00:03:41.220Would you consider doing it again tomorrow?
00:03:43.680So I did, and for the next week, every day, I was doing daytime news interviews representing the Trump campaign.
00:03:53.640And I got a phone call with no hello, no greeting, but it was then candidate Donald Trump.
00:04:00.500And he told me, he said, I don't care what they hired you to do.
00:04:03.360This is what you're supposed to be doing.
00:04:04.980I want you to go on TV every day and tell people why they should vote for me.
00:04:08.980And so my role shifted and I ended up becoming a surrogate on the campaign.
00:04:13.900The president obviously went on to win a historic victory in November.
00:04:19.900And by December, I was selling my I'd sold my house in Arkansas and my family and our three kids were moving to D.C.
00:04:28.460so that I could work in the president's administration and was one of the first wave of staffers
00:04:33.320that went in right after he took the oath of office i've coached the game i've played the game so when
00:04:39.440i break it down on don't at me you're getting more than opinions you're getting experienced0.94
00:04:44.080we've put really dumb racist people on the air that's the espn model right now this show is about0.92
00:04:50.960winning accountability and truth not the usual nonsensical soft takes if you want real analysis0.99
00:04:56.900from someone who's been there join me search don't at me on spotify or apple podcast subscribe
00:05:02.520Right now. It's free. It's portable. And most importantly, it's as real as it gets.
00:05:06.580You know, that that seems like true Trump fashion based on other conversations we've seen where it really is like no hello, no forewarning.
00:05:14.580It's like, hey, you're going to be doing this. Next question, please.
00:05:22.080Now, Governor, you were in the White House during the most one of the most intense media environments in modern politics.
00:05:29.140What's your honest take on how the scope of the job as press secretary has changed?
00:05:34.300And I think more broadly speaking, how just the media and the consumption of media from your everyday American, how do you think that has changed?
00:05:59.140gambling or someone close to you please contact connects ontario at 1-866-531-2600 to speak to an
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00:06:11.720well i think donald trump has literally changed everything and the way that it functions in
00:06:18.980washington uh from the interactions that you have between the administration and capitol hill
00:07:19.200in a way that everybody who had come before him had to.
00:07:22.780Now, that doesn't mean he doesn't still like to engage with them.
00:07:25.820I think some of that is just the way he's wired, that he kind of enjoys some of that back and forth.
00:07:32.600But they know that he doesn't need them, and he knows that.
00:07:37.020And I think that was one of the things that drove them so crazy in those early days of 2017 and during that first administration.
00:07:45.400And there was such a visceral anger towards him.
00:07:49.380Nobody expected him to be there from their side.
00:07:52.140And so when he showed up and he changed all the rules to the playbook they felt like they owned and had written, it made them pretty mad.
00:07:59.740But I don't know that it ever goes back with the access of and through social media and podcasts like yours and all the other platforms that exist.
00:08:12.640I don't know that the traditional media route will ever be the same or that any other administration will stick to the script the way that they had in previous years.
00:08:23.020He's, I think, forever changed that landscape.
00:08:26.460But I think it's his his delivery and how he communicates, whether it's like a true social posts in the wee hours of the morning in all caps.
00:08:38.600Again, you're talking to your common sense everyday American.
00:08:41.400I think they appreciate that level of just rawness and realness, and that's what the president delivers.
00:08:49.260Now, with him back in office, of course, he is pushing big changes on, I mean, you name it, the border economy, making America healthy again.
00:08:58.360How is Arkansas aligning with those efforts?
00:09:01.840And maybe what advice would you give the administration based on what's working that you've seen in your state?
00:09:09.180You know, I think you're exactly right.
00:09:10.580One of the reasons that the president is so popular and was able to win the presidency and the reason he's been able to get things done is because he is not a scripted robot and he is very raw.
00:09:25.920He tells you exactly what he's thinking, when he's thinking it, and people appreciate that level of access and authenticity that they get from this president that they've never had to any president before him.
00:09:38.640And so I think that is one of the big appeals of why he's able to get things done.
00:09:44.720In Arkansas, we're trying to complement a lot of the good work that they're doing, certainly on the economy and cutting taxes.
00:09:52.940That was one of the key pieces of one big, beautiful bill.
00:09:56.340As conservative Republicans, we believe that people can spend their money more wisely than the government can.
00:10:05.640The more that we can do those kind of things, it grows our economy. It strengthens it.
00:10:10.420We've been able to cut taxes three times in the last three years, knocking 20 percent off our state income tax.
00:10:16.800We're on track to do that again here in the next couple of weeks.
00:10:20.400And we will have returned more than a billion and a half dollars back to Arkansans through tax cuts.
00:10:26.980So we're trying to follow and support some of those things.
00:10:31.360Security on the border, public safety is one of the most important responsibilities that the government has.
00:10:37.960People want to know that they can walk down their streets, live in their communities, raise their families in places that are safe.
00:10:46.000That's been a huge tenet of what the president campaigned on and what he's delivered on, whether that's through supporting law enforcement, whether that's through securing the border.
00:10:56.240There are a number of different ways that this president has shown that we are going to provide safe communities for our kids to grow up in.
00:11:05.340And I think that will continue to be something we focus on here in Arkansas and continue to help this president enact across the country.
00:11:13.940Yeah, and you mentioned the big, beautiful bill.
00:11:16.500One portion of that was dedicated to defunding Planned Parenthood.
00:11:21.640Arkansas has been named the most pro-life state in America, I think, for, what, six years straight?
00:11:27.860And so I wanted to ask you, I think especially as a woman and as a mother, what does being unapologetically pro-life mean to you?
00:11:36.800And how, I guess, do you respond to critics who say that conservatives only care about life before birth?
00:11:44.240birth. Yeah, I firmly believe that if we are going to be pro-life, which I'm proud of the
00:11:50.880fact that Arkansas is the most pro-life state in the country, that it can't just be about the baby
00:11:57.260in the womb, but the baby from conception to natural conclusion. That's why in Arkansas,
00:12:02.480we've also focused so heavily on education. That's been my biggest priority since coming
00:12:08.200into office. I want to make sure every kid growing up in Arkansas, once they're born,
00:12:13.000has great opportunity to live the highest quality of life
00:12:32.480At the same time, we've invested more in our public schools
00:12:35.900than we ever have before in state history.
00:12:39.680And so opening up access and opportunity.
00:12:43.120We want kids when they graduate from those schools to have a place that they can either be employed, enrolled or enlisted.
00:12:50.760We want kids to have a lot of different success paths.
00:12:54.220And so we're trying to create those opportunities here.
00:12:56.960We've also spent a lot of time on maternal health here in our state.
00:13:00.820Arkansas had some of the worst numbers when it came to maternal health anywhere in the country.
00:13:06.000So last year, we dedicated annually $45 million to help support mothers, not just while they're pregnant, but well after and continue to show the types of support that are needed so that we can have healthy moms, healthy babies right here in our state.
00:13:22.800a lot of the things and one of something that I think you would enjoy and probably one of my
00:13:27.800favorite things that we have and we're trying to lead by example we started a bring your baby to
00:13:33.800work program here in the governor's office and it goes across our state agencies but you can
00:13:40.360as a mom or a dad up until six months you can bring your baby into the office with permission
00:13:46.540of a supervisor and since then I think we've had six babies here in the office at various times
00:13:53.980and frankly not only does it help the mom and the dad not have to decide between whether or not
00:14:01.280they want to start and raise a family or a career and helps that but it also makes our office and
00:14:07.440our workplace a lot more enjoyable and it's a great reminder of the work that we're doing here
00:14:13.340why it matters because we have these permanent reminders that are in our office that are
00:14:19.880showing us that every decision that we're making will have a direct impact on their lives and all
00:14:25.700the kids that are growing up in our state. That's been a great thing. We'd love to see more people
00:14:31.280follow our lead and adopt a program similar to that. Yeah, I don't think I'd heard of something
00:14:36.720like that. And so normalizing babies in public, I love this. And of course, the other things you
00:14:42.760mentioned. I mean, that's what it means to be pro-woman, to be pro-child, pro-family, pro-parental
00:14:48.080rights. Another thing in talking about what we've seen in the educational realm as it affects kids,
00:14:54.640you recently launched the Razorback Ready 2026 Fitness Challenge to bring back the presidential
00:15:00.780fitness test in Arkansas schools. Why is getting kids active and healthy again such a priority for
00:15:08.760you? Well, I think there are several reasons. One, something that we've tried to promote pretty
00:15:15.140heavily here is getting more kids outside and off screens. We have seen the mental health crisis
00:15:22.160that is plaguing our country. More and more of our students are seeing skyrocketing anxiety,
00:15:30.380depression, suicide rates directly tied to sitting and looking at a screen all day to
00:15:37.240unfettered access on social media. We know that by getting kids outside and off screens,
00:15:43.260we're raising their quality of life, we're raising their mental health. And so that's
00:15:48.760incredibly important. There's also a huge financial side. We are seeing our country
00:15:54.300get more and more unhealthy every day. And we want to help our kids live long, healthy lives,
00:16:01.220promoting physical activity, promoting good nutrition. And so this is one of the ways we're
00:16:05.780trying to incentivize kids to get moving. We heard a statistic the other day that our prisoners now
00:16:14.000spend more time outside than our kids do. Our kids are only spending about seven minutes a day
00:16:22.640outside and seven hours a day on a screen. That is not good for Arkansans. That's not good for1.00
00:16:29.860Americans. We have to shift the culture, and we're hoping this will be one additional way to get kids0.97
00:16:35.760moving, get them outside, and help them to have a much higher quality of life long-term.
00:16:42.820Okay, you guys, I want to tell you about something that I actually think is really worth your time,
00:16:46.600especially if you have kids, or I guess if you just appreciate a story that makes you think a
00:16:51.340little bit deeper. My husband and I, we got an early access screening to the new Animal Farm
00:16:56.100movie. Of course, this is an adaptation of the classic George Orwell story. It's in theater
00:17:02.340starting May 1st. It's animated, which I love. I'm a sucker for the classic Disney films. This
00:17:08.540is better because it's not Disney. Now, I know a lot of you probably read Animal Farm in school.
00:17:14.660I know I did. I was a freshman in high school when we had to read this. But this version,
00:17:19.180it brings the story to life in a way that's actually engaging. And to be honest with you,
00:17:24.420it's kind of funny. And of course, it is eye-opening, the storyline of it. It follows
00:17:29.100this young pig named Lucky, and you kind of get to experience everything through his perspective.
00:17:35.080So that means the hope and the shift in power and how quickly things can change or go off the
00:17:40.460rails when people stop questioning what they're being told to do. I'll say this, watching it
00:17:46.380reminded me how important it is not just to go along with things because it's easier not to just
00:17:54.300go along to get along. It reminded me of the importance of saying what is true, questioning
00:17:58.380what doesn't make sense, and not being afraid to stand your ground. This movie, it wasn't just
00:18:04.120entertainment. It actually leaves you thinking. I think it is really helpful in sparking those
00:18:09.240important conversations. It's something that you could watch with your kids, especially if you have
00:18:13.300kids in middle school and high school and who can kind of better understand the storyline. You can
00:18:18.460actually talk about the theme with your kids after the movie, which let's be honest, most movies
00:18:22.980don't really allow for that anymore. This was brought to theaters by Angel Studios Guild. So
00:18:27.900it's one of those projects people genuinely cared enough to make happen, which I always respect. So
00:18:32.920if you're looking for something different, something with a little substance, I definitely
00:18:37.740recommend checking it out. Animal Farm is in theaters on May 1st. Tickets are available now.
00:18:42.740You can go grab yours at the link in the description. And I want you guys to let me
00:18:46.700know what you think after you see it. Yeah. And with that, you signed the bell to bell,
00:18:53.300no-sell bill, which basically prevents cell phones in schools during school hours. Talk about that
00:19:00.680because I see a lot of pushback online, even from conservatives when something like this is
00:19:05.640mentioned, but just the importance of reclaiming kids' attention from screens and social media
00:19:11.440and maybe what some of the results have been. Yeah, I mean, what we have seen already
00:19:46.240and asked districts to voluntarily participate in going phone-free.
00:19:51.140And if they did, that the state would cover the cost of the pouches or the lockers
00:19:55.160or whatever way they chose to implement that.
00:19:58.500And within the first couple of months of opening up that pilot program,
00:20:03.36070% of school districts in our state voluntarily chose to participate.
00:20:08.260And we tracked the success of the program as it was implemented.
00:20:12.700We saw a 51 percent decrease in drug use in schools that went phone free, 57 percent decrease in behavioral problems in schools that went phone free.
00:20:24.740And we saw a massive increase in student engagement and participation.
00:20:28.720All the things that we want to see happening in our schools were happening at a much higher level when we took phones out of the classroom.
00:20:37.900They didn't like it at first, but now that it's been implemented, we've had students that have come up and thanked us for removing the anxiety that comes with, did somebody respond to my text?
00:20:51.040It gives them some freedom in the day.
00:20:54.140One of the things that the guy who started the Yonder Pouch, he likes to talk about in a great line is that we're not taking anything away, but we're actually giving kids a phone-free education, which is something that is so important and something that I think we can do a much better job of.
00:21:12.260We've now seen, I think, nearly 30 states enact similar legislation.
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00:25:33.240last thing for you you've lived a super cool life obviously with your dad and your family
00:25:42.080and you've been the white house press secretary under president trump now you're arkansas's first0.99
00:25:46.900female governor all while raising a family. What do you say to women who think they kind of have0.99
00:25:53.840to pick one or the other, you know, be fully present as a mom, uh, live that kind of life
00:25:59.200where you stay at home and you don't have an occupation beyond being a mom, which certainly1.00
00:26:02.880is a job, uh, or those women who want to kind of pursue the boss babe path. What, what does that0.98
00:26:08.160balance really look like for you? Yeah. And I think it's different for every person. I mean,
00:26:13.580for me. Finding balance can sometimes be tricky. Having an amazing husband makes a very big
00:26:21.700difference because I'm not doing it all by myself. I think so often women make the mistake of thinking
00:26:27.620they have to do everything on their own and we don't. We are designed to have a partner in this0.69
00:26:33.660process. I have an amazing one. When I am tired, when I am defeated, he picks up the pieces and
00:26:40.880helps move our family forward. And that makes a huge difference. I think also not feeling like we
00:26:46.500have to be all things to all people makes a big difference. I learned a long time ago, I was never
00:26:53.680going to win on the quantity side. I wasn't going to be the mom that got to come to every sports
00:26:59.420practice or every class party or president of the PTA. So I had to win on the quality side. I have
00:27:05.860to be really intentional about the time that I have with my kids. If that means putting my phone
00:27:11.440aside at night and really focusing, even if I only have 15, 20 minutes, let that be 15 or 20
00:27:18.340minutes that matter. Let it be doing something that my kids really want to do. There are so many days
00:27:24.240where I'm totally exhausted at the end, and all I want to do is be in pajamas and check out,
00:27:31.780But my middle, my 12-year-old wants me to come play basketball in the driveway for 15 minutes.
00:27:37.760You got to dig deep, do those things that matter, try to look for those intentional moments that your kids know and feel that they are a priority.
00:27:47.680I don't think you have to choose, but I do think that finding out what works for your family makes a big difference.
00:27:54.920Having a good partner has been critical for our family, and I think that I'm a better governor because I'm a mom, because my kids are so good at helping me live and see what I'm dealing with and the legislation that we're passing I know is going to impact my own family.
00:28:18.500And that's not something I take lightly.
00:28:20.420It's something I really try to think about