In just a few weeks, president elect Donald Trump will take office for the second time, working with the Republican majority in Congress. That has a long to do list tax cuts, mass deportations, reshaping the Justice Department and FBI, and lowering consumer costs. And how will Democrats navigate their role in the minority?
How much will they resist Trump? How much will they try to find common ground? Well, one of those Democrats is Andy Kim, the groundbreaking new junior senator from new Jersey.
He joins me now. Senator Kim, thank you so much for being here. I'm sure that still is taking some getting used together piece of the puzzle.
That's right. Called Senator. You made history.
You're the first Korean American senator in the nation. How does that feel? It's.
It all feels still very surreal having to. I had my two little boys in the Senate gallery, you know, seven and nine years old. and to have that chance to be able to have them watch.
It was a lot. I mean, this year is actually 50 years since my parents immigrated from South Korea to the United States. And the idea that we can celebrate our 50th anniversary of our family in America by being sworn in as the United States senator, it's it's beyond anything that my family could imagine.
My mom called. You know, we talked, the night of my swearing in, and she was just in tears about just, you know, how emotional was for her. So it's a lot to process, but, I'm proud of this moment.
And then you were already sworn in when you found out that you were assigned to the desk of one of your heroes. That's right. So, you know, I didn't realize this, initially, but, you know, you have the hundred desks, on the floor of the Senate.
the drawers, if you pull them out, you can actually see at the bottom every senator that's used that desk, has carved their name into it. And as I was looking through, one name stood out to me, which was in a way, senator, in a way, from Hawaii, who, you know, was somebody that, you know, I grew up watching. I mean, you know, that we haven't had very many Asian Americans in the US Senate.
I'm one of the I'm only the 10th ever. I'm the first from the east coast of America. And for someone like him, he was a medal of honor, recipient from World War Two.
Served in the Senate for nearly 50 years. The idea that I get to use his desk, was just so powerful and just, like, really, one of those moments where it hits you, you're like, this is happening. Like, I'm doing this work.
so it just a lot of history to comprehend right now. And obviously he was a decorated veteran, as you said. You've already introduced your first piece of legislation, which is bipartisan.
It's with Montana Republican Senator Steve Daines, and it's called the Earnest Pelts Accrued Veterans Benefits Act. Why was that important for you to do right out of the gate? Well, this is something that I've been working on, in the house of Representatives, you know, really tried to focus in on our veterans.
I feel a deep, deep responsibility and duty in many ways. Know I told you my parents were born at the end of. They were born during the Korean War.
It was American service members that came to the defense of my parents when they were babies. And their families were a very well, my family could very well not exist had it not been for American bravery and our service members. So my family's always felt like we owe a debt of gratitude to our service members and our veterans.
Something that is important freedom of our family. And right now, you know, just, I get frustrated when I see the challenges that veterans are facing. And, you know, I just feel like in this moment of deep division within our society, within our politics, surely we can at least come together and say we want to support those who have defended our nation.
you obviously now represent the entire great state of new Jersey, but you mentioned that you were in the house, and there you represented a district that Donald Trump won twice, despite the fact that you also won as a Democrat. and you've worked under both Democratic and Republican presidents. Where do you think you can specifically work with Soon-To-Be?
President Trump? Well, look, you know, this is you're right. Yeah.
I'm a Democrat that won a congressional district that Trump won twice. I've learned how to be able to engage and also try to build coalitions in that type of way. And, you know, there definitely are some issues that I hope we can find agreement on and find work together.
For instance, my district in new Jersey was getting crushed by the opioid crisis. Fentanyl has been a major problem. And as someone who who's worked in national security, and we get so concerned about, you know, challenges abroad, but right here at home, over 100,000 Americans losing their lives, a deep mental health crisis that we're facing, especially for our youth, has a father of two, a second grader and a fourth grader.
You know, I worry about their generation. These are issues that I know we've talked through. I worked in national security before.
A lot of bipartisan concerns about American global competitiveness, about the United States and China, what that means going forward. You know, I help pass the bipartisan chips and Science Act. I'd love to see a 2.
0 version, something where we can invest, maybe in artificial intelligence, other places where we can figure out how to be able to propel America going forward, and make sure that the innovation of the future is one that we are able to generate. We got a reminder of what it's like when Donald Trump is, in charge. He's not quite there yet.
But the reminder, of course, was when he, blew up the bipartisan deal to fund the government. You ready for the next four years? Well, I look, I, I, I at least feel better knowing that I have a vote.
a vote of 101 out of 100 in the US Senate, a vote to be able to review, the nominations for cabinet, for judges, justices, others. And so, I mean, look, it's it's a challenge. You know, I was in the Congress for two years when Trump was president.
Before I've seen with my own eyes, I've, I've, I've understood and seen the challenges that are going to come that I'm worried about. but I feel it's important to be able to engage right now. Now more than ever, I've often been saying that I believe that the opposite of democracy is apathy.
So when I see these challenges and no doubt there challenges ahead, but I can't throw up my hands. I can't say, oh, I feel helpless in this moment. You know, here's a chance for me to try to make a mark.
Well, you mentioned that you will have votes on the, president elect's nominees. That is one of the many differences between in the House being in the House and in the Senate. you were one of the first to say that you did not believe Matt Gaetz, your former House colleague.
should be the attorney general. Is it possible, though, that you could vote for any of the big nominees, Kash Patel for, Dodd or Pete Hegseth? Excuse me.
Kash Patel for FBI, except for Dodd. Well, look, I have had conversations with, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik. I had a sit down with Senator Rubio.
You know, I, you know, I'm still going through the process, and I want to make sure I'm doing right. But those were those were good conversations. Were we able to dive in deep.
And so, you know, I think that there are some nominees that, are people I think I can work with. But I also am deeply concerned about what I've heard Mr Patel say in the past and about, you know, going after these, you know, he'd like he is being nominated for a role to lead an agency that he has talked about, dismantle. He talked about the deep state, you know, and going after I was a career public servant before in the federal government.
I worked under both Bush and Obama. I served the country, not a party. And I worry about some of the tones there with, with Hedge Seth, I hope to have a chance to be able to speak with him.
But some of what he said before about not thinking that women should serve in combat, some of the other allegations that we've heard about. Deeply alarming. I worked at the Pentagon before in the office of the Secretary of Defense.
I know what that job is like, and I need to know whether or not he is up to the task. And so far, I have real concerns. We are coming up on four years since Donald Trump challenged what had been the peaceful transition of power.
On January 6th, you cleaned up trash in the Capitol Rotunda after the devastation. We're seeing a picture of that now. Are you worried the history of that day has already been rewritten by Donald Trump and his supporters?
Yes, yes, I worry about it. I worry about this, a lot because, you know, the way I sort of talk about is, you know, our our country, we have this great motto of E pluribus unum, you know, out of many, one. And I've often kind of thought through like, how does that happen?
You know, there's a missing verb there. How do you get from many to one? And it's so important that we have a shared sense of this country.
Its its history, its definition. But we're losing sight of this idea that we're part of something bigger than all of us. And when I see what happened on that day, I mean, you know, we saw with our own eyes those of us that were in Congress, the American people saw people all over the world saw.
And the idea that it's being paper road papered over and and that the people that, that attacked the Capitol rioted, that they're being talked as, as liberators, as, you know, as as prisoners now, that are being unfairly treated. We are a nation of rule of law. And it just it does break my heart.
You know, I every day that I go into the Capitol, I go to the rotunda, I think about what we saw on that day and how we should always commit to never having that happen again. This nation is such a great nation, and we were brought to such a sad moment on that day. We should commit ourselves to never letting that happen again, but instead we see that unfortunately, being a different lesson that many were taken away.
Oh, this coming January 6th will be different for many, many reasons. We appreciate you coming on and wish you a Happy New Year. Thank you so much and congratulations.
Thank you so much I appreciate.
