Gov. Wes Moore on counterprogramming Trump’s July 4 speech: Full interview

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Welcome back. As President Trump prepares for a pair of speeches today and tomorrow to mark the nation's 250th anniversary, Democratic leaders are also marking the occasion with speeches of their own, looking to provide some counter-programming to the president, while defining patriotism in their own terms. Maryland Governor Wes Moore will deliver marks around the same time as the president's speech in D.C. tomorrow. And today, New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani speaking hours before the president's remarks at Mount Rushmore, surrounded by recently naturalized citizens. You each hold a special power, the power to [00:00:37] Speaker 2: determine what America means. The powerful have always known their answer. America, they will tell you, belongs only to those with the right accent or the right shade of skin. The rest of us, they insist, should be grateful for merely being allowed to visit. How small they are, how weak, how unoriginal. At every moment in our past, those who led through exclusion and isolation have tried to win power and enrich themselves by turning us against one another. Division is the oldest trick in politics and the cheapest. But time and again, including 250 years ago, those forces of division have been [00:01:16] Speaker 1: vanquished by the forces of progress. Joining me now on set is Maryland Democratic Governor Wes Moore. Governor, thank you so much for joining us today. My pleasure. I know you have a big day tomorrow. You are set to deliver a speech on July 4th. What are you hoping to accomplish with that speech? [00:01:33] Wes Moore: Well, we're going to talk about the work of patriotism. And, you know, this is a celebration of 250 years of the greatest experiment in world history. There was nothing like it before. And there really hasn't been anything like it since, where this is a country that has fought for each other and has fought for an ideal. And the work of patriotism means that we have an obligation to be able to protect each other and take care of each other. So that strength, that sacrifice, and that service has been the foundation of this country for 250. And I'm going to talk about how that has to be the foundation for the country's next 250. [00:02:06] Speaker 1: You mentioned to Politico that you don't think the president is capable of meeting the moment of the 250th anniversary. What made you say that? And why do you think you are capable of meeting the [00:02:16] Wes Moore: moment? Well, I think his actions made me say it. When he said that he wanted to turn this into a political rally, when he said he wanted to use this opportunity to talk to his base, it helped me to realize that this is just a continuation of the fact that I think he is uniquely uninterested and disinterested in actually bringing the country to, as in Psalm 61, where it says, bring us to a rock that is higher than I. And so I think it is important that we do not miss this moment as a country to talk about patriotism. And patriotism is not political. It's not partisan. It is just simply saying there is a uniqueness to this country that we all have an obligation to protect. And that's what the message for tomorrow is going to be. Will your message not be partly [00:02:58] Speaker 1: designed to cater to your base as well? No, because the message is going to be designed to [00:03:02] Wes Moore: cater to not just Marylanders, but to this country, to remind us that there is a power in this, that, you know, that I am going to be giving an address as the first African-American governor in the history of the state of Maryland from a statehouse that was built partially by the hands of enslaved people, that there is a complexity of this country's history, but our job is to understand it, embrace it, to talk about and to celebrate the remarkable patriots who have been willing to fight for the hope of us and to know now we have a responsibility to fight for the hope of those who will come after us. And that is not a political conversation. That is a patriotic conversation. [00:03:41] Speaker 1: Are you worried at all, though, that having a counter-programming speech could further fuel [00:03:45] Wes Moore: divisions? No, because I don't see this as, you know, counter-programming against the president. I see this as helping to fill a void. You know, that I think it's our patriotic responsibility that when we see darkness, it's our job to introduce light, that when we see cynicism and naysaying, that it's our job to introduce hope. And I think that's what we've been trying to do inside of the state of Maryland. And also where I'm very clear, I'm serving not just Democrats, but Republicans and everybody in our state. And it's our job to make sure that on the celebration of 250 [00:04:22] Speaker 1: that we do the same thing for everybody. Some people may view the speech tomorrow as a way that you could sort of position yourself for a future presidential run. So I do want to ask you about your own political future. I know you said on Meet the Press last year that you were ruling out a presidential run in 2028 and that you would serve a full term. Is that still the case today? [00:04:40] Wes Moore: And is a 2028 run completely off the table? Yeah, I mean, I'm laser focused on November. I'm up for re-election this year. We're feeling... What about after November? Well, I'd say we feel very good because I think we have really important story to tell inside of Maryland. But the thing I also am clear about is this, is that I think for anybody who is looking at 2028, when we're seeing what is happening in 2026, for me, that's disqualifiable. You know, we have seen how in Maryland, we've had over 31,000 people fired by this Trump administration in a year, federal workers, that we have seen how we have over 180,000 people now at risk of losing their health care, you know, children at risk of losing their food assistance. I am locked in on making sure we're protecting our people inside of this moment. And I just believe that my focus is on 2026. And for anyone who's focuses on 2028, I think that [00:05:33] Speaker 1: your eyes are not on the ball. So maybe we'll have this conversation after November. I do want to ask you about Michigan. You were just there this past weekend campaigning with the gubernatorial candidate, Jocelyn Benson. There's another really important race happening in Michigan, and that's the Senate race. There's an open primary. Democrats are going to pick who they're going to send to the general election. Where do you stand in that race? Well, as you said, I think Michigan [00:05:54] Wes Moore: Democrats are going to pick where they go. I mean, the reason that I was there in Michigan supporting Jocelyn Benson is both because she's an extraordinary candidate, but also because I understand the role of governors. You know, I am going to fight to make sure that we have good, strong candidates as governors who make it across the finish line. Because in many ways, while Washington debates, governors decide. You know, governors are the ones who have to make sure that we're focusing on creating pathways for work and wages and wealth for the people of our states. Governors are the ones who are making sure that we can do things like not only balance budgets, but also have budgets that actually match our aspirations. I feel a great deal of confidence in Jocelyn Benson, who, you know, who I not only as a friend, but I know has the right type of vision to lead Michigan forward. And I was proud to campaign for her, and I look forward to getting back there again. Do you have any concern about whether Abdul [00:06:45] Speaker 1: al-Sayed, he's the progressive candidate in the race, if he does win the primary, that he might not be well-positioned to win in a battleground state like Michigan? [00:06:52] Wes Moore: No, I think elections are all about the candidates being able to make their case. And I don't think it's about an ideology. You know, I think of what happened in Maryland, where in Maryland, we had an election the same day that New York had it, and I endorsed a whole slate, a leave no one behind slate of candidates in Maryland. And there was not a political tie that connected them. What they all connected to, though, and what the prerequisite for me to get on my slate was that, are you ready to disrupt the status quo? Are you ready to go in and say the way things are working right now are not working for working families? So we've got to be able to do different. We've got to be able to focus on work, wages, and wealth, and we've got to focus on getting things done. And our slate was wildly successful in Maryland, and it had nothing to do with an ideology. And that's where I think people are, where people are just, they're not focusing on the political back and forth and titles. They're focusing on who's focused on me. And the candidates that are doing that, I think, find themselves to be successful. [00:07:50] Speaker 1: Some of those candidates who find themselves successful have been Democratic Socialists. We saw that in New York, saw it in Colorado. Do you think the Democrats would do a better job of embracing those types of candidates into the party? [00:08:01] Wes Moore: I think Democrats would be doing themselves a disservice by saying who does not belong. I think right now Democrats have got to, you know, I know there's a lot of folks who are focusing their energy on saying what's wrong with Donald Trump or what's wrong with this candidate or what's wrong with that sect of the party. I'm focusing on what's right with the people of our jurisdictions and making sure we're trying to do what's right for them. And that's why I think that our message resonates, that, you know, when we're focusing on things like, as we've done in Maryland, giving the middle class a tax cut. We're focusing on things like making sure that we can have a balanced budget four years in a row. We're focusing on things like making sure we can put money back in people's pockets. We're focusing on things that are actually helping to bring real economic relief, adding over 55,000 new businesses while raising the minimum wage. That's results. And that's why what we're saying is resonating, but not because we represent a specific section of the Democratic Party. I think our focus is, our focus should be on results. [00:09:03] Speaker 1: And real quickly, just how confident are you that you'll be able to actually redistrict in the state of Maryland? [00:09:08] Wes Moore: Oh, I'm confident we're going to be coming back for a special session. And I will be calling a special session. We will be coming back in the state of Maryland. And I do think it's important because I think the people of Maryland have been very clear. We are watching our democracy under assault, like we have not seen in our lifetimes. And going back to what we said before, there are people who came before us who are willing to fight and bleed and die so we could have the right to vote. And they're now looking at us and saying, now, what are you all willing to do to keep it? And this becomes a moment when we have a president who was trying everything in his power to be able to rig elections and be able to alter results of elections. It is our responsibility that if parts of the country are going to have a mid-decade conversation about maps, then why should Maryland or anyone else sit on our hands? So we're going to do [00:09:54] Speaker 1: this. Governor, thank you so much. We really appreciate your time. [00:09:56] Wes Moore: Thank you so much.