Tim Scott makes his case

In a 30-minute interview with the Washington Examiner, the grandson of a sharecropper and son of a single mother discussed family, former President Donald Trump, China, and what it takes to commit to the national campaign. The following has been edited for clarity.

Washington Examiner magazine: What was the conversation you had with your mother as you were considering announcing the exploratory committee?

Sen. Tim Scott: For me, it was an interesting conversation. I was excited to have the conversation with her. She was obviously excited about the prospects, but she was also a little concerned as well, to be honest with you. She can’t believe, as she would say, “how good God is in the land of the living, that He has allowed the whole family to keep moving in the right direction.” Of course, she would put caveat there, saying that “to me, it’s really, really, really good. But my grandson, he’s just so much better.” So that’s my mother’s way of saying, “Yeah, you’re not all that. Take the trash out.” Little Ben, the nephew who’s getting ready to become a doctor, is the star of the show now. But she’s also a little concerned about public safety and my safety, and she’s a little scared about how all this plays out. She’s mostly excited most of the time, but she’s a mom that believes in prayer.

Washington Examiner magazine: So she gave you her blessing?

Sen. Tim Scott: 100%. It’s nearly impossible to do this without the support of your family.

Washington Examiner magazine: Why are you running?

Sen. Tim Scott: Running for president of the United States — obviously, I’m still in the exploratory stage, so I want to make sure that I’m clear — is about restoring hope, creating opportunity, and protecting what makes America the greatest country on God’s green Earth. Certainly, my faith plays a major role in it. It’s not only my faith in God, but it’s also my faith in each other.

You and I have had a number of conversations, so you’ll know better than most the important role that my mentor and other mentors have played in the formation of my value system. I think, too often, we forget the fact that a part of the magic of America, so to speak, is that we have to have faith in each other. Faith in each other allows us to endure hard times together. It allowed us to survive and to prevail in the Civil War and allow for us to continue to go through World War I and World War II and continue to see the progression of the American soul in the American spirit become bigger and larger and more powerful. But as an individual, I’ve seen the same thing happen in my life. There were times and occasions where you would say I was buried because of divorce or poverty or a single-parent household.

But the truth is, in many ways, I was planted. The seed germinated, and it’s bringing forth a harvest for my mother and for my family and I hope for the country. So I’m running because I believe that the proof of my life literally disproves the lies of the left. I am blessed to have had the ability to have this story. It’s only possible in America, and that’s why I think of this as a “made in America” story.

Washington Examiner magazine: What has surprised you the most in your first swing as a potential candidate in Iowa and New Hampshire, and what has the reception been like?

Sen. Tim Scott: I’ve been coming back and forth to Iowa since 2016, when I first started supporting Sen. [Chuck] Grassley for his reelection, so I’ve been there 12 or 14 times, maybe even a little bit more. But I think that’s, conservatively speaking, at least 12 times.

[Rep.] Joni Ernst, love the governor [Kim Reynolds], Congress members — the super PAC affiliated with my name has spent millions of dollars helping candidates in Iowa. Being there feels like a second home in many ways. I do think that the evangelical community — they understand and appreciate my message of faith in God and certainly faith in each other, and it’s gone well. The momentum that we feel in the state … it continues to surge, and I’m excited about that.

I went to New Hampshire last week, and I will say, in a very refreshing way, the ‘Faith in America’ tour, it felt like home. The Granite State was very welcoming, and there was a sense of almost anticipation and enthusiasm that I was pleasantly surprised at. These are folks who want to make their decision based on their personal interaction with the person that they’re going to be voting for. I will say that I am now ecstatic about my next trip there, and I can’t get back fast enough.

Washington Examiner magazine: In the 2016 primary, people missed that evangelical voters in Iowa were drawn to Donald Trump not because he shared their values but because he was just mean enough to stand up to cultural forces that were threatening religious freedom. You share their values, but what about that toughness they believe to be needed?

Sen. Tim Scott: Without any question, when you think about the necessity of strength in our nation, it’s the strength from our leaders. The one thing you have to turn to is our southern border first. The one thing that every single person in New Hampshire and in Iowa realizes, every county is a border county in this nation. So standing up strong, as it relates to our southern border, the fact that it is porous, it is unsecure, unsafe, and wide open — these are challenges that we must face toe-to-toe with our adversaries on the other side of that border.

One of the most important parts of that conversation has to be the Mexican cartels that continue to bring fentanyl across that southern border, leading to 70,000 deaths. We have to A) build a wall and get it done, B) target the Mexican cartels with the power of the U.S. military if necessary, as well as freezing all of their assets economically. These cartels are worth more than $20 billion, a couple of them. So when we attack them financially and we allow our military to be prepared to take necessary steps, those are the right decisions and decisions made by the commander in chief of the United States of America.

We also have to be willing to explain, what is America’s national vital interest in Ukraine? The fact of the matter is, degrading the Russian military is in America’s national vital interest. Unfortunately, we don’t have a president that has been able to articulate why that’s so critical for us. When you degrade the Russian military, you stand firm on a foundation that says that protecting natal territory gets easier and easier by the day. Without any question, China has been clear that they are our adversary. Let’s take them at their word.

That means that we have to have a serious, aggressive plan to make sure that we have the most lethal military force in the history of the world prepared to be in conflicts on three different continents at the same time. Because as we see the battle looming with China, one of the ways that we stem the tide and make sure that the weapons of our warfare are dollars and not bullets is to make sure that we have the strongest economy the world has ever known. That requires for us to go back to tax cuts and letting Americans live their lives and dream their dreams and make their own decisions with the resources in their pocket. The stronger our economy, the less we have to use the lethal force of our military.

But if you don’t understand the Ronald Reagan philosophy of peace through strength, then you’ve missed the entire Tim Scott approach to foreign policy and national strength.

Washington Examiner magazine: What about the cultural forces, the things that impact religious liberty and religious freedom?

Sen. Tim Scott: Oh, that’s the easy part. I’m a kid that understands the power of indoctrination. Today, we’re teaching white kids that they’re oppressors, and we’re still teaching black kids that they’re victims and Hispanic kids that they’re victims. Nothing could be further from the truth. But I think it was very helpful for a guy who started on the other side of the tracks, who understands the power of weaponizing race against someone. Seeing that happen again from a cultural evolution, that is something I can stand in the gap in a way that no other candidate could do so and have that fight and have that conversation.

Washington Examiner magazine: What separates you from Trump? There are a lot of his policies that you agree with. So voters, when they go into the booth, they want to know what makes you different than him.

Sen. Tim Scott: Well, certainly the life story is a good place to start. I understand the narrative of America’s ability to achieve the American dream. I always say that I was blessed with a miserable beginning. I think it’s good for me to weave the message of hope and opportunity and achieving the American dream from the other side of the tracks.

So often, we start the conversation looking down from the top of the mountain into the valley. My story starts in the valley, and I think that’s very helpful for so many Americans today. Half the country has less than $700 in their savings account. We always talk about what we do, the policies we posit. But the truth is, the why is always more powerful than the what. The stronger the why, the clearer the what, the easier the how. So Americans need to connect to the authentic, sincere conviction that my why is just like their why.

Washington Examiner magazine: Where to start with China? They seem to be dominating the conversation in every aspect of American life, from TikTok to military capabilities to setting up police stations within our own country to the spy balloons to the production of fentanyl that is poisoning our people to going out and developing relationships and partnerships with countries we typically align with.

Sen. Tim Scott: Let me just start with the top. Let me give you the panel review. We have to know that China has chosen enmity with America, and that is a choice that they have made. It comes with great consequences. Unfortunately, most of what you just said is because our leader is far more important than their leader, and our leader is missing in action. So the competition that’s happening today is happening without a strong, positive, powerful force for good at the top of the most powerful country on Earth.

There’s no question that China wants to beat us, but they won’t. We have greater capacity, we have greater opportunity, and we are taking the calculated risk to lead this world for the next 100 years, and I believe that to be true. In order for us to accomplish that, we will have to understand that allowing China to steal our intellectual property as their only way of strong advancement is to take it from us, literally to steal it from us.

We have to, honestly, unscramble the egg of China’s connectivity to us through Huawei, TikTok. We have to understand that these illegal Chinese Communist Party police stations set up in a couple states: What are they doing surveilling on Chinese nationalists? We have a lot of work to do there.

Here’s the problem when you have weak leadership: People disrespect you. Your allies question you. The one thing we have to do to get the China problem right, we have to say to our allies, “We are loyal,” and say to our adversaries, “We are lethal.” And, if necessary, prove it.

Shooting down balloons as soon as they breach our sovereign borders sends a powerful message. Standing with Taiwan sends a powerful message. Understanding their “Belt and Road” project of sinking African and Asian nations, as well as in our own backyard in Latin America, into debt — nations enter so much debt that they’re beholden to the Chinese people and the Chinese government. Countering that with an actual strategy will send a powerful message.

The future of conflict is in space, it’s in technology, and it’s in the development of faster, stronger, more lethal weapons. We have to be willing and able to produce this, which means that we need an American revolution, as it relates to our ability to depend on ourselves and our Western allies, for the essentials of American prosperity. That, I look forward to leading.

Washington Examiner magazine: Have you talked to Trump or Gov. [Nikki] Haley since you’ve made your decision to consider this?

Sen. Tim Scott: I have not at all. I’ve talked to my mama and my family and my friends. I love everybody. But you know where my advice comes from — it comes from home.

Salena Zito is a Washington Examiner political reporter.