A Conversation with Matt Schlapp and special guests Sen. Marsha Blackburn & Joe Knopp

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of CPAC Live. It's great to be back at the ACU headquarters in Northern Virginia. Not because all the people who live in Northern Virginia are thinking about politics right, by the way, but just because it's great to be back with the team. I just came back from campaigning for Roger Marshall in my home state of Kansas. Dr. Marshall is in a real dogfight with this Democrat who has a very liberal record, but she's kind of invisible. This is like the Biden strategy. She doesn't do any campaign events, doesn't have any press conferences, and Senator Schumer has just sent in seven and a half million dollars to just prop her up with television ads. And this is something, this is the new Democratic strategy. Since they don't have ideas that are very popular, they're just trying to put their ideas in some kind of wrapping paper to make them seem like they're palatable and they're pushing candidates and acting like they're moderate, kind of like a Kansas moderate, when actually we know they're endorsing all of these very extreme policies. So it was great to be on the road there. By the way, we have a chance to pick up a congressional seat in the Kansas City area. It's an area that the president just barely lost in 2016 and we have a great candidate in Amanda Atkins. And when I get done with work today, I'm heading off and talking to the wonderful women of the National Rifle Association. And then I fly out to Las Vegas to join the Trump bus. Mercedes, I found out when I got back to town that she was in Pittsburgh on the Women for Trump bus with Laura Trump and with Katrina Pearson. She's literally just landed and I'm going to try to see her before I leave town again. And that's the way the next 20 whatever days are going to go as America fights socialism all over this country. And somebody who understands that really better than anyone who has an A plus American conservative union voting record, not only when she was in the House, but now that she's in the Senate, a real conservative leader and champion is Senator Marsha Blackburn from the great state of Tennessee. Senator Blackburn, thanks for being with us. I am absolutely delighted to join you and be spending a few minutes with a bunch of happy warriors that are all across this country. And you are so right, Matt. This is a fight against socialism. It is astounding to me that they think they can hide in their basements and not say anything and say, oh, we're a moderate, we're moderate. But then you have the far left like AOC coming out and she and the squad and a group of the lefties put out their mandates yesterday. So we will see how Joe Biden responds to that. But of course, we know the mainstream media is going to give him a pass on this. Let's jump right into this controversy that just popped up. Here you have Mike Pence has this great, steady, sturdy, loyal, thoughtful debate performance. And then the debate commission kind of tramples that news by saying the next morning that they want the next debate to be virtual. What was your response to that? And what do you think the state of play is? It's so interesting to see how they responded to Mike Pence and his outstanding performance and how he really showed that the Harris Biden ticket does not want to tell you what they're going to do about socialized medicine or the Green New Deal or court packing. And, you know, I really thought he did that in a very respectful, very had such a nice demeanor about that. Now, what they are going to do is try to hide away. You were just talking about the Kansas race, and I know you're seeing it. We're seeing it with our Senate colleagues all across the country. This is the way they're going to operate. They feel like they're ahead and they're just going to try to ride this out from now until Election Day. And that is the way they're trying to do it. And you know what, Matt, the money that they have is astounding. It's like they come up with several million more dollars every day. And you just say, where are they getting all this money? It's unbelievable. You know, what I've come to realize, you know, obviously, the American Conservative Union has to raise millions of dollars to have the CPACs all over the country. And, you know, we've been in Tennessee a couple of times for CPACs. We're going to be in Michigan on October 15th. We're going to be in Minnesota on October 22nd. We're going to be in Florida. So, you know, all this takes money. And what I realized is this, is for whatever reason, the billionaires in America, by and large, are fueling and funding the left. Too many corporations are fueling and funding the left. Donald Trump, Marsha Blackburn, and all these other great Republicans push the regulatory and the tax policies that American corporations need to be profitable. But you look at so many of their PACs, they're still at the best 50-50 for almost all of them. You know, Senator Blackburn, it's just the common, ordinary Joe and Jane America, who are not particularly wealthy, who, you know, they have to step up and save this country, even though we're being outspent That's exactly right. And, you know, you have the liberal elites, and some of them are Republicans, most of them are Democrats. And Donald Trump has rocked their world. He said he was going to drain the swamp, and he's done a pretty good job of getting going on that and changing the way Washington works. But they want to take control, so they can reshape the way our country works, so that we the people won't be able to penetrate their bubble and have our say in what is going to happen with government. So yes, you're right. They are just pouring millions of dollars, more money than I have ever seen spent on politics. What this means for us is that everybody out there who is watching this today needs to go get 20 friends. Everybody knows 20 people. That's 10 couples. You know, it is get their children, get everybody to go vote. What is going to matter is having those votes in the ballot box. So whether you can go vote early in person, whether you can vote absentee, make your plans now and have a plan for how you're going to go vote. And when you go to church on Sunday, you know what's really so interesting to me and our friend Tony Perkins at Family Research Council, they've done some great work on this. Only about half the people who say they're regular churchgoers are registered to vote and only about half of them vote. So you've got 25 percent of the churchgoing community that goes to vote. We've never had a president who was better for religious liberty and right to life than President Donald Trump. I can't agree with you more. And on those issues, people say, well, why are you saying that other Republican presidents weren't also good? And that's not what you're saying. What you're saying is the president has these great, outstanding positions that in our current society, you have to be very courageous now to fight for these. It's not just taking the positions. It's fighting the Democrats. And taking an action. It's like my legislation that I had had for years in the House. Eliot Engel was my primary co-sponsor and it would have required the administration to take the action of moving that embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, our embassy in Israel. It was Donald Trump who said, well, let's do this. Let's just get this done. And he did it. And that's the kind of thing that is so important. The fight that we've had to defund Planned Parenthood and these big abortion providers who use their money in political purposes, defunding them and blocking those federal funds. Donald Trump took an action. These are things that are important. He didn't sit around and say, well, let's committee this to death. You know, Joe Biden, he's been there 47 years. My dad used to say sometimes about people that worked with him, well, you know, he's got one year of experience, 10 different times, 10 different years. And Joe Biden is a classic. I look at him and the fact that he cannot point to something after 47 years and say, I did this. And you know, quite frankly, Matt, I think if we were to ask him when he starts taking credit, what year he did something, he wouldn't be able to give you the year because he is struggling with his memory. But you look at Joe Biden, what has he done? He has committed things to death. He would look at you and say, yeah, you know, something ought to be done about that. Let's put a committee together to look at that. But then what did they do? Nothing. They talk about it. And the one thing that everyone now realizes he did push through was the 1994 crime bill, which had all kinds of gun control in it. And he says if he's elected president, one of his first actions is going to be pushed to do everything he can to limit your Second Amendment rights. He also is the person that's responsible for the Obama administration's completely allowing the Beijing government to walk all over American manufacturing jobs. Those are two pretty critical areas of policy he has got wrong. Well, you're right about that. And when he had an opinion on foreign policy, generally it was wrong, whether it was dealing with Russia and the Ukraine when Russia went into Crimea, whether it was dealing with China, 192,000 U.S. manufacturing jobs went to China. You want to know where those jobs, how they left this country? They left because Joe Biden was voting, voting to make it so tough on U.S. manufacturers. They couldn't manufacture here. He was voting in a way that was emboldening the Chinese Communist Party. How was it that Hunter Biden flies on Air Force Two with his dad, gets to China, warmly received, taken to all these meetings with the Chinese Communist Party, and comes back with a $1.5 billion fund to manage? Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. The coziness of Joe Biden with China, the coziness of Joe Biden working on that Iran nuclear deal. He likes to take some credit for that one. I'm so glad Donald Trump got us out of that one. So are our allies in the Middle East. Senator, you worked alongside Kamala Harris. I suppose you still do. Let's hope that you will, in the sense that she won't be elected the Vice President of the United States. And you worked alongside Joe Biden, certainly during your House years. Do you think this is right that somehow Joe Biden is just, he actually was pretty moderate and a good guy and he's just kind of been taken by the left? Or do you see a Joe Biden voting record and certainly a Kamala Harris voting record that is hard left throughout their careers and it wasn't a very big step for them to embrace this socialist agenda? Well, I think what we have to do is first look at Kamala Harris. She is completely out of step with where many moderate Democrats are and where Joe Biden is. Because GovTrack has her, and other organizations have her, as the most liberal member of the US Senate in 2019. She has the most liberal voting record. And Senator, if I could just tell you, you know, where you have a plus voting record with the ACU last year, Kamala Harris got a zero with us, a zero, not one vote on anything that conservatives care about. Right. And see, this is what people are not understanding. This is why she was sitting there smirking and smug in the debate with Vice President Pence. She can't answer a question. She can't be truthful. And all this business about her saying, let me speak truth. I mean, we're a long way from the truth when she starts talking. But she has the most liberal voting record. We understand that for our Supreme Court hearings, she is going to show up in D.C. next week. She's going to have her opportunity to ask questions. And then I'm going to be following her. And I look forward to correcting the record. Do you think they're going to try to do the same thing to this wonderful Judge Barrett as they attempted to do to Brett Kavanaugh? Of course. They do this to all conservative women. And I see it all the time. And so many times, it's actually why I wrote a book that I have out right now, Matt, because there's so much bias and prejudice against conservative women from the mainstream media. They're mocked, they're ridiculed, they're diminished. Basically, if you're pro-family, pro-business, pro-military, pro-life, pro-religion, you are told that your voice doesn't count and they don't want to hear from you. And that is what they're going to do. I find it astounding that you had a reporter from the left say, well, this woman has no business being a Supreme Court justice because she has seven children. One has special needs, two are adopted. So she has to be too busy at home to do this job. What an insult. Whether it's me, whether it's Mercy, whether it is any number of women, if you feel called to public service or to a career, and God enables you to do that through open doors and opportunities, it is your responsibility if you are walking in his will to walk through those open doors and to reach for those stars and to use your talents and gifts and your abilities to the best of your ability. Now, that is what Judge Barrett has done. She went to Rhodes College in Memphis. She has been a professor at Notre Dame. She has been a circuit court judge. She is widely respected by those on the left and the right. We will begin the hearings on Monday. We will finish them on Thursday. On October 22nd, we will vote her from committee to the floor. And then the next week, the 26th, 27th, we'll call the vote and confirm her. Oh, from your lips to God's ears. It's wonderful that the president upheld his promise to select not conservative judges, not pro-life judges, and I love both of those categories, but constitutional judges, judges, no matter what their politics or their faith, right? Just look at the words in the Constitution and let it be your God. That is so true. That and the rule of law. And I tell some of my friends, my conservative friends, they'll say, oh, I'm so disappointed in this judge or that judge. I said, look, you're going to have disappointments because there are laws on the book that are some that tilt left, some that tilt right. And the Constitution is the underpinning for all of this. So a constitutionalist judge, an originalist is going to look at the Constitution, look at the application of the statute as written in law, and then they're going to their decision. It is really that simple. Right. And that is what we want. That left thinks that what Amy Coney Barrett is going to do is crack open the Bible, which I'm also for, by the way, in order to write her opinions, what they don't understand is she's just going to crack open a good old fashioned dictionary and use the meaning of the words that are in the text, which is going to be revolutionary, shouldn't be, should be practical and common sense and ordinary, but it's going to be revolutionary. And if Donald Trump gets another two years, another four years, you know, the senator in the first two years, he could get two more appointments. That would be five picks, the Supreme Court. That would mean for the first time in my 52 years on earth, we would have a Supreme Court that actually is constitutionally based again, be amazing. It would be very good for the country. And at Senate Judiciary Committee, we have worked so diligently to make certain that we fill these vacancies on the court. I have to tell you, Matt, with many of the corporations and employers that are located in Tennessee, one of their frustrations would be if they had a lawsuit that needed to go to the federal district court, they couldn't get in. They couldn't get on the docket. And it was taking so long to have cases heard. So filling out these district courts, filling out these appellate courts allows the system to work for the people who were footing the bill for all of this, because every dollar the federal government spends is taxpayer dollars. That's right. And it's important for people to remember when you talk about our economic recovery, I kind of put it in a little different order than a lot of people do. Thankfully, people like you stood up and got our taxes cut. Thank you very much. But to me, what the president did on regulations and what Congress did on these CRA approvals, that was the real boomerang. That was the real turnaround on the Obama stagnation. We really started to grow because America had put so many regulations on its economy. We couldn't grow. Then the taxes. But you know what? You ought to take a lot more credit for Senator Blackburn or the judges, because it's these left-wing judges picked by Obama and Clinton that they would step in and regulate the economy, even when Congress chose not to. And now that we're having all these Trump-appointed judges, you see more of a humility from judges when it comes to these economic questions. And that could have the most lasting impact of all. You're exactly right about that. And I've got to tag on one other thing to that, Matt. When you talk about the economy, I thought it was astounding the other night that Kamala Harris actually said, well, you know, Joe Biden ran the Obama recovery and it was the best ever. And it was the slowest economic growth. It was a malaise. We couldn't get over 2% economic growth. They sent another 192,000 manufacturing jobs to China because of their EPA and environmental policies and putting us in the Paris Climate Accord, things of that nature. And now Donald Trump, it was almost like Obama's magic wand that he said would be necessary to ever bring manufacturing back to our shores. Well, maybe Donald Trump's pen was the magic wand because he was signing executive orders. We were passing legislation. Regulations were coming off the book. Overreach was being pulled to a halt. Taxes were cut. And you know, it all boils down to what I call the economic elixir. Less taxes, less litigation, plus less regulation equals more innovation and job creation. It does it every single time. Every single time. That's what Donald Trump has done. They tell us to follow science. That's what you just talked about is basic economic science. The other thing that I think is great, and we need to let you get back to your busy schedule. We thank you so much for every time that you give CPAC your time and attention. We love it every year when you speak at our big conference, which we are going to have, no matter what the D.C. mayor says and everyone else. We're going to have CPAC in February. Laura Ingraham brought up on her show last night and over the last couple of days, I've been reading about this new Gallup poll that shows that 55% or thereabouts of Americans feel like they're better off than they were under Barack Obama. So what you just said about the magic elixir, the proof is in the pudding. Look at how Americans feel about their station in life. Under Donald Trump, they felt more optimistic than any day under Obama. And one of the reasons is they could put more money in their billfold, they could pay their bills, and they felt hopeful that tomorrow. So that's your policies. Absolutely, it is. And it's why Donald Trump is going to win four more years. I think added on to that, the poll that Laura was talking about, look at that Cato poll, where 62% of all Americans are fearful. They're fearful of giving their political opinion because of the cancel culture that the left is pushing. And when you look at poll after polls, with women, safety and security, economy, and school choice are the three top issues. That is where their attention is. We've got a lot of mamas out here that are really unhappy that the mayors in these blue cities will not open the schools and let these children go back to school. They can't go back to work and the kids can't go back to school and they're tired of it. Amen. You speak for my daughters and my wife who are real cranky about this idea that somehow schools can't open safely and churches can't open safely. We need our churches and the liquor stores and the grocery stores, they're all open. Not just those, some other places too. But I can't let them stay open. Marsha Blackburn, you're a great voice for conservatism and just common sense. And we appreciate everything you're doing. Keep slugging away, fight hard. And we love the fact that you're on that judiciary committee and you're going to bring home this great judge to sit on the Supreme Court. And like I said, I think that could be really the biggest part of the history of the Trump presidency. I agree with you and to all of your CPAC goers that are out there. Remember, get your friends to the polls to vote. Cook dinner for them. Put them in the car. Give them a free ride. Stand with them in the line. Put your playlist on. Have a good time. But get those votes and make certain that you get there. We appreciate y'all. Just love all of y'all so much. Work hard. It's going to be worth it. Bye. Thank you, Marsha Blackburn. We're going to be right back to CPAC Live after this short video. The president's my friend. Have you ever met him? Do you know him? Then how can you speak of him if you actually don't know the man? I knew that he was going to run and be president. I said, I hate to see what you would go through, but our nation will need it. I think he knew we were at such a pivotal point in our country that somebody had to stand up and do the right thing. Some of the smartest, most talented women that I have seen are people who work for or around President Trump. God has plans for people's lives, and he put me in this place in this moment for a reason and for a purpose. Who here is ready for more years of Donald Trump? It's good to be tolerant. That's a virtue, but not when it turns into the destruction of what is good. Now they're going to come after us. They're not going to make it easy. He's a bigot. A liar. A serial liar. He's a narcissist. Politics is a nasty business. Trump is a weak man with no courage. Wow, was he right on that, right? Oh my gosh. I'm a black single mother coming from poverty, but what Donald Trump saw in me was potential. All very just impressive women. It's awesome to see him. My father's really surrounded himself by them his entire life. And this is where President Trump has taught us, is you fight back, you push back. Donald Trump's closest advisors are women. He gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, and that is the Donald Trump that I know. Well, I know it was a great honor of mercy's and mine to be in this movie, this documentary, The Trump I Know, and we are honored to be joined by Joe Knopp, the producer of this documentary and so many other great movies like you can see behind his head. Joe, thanks for joining us on CPAC Live. Hey Matt, thanks for having me. I appreciate it. Tell us about this project. I mean, this is a little bit outside the box of normal presidential politics. How did you get the idea? You know, I met Laura probably about a year and a half ago when I worked on a previous film called Unplanned, and I just really appreciated her story. And the more I got to know her and she shared stories about her family, really the amazing people that surround the president, I just get infuriated that we don't hear these stories. And, you know, I just felt like God placed it on my heart to, you know, at a time like this, to try to get close to all the great people that are surrounding the president, especially the women, and just tell the stories and let them speak of the character of President Trump. So what did you learn about the president that you maybe didn't know before you started filming? I knew that he always cared about the American people. I'm not sure if I understood how deep his passion was. You know, all these women that we spent time with, the president identified characters in them, really, even before they saw it in themselves. And his heart for elevating their skill sets, wanting to surround himself by amazing people, for me, it really emphasized the character of the president long before he became the president. You know, we went and spoke with people who have known him for decades, and they all say the same thing, how great he has treated them as an individual, how he has elevated them, promoted them. And now I see why he has done such an amazing job in the past four years. It's the people that he has surrounded himself with, and he is not an insecure man. So he doesn't need to be the only one getting the limelight. He allows great people around him to reach the highest level. So for me, he really cares about people that he has surrounded himself. You got to get out there on the road, you joined the Women for Trump bus tour, which I have never been on the Women for Trump bus tour, but I've been on the other bus. You know, it's quite a special experience, just as the rallies are. You're not really a political person, that's not your world. What was your takeaway from just the Americans that come up and speak to the women on the Trump bus? I tell you, you know, I really haven't been to rallies prior to this. And every time the bus stops, it becomes just, you know, an instant huge rally environment. And, you know, watching, you know, Mercy and Laura and Katrina just pop off the bus, the people just want to surround them. They are so excited to have a connection to the president, and just so thankful. And it's amazing. They all have stories to share with how what the president has done has impacted their life. And they're just so thankful. And the crowds are so diverse, you know, young, old, all different types of nationalities. It is really a great cross-section of the country as they get to stop this bus and meet with everybody. And young people, too. And my daughter Alyssa is featured in the film. And I have to admit to you, I went to your premiere at the Trump Hotel, boy, it feels like a year ago, but I think it was a week ago. And she actually made me tear up a little bit. It's not just older women or white women. It's, you know, girls, too, who are looking at the president and the women he surrounds himself by, including my wife, as role models. And that was really, you know, my daughter's 10. And that was kind of the genesis of this project, really. I was sitting on my couch, looking through some social media, saw a picture of Laura, and just explained to my daughter how great of a person and a friend she has become. And I was thinking that night, that's really where I got the idea that, you know, I don't want my daughter to be, you know, worshipping and, you know, celebrities and Hollywood and actresses. I want my daughter to look up to someone like, you know, Laura, someone like your wife, working through this, out there, who makes a difference for this country, for reasons. You know, your wife has an amazing story with her family. And that is why she gets up every day and fights for this country and fights for your family. And that's who I want my daughter to look up to. So we're really hoping that all of these stories in the documentary, you know, there's an amazing amount of women that are portrayed in this documentary. So it just gives a lot of great options for our daughters to look up to. And I think that's happening. The culture is in such a, you know, I don't know what word to use. It's so bad. Yucky comes to mind. Perverse comes to mind. When you produce this content that's really countercultural, unplanned, you know, these projects, can they be commercial successes? Or are the forces of the dark side assembled to really stop any kind of cultural projects that have an idea of transcendence or a redeeming theme? It's hard. All of the ties are against us. And that's why it really takes, you know, folks like yourself who are willing to put your own neck out there and spread the word. You know, the silent majority that we all speak about, you know, it's real. And it impacts the ability for us to get these stories out there. Obviously, the media is not going to help us get the stories out. And they're smart enough to know that even negative press helps, so they just don't touch them. So it's really this grassroots effort, similar to the bus tour, where we just have to, you know, get out there and let people know that these projects are available and try to bring the masses to come see them. But it's hard. We're fighting a huge wave against us. Yeah, you are. It seems like conservatives and really just Americans, I mean, it's really not that much of a philosophy of government as it is understanding our founding and loving the country and loving the diversity of our country that is really under attack. And we appreciate what you're doing. First of all, you're talented, you're creative and your product is top notch. But it also you don't do things that you don't think don't have some intrinsic value and meaning. And, you know, I have a board member that keeps telling me, Matt, it's not America versus socialism. This is Bill Walton, who's one of my board members. He says it's America versus this nihilism of no values, no truth, just kind of like nothingness. And I think there's great sadness. There is. And that's why my whole career in the film space has only been telling true stories. I think there are a lot of great Americans in this country. And I think it's hard to argue with a true story. You have a great story from where you're at today. And I just think if I can tell enough stories that the American people will start to believe that, you know, maybe I don't have to be so quiet. Maybe I'm not alone. I think a lot of people think, especially President Trump supporters, that they're on an island and they just can't talk about it. But the reality of it is, there's a lot of us out there and we have to be proud of that. And we have to realize what we're fighting for. We're not just fighting for this president. We're fighting to remain America, to be the country of how it was founded and the country we want to raise our kids in. So that's why I just love telling true stories that inspire people, hopefully. How do folks order The Trump I Know and have watch homes and bring it to all these political events and really tell this story of Donald Trump the person through the voices of those who know him best? So the simplest way to stay in touch is our website is TrumpIKnow.com. There are several avenues there to stream the video, to get DVDs. As of Monday, we should be on Amazon. So that'll kind of broaden and make it a lot easier for people to access. Oh, that's great. Well, everyone, go get a copy of this great documentary. And as I said, I teared up in it because it tells a really beautiful angle to Mercy's family story through my daughter. I was privileged to make the editor's cutting room floor in the movie, which for me was a great honor because I am not a woman and I made it. So that was good. He and a few other great guys made it because, you know, that's what this story is all about, which is families of people coming together to try to save their country. And the person who's leading that charge is our president, Donald Trump. Joe Knopp, we appreciate your great work. We appreciate your American story. We appreciate you making this important documentary. And we want to take you on the road with us in CPAC and make sure people know of your great work. Well, thanks. I appreciate it. It was fun having you in the story. There's no doubt you're going to make the cut. If people could only have seen the video you shot that didn't make the film, it might have ended my career as we were having very honest family moments. I'm holding on to that one. You got me. You got me, brother. Joe Knopp, the producer of The Trump I Know. Thanks for being on CPAC Live. And thank you, everybody, for tuning in to another great show. As I said, I'm on the road now, going to go battle for our Second Amendment with the great women of the National Rifle Association. And then I'm on the Trump bus starting in Las Vegas with the great Republican chairman out there, Chairman McDonald. And I'm going to be joining the bus with other great Trump supporters. And we don't have that many days left to try to prevent our country from being overtaken and infected with this terrible cancer of socialism. I feel hopeful. Don't let them get you discouraged. God has a plan. And part of that plan is for you to get out there and start working really hard before Election Day. God bless, everyone. Talk to you soon.