I thought when I visited, initially interviewed for the city beat reporter position,

[00:42:43] oh, I can handle this because from Chicago, it's the same exact temperatures and all of that. And, and be that as it may, it's very similar, but I much prefer being in the Southeast. We still have four seasons here and much more tolerable, even with spring and all of the allergies that seem to affect countless people. But it was wonderful being up there and seeing Anchorage because state 49 is rather fascinating to see the third party movements that still exist there.

[00:43:10] You could still meet some of the people that in 1959 signed the state constitution. And what I'm most proud of from Alaska is the fact that they have this hardiness. You'll hear a lot about Texas saying it's like a whole other country. And of course, they're tipping the caps and their cowboy hats to their independence and their very unique history, having been six different countries, including their own republic at one point prior to the civil war.

[00:43:36] But Alaska really is unique in its existence being Seward's Folly. And what ended up being laughed at across the country really was probably the most geopolitical strategic move of the Lincoln administration. And we saw that during the Cold War and the Pacific Guard and what we have out West so crucial to what took place during the Cold War to present day. And that's why I'm someone who deeply advocates for the apprehension of Greenland. I think the president is right on about that.

[00:44:05] And having an Atlantic and Pacific Command and a structure from literally the top of the world to watch all of that, very important. So it's not only something that you see from geopolitical aspects, but also global travel, world trade, the mail system. Anchorage has remained open, the Anchorage airport, the Ted Stevens airport, since it's very opening and christening. Given that if one plane is late, it can cause a lot of different issues.

[00:44:35] And we saw that to a certain extent during COVID. But for those who love the outdoors and wilderness and the moose that we saw to bear at the wildlife rehab center there in Anchorage, it's an endless forest and paradise to enjoy. Yes, the outdoors and God's glory up there. There's nothing really like it. And the Northern Lights, which we didn't get to see this trip, but I love the Northern Lights. It's just a beautiful, beautiful place.

[00:45:03] I think it would be amazing to live there. I am so Southern and I hate the cold, but I think it'd be amazing to live there one winter in Fairbanks so I could walk out every day and see the Northern Lights every night. Well, and we saw many caribou and reindeer. I just learned as well, I did not know that they're actually cousins and related, but there's a lot of Southerners there as well, a lot of the military. So a lot of Texans with the oil and gas industry as well. So it has kind of that Southern feel to it.

[00:45:29] And they're very interesting because as we were hoping that Senator Murkowski changes her vote on the Save America Act, they will actually address their senators as, hi, Lisa. Right. And it's very, there's no pretentious nature there. And it surprises you at first because it almost seems as if, well, why are you excluding a very prominent title?

[00:45:54] But really, it means a lot to them to really say your first name, to look you in the eye and their word is their bond. So Alaska is near and dear to my heart. It's a wonderful place. Yes. So let me ask you a couple other things that I have learned about you as we've been, you've only been, as we're recording this, you've only been with us for like a week and a half, but we've already been all over the country like a ping pong ball. And you went to Arizona twice.

[00:46:24] So you've been back and forth three times now. But you grew up with a single mom and you told me that really shaped a lot of who you are today. No question about it. And besides God, to him, I give all the glory. But my mother had to play dual roles. It wasn't by choice. It was simply because my biological father chose not to raise us. And some people, I guess, should really think before, you know, having children or even getting

[00:46:53] married if that's what they want in life. And she had so much courage through it all, working three jobs at different times to really give us the American dream. And now I realize on this end, the work that she put in, because she made it seem as if everything was OK and everything was as grand as it could be. As long as I had a warm meal and the opportunities to play sports, which is why I learned quickly that I was more going the arts direction, because I wasn't quite an athlete as a kid.

[00:47:20] I've gotten more competitive with that over the years. But she really had to play that dual role. And at the time as well, in the mid 90s, very difficult as it would be right now. But I think even then, divorce being somewhat less common than it is today. And just having that, oh, why did that happen? And all of the rumor mill that would take place as a result. But it wasn't her choice. She really put us first. And it's her courage.

[00:47:49] It's her hard work that inspired me to continue in a movement that you're taking arrows on a daily basis, figuratively speaking, of course. But if you're being criticized too often, it's too hot. You might as well get out of the kitchen. Right. So she was someone who was not fearful, but very graceful with a major curveball that went her way. And then you and she experienced a curveball when you were about 15. Yes.

[00:48:18] And that was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. That had to be pretty scary. That's not something we hear very often with teenagers, is it? Teenagers and especially males. You know, it's something that's very, very rare. I was fortunate that it was papillary thyroid cancer. And for those who don't know, it's the cancer you want. And I say that because that was every doctor and specialist I met, 15 going on 16. And it's a strange thing to listen to every single time someone walks into the room.

[00:48:47] Well, if you have the C word, this is the C word you want. And do you smile after that? How do you react to it? But again, by the grace of God, catching it early and a reminder to anyone at any age, go and see the doctor if you can. And that's why I was so opposed to the Affordable Care Act, which really is the unaffordable care act as time went on. Obamacare did not allow me to see my doctor, who I still see, who found that cancer initially

[00:49:15] because of the bureaucracy that was brought about with really a socialist system. And it was not a one size fits all. That's why we have this experiment of federalism, that each state can do something a little bit differently. And of course, the former president citing former Governor Bogoyevich, what he did with the kids in Illinois to Romney care in Massachusetts. But you're looking at millions and millions of more people throughout the country.

[00:49:41] And that clearly has been really a flawed system that's only made health care more expensive in this country. And you went through thyroid cancer. It had to be really hard for your mom. Yes. Actually, that was the thing that many of her friends would address with me and the people in the community just west of Chicago. So gracious to us at that time. And they said, gosh, I feel bad for you, but I really feel bad for your mom because we did

[00:50:09] not know that it was initially cancer until the surgery. So the doctor who I still see now was feeling around my neck. I had bronchitis at the time. And he said, there's a lump in your throat. I said, doc, I don't know what you're talking about. And we're dear friends now. I've known him since I was eight years old. And we had to operate regardless. They said it's likely a tumor after the biopsy. We don't know if it's malignant or benign. So we'll have to go in and remove that.

[00:50:36] When that doctor came in, she about passed out when I came to and learned that it was cancer after the surgery. So it was a big, you know, difficult time for us. And then you recovered from that. But you had another issue a little bit with it, right? As you were 18. Yes, it did. It did have recurrence. And the scary part was in the lymph node. So that almost the second surgery was somewhat more frightening prior to college because I

[00:51:04] was also rushing to college trying to get on with my life. I probably should have taken that semester off. But we go in for surgery three weeks before going down to school to get it out of the way. And by the grace of God, that was a longer surgery and a little bit more difficult and tedious because it was sitting right on my vocal box. So I'm very mindful of the fact that I have the absolute pleasure of serving in this movement

[00:51:29] with you to have a voice in this movement, to advocate for all this, to have studied opera, knowing that this all could have been very different because I've met people who went through this terrible disease and they have a crackle in their voice. They don't really have a voice. Some are mute as a result of it. So it's all by God's grace that I'm able to use my voice for my career. And thanks be to him for the opportunity.

[00:51:56] And did those things affect you and affect more of what you I mean, you just said that you're more appreciative of your voice. But how else did those things affect you? What kind of lessons did they teach you both your mom and what you see looking back with what your mom went through raising you and then being a survivor of cancer? God's grace in all of it.

[00:52:24] First and foremost, I'm a cradle Catholic, still practice. And I love the church. I love actually Charlie and I love talking about the entirety of the American church and the great work that Eric Metaxas has done and countless others. He's so good. The pastors and the priests and the faith commission, everything we see happening in revival across our campuses to our government. It's extraordinary. Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Jewish America to even those sometimes involved who are nonbelievers.

[00:52:51] It's really a remarkable thing to watch how God's leading all of us. But that personal relationship, I think that's what I gathered from all of it, that this is the almighty, this alpha and the omega, the creator of the universe and of heaven and earth would actually care about me. Not only getting better, but my own circumstance and that personal communion that exists. So if there's anyone listening out there that perhaps doesn't know Jesus, I recommend getting

[00:53:20] a Bible-based church and break bread with fellow believers. And you could do that, especially here in Georgia. I mean, it's the Bible belt. But that stood out the most. And to see the generosity and the love from neighbors and friends in that to keep going on, it gave me a sense of purpose. And sometimes you would not know that at a young age, but that experience really opened up many doors.

[00:53:46] And it's always in the back of my mind to be grateful for the opportunity because I did get a second chance. Yes. And I'm very thankful that you did. Because now we're going to use that second chance at Tea Party Petri's action and keep you going to events and speaking and doing interviews with me, but not like this. This is a get to know you one, but we're going to have you on the show with me from time to time.

[00:54:12] And then if I have to travel, because I travel a lot and I've realized as we've done the show now for the last month and a half daily, we've been doing three live shows, two recorded shows and it's working. But with travel, it's good to know that there's someone who can keep things going and we can still keep the show going daily, even if I'm not not able to be on the show.

[00:54:40] Or maybe I can just dial in for a few minutes and then you can carry the rest of it. We're working on figuring that out. But it's going to be great. I'm looking forward to having you. Oh, likewise. I mean, it's the opportunity of a lifetime. Thank you, Jenny Beth. I can't I can't be more grateful for this team coming in here the last week and a half of this recording to come together. And you make it look easy. I think it's for anyone who's been in any kind of production studio or film and television,

[00:55:08] just the background, whether it be news to the entertainment world, how the sausage is made is fun. It's creative. It's fast paced. And especially in this media realm, especially with President Trump in office, because he's quite a newsmaker himself. That alone makes headlines. But every day there seems to be these amazing stories happening inside and outside of the beltway. And I think what's so nice about Tea Party Patriots action is that we are the grassroots. We're engaging those who can make a massive difference in their communities.

[00:55:37] And to know that that constitution that's sitting right over there, it's written, it's designed that if there's a grievance, if there's something you're upset about with your local elected officials, you can run against them. You can get involved, elect someone else. And states' rights, the 10th Amendment still exists. And the left will say it's a dog whistle. That's their big thing. It's a dog whistle for racism and other really bad things. And that's, no, of course, not the case.

[00:56:04] What it is a dog whistle to is that this founding of this nation 250 years ago is really the parameters of how we should find a way to come back together in unity. We, the people, really against those who want to change all that. And that definitely exists in every community now. You can find it, I think, with these far left movements, not just in the South, but to the North and the West. It's everywhere.

[00:56:31] And it's time for good, moral people in this country to at least pick it up as a hobby, at least vote. Yes, for sure, vote. At the very least. Right. But get engaged through church, through your local PTA to Lions Club, Rotary. There's so much to be done. And I believe it was the First Lady, Barbara Bush, who said that there's a lot to be done, but all of us can do something. That's right. That's exactly right. And that's what we're going to be doing.

[00:56:58] And Robert, as we are about to close this interview, tell me, what are the top three issues you care about that President Trump or conservatives are working on? Well, I think first and foremost, and I think this is what sets apart the Trump presidency in the first and second term. It's the judiciary. It's that third article branch of government where, again, by the grace of God, he had the

[00:57:27] opportunity to appoint constitutional conservatives. And it's that originalist concept. We're celebrating Clarence Thomas recently moving to that number two slot of the all-time rankings for tenure on the Supreme Court. And thanks to him for the originalist content, because his philosophy back when he was nominated

[00:57:50] and put onto the bench in 1991 was somewhat unpopular at the time, that this was, God rest her soul, but Sandra Day O'Connor, or not Sandra Day O'Connor, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, excuse me, was talking about this being a living document, even at the end of her tenure, that the Egyptian constitution might be better for America. Why? There is no better document inspired by Magna Carta, inspired by our Western civilization,

[00:58:19] inspired directly by who we just celebrated with, His Majesty King Charles III, speaking glowingly, which I'm sure was hard to think that your old territory has now become this independent, amazing global superpower that has truly influenced the world for the better country. Because a group of farmers and patriots decided to say, no, there is too much taxation without representation.

[00:58:46] I think they'd be rolling in their graves now to see the amount of federal influence, especially through taxation, especially the income tax of all things. Yes. I think they'd be very upset with property taxes as well. We can dive into that. We could spend entire shows on that. I think they'd be very upset with that. So that conservative jurisprudence and the president's willingness to not only listen to that, take that

[00:59:07] in, but realize I need to appoint these originalists to the bench huge to change the court and our governance for generations to come. So I think that's a major issue. I think the dignity of life continues to be something we need to continue to fight for big time. And it's, thank God that Roe v. Wade is over with. It's back to the states. And that really is the Republican position.

[00:59:35] I think now it gives efforts, though, to every pro-life group in their states to go out there and not back down peacefully and patriotically, make sure to put pro-life legislation, heartbeat bills into your neck of the woods, especially what we've seen here in Georgia. It's been a huge success and defending life from birth until, of course, natural death. If we can reach that, that is the goal of that.

[01:00:05] And, of course, there will be exceptions at certain times. But the more we can keep going on that, I think it's very, very important. In addition to that, I think the reshaping of the entire global economy right now, you're seeing it in real time. And ultimately why I am for President Trump's authorization and actions in Iran. I think we've had a situation for 47 years where this government has attacked Americans, attacked our military in Beirut.

[01:00:35] We know that President Reagan, it was something that he regretted after his presidency, that not going even further on that. And this has been very complicated with their number of factions and roughly a baker's dozen of terrorist organizations, including Hamas and Hezbollah. And really the breaking point, I think, became October 7th. But even separate from what Israel experienced with this, we have to remember, Iran, its regime has attacked Americans.

[01:01:04] It's attacked American troops. They have been waging war with us for nearly half a century. And even in some cases, certain presidents, Republican and Democrat, wanted to handle it, but either did not have the courage or simply did not have the intelligence to move in and take them out, nor the technology. Right now we have that. And President Trump has been unafraid. And he's been willing to do that in an election year. And I think he should be given that grace.

[01:01:33] And Article 2, Section 2, he is the commander in chief. In fact, I'm just someone who believes, again, in that context of the originalism of the Constitution, that the War Powers Act of 1973, I think it's null and void personally. Again, not a lawyer, but reading the letter of the law, Congress really has no say in this as it currently stands. And I believe this president will carry out the mission with the leadership of Secretary Hugseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, just outstanding.

[01:02:02] And thank you to our troops, first and foremost, for their sacrifice in all of this, because in turn, it will create a more just world. I think our economy will be, it's already booming, but gas prices will go further down as a result of this when it concludes. And I look forward to a world without Iran having nuclear weapons. Very good. Well, Robert, thank you for joining me today. And to the audience, be sure to tune in.

[01:02:30] And don't be surprised if he's on occasionally because he is going to be helping out. And I'm so glad you're part of the team. Welcome aboard. Likewise. Thank you so much, Jenny Beth. If you enjoyed today's conversation, go ahead and hit like and subscribe. It really helps us reach more people who care about liberty and the Constitution. You can find this and other episodes at JennyBethShow.com, as well as Facebook, YouTube, Rumble, Instagram, X, and your favorite podcast platform.

[01:02:57] The Jenny Beth Show is hosted by Jenny Beth Martin. The Jenny Beth Show is a production of Tea Party Patriots Action. For more information, visit TeaPartyPatriots.org.