Speaker comments on the state of immigration policy under Trump

Who they care about, who they feel belongs, who they fight for and who they don't. That was only possible because Democrats got more disciplined on immigration. All Americans, including Latinos, want order at the border. You don't want to have a stupid border fight. A lot of the stupid immigration policies came out of a primary in 2020 where people were floating, ideas were racing to the left, and so they were trying to find some way to distinguish themselves. And I think it's important throughout the primary to have voices because the candidates themselves are not going to do it. Voices who are helping, check and say, please, guys, let's think of the general election. Let's think of how this is going to play. Let's think about this affects the Democratic brand at any given moment. That said, when Trump was elected, I thought, okay, he could do smart fascism or he could do dumb fascism. If he did smart fascism, it would be like in major danger. Obviously, we know what he chose. Just look at Pete Hegseth's caveman face. And now the poster boy of dumb fascism is the chief of staff of the White House. And he's not trying to help Republicans win. So, like, from an electoral standpoint, but he is there to check off other items on his agenda list. And top of that is really cruel immigration policies. And, you know, there were a lot of people who thought that Democrats shouldn't put back, push back on what Trump was doing on immigration. But once he started crossing that line, it was an important turning point in his administration that first summer of 2025. It was strategic. It wasn't just taking the bait. We weren't defending, you know, murderers being deported. We were saying, no, you are going after hard working people in our communities. And so keeping that strategy while this is happening and defending our communities, we don't have to stay quiet in order to win elections. I think that is one lesson from 2026. At the same time that we're not absolved from being strategic at all times. Moral clarity is a good thing. Moral clarity is a good thing. I don't know what to say. I mean, I think this primary is going to be tough. And you know, in many ways, at the 2019 primary, I agree. I ran a campaign in it. I remember it well. It was not the best time I've ever had in my life. But I do think we did a good job. I think because Trump was president and the unifying factor behind all of us was we can't let him get another term to not tear each other apart. Then you have 2008 and 2016, two primaries. I also worked on where that was not necessarily the case.