This is the FCB Podcast Network. When they drunk yaw boot change that dog. We don't listen to y'alls, the Countdog. We don't listen to y'alls. The hot Dog. Make a scream out down like a sound ug because the roogets into clown like a ball. Tuned into the charge from the Outdoor, Tuned into the charge from the outlog. Welcome to a special edition of The Outlaws. This is Darbel the Kingpin marw alongside Dante Bryan. Don't forget too Like us on Facebook at Facebook dot com, Slam the Outlaws Radio. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at the Outlaws Radio. It's a special edition of the show because we have a very special guest that we're gonna get to in just a little bit. Uh. He is running for president of the United States, running for the for the Republican nomination of VEC Rama Swami. We just finished taping the interview and Dante real quick man, your thoughts on what that experience was like. I thought it was a very interesting experience. UM. There have been criticisms UM lobbied at him and certain things, but but I thought it was a good opportunity to get him in a setting where you know, you don't have to put on a political performance, right, you can just kind of be straightforward, let your hair down, kind of relax a little bit. So I think it was good to sort of get him in this environment. And I want to I want to pat us on the back too, because I think we asked them some good questions to put him at ease, but to also, um, kind of push him a little bit towards some of the things that we wanted to know. Yeah. Well, and you know the thing about it too, that people will know who if you're not familiar with this show, you'll learn about this show that we we don't play at your games. We're not out to get here, make you look bad or anything like that. We're we're here. We have legitimate questions, genuine questions, and we want to hear the answers to those questions. And we think it's most important for us to ask the question and then here's a novel concept, allow the guests to answer it, and let you all make your decision as to how you feel about the answer. So um, it was. Vec was very gracious with his time. We absolutely appreciate it. And we'll get into our interview with Vivek Rama Swamy. Right now, all right, we have a very special guest on the show today. He is running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States. Vec Rama Swammy, Welcome to the show. How are you doing? Sorry, good to be honest, how are you guys? Good? Good? Thank you off top, Thank you for taking the time and speaking to us. We really appreciate it. So a pleasure, absolutely. So. Obviously we have a lot of a lot of stuff to get into, a lot of things to discuss. We gotta start off the top with what's dominating the news right now, and that is the federal indictment of former President Trump. Just give your thoughts on the indictment, the process itself. Do you view this as as politically oriented and stuff like that. Yeah, So, look, after I read the indictment, I'm sorry to say it, but it just reeks of a politicized indictment. And I'll tell you why. Reading it with a legal lens on, there are certain things that were selectively omitted as a matter of fact and law from that indictment that just raised my alarm bells to say that this has a political motivation. It doesn't mention the Presidential Records Act, that's the number one law that's relevant to presidential records, no mention in it. There's actually a case in twenty twelve into Bill Clinton taking audio tapes of his recordings with foreign leaders, which are presumptively classified out of the White House no mention of that decision. Quotes Trump from the twenty sixteen campaign. I don't know what that has to do with an indictment, but if you're going to quote from Trump from the twenty sixteen campaign saying he was going to go after Hillary Clinton for classified document violations, you should also quote him in November of twenty sixteen when he said he wasn't going to go after Hillary for those classified document violations. But I could get technical, I could go on and on, But to me, that's set off my alarm bell to say that if you have a party in power that's going after its top political opponent in the middle of an election, and they're going out of their way not to mention this kind of step in the indictment, it just max of politicization to me, which I think is bad for Republicans and it's bad for Democrats because the reality is once who we set this precedent, both sides are going to use it, and it's a downward spiral from there, and that's not what I want to see. Yeah, it seems like the FBI is ill equipped to handle domestic political investigations. I mean, this is a new you know, the FBI has had a history of political targeting, like what they did to the civil rights leaders in the sixties and seventies. Do you think about do you think that the FBI should just focus on the bread and butter issue and then set up something else, maybe in a bipartisan way, that that can be in charge of investigating alleged domestic political crimes. You know, it's a great question. I think whatever the solution is, and I have my vision of a solution, I think you're at least I'm going to give you a lot of credit there for thinking about how we're going to address the politicization of the federal police state. You're right, it's the same FBI under JEdgar Hoover that blackmailed or tried to blackmail Martin Luther King Jr. To commit suicide that is now targeting it's other political opponents. And so this isn't a partisan point. I just think it's important to see that. But I think that part of my view is bureaucracy, it's else is part of the problem. So at the local level, you've got local police and you've got local prosecutors. You don't have a giant investigative bureaucracy sitting in between. At the federal level, you have US Marshals, which as best I can tell, has not been at all politicized agency. They just carry out their responsibilities. And then you've got a Department of Justice, which I think has some problems of its own, but that's the prosecutor. You don't need this giant bureaucracy sitting in between. And you know what the irony is, it's still the j Edgar Hoover Building of the FBI. It's literally the name of the building that people report into every day. And so I think when you have a bureaucracy that really shouldn't exist, it's almost like you're asking for politicization and corruption. And I think that's what we have here in the federal police state. So of course people would then say, all right, well, then what do you do? What do you do to replace it? Like what you do you have any thoughts about that, like, where do you think we go from here? I do. I think the US marshals can take on more responsibility for enforcement. A lot of the drug crimes are now investigated in parallel by the FBI and the DA. You just trying to think about the inefficiency of that, that doesn't make very much sense. So I think the drug cases considered under the DA. I think a lot of the investigative arms consider under the DOJ. But that way you avoid the need for this entirely separate bureaucracy as it exists today, and I think that's a big part of the problem. So we have a whole plan for reorganizing the federal government and also the legal basis in the constitutional authority that a president has for doing it. But that's you know, that will require get into the details. I'm going to talk a lot about that over the next year on the campaign trail. But I come at as an outsider, and that's why I think it does take an outsider to get that job done. If a professional politician we're going to do it, we wouldn't have the problem in the first place. I've built companies, I've been a CEO, my view is if you can't fire somebody who works for you, then that means they don't work for you, means you work for them because you're responsible for what they do without having any authority to change. And I refuse to be a puppet of a president that operates according to that principle. We're talking with the vec Rama Swami who was running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States, and this is the idea that's been floating around and heard, uh, you know, some members of Congress talking about it, but I haven't really heard any presidential candidate talk about it. Plenty of people talk about the so called swamp, but I don't hear much about breaking the swamp up. There's there's been an idea that's been floating around about possibly moving federal departments that don't have to be in DC out of DC and into other country to kind of break up that concentrated power, to get a better and more politically diverse employee base, and to spread some of the economic impact across the country into their local economies instead of just feeding the DC beast. I know one thing here. You're an Ohio guy, We're we're based in Ohio. Two, we're based in Cleveland, UM, there's been talk about maybe hood or or jh S in Eveland, for example, which could help enhance the local economy that's already there. What are your thoughts on potentially moving federal departments outside of DC and until the rest of the country. I think it's a great idea. I think we should absolutely be considering the movement of many of those three letter agencies to the rest of the country for a couple of reasons. One is, you know, a side benefit is economic stimulus. Sure, that's a small benefit in my book, but it counts. But I think a bigger benefits you get a citizenry that feels like the government is more accountable to the citizens, and the government employees have the sense of feeling more accountable to the citizens. I was just in DC yesterday. I'm back in Columbus, Ohio today. Such a bubble in DC for people who have lived there, same thing is you'll get in certain other cities like Manhattan. I mean, DC is the equivalent of that in the political sphere, and I think you break that bubble a little bit and then there's a tactical benefit. And there's me thinking as an executive again, you know what, You're going to reduce the size of the federal government, tell people they have to move no more wor from home policies, and that the jobs are relocated. Well, that's something that actually allows us to reduce the size of the federal government automatically. And I think that you save on some of the severance costs for the taxpayer too. So those are my reasons, and I just think it's a it's a great idea. So, Vac, I wanted to ask you about the presumptive leader in the race right now, President Trump, who, even though he is under federal indictment, is still, at least in early polling, is still considered to be the favorite. You have been a vocal supporter of his, as have many in the race, but I wanted to know from you specifically, what would you say differentiates the two of you. Why should Republican voters vote for you instead of the president instead of former President Trump? Wellok, I'm the first millennial ever to run for US president as a Republican. Okay, I'm thirty seven years old. I was born in nineteen eighty five. I'm an outsider to politics, and I whear that as a badge of honor, and I think you get to be an outsider once and so in some ways, I think I'm closer to Trump in twenty fifteen than Trump today is to Trump in twenty fifteen. Actually, I think I'm the outsider in this race, and I think that we go further with the America First agenda. I'm an unapologetic America First Conservative, but I'm really more of a George Washington America First conservative. What does that mean? I think George Washington was the og of our movement put American interests first, unapologetically, and I think we go further if we do it based on first principles and moral authority, not just vengeance and grievance. To put America first, I think we have to rediscover what America is and that's a big part of what I believe. I'm leading in this race in a way that, yeah, nobody really has for a very long time. And I think it does take a fresh perspective as an outsider, and you know what, maybe even as a member of a different generation to help lead us there. I think what's different for me in a lot of the other candidates in this race and the rest of the Republican Party in any ways, is that for too long we've been running from something. I think we need to start running to something. And that's what I'm aiming to lead, answering the question of what it actually means to be an American today. That's how we take America first to the next level. And you know, it's very interesting that you said about running to something because that actually kind of leads me to my next question. There was something that you did a couple of weeks ago that, you know, I was I was really impressed by, Um, you know, when you went to Chicago and h and met Devin Jones, I know Devin, and talked to voters down there. And you know, there's been there's been criticism sometimes of your approach to black issues. I've had my criticisms as well, but I was really impressed that you took the time to go to Chicago and go speak directly to black voters and hear their hopes, desires and concerns. So talk a little bit about what that experience was like and what, if anything, you learned from. Yeah. Look, I think that I'm not running to lead a political party. I'm running to lead a country, and so it would be bizarre if we just listen to the percentage of people whatever that is out in the country who you would predict agree with everything you have to say. And so part of my commitment. And we're going to Kensington, Pennsylvania later this month. Unfortunately, one of the places that have been abandoned even by frankly law enforcement, as the center of a drug epidemic in this country. You know, we went to the southside of Chicago faces its own challenges of a different kind. And my goal is who would have ever thought have open conversations with fellow Americans. Do we agree on everything? No, we didn't, But did we leave with friends that we otherwise that I would not have made certainly is that I'm going to keep. Yes, I did, and I think that it turned out actually if we did agree on some things that we may not have expected in advance, too, about the border security policy, about the importance of putting Americans first, about how we actually restore the rule of law in the country. I think we actually did find a lot of common cause. But just because we didn't agree on everything, you know, racial reparations came up a lot. I have one view. I think a lot of people in that room or we are actually a couple of different locations, but in those rooms were you know how, a different view. And that's okay because part of what we don't do enough in this country is actually just speak honestly in the open. And my whole strategy of the selection is looking. My job is not to get people to vote for me. That's a mistake I think many politicians make. My job is to let people know who I am and what I stand for, and to listen to the perspectives of the other fellow Americans who comprise our body politic as a citizen rate. You know what, if people want to vote for me after that, that's their choice. That's not up to me. But my job is at least to let people know, here's what I stand for, Here's why I stand for it, Here's who I am, and part of who I am, and I think part of who many Americans are is are people who want to actually hear perspectives that are different than our own. And so, yeah, I did learn a lot that day. I mean, some of the small picture stuff, but you know, important stuffs. You know, some of the how some of the challenges actually show up in the schools. I'm the South side of Chicago exactly what's going on with a migrant crisis now affecting that city, and I think leaving some raw feelings amongst people who live there. Understandably, I learned a lot, but I think that it's the muscle memory we have to build a leading an entire country, not just speaking to our own political tribe. And I think that's one of the things that's being different than me and some others in the Republican Party who I hope actually start following that lead and doing the same thing. You know, I talk to NBC News. There's other candidates in the primary who said they won't talk to NBC News because NBC News isn't nice to them. Well, I think if we're talking about representing the entire United States across the table from Shi Jinping, you better we'll be willing to sit across the table from Chuck Todd and meet the press or people who disagree with you in the South side of Chicago or a twenty two year old kid in a college campus. And that's a big part of what my approach to this race is all about. And speaking of they we're talking with the vec Roma swami. He was running for President of the United States, running for the Republican nomination. I saw within the last I think maybe the last couple of weeks, some members of some the VEX supporters and the Santists supporters gotten too a little dust up on Twitter, and there's there's been kind of a little back and forth there. What are your thoughts on Governor rond Descantis. How do you view him as a as a candidate and a competitor. Look, I think that more competition is good in our party, So I actually embraced the competition. I think that it makes us better. Competition breeds strength. Can I share a lot of perspectives in common. I know that because you know, I think he was a student in my first book that I wrote, and I think that provided some inspiration to what he's been doing in Florida. I think he's a great governor. I think he's been a good executor of ideas. You know, Christy Nome had great COVID nineteen policies in the state of South Dakota, which he implemented and applied to the state of Florida. I think he's done with that with some of the ideas I've written about in my books and others. And I think there's really important roles for executors in various roles of government. But I think that if we're talking about reviving a missing national identity, and that's what I'm interested in here, I think it's going to take a leader who isn't just an executor, but also has an independent vision of his own And that's what I think the debate stage is going to be so useful in creating. Is the opportunity for us to really have constructive debate dialogue, let voters actually see who's coming with prepared political oneliners versus people who actually have a deep understanding of the issues they're talking about. And I personally think it's it's great for our party that folks like Governor Rodasanis and others are in this race. I welcome that competition, but I do think it's going to take an outsider who is not beholden to the donor class. And I think it's a critical problem in the Republican Party is the attachment and really fealty to the donor class that stops many of those professional politicians from saying the kinds of things that I'm saying, and I'm unrestrained because I'm self fund at the start of this campaign over eight figures in, and I think that that's something that frankly leaves someone like me as an outsider, in much more of a liberated position to look after the interests of all Americans rather than the interests of the Americans who happen to fund the pockets of those politicians. The conclusion of our interview with the zek Ramaswami is coming up next here on the Outlaws. These days, it seems like everybody's talking, but no one is actually listening to the things they're saying. Critical thinking isn't dead, but it's definitely low on oxygen. Join me Kia Davis on Just Listen to Yourself every week as we reason through issues big and small, critique our own ideas, and learn to draw our talking points all the way out to their logical conclusions. Subscribe to Just Listen to Yourself with Kia Davis, an FCB radio podcast on Apple, on Spotify, iHeart, or wherever you get your podcasts. Fuck True, Welcome back, Welcome back. You're listening to the Outlaws, and now let's get into the conclusion of our interview with the Rama Swammy. We're talking with Vec ram Swammy, and I know we've got a few minutes left, but I want to get to a couple of more things. You mentioned earlier that you the first millennial running for president on the Republican ticket. If you if elected, you'd be the first millennial president. You'd also be the second president of color. What if anything in your personal history or background or experiences that you've had that will allow you to be able to relate and understand people who look like me and Dante and our same age group, because we're both millennials as well, are your Yeah, you're right, I would be. I'm the first millennial ever running for the GOP nomination, but for sure. So Look, I mean, I went to racially diverse, not particularly well off public school through eighth grade and a junior high school, and otherwise I didn't grow up in wealth either. I did have the privilege of two parents who both put an emphasis on education. That's what allowed us to get ahead. But believe me, I was not. I did not grow up in some sort of insulated elite environment. To the contrary, we grew up in the heart of the country southwest Ohio and in a you know, relatively for public schools through the through you know, not certainly well off through junior high school, and then I went to a Jesuit high school afterwards, where I was the lone Hindu kid in a Catholic high school. So I'm used to being an outsider. It wasn't always comfortable. I've grown comfort comfortable with that discomfort, but that also makes me empathetic. I think to other people who are outsiders in whatever environment they're in too. You know that Black Americans in certain context, absolutely is that somebody who is viewed as a rube because they live in the center of the country by people who you know, control their financial accounts sitting in New York City. Absolutely, But I think that there are many ways to be an outsider. And my view is that there is both challenging that, but there's also opportunity in that. And so my goal is to take some of those hardships, but to translate the spirit of seeing that hardship not to victimhood, but to say that, hey, that's exactly why we're stronger and we're proud of who we are as individuals and as Americans, and that's often not just when I speak to Black audiences or Indian American audiences, but when I speak to all audiences. That's a big part of my message is that hardship is real. We're not going to deny that it exists. The world is unfair, but hardship is not the same thing as victimhood either. Hardship is part of what helps us discover who we really are. That's been my experience in my life. I've written about in my books as well, and I think that if we all realize that we share that in common, then we can start to see one another as coequal citizens again. And we've been imperfect as a country, There's no doubt about it. You'd have to have your head in the sand to say anything otherwise. We will always be imperfect. That's the other thing. Shouldn't hold out a false hope that a nation of human beings that pursue ideals is always going to fall short of those ideals because we're not gods. We're human beings, so by definition we're going to fall short of those ideals. But our job is to keep pursuing them, pursue them unapologetically, And I think that's what America has founded on, and I've lived the American dream. This country has given me a lot. I think a lot of that is something that I just feel blessed to enjoy. And I want every other American, including every one of those black kids that I went to junior high school with, and white kids and Indian kids and Asian kids, to enjoy that same American dream too. The reality is that many don't today, But that's what motivates me actually do my part to pass that American dream on to the next generation and to every American, regardless of their skin color. That's my message. Va. You mentioned earlier about rediscovering America and what it means, and I think one of the awesome things about America is that different groups all across the country have different things that matter to them. Right. And so you went to the inner city in Chicago, you spoke about your background. Um, I was just wondering did you learn anything else. I know you mentioned reparations, we won't go there, but you also mentioned maybe immigration and how the migrant situation is affecting inner city and poor African Americans and also poor whites as well. So was there anything else? That you learned that that would help you govern, and then also bring other groups to the table, specifically inner city blacks or other minority groups. I think the thing I learned is we should, especially as conservatives, not be in the habit of just rejecting out of hand the actual disparities that have existed for most of our national history, in part for most of our national story, even codified in the law. That's real, right, So we can't just ignore that and say, hey, hockey dory, move forward, let's all sing kumbaya and get along. That's not going to land. I think that we have to grapple with the hard questions of recognizing those disparities and still say here's how we believe that empowerment is the right way forward rather than grievance. And I think that was one of my takeaways from that day is that I think maybe we had the most successful dialogue when we got beyond the surface of just hey, let's get to the solution. The same thing I say with the America First base, with the Trump base, with the MAGA base across the country is we can't just in the same thing I have done southside of Chicago. We can't just say hey, let's all get along, hope and move forward. That's that's too easy and it's not real. We have to say I see what you see, and we have to actually see him. I just say it. We have to really, in our bone deep sense, in our heart of heart, really see what you see and still say on the other side of that, here's how we move forward. And whether that's a NAGA rally or whether that's a group of people at on the South Side of Chicago principally black and voting Democrat, doesn't really matter. I think that's actually what it's going to take to unite the country. And that was probably one of my big takeaways. And we're wrapping up here, so two more quick ones. There was something I've been seeing as well on social media. It's really kind of been disturbing me a little bit. There's been a tax on you because of your faith. How do you how do you deal with that on a personal level, with people attacking you like that just because you're running the president and they're trying to use your faith to attack I think it frustrates my family, frustrates me a little bit. On the other hand, I'm running president of the United States, and I'm asking for the people of this country to invest a lot of trust in me, and so it's up to me to be able to handle that and deal with it. And I think to explain and get to the just the humanity at the heart of it, which is that, yeah, maybe maybe the unfamiliar is difficult for people to understand. Maybe we can do our part. That's not vindicating their behavior, but we can do our part to make it a little less unfamiliar to them. And it turns out that we actually share deeply common values in common across the Judea Christian tradition, across the hind Of tradition. We share the same values in common. They're the values I was raised into. And so my goal is I'm looking to be a leader, right, not somebody who's aggrieved by people who believe they have reasons to be aggrieved. And so my goal is to lead to all Americans, even those who are going to throw those kinds of epithets or names at me. And I think that that's something that requires getting to, you know, understanding that we all are flawed human beings, but we're all, you know, to bring into a religious context equal because we're made in the image of God. We're equal in the eyes of God, We're equal in the eyes of each other. And so how do we get to the heart of what that insecurity is, or that concern is that causes people to lash out in the way they do. And let's do what's in our power, which is to speak truth, make it, make the unfamiliar seem familiar. And it turns out that actually, I do believe that we share the same values in common. So my gut instinct is always a little bit negative, kind of want to punch back. But I checked that for a second and say, hey, what's really going on here, and we're asking these people, all people of this country, for permission to lead them. Well, let's actually rise to the occasion and be a leader instead of wallowing in petty tug of war. And I think that that's something that I hope my fellow contenders in this race and people who lead this country rise to the occasion as well. I think that's going to be our best chance at national unity. And that's the way I'm going to be able to do it. Absolutely. And finally, um, like I said earlier, you're an Ohio guy, just like we are, you're in you're based out of Columbus, I believe correct, yes, yes, okay, So I have to ask you who are you cheering for? Are you a Browns fan? Are you a Bengals fan? Oh, I'm born and raised Cincinnati. Cincinnati Bengals guy man, So I was born and raised Cincinnati, but we live in Columbus. But I was also a Cavs fan because it's the only NBA team we had grown up. So that's right, there, you go away national unity there. Oh wait, all right, you're good with me, So you're good with me. We're good. Let them know how to follow you on social media. If people want to get more information about your campaign all that good stuff. Yeah, you know. Easiest is go to VIC twenty four dot com, v I v EK twenty four dot com. Sign up, let's have the conversation. Give a dollar. You don't have to give a lot of money, just give a dollar. You become part of the movement. I'm going to be on the debate stage starting at the end of August, and I think that's going to be a big catalyst in this race. And like I said, we're going to lead the entire country, not just a political party, and so I welcome anyone who wants to be part of that movement. We're grateful for it. All right, Thank you so much of the VET for coming on the show spending time with us. I also want to send a special shout out to your communications director Tristan mcgoughlin, who is a rock star. You have a hell of a communications director on your team there. But thank you so much for coming on. We appreciate it. I appreciate it, guys. Thank you all right, Dante, So you were it was something we we kind of talked about a couple of weeks ago about presidential candidates and you know the importance of doing shows like ours and stuff like that, and there was something in particular that you said that you know, it was a I think it was really good that that came on because he showed that he don't duct the smoke. That's true, that's true. We were just talking about this. I think it was two weeks ago on Hot Takes, where it's like we sent a challenge out, especially to Republicans and conservatives and said, listen, you want the black boat, don't ductor smoke, come into our community and address our concerns, because the beauty of America, like we said in the interview, is each individual group makes up the larger country, right, And just like you know, people in Montana have different needs and wanting views than people in New York City. Well you know, white people in LA and black people in Cleveland, and you know Hispanics and floor to all have different needs, right. But that's what makes America. So if you want a specific vote, you got to go into that specific community and tell them why they should vote for you. So anytime, you know, we get a candidate that does that, whether we agree or disagree with their platform or base, I still I got to respect the fact that you decided to take the time out to talk to a specific group. Absolutely absolutely, And you know I was very like I told him, I was very impressed by him going down to Chicago. Um, I respect and appreciate the fact that he came on this show, even though we have been critical of him at times, I appreciate that. I respect that, and I think that that goes a long way. I mean, if you really want to govern the entire country, you know, you got to speak to all of the country. So you know, I was I was really impressed with how he how he handled himself and how he carried himself, not only on this interview, but also you know when he went to Chicago as well. Yep, yep, and he you know, he said he learned some stuff. So I'm looking forward to seeing how, um he continues down the campaign trail debate coming up shortly, Yeah, absolutely, and he'll he's qualified for it, so he'll be on the debate stage because you got to I forget what the qualifications are, but um he's one of the people that did qualify to be on the stage, so it'll be interesting to see. Yes, sir, heating up all right, one more time, Thank you so much to effect Rama Swami for coming on the show. Were really appreciate it. We are out of here. We'll see you next time. Peace. This has been a presentation of the FCB podcast Network, where Real Talk lifts visitors online at FCB podcasts dot com.
