Latest / Sincerely American / The Cost of an Unhealthy America | Episode 15

Transcript

The Cost of an Unhealthy America | Episode 15 · Sincerely American

0:00
Hi, Sincerely, sisters, and welcome back to Sincerely
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American. We have the best episode in
0:05
store for you guys, a very special episode.
0:07
I am here right now at the White House, and we're going to be
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interviewing a few Cabinet members of President Trump's
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administration. We have some very, very exciting
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interviews. First, we're going to do
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Secretary Kennedy. We're going to talk all things
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Maha, as well as Secretary Brooke Rollins, a dear friend of
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mine. And we're going to be talking to
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EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. Like I said, we're hitting
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everything. Make America healthy again.
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It's a very important issue in this country.
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I cannot say this enough. We have a lot of problems that
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we're facing as a nation that President Trump is tackling.
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We have to do these deportations to get the criminals out of our
0:43
country. With this mass immigration that
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happened under Joe Biden. That's a threat.
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We have threats of Islamification of the West.
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We have Gaza, we have Ukraine, we have Venezuela.
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We have crime on the streets that President Trump is solving.
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But I truly believe that there is not a bigger issue than the
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health and Wellness of our country because a sick country
1:02
is a weak country. And I think that this is an
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issue that all of our sincerely sisters are very passionate
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about. So I'm really excited to be
1:08
asking some in depth questions. We're definitely going to get a
1:11
little more policy oriented today, but we're going to learn
1:13
a lot. And I'm just excited for this
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opportunity. And this is because President
1:17
Trump has the most transparent administration, I think in U.S.
1:21
history. But here we are, new media.
1:23
We're taking over the White House.
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All right, I think everyone knows who this is.
1:37
This is our first interview with Secretary Kennedy, and I can
1:41
speak on behalf of our audience. They just love what you're
1:43
doing. You're truly changing America.
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And I really believe that health is the number one issue in this
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country right now. And we're just so thankful to
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have you in office working with President Trump.
1:52
So to start things off, what do you believe is your biggest
1:55
achievement that you've made so far as HHS Secretary?
1:58
You guys have done a lot of work this year and want to hear what
2:01
you like the most. I mean, I think there's a long
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list of achievements the dietary guidelines and the inversion of
2:09
the food pyramid is I think really has not a chance now to
2:13
change the food culture in our country.
2:15
The old dietary guidelines were really did not serve public
2:20
health. They were, they served instead
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the mercantile interests of the big ultra process food
2:25
companies. They told Americans to eat
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refined carbohydrates, sugar, salts, ultra processed food.
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And that's one of the reasons we have this health crisis and a
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financial crisis in our country. $0.40 of every dollar now of
2:41
every taxpayer dollar now goes to treating chronic disease that
2:46
is food induced. So we need to change our diet.
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There's many huge impact illnesses like type 2 diabetes,
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most cases can be cured, but can be diagnosis can be lost simply
3:00
by changing your diet. And this is going to change the
3:04
way people eat in our schools, in our prisons and our military
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at the VA on the Head Start program, the WIC program, the
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SNAP program. So the USDA alone gives about
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405 million, $1,000,000 a day to food subsidies and that this is
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going to change what those money goes to.
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So it's now going to go to healthy foods rather than, you
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know, sugar drinks. And then I think one of the
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things that for me the greatest achievement because it was so
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hard to do was to well as their most favored nation, which is
3:38
going to reduce our drug prices to the lowest prices in the
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developed world. We have the highest price in the
3:44
developed world. We were playing in some cases
3:46
10/12/13 times for the same drug made in the same factory as they
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paid in England and Europe. And we've now made an agreement,
3:56
a very complex agreement that people have been talking about
3:59
for 30 years. Nobody has been able to achieve
4:01
it. And we were able to, we
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negotiate with 16 drug companies, negotiate with all
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the European nations to get them to raise their drug prices so
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that ours can be lowered to the lowest in the world.
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I think it's really also going to change Americans lives that
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we've made an agreement with the top 400 tech companies so that
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every American probably by the end of this year will be able to
4:24
get their health records on their cell phones.
4:26
And that is going to put you make you the CEO of your own
4:29
health. And it's going to put them as a
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save so many lives because now you won't.
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If you're if you live in New Jersey, you got sick in
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Portland, OR, you won't have to go into the hospital and spend
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the first half an hour on a clipboard.
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You're the doctor there will immediately be able to see your
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blood type, your allergies, all of the relevant health records,
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be able to make a great decision.
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We're driving AI now into public health so that AI will be able
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to read those health records, fragmented health records and
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consolidate them instantly. Make good recommendations to
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your doctor about, you know, the best way to treat you.
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We've we're we're for mothers and your audience.
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A lot of them are young mothers. We are revising the baby infant
5:19
formula standards. We're, we're doing for the first
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time in history, comprehensive testing of all the baby formulas
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looking for heavy metals, for cadmium, for arsenic, for lead,
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for mercury and other contaminants like BFAS.
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As we're going to release the results of those studies, I
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think in late April. And then we're also revising the
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nutrient list. The new, there are 30 nutrients
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that are required in baby formula, but that list is 30
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years old and it's archaic and it's based upon science that a
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lot of and is now recognized, a lot of that science was not
5:55
adequate. We're going to bring them up to
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date using gold standard science so that baby formula can get
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closer and closer to the nutrient value in mother's milk
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and breast milk. We're getting rid of the grass
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standards which are we're closing the loophole.
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We have you mentioned about Europe before we came on that
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you know the European Food is such it's much higher quality
6:19
because they don't have the ingredients, some of the
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synthetic ingredients we have petroleum based dyes etcetera.
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We have 10,000 ingredients in our food that are illegal in
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Europe and the reason for that is what they call the grass
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standards which stands for generally recognized as safe.
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And if the company can self report at a new chemical that it
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manufactured and wants to add to our food is generally
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recognized, save that at all, that's all it has to do.
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There's no other further testing required.
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FDA even never looks at it. We're changing all that,
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basically getting rid of that grass standard so that people
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will have to, you know, if companies are going to have to
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prove that their chemicals are safe, going to go back through
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the list of chemicals that are currently in our food and start
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eliminating the bad ones as well.
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This is just all incredible. I wanted to touch on the formula
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because I had trouble breastfeeding when I had my
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daughter, who's now three years old, and I had to order my
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formula from Germany because I was looking at all of the
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ingredients on American formula. And it's terrible what we're
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giving our infants. But what are the?
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What are the issues that I was working with Charlie Kirk on
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when he was killed? He was very interested.
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He was to help driving the changes and encouraging me to
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orchestrate these changes at HHS.
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Because of the same thing. He had to get his infant formula
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from Australia and it's not particularly great either.
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We need to have the best infant formula in this country.
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It needs to be available. We need to be able to
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manufacture it here and we're working on all of that right
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now. I love to hear that.
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We're the greatest country on Earth, so we should have the
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greatest formula. OK, this is kind of a fun
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question. What do you growing up in
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Northern California, there's always been just so many
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different food trends. Like, remember, it was, you
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know, don't drink dairy and said do the almond milk and the
8:06
gluten free era, the paleo era. What do you think is one of the
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biggest misconceptions where people think that they're eating
8:12
something healthy, but it's actually, in your opinion, not a
8:15
healthy thing to do? I mean, I think one of the most
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egregious examples of politicized science was
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saturated fats and protein had, you know, all of these the
8:31
American Heart Association, which was getting at that point
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a lot, a lot of it's money from the processed food companies
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oldest to stop eating the food that was really good for us.
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The food that, you know, we all grew up on, the eggs, the dairy,
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the, the, the good meats and that lasted for 40 years,
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actually 50 years. And now we're now we've ended
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that war, unsaturated fats and protein and we recognize that,
9:00
you know, kids had gotten off that and they were eating
9:04
refined carbohydrates and ultra processed food and was killing
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them. I think that was the most
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impactful lie that we heard. You know, for my daughter, for
9:12
example, if she wants a snack, I'm doing vegetables and hummus
9:15
or chicken breast instead of I try to stay away from anything.
9:18
We have to open up a bag and there's 50 million ingredients
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on it. I think that's the best way to
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go about it. I tell people don't eat it.
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If it's it comes out of a package and it looks like it
9:28
belonged to the package, do not take it out of that package.
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And, you know, just stay away from that middle aisle in the
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grocery store because there's no good, there's no good ending to
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going down that mill aisle. You need to stay on the outside.
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It's not even nutrients. OK, so I'm switching gears now.
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A lot of parents have concerns about screen time, especially
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young kids under the age of two. I know you guys are doing a lot
9:51
to change the guidelines on that and help parents with schools
9:53
and different stages of life. What are you looking to do this
9:56
year in regards that to help parents make better decisions
9:59
when it comes to the tech world that we live in nowadays?
10:02
One of the things that I think is has been really successful
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and I think we've already got 16 states on Blvd. is we're driving
10:12
the Mahaj and in the state legislatures against state
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legislatures without laws that allow school districts to
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regulate belled to bell cell phone use so that kids when
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they're in their school are not going to be using their cell
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phones. And I visited a lot of these
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schools, schools, for example, in Loudon County, Virginia, and,
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and it's just, it's extraordinary.
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You know, the, the administrators, the school and
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the teachers reported that the, that the testing scores and the
10:43
grades have gone up, the disciplinary problems have gone
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down. You walk into the cafeteria and
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kids are not looking at their laps.
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You know, they are talking to each other and that's it.
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And then the parents say, and it has an impact on them too,
10:58
because the kid now realizes he can live without the cell phone
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and is not using it when he's driving the car.
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And they come to the dinner table and actually have a
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conversation. So, you know, it's just, it's
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not good that all these kids are watching life from the sidelines
11:16
on their cell phones rather than that actually experiencing life
11:19
of going out and catching butterflies and playing tag,
11:22
freeze tag or whatever, and doing the things that we all did
11:26
when we were kids. They kept us healthy and kept,
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you know, us wholesome and helped us develop our values.
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And it's a, it's really a curse, the social media for these
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children. And there's, it's, it is one of
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the things that's precipitated this epidemic of malaise, of
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loneliness, of depression, of, of the, the epidemic of
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suicides. It's no doubt contributing to
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all of those things. And the more we can get our kids
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off the cell phones, the better. So something that I love about
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you is and President Trump, he's a coalition builder.
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And I speak growing up in Northern California.
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We don't have a lot of MAGA Trump voters out there, but
12:06
there's so many women that love what you're doing and maybe
12:09
cross the aisle to vote, to vote for President Trump because of
12:12
you. And I think we have a lot of
12:13
listeners that also feel that way as well.
12:16
And so he really brought together this great coalition of
12:18
people who might come outside of the traditional conservative
12:21
tent. What is your favorite part about
12:23
working for President Trump? I mean, my favorite part is that
12:27
he's kept his word to me on everything that he promised.
12:29
He said he's going to allow me to save these kids.
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And he has. He's done everything that he's
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promised and more from putting me on his transition team, from
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allowing me to pick my own agency ads, which no HHS
12:46
secretary has ever been able to do in history.
12:49
And I brought in Marty Mccary, I brought in Jay Bhattachar, I
12:53
brought in Doctor Oz and Vinay Prasad and all these
12:56
extraordinary dissidents and and Renegades essentially who just
13:03
their sin was that they believed in real science.
13:06
And we're changing the culture of the agency because of that.
13:10
And that's all, you know, due to President Trump and his
13:15
commitment to these issues. Oh, you know, there's, I've
13:19
really, I, I grow more and more to appreciate him every day for
13:23
the, you know, for the vision he has, for the courage he has and,
13:26
and, and really supporting the American people and, and, and
13:32
loving our kids. I love that you guys work just
13:35
so well together. You're truly a dream team.
13:37
So we obviously have a lot of women in their 20s that watch
13:41
our podcast and follow along with us.
13:43
What's your we? We talk a lot about, you know,
13:45
being the best version of yourself and that comes a lot
13:48
with health and Wellness. So what's your best
13:50
recommendation for a young woman who may have eaten some
13:53
processed foods and she's been through college and everything
13:55
and she's really just trying to get back on track and get her
13:57
health on track. Like, what do you think are
13:58
steps that people can incorporate in their day-to-day
14:00
lives to be healthier, live healthier and feel better?
14:04
I was, you know, I'm not going to say anything that is
14:09
profound, but sunshine, outdoor activities, you know, getting
14:15
some exercise and then, you know, eat good food, eat real
14:19
food and eat lots of protein. I love that.
14:22
And my last question for you is what are you looking forward to
14:25
in 2026? What What's the big goal and
14:27
accomplishment you're looking to do this year?
14:30
One of the things that we're making healthcare more
14:33
affordable for Americans, continuing to drive down the
14:36
drug prices, making our, our, our billing system more
14:41
transparent, every aspect of it more transparent.
14:44
Bringing in AI to make you know, right now your doctor is
14:49
probably 80% of doctors now of general practitioners are
14:53
working for corporations. The corporation tells me of 6
14:56
minutes with the patient and that is, you know, not enough
15:00
time to really get good healthcare.
15:01
But if we can supplement that with AI and give people AI
15:09
nurses and that are with them all the time to make sure that
15:12
they take their medication, that are checking on their health,
15:15
that are helping with diagnostics, that's another
15:18
thing that's going to change our country.
15:19
And then total transparency that other when you go to the
15:21
hospital or when you go to your doctor's office, 1, you know
15:27
before you leave that office, whether the insurance company is
15:30
going to cover the procedure that he recommends.
15:32
And that we now have agreement from 80% of the insurance
15:35
companies they're going to do that and to the use of your
15:38
bills up front, there's no surprise billing and both of
15:42
those things by the end of this year will be done.
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I love all of that. We're just so thankful for all
15:47
the work that you're doing. You're truly incredible.
15:49
The woman who watch us just love everything.
15:51
And I think you're making a change for generations to come.
15:54
We obviously have a massive health crisis in our country.
15:57
And I really, really believe that you, your team, and
15:59
President Trump and Secretary Brooke Rawlins, who I'm going to
16:02
speak to next, you guys are just doing wonderful work and it's so
16:05
needed. So we're so appreciative.
16:06
Thank you for everything that you do to keep this on the on
16:10
everybody's radar. Of course, we're making America
16:13
healthy again. Thank you, secretary.
16:15
All right, we're back with Secretary Brooke Rollins, who is
16:19
a dear friend of Drake, my husband.
16:21
They know I talk about Drake all the time.
16:23
He is fantastic. You're fantastic.
16:26
I am just so proud of everything you're accomplishing.
16:29
Like you are just truly a Wonder Woman.
16:31
I wanted to touch on, like, the work that you're doing, but I
16:33
just wanted to talk more about big picture things because
16:35
there's a lot of women who look up to you and want to know how
16:37
you do it all. So we'll jump into it.
16:40
What do you think is your biggest achievement in 2025?
16:43
What are you most proud of? Because you guys have just
16:45
revolutionized the agriculture and and this job.
16:49
You just are taking this to historic levels.
16:51
Yeah. Well, Jamie, first of all, it's
16:53
so fun to be on with you. I am so proud of you.
16:57
I remember in early 2021 when we were launching America first
17:02
policy and I heard your name and of course you're married to our
17:06
Drake and love all of the Franklins, but I remember trying
17:09
to hire you and and look at you now it's so impressive.
17:14
So I just it's so fun to be on and I'm so proud of you and and
17:17
what you're building and I just it it's it's incredible.
17:21
This is how we're going to save the country is great patriots
17:24
like you who are willing to lean in.
17:25
So thank you you're. So kind.
17:27
You know, 2025, it seems like what was a year ago yesterday,
17:32
we were at the Capitol watching the president get sworn in for
17:36
those of us that had been with him in the first term.
17:39
And then building the infrastructure in the the great
17:42
pause is what I call it to prepare for a potential return.
17:46
And then to be able to actually execute on all of that for the
17:51
American people just has been, I mean, what a blessing.
17:55
Like I believe so strongly God's hand is on all of this work.
17:59
And a year ago, I guess a little more than a year ago, when I was
18:04
really trying to help the president get ready and set up
18:06
and who should be on his team, I did not expect to be the
18:10
secretary of Agriculture. This was his idea.
18:14
And I obviously come from a rural background.
18:15
I was raised on a farm. I have lots of generations of
18:19
row crop in my background. I was an agriculture major in
18:21
college, but I just, I just never occurred to me until the
18:28
president. I were talking about it one day
18:29
and and now looking back, I think it is.
18:32
So I don't know if I should use the word providential or not.
18:35
But to answer your question, I'll say this.
18:37
There is no one more important to America than our farmers and
18:41
ranchers. If we can't feed ourselves, not
18:45
only good healthy food, but if we can't feed ourselves, if we
18:48
begin to rely on other countries, we will lose the
18:51
taste of freedom Arc. Your children, sweet Vivi, and
18:54
my kids and my future grandkids will not understand freedom.
18:57
That's how important this is. But you marry that to the last
19:01
decade or so. We've lost about 150,000 family
19:04
farms for a lot of reasons. But the Biden administration
19:07
declared war on rural America, whether it was no new trade
19:12
deals, whether it was input cost going up 30 to 40%.
19:16
We've lost so many family farms. So first accomplishment is
19:21
moving the farmer, the rancher back to the center of policy
19:24
making here, which the president has done and and hopefully I've
19:28
been an important part of that. But secondly is the work.
19:32
And I know you interviewed my great friend Bobby Kennedy is
19:35
returning to the idea of making America healthy again with real
19:39
food. And for me, as a Maha mom of
19:42
four, my mom, I'd like to say, was the original Maha mom in the
19:46
70s, and she was raising us. But what I see there is a
19:50
fundamental shift in the future of our country.
19:53
And so it's important for all Americans as we're facing such
19:56
terrible chronic disease crisis, but also when you put real food
20:00
back in the middle of it. The people that are going to
20:03
benefit the most, not just everyday Americans, but the
20:05
farmers and ranchers because they are the solution to that
20:08
challenge. And I just couldn't be more
20:10
excited about the future with our farmers and ranchers leading
20:13
the way on that. It sounds so simple, eat real
20:15
food, but it's it for some reason it hasn't been the last
20:18
few years. We're eating a water processed
20:20
food. So I kind of want to hear, you
20:21
know, obviously the woman who watched, they love what you guys
20:24
are doing on the health and Wellness side.
20:26
We go to the grocery store everyday.
20:27
That's mom's jobs are in the grocery store.
20:29
We're picking out our produce and everything.
20:31
So I, I think we see how it affects our day-to-day life.
20:33
I kind of want to hear, I always see you with these great farmers
20:36
and ranchers across the country. You're just so hands on and
20:39
meeting with everyone. I want to hear their reaction to
20:41
this food pyramid and just the work that you're doing.
20:44
And it's something that's maybe stood out to you about this
20:46
work. You know, I the greatest part of
20:48
my job. Listen, I love being in
20:51
Washington. I love the incredible team at
20:54
USDA. You know, it's a new world for
20:57
for me and this work and being in the cabinet and in the
21:01
succession to the presidency. I mean, who thought a small town
21:04
kid from Glen Rose, TX, right? Single mom.
21:07
I mean, this is crazy. But really what I've loved the
21:10
most of all of it is connecting with our farmers and ranchers
21:15
around the country everywhere I go.
21:16
I think I've been to almost 30 states now, some states multiple
21:20
times. Everywhere I go, I visit a
21:22
farmer, I do a round table and I ask them what is the biggest
21:26
challenge facing you today? And I take very copious notes
21:30
and then I come back and then we work to solve at warp speed.
21:34
And I think a lot of it we have solved for.
21:36
At the beginning, I heard about the cost of Labor under the H2 A
21:39
program was unsustainable. We fixed that.
21:42
I heard that there had not been a new trade deal in four years.
21:45
We fixed that. We have 24 new trade deals with
21:47
a lot more coming. I heard over and over again
21:50
about the war on cattle because the radical leftist, the
21:53
Democrats, said that cattle gas caused climate change, so they
21:58
were trying to shut our cattle industry down.
22:00
I mean, one thing after another. And I believe looking back now,
22:04
being able to answer those farmers and ranchers with, I
22:07
hear you, here's what we're doing, the president has given
22:10
me carte blanche to fix these problems and that's what we're
22:13
working to do. So there's no doubt that our
22:15
farm economy is still under distress.
22:17
I mean, this is years of neglect and over regulation, etcetera.
22:22
But we are making so much progress and I'm so excited
22:25
about that. So now I'm hearing a lot of
22:26
thank yous from our farmers. Thank you.
22:29
But we still have to fix this, which I hear them loud and clear
22:31
and we're still working so hard. Well, I love that you a lot of
22:35
times will bring them into round tables with the president.
22:37
I've seen that many times on TV. Brooke is always on TV.
22:40
I call her Brooke Still secretary.
22:44
It's so important to me to get the message out and I feel like
22:49
I've been called to meet this moment to represent our AG
22:53
industry and our farmers and ranchers, to make sure they're
22:55
in the Oval Office and make sure they're around the Cabinet Room
22:59
in those meetings and and to make sure the president heart,
23:02
he says it and he said it all along.
23:04
The people that have been with me the longest and the most
23:07
dedicated are farmers and ranchers, rural America.
23:10
And he's right. So I have to marry that.
23:13
I have to build the bridge with the president is so focused on
23:16
making sure that you have what you need, but we've got to make
23:19
sure the policy is following that and that really focused on
23:22
that too. I love that going off of this.
23:24
So a lot of parents like myself, we're concerned about school
23:27
lunches. And even when I was growing up
23:29
in the early 2000s, I remember these school lunches are low
23:32
quality, but a lot of kids count on that.
23:35
So I know that's a big priority that you guys have with
23:37
improving school lunches, improving the produce, real
23:39
food. How are we doing that as well as
23:42
keeping in mind that we, you know, a lot with especially
23:44
lower income kids and lower income areas, want to make sure
23:47
that this food is also affordable.
23:49
I know you guys are doing great work on that, so I just wanted
23:51
to hear your thoughts. Thank you for asking that.
23:53
You know, we have the the new dietary guidelines and flipping
23:57
the triangle upside down and putting real food back in the
24:00
middle of it is just such a game changer.
24:03
The biggest nutrition reset in our country's history by the
24:06
government. And so that's important.
24:08
But for me, if we can't get this food to the most vulnerable
24:13
communities, if if those families, those single moms who
24:17
are trying to get food on the table and work three jobs and
24:20
make sure their kids have good education, if she can't, doesn't
24:24
have access to that healthy food, then, then what does it
24:27
matter? Now the school lunch is
24:28
important for that reason. And so we're recalibrating the
24:31
school lunches we're making, making sure we're incentivizing
24:34
that locally grown fresh produce.
24:37
And this is going to take time to really change the system.
24:40
But we're already making such great, great steps in that
24:43
direction. So we'll begin to see real
24:45
changes in the school lunch program this fall.
24:47
But the bigger question for me is all of these moms and dads
24:52
who live in more socioeconomic, economically disadvantaged
24:54
communities that don't have a Whole Foods, can't afford a
24:58
Whole Foods that, you know, they can't go buy a steak at at a
25:01
fancy grocery store. But what are we doing that
25:03
250,000 retailers across this country that take the food stamp
25:08
program, the SNAP program, 250,000.
25:11
That's a mind boggling number. We are requiring them, if they
25:14
want to continue taking that the food stamp money from the
25:17
government, they have to double their stocking standards,
25:20
meaning they have to double the amount of stock they're putting
25:24
on their shelves that qualify as part of our new dietary
25:27
guidelines. So the corner bodega, the the
25:30
711, the, the, the convenience stores that take the EBT cards,
25:34
they're now going to have to double the amount of healthy
25:36
food that they provide. Well, I think aside from maybe
25:39
some crazies, I think everybody was on board with that there.
25:42
There was running jokes I saw all over X on an Instagram where
25:44
people were showing that like Skittles were on snap.
25:48
And that is crazy because I do think that if obviously I think
25:51
Americans want to help out people who come from our socio
25:54
economic challenged areas, but we need to do that in a healthy
25:57
way. So I love that you're doing
25:58
that. OK, switching gears, you worked
26:01
in the first Trump administration, obviously at the
26:03
Domestic Policy Council. You've just been by his side
26:06
since the beginning. And I just see the way he looks
26:09
at you. He counts on you.
26:10
You guys have just an incredible relationship, truly, and he
26:13
really values everything that you've done.
26:15
So what is the best part about working for President Trump?
26:18
Maybe like a funny story or something.
26:20
Yeah, You know, I love that man. He is not the easiest boss, but
26:28
nor should he be. He's the president of the United
26:31
States of America. He suffers no fools.
26:35
But the flip side of that, Jamie, is if he believes in you
26:40
and your competency and your ability to get things done, he
26:45
gives you the keys to the Kingdom.
26:46
And for me, having been by his side in Term 1, having in the
26:51
darkest days of early 21, throughout 21 when everyone, you
26:55
know, thought he was going to either go to prison or be
26:57
bankrupt or both potentially dead, almost happened.
27:01
That just seeing him in the good days and the bad days, he never
27:07
wavered in his love for America, in his love for his team, in his
27:13
work to save the country, he has always put that first.
27:17
And for those of us that experience have experienced it,
27:20
it is history making, it is game changing, it is country saving.
27:24
And so working for him to execute that vision.
27:28
We don't get much sleep in the Trump administration, but it is
27:31
the honor of a lifetime and has been my great joy to be by his
27:34
side all these years. I love that.
27:37
I think he surrounds himself just with such incredible woman
27:40
and including yourself, but you are so busy.
27:44
You do it all and you're just truly.
27:46
I think for a lot of women who watch this, including myself,
27:49
you are goals. You are icon like the way that
27:51
you just work and get it all handled.
27:53
What is your advice to a woman that do you want to achieve it
27:55
all but also be devoted mother, a devoted mother like yourself?
27:58
How do you do? How do you make it all work?
28:00
You know, thank you for saying that.
28:02
There are days that it works perfectly and then there are
28:05
days that it doesn't. So always give yourself some
28:07
grace for the days that it doesn't.
28:10
It's funny now my I have 4:00 kids 2IN college.
28:14
My two sons are in college. My 2 girls are still in high
28:16
school. They're a sophomore and a
28:17
senior. They were here in DC.
28:19
They just flew out this morning. We talk about this a lot because
28:22
my 17 year old Anna is off to College in the fall and she's
28:26
just the most beautiful. Well both girls just have the
28:29
most beautiful heart. They love Jesus, they love their
28:32
country and to hear them now say you know my mom is amazing.
28:37
She's done it all and she's never missed a tennis match.
28:40
I mean, for me that says everything.
28:43
I think it I have missed a few tennis matches, to be fair, but
28:46
I love that in her mind I haven't missed any.
28:47
But what I would say is keep First things first, your family,
28:52
your husband, your kids have to always come first.
28:54
And the way I have approached it is if there was ever a time in
28:58
the last 21 years of me raising these amazing kids that even one
29:02
of them said, mom, I need you like you're not, you're not,
29:07
you're gone all the time. You're not at home, you're not
29:10
cooking dinner. Like why?
29:11
What's wrong? I would have completely changed
29:14
everything to recalibrate back to that.
29:17
But what I did through all the years is putting those kids
29:19
first, cooking. Not all their their dinners or
29:22
all their breakfasts, but a lot of them.
29:23
You're a Maha mom. Well.
29:24
Yes, exactly. Being the headroom mom, coaching
29:27
Lily's Little League team, working to serve the food at
29:31
Luke's football games. You know, that is at the end of
29:34
the day, I'm so proud of this work to save the country and I
29:36
do believe that we are saving America.
29:40
But at the end of the day, it's my family that is the single
29:43
most important thing by a lot. And so putting them first and
29:46
then fitting in all the other things, sometimes late at night
29:49
and early in the morning has been just greatest blessing to
29:52
be able to do all of it. So maybe the in summary, I would
29:55
just say that don't ever let anyone tell you, you have to
29:58
choose one or the other. If you do choose to be home and
30:02
raise your family, there is no better job or more important
30:05
job. And God bless you for that.
30:06
That was what my plan was 21 years ago.
30:08
I didn't plan to work all these years, but God kept opening
30:11
these doors and, and putting his hand on my shoulder and saying,
30:14
I've got you, I'm with you on this.
30:15
You can do it all. And now that I'm kind of at the
30:17
back end, not completely done, but at the back end, I look back
30:21
and I say thank you God for giving me the grace and the
30:24
patience and the energy to be able to focus on my family
30:27
first, but to also build this work which I believe is game
30:31
changing for our country. Something that I always have
30:34
noticed about you, and I think a lot of people will agree with
30:37
me, you're just such an eloquent speaker on, on all these things.
30:40
You're on TV all the time. You're so passionate about these
30:42
issues. For someone who, you know, wants
30:44
to get into politics, what, what would you recommend?
30:46
How did you kind of build up to your career today and, and
30:50
become just such a great spokesperson for so many
30:52
different issues within the Make America Great Again agenda and,
30:56
and within the American First agenda?
30:57
Yeah. And the American First agenda,
31:00
you know, it goes back for me, I was very involved in the future
31:04
Farmers of America, which probably a lot of your mom's
31:07
that, that that ship has sailed. But the opportunity to be
31:11
involved and to have these conversations and to be well
31:14
read. You know, I know we talk a lot
31:16
about how negative social media is and it gets in your mind and
31:21
it creates these images and especially for our young girls.
31:24
And I certainly have seen that. But I also see the flip side
31:28
that the access to information into education is unlike
31:33
anything ever before in the history of the world.
31:35
And so reading a lot and understanding what the issues
31:39
are and being willing to engage. I mean, Jamie, I think you're
31:41
such a great example of this, that that leaning in in your
31:46
early 20s, mid 20s, late 20s, not letting the school board
31:49
meeting pass without saying, no, I don't want a boy in my
31:54
daughter's bathroom or no, that teaching climate change to my
31:59
kid and that the world's going to end in a decade is just not
32:02
right. Like standing up and speaking on
32:05
behalf of, and not everyone has the years and years of practice.
32:08
And I appreciate you saying that some days again are better than
32:10
others for me, but I'm but just being engaged and educating
32:13
yourself and, and stepping up. And now I think that's how we
32:17
save America. And it's your generation that is
32:20
the most faith driven, educated, forward leaning in in my
32:25
lifetime. And I'm so excited about that.
32:28
But it's going to take more Jamie's and more Drake's to get
32:32
that done. So, So God bless those who are
32:34
doing it. You're just so positive as well.
32:37
I, I think that's what I love about you.
32:39
You always have a positive thing and a positive message.
32:41
And I think in this day and age where it's doom and gloom all
32:43
the time, we need more people like you and I love that.
32:45
OK, last question. What are we most excited for in
32:48
2026? I know that might be hard.
32:51
You know, I didn't know what my partnership with Bobby Kennedy
32:54
was going to look like. Someone sent me a political
32:57
article that ran the day after we were both confirmed on the
33:01
same day, February 14th. It was Valentine's that said
33:04
who's likely to get divorced 1st.
33:07
And at the top of the wedding cake was Bobby and me.
33:10
And I look back now and even then I didn't know either.
33:14
But now that partnership with him.
33:16
But it's really indicative of our entire cabinet is so game
33:19
changing and so exciting and so encouraging that I think the
33:23
work that Bobby and I are doing together on real food and making
33:27
America healthy again is is going to change everything.
33:29
Well, Brooke, we're just so thankful.
33:31
You and Secretary Kennedy, you guys are doing just such
33:34
incredible work. And I'm just so thankful for
33:36
Drake. I'm speaking on Drake and and
33:38
myself that we're so thankful to have you in our lives.
33:40
You're just such an incredible role model for any young woman.
33:43
If you don't know Brooke yet, which you probably do because I
33:45
feel like everyone knows you now, but you should give her a
33:48
follow because you're just such an incredible example and we're
33:50
so thankful for you. Well, I really appreciate and
33:53
and you know, these jobs are hard.
33:56
There is no doubt. You've got the media coming
33:59
after you. You've got, you know, literal
34:01
death threats coming for you. But but staying calm sort of an
34:05
in in the middle of the storm is often how I describe what we do
34:09
and, and staying resolute and understanding that America is at
34:13
stake and there's nothing worth fighting for more than this
34:16
country. But I will also say that having
34:19
you and Drake and others like you in my circle and seeing what
34:23
you're doing and what the next generation is doing is one of
34:27
the most encouraging things I've ever, ever been a part of.
34:30
So I look forward to so many more years of working alongside
34:34
you. But God bless you and your
34:36
beautiful family and all the people at the Conservator and
34:39
with your podcast and all the great work you're doing.
34:42
It gives me so much energy and hope to.
34:45
Thank you, Brooke, you're so kind.
34:46
God bless your family as well. And we're going to see big
34:48
things from you in the future. I'm looking forward to it.
34:52
Have a good one, Brock. All right, you guys, we're doing
34:55
everything Maha today. So for our last interview, I'm
34:59
so excited to speak with you. This is Administrator Lee
35:01
Zeldin. I think everybody knows who you
35:03
are, but in case you don't, and he is working on our EPA and
35:07
you're just doing incredible things over there.
35:09
And we're so excited to hear about your agenda from last year
35:13
and this year and just how it affects our day-to-day lives
35:15
because it's a very important role.
35:17
So my first question for you is what was your biggest
35:20
accomplishment in 2025? Well, hands down, it's the
35:23
environmental wins. It's the Environmental
35:25
Protection Agency, our core missions protecting human health
35:28
and the environment. On the 100th day of President
35:30
Trump's term in office, we put out a list of our top 100
35:33
environmental wins, accomplishments from the 1st 100
35:36
days. And then we did that again on
35:38
the 200th day, on the 300th day, we're doing that again here
35:42
today at the one year mark. So there's a lot of
35:44
announcements, There's a lot of stuff that we work on at the
35:46
EPA, but we won't sight of the first pillar of power in the
35:50
Great American comeback. It's what President Trump has
35:52
spoken about for a long time, a goal of clean air, land and
35:55
water for all Americans. So how are you working?
35:58
I've just spoke with Secretary Kennedy and Secretary Brooke
36:01
Rawlins, of course. So how are you working with them
36:04
to, you know, make America healthy again?
36:06
Because I know you guys have a very close partnership on, on
36:08
all three fronts. Secretary Kennedy is our chair
36:11
of the Maha Commission. He's done a really great job.
36:14
I've enjoyed working with him and his team since being
36:17
confirmed as EPA Administrator. Secretary Rollins, as you
36:20
mentioned, and a number of other members of President Trump's
36:23
cabinet all served together on this Maha Commission at EPA.
36:28
Something that we are finalizing right now is a Maha agenda
36:31
specifically for EPA. In 2025, there was a Maha
36:37
Commission report, an agenda that came out.
36:40
It was a whole government interagency process where
36:43
everybody had input a lot of meetings, a lot of
36:45
consultations. What we want to do is put out an
36:47
agenda specifically for EPA, and we're excited to roll that out
36:51
in the coming weeks. So a huge topic that I hear
36:54
people talking a lot about, it's pesticides when it comes to our
36:58
produce. What are you guys doing on
37:01
behalf of that? Because I know, you know, there
37:03
is this balance where we are. We don't want to be big
37:06
government regulators like the Biden administration, but we
37:08
also want to improve food safety and health for our nation.
37:11
So if you could speak a little bit to that, I think a lot of
37:13
moms care about the produce that we're picking up at our stores.
37:16
Well, it's important that we have the healthiest, most robust
37:20
food supply in the world. And in order to be able to
37:24
pursue that goal, one of the biggest threats that the food
37:29
supply faces is when a disease, a bug, a germ, a weed that
37:34
starts to infect these local farms.
37:38
Now over the course of decades, there have been these pesticides
37:41
that I get used and not all of them are equal.
37:43
There's different toxicity, bio accumulation, persistence,
37:47
different effects on human health, on the environment, on
37:50
workers. There's different mitigation
37:53
that can be used in different on on different pesticides.
37:56
Some are more toxic than others. In some cases there's a
37:59
pesticide that might be out there that a tolerance gets
38:02
built and what might be effective today is an effective
38:05
tomorrow. So all of that is very important
38:09
context to then implement statutory obligations.
38:13
It's called FFRA. That is what's in federal
38:15
statute requiring EPA to conduct science that I would say it's
38:20
important to have gold standard science and to be radically
38:24
transparent with the public on that science to make sure that
38:28
only what gets approved is something that has been studied.
38:32
It's been assessed for environmental risks, for worker
38:36
risks, for human health risks mitigated, if it's possible to
38:40
mitigate, and wherever there is a certain level of contamination
38:45
to be working to clean it up, to mitigate.
38:48
And that's a whole other area of EPA that does very important
38:52
work to make sure that the soil is the highest quality possible,
38:57
that water is clean, all on top of the obligations to have
39:01
healthy air as well. So I know that you guys are
39:03
working a lot on deregulating a lot of things across the agency.
39:07
And I know that you've spoken that in the Biden
39:09
administration, there was just so many regulations, it was
39:13
causing a lot of red tape for our country.
39:15
I'd love for you to kind of speak just on a basic day-to-day
39:17
level about what you're doing at the EPA to improve people's
39:19
lives through this deregulation effort.
39:21
Right. So what was happening during the
39:23
Biden administration was a pursuit of an ideology that in
39:28
order to protect the environment, we that we would
39:31
have to suffocate the economy. That you have to choose between
39:34
the two. That's a binary choice.
39:35
You can pick one or the other, not both.
39:37
President Trump and the Trump EPA believes that you could
39:40
protect the environment and grow the economy.
39:42
In 2023 and 2024, for example, there were a lot of Biden EPA
39:48
regulations that were put in the place to to tell workers out
39:52
there in the energy industry just learn the code to try to
39:55
put plants out to reduce base load power as a consequence of
40:00
energy costs go up. And there's all sorts of other
40:03
negative consequences from it. We want to be able to fix
40:07
everything. We want to get it right.
40:08
We want more base load power in this country.
40:10
We want more jobs, more affordable energy.
40:13
We want to unleash energy dominance.
40:15
That's also a key goal of President Trump.
40:17
So when you look at all these regulations.
40:20
Especially regulations that were done in 2023 and 2024.
40:24
The goal to unleash energy dominance requires us at EPA
40:28
working with other agencies like the Department of Interior, the
40:32
Department of Energy, which form the National Energy Dominance
40:36
Council, another council that President Trump created, to have
40:39
agencies work together and collaborate to be able to fix
40:43
this stuff and to be able to help deliver on that Trump
40:46
mandate. Amazing.
40:47
So switching gears, obviously a lot of people know you from
40:49
Congress and then you made that incredible run in New York.
40:52
You were actually the highest polling Republican governor, I
40:55
think, in New York history. You were so close.
40:58
I think New York would be much better with you.
41:00
But we're very happy that we have you on the federal level.
41:03
So President Trump obviously values you and what you've done
41:06
for the conservative movement a lot.
41:07
What has that been like now coming in and working in his
41:10
administration? How have you enjoyed that?
41:12
President Trump is locked in. He's doing such a great job and
41:15
we're just getting started. President Trump's just one year
41:18
into this four year term and he wants to make the most of every
41:22
minute. I have experienced that you late
41:25
night calls where I'm already in bed, lights are out and my
41:29
phone's ringing and he wants to talk shop.
41:32
He wants me to go call to other people, then call him back.
41:34
And I'm looking at the time I said, you know, Mr. President, I
41:37
don't know if I'm be able to reach both them right now.
41:40
Are you sure you want me to call you back?
41:41
What, what if it, what if it's not for a couple hours and he'll
41:44
say and has said, whatever time it is, call me, I'll be up.
41:48
I can think of one example in particular where I did end up
41:52
having trouble reaching one of the people he wanted me to
41:55
contact before calling him back. It was a really late time, in
42:00
the middle of the night. I called him and he was wide
42:02
awake and he was still working. I think that President Trump
42:05
having the first four years in office, the time to reflect on
42:09
it, the assassination attempts, winning the popular vote,
42:12
winning all the battleground states, I believe that he is
42:16
locked in in in a way that even in the first term, he wasn't
42:20
locked in. And he put together a team that
42:24
that likes each other, work well together.
42:26
There's good chemistry. It's not like there's
42:28
competition and friction and sharp elbows.
42:31
We, we want President Trump to succeed.
42:33
We want America to succeed, and President Trump has built A-Team
42:37
to deliver on that. I don't think the man ever
42:39
sleeps. That is hilarious.
42:41
And by the way, I'd be scared for the guy that you were trying
42:43
to reach that the president requested and he wasn't
42:46
answering. So that's hilarious.
42:48
I think that's fantastic, all the work that you're doing with
42:50
him. And he obviously values a lot of
42:52
you a lot in this administration.
42:54
My final question for you is, what are we looking forward to
42:57
in 2026 and what's your biggest pitch to maybe an independent
43:00
voter that doesn't necessarily know what you're doing over at
43:03
the EPA, but why your role is important and what you're going
43:06
to accomplish this year? Well, if you think about what
43:08
voters elected in November of 2024 and you look now at the one
43:14
year mark, a president who has delivered more secure borders,
43:19
safer streets, a stronger economy.
43:22
If you go agency by agency at what we have worked on to
43:26
deliver on that Trump mandate, it's it's something unique that
43:30
doesn't happen with past with many other presidents.
43:34
And the slogan that I've heard of promises made, promises kept,
43:37
when that's true, when a president makes commitments,
43:40
pledges and then he delivers, it's just something special.
43:43
I think a lot of people get turned off when they hear a
43:45
politician promise when asking for a vote.
43:47
If you elect me, this is what I'm going to do.
43:50
Then they get elected and don't actually deliver on it.
43:52
For us at the EPA, we're delivering on President Trump's
43:56
campaign pledges where he says that he wants clean air, land
44:00
and water for all Americans. And we had the hundreds of top
44:02
environmental accomplishments to back it up.
44:04
President Trump wants to unleash energy dominance.
44:06
He wants permitting reform. He wants to make America the AI
44:09
capital. He wants to protect and bring
44:11
back the American auto job and the US auto industry and economy
44:16
and protect the American workers.
44:17
And just across the board on so many promises, we've been proud
44:21
to do our part to deliver. It's just one of this one agency
44:25
of this team of agencies. We're working together to
44:28
deliver for the American public and there's more to do, and
44:30
we're gonna work hard all day, every day to get it done.
44:33
Well, we're so thankful for all your amazing work.
44:35
We're thankful for the administration in general, and
44:37
we really appreciate your time. And I think the girls that watch
44:40
this podcast learned a lot today.
44:41
So thank you so much for joining us, Administrator.
44:44
We appreciate it. Yes, ma'am.
44:46
All right, sincerely, sisters. I think we learned a lot today.
44:49
Like I said, we got very policy oriented, but there was just so
44:52
much great information. And anything that we learned
44:55
from these administration officials is that they're just
44:57
so passionate about making America great again.
45:01
And I'm just so thankful that we have these officials at the helm
45:05
with President Trump. They're truly just improving
45:07
this country and just making historic progress that is just
45:11
for generations to come. And moms like myself, these are
45:14
just so many issues that we are so passionate about out because
45:17
like I said, health and Wellness is the most important.
45:19
If you don't have health, you don't have anything.
45:22
And so I'm very proud to be here today.
45:24
I'm really proud to be helping, you know, promote this agenda to
45:28
the rest of the world. And, you know, I just, I, I,
45:31
it's crazy to me that all of the stuff that we talked about today
45:33
could even be considered controversial because this is
45:36
issues that I think every American should get on board
45:39
with. The health of our nation is so
45:40
important and the health of our kids are so important.
45:43
So I'm so thankful to have joined you guys here today.
45:45
Definitely right in test. We'll be back next Wednesday of
45:48
a normal episode and we'd love to hear your feedback and if you
45:51
want to see more of these interviews.