YouSaid · the spoken record

Robert Garcia

lines on the record: 58
first: 2025-07-10
most recent: 2025-07-10
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“And the renewed kind of spirit of fight I'm seeing more and more kind of Democrats and whether they're in statehouses or Congress or wherever else, people are, I think, more invested in passionate about saving this country and our democracy. And that's what's been hopeful for me.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You know, I've been thinking a lot about this. What's giving me hope right now is seeing the kind of organizing and the protests and the peaceful protests that are happening across the country. I mean, every day that goes by, I feel like people are more engaged with what's actually happening in D.C. and across the country. I think people were really despondent when the election happened. I think the first couple months were really hard. But now there is an energy that is building on the ground. new supporters, folks that are feeling betrayed, people that are now organized. I think they're doing the work into building this new coalition that will defeat MAGA and Donald Trump. And for me, I am seeing it every day, and that is giving me hope, especially because they are organizing around this idea where we have to also fight harder. And it's the fight I see in them.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think the midterms are looking good, but we can't assume anything. I think we have to fight every single day till we win. And we shouldn't just make assumptions that, oh, well, we win when a president is in the midterm. I think we got to throw all that out. Trump's changed the game. We keep going back to these norms that things have always been this way and then Trump keeps breaking them. I'm more concerned, is Trump going to try to create a crisis and interfere with the election? What kind of rules will be working under? Is he going to try to damage churnout? That's what I worry about. Like I think Trump changes the game to benefit him. And so that's our focus has got to be there. But I think we're going to have the right candidates and the right message. And what I've encouraged the party and leaders is we have to have a forward-looking agenda, not just in the midterm, but to in the presidency. It just cannot be that we are opposed to what Donald Trump is trying to do. And I think that's the...”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“You're all on your own, and they all can fight it out amongst themselves about who the nominee will be. So I just don't know. What I do know is we have to, we have to fucking win. Like, we have to win.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Look, I think on the Democratic side, it's so early. Obviously, we just had an election that we lost. And so I think we have an incredible amount of talent on our side. And I think we're going to see who develops. I think our priority and mine has to be winning first the house. And so I'm not going to put any energy on who's going to be the next president on our side when we've got to win the house, win the majority and slow down this Trump agenda. That's going to be critical. Look on the Republican side. I think what you're going to have is you're going to have Vance and Mark Aubio likely be to kind of MAGA world figures that are going to probably both look at fighting out who their nominee is. And I think it'll be interesting to see if Donald Trump kind of anoints JD Vance as a natural successor and he kind of creates a clear path for him.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Look, I think when their ideas are bad or shitty, we should call it out and we shouldn't just roll over when they want to take advantage of working folks or when their products are bad for consumption. But if we're able to, I think we can't. I think we shouldn't be automatic party of saying no to technology in advancement. And I think right now we have allowed Republicans to become the party of efficiency and efficiency shouldn't just be about tearing things down. I think efficiency can be how do you make things better, faster, use technology in a way that's smart, but putting in the guardrails, of course, you protect people. And so look, I don't have all the answers on this, but I do think that we can win some of these folks back into the party.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“A lot of folks in tech still want to be part of culture. They still want to be in kind of spaces that are about the future and forward-looking. So I think there's an absolute opening. We shouldn't write folks off.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That's right. I think we should work to get them back. I think tech and innovation generally is about moving forward and about new ideas and trying to improve humanity. And so many folks in the tech space, I know this, I have a lot of friends in the tech space and folks in my generation, they want a better country and a better planet and they actually want to create ideas that actually help people. And I think it's a mistake to just write folks in the tech sector off. Oh, these are tech bros, just write them off. I think it's so ironic when I talk to someone in tech and they might be a little bit more conservative, but then you ask them, oh, what do you think about AOC? And they'll be like, oh, she's so cool.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Have a lot to learn from that. We have to take our own authenticity, be funny, use pop culture, and we have to use pop culture to enter in spaces that we're not in and then communicate when we have that attention in that space.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Trump is a master. People say, Oh, he's an idiot or he's this or he's that. He's a master communicator. I mean, the best that we've seen in the modern area. He knows how to sell something and communicate in all the spaces.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Because you use pop culture, I actually learned something about the government or the news that I would never have known before. And so I think what's important in this kind of attention economy that everyone's kind of talking about right now is that we grab people's attention, but then use it. Once we have the attention, we actually need to then take that attention.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think that the more authenticity that we show that members of Congress or whoever are real people and that we have interests, I think it's actually the way. And then taking yourself and putting it out there, I think is a way of getting to people that aren't following politics day to day. Look, I'm a huge reality TV fan, for example. I remember in a hearing and oversight, I quoted a real housewives quote. I mean, it went just incredibly viral. It was everywhere. It was, you know, it was on the Bravo shows at night and on late night and everything else. I remember talking to folks in that one instance and had in those different viral moments, what really sold me on this is I had people that were not plugged into politics and were not plugged into kind of Donald Trump's corruption on the issue that I was talking about. But that said, you know, I learned something because what you said brought me in. I saw it on late night TV. I Googled it then and I actually...”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Absolutely. It can be different. But it's what he did, which was he took an agenda and then he took his ideas and he talked about them in the spaces where people are actually consuming their information. I mean, not only was he kind of had that flood the zone approach where he was kind of everywhere in digital spaces, he appeared to be everywhere. And I think that's something that we have a lot to learn from. And so I think we have to rebuild.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Idea that he was actually going to, he was very clear. I'm going to freeze the rent and stabilize apartments in New York City. I'm going to work towards these kind of co-op grocery store models where I can actually, the government can kind of control pricing and lower prices across the city. These are bold, big ideas that I think the Democratic Party can actually learn from. He won because he had a forward-looking agenda that appealed to working class voters. And I think we have to do that and replicate that agenda across the country. And I think it's happening.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That's right. That's exactly right. And while I think many in the media and others in political circles wanted to put all of their focus and make that the issue, that's not what the public actually cared about. What they cared about is these kind of bold ideas, this idea of free transit.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Welcome those. We have detached ourselves from our base of working class voters across this country. Look at what just happened in New York, for example. What Mondani has done and why credit has win to is he actually had a forward-looking simple agenda that resonated with people. And he was able to get turnout dramatically up. And I'm not convinced that had anything to do with his politics on the Middle East or his worldview that he's a Democratic socialist, I think that posted I talk to no one brought that up. Like they didn't care about that.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I mean, I think that's right. I think, look, one thing that's going to be important in the oversight work, and you'd ask what we want to do first, I think obviously taking on Trump's corruption, but we can't just be anti-Donald Trump. And so I think whether it's the Oversight Committee or the broader work, we have to have a forward-looking agenda and actually engage and energize voters. I think the party has an immense amount of work to do in actually building a forward-looking agenda that people actually can relate to. Right now, it's clear that we have disconnected ourselves from what people, working class people, are facing every single day. There's issues around lowering the cost of goods, of what people are paying at the grocery store, at the pump. Those issues actually really matter. And we did not focus on them. And we have it for years. We continue to distance ourselves from our working class base. And while I think it's been great to see some of the shifts, as we know, in a lot of voters, whether it's been folks that have gone to college or voters that are more engaged.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Of laws that we have has to also be a piece of this. And so Donald Trump's corruption is going to be at the top. And offices ain't just going to be this scheme, but all the ways he is selling the White House for access has got to be at the center of what we do. The Trump family is wealthier beyond their wildest dreams right now because they are using the White House to enrich themselves, and that has to be not just stopped, but people need to be held accountable for that.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I mean, at the top of the list is going to be, well, first and foremost, it's going to be Donald Trump and his direct corruption at the White House. And it's going to be focused on him essentially selling access to donors in foreign governments to the presidency. And I think it centers not just around the issues around this kind of coin scheme, this crypto scheme that he's engaged with. But he's literally selling, I mean, tickets to events and to dinner's at the White House in which he's raising money on. So the actual selling of access, I think, has to be at the center of what we are doing in oversight when we're taking on Donald Trump's corruption. That's got to be the critical. And then how we set policy and laws to guard and to set up a system where this can't happen again. Obviously, the investigation is one thing, but passing laws and strengthening the existing forces.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yes, I know. That's a whole other very interesting turn of events. But I think what we can and are doing, though, is we're beginning to lay the groundwork for what we're going to be asking the question, that we're going to see what information we get from agencies. And the other thing that's important is we oftentimes some of this corruption that the government is engaged with, they're engaged in this corruption with private companies. And it might be one thing for the oversight community to send the Trump government a letter asking for information, and they might stone wall or not give it to us. But if the oversight committee is sending a company or someone involved with these insane gifts that Trump is selling, whether it's the damn shoes or the fragrances now or all these other items, we're going to be also keeping corporations and those that are engaged in this corruption accountable as well. And so I think that there is opportunity for us to engage not just in the”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, it is insane. I mean, I can't believe that any American could support the Samanbas family after learning this. And I don't understand how they do it because Trump has changed the game. And so all of these issues we are going to be looking at, but we'll be limited. And I think that's what's really important for people to understand. We don't have subpoena power. Why is the majority in the Congress important? Because we don't have the power, just the peanut Elon Musk. We don't have the power to bring in members of the Trump organization. We don't have the power to force the release of documents.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Hundreds of millions of dollars that are being poured in from foreign governments and oligarchs and who God knows who to directly benefit Trump and his family.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Intensity. And so we are absolutely going to begin, and we have already looking at some of these huge griffs that President is engaged in, whether it's the foreign plane, whether, like you mentioned, this meme coin scandal, we don't even know the depth. I mean, it is likely he is making, I mean, the amount of resources that are being poured in.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“No, that's not a waste of time. It is not a waste of time. I think not investigating the corruption would further damage our democracy by allowing these norms that Trump has created to continue. And so it would not be a waste of time. A couple of things. So just to move backwards, I mean, obviously, when we don't have the majority, we are limited in our investigations. What we can do and the information that we can get, but we're still able to have investigations. And so in the oversight committee now, we still have the power to seek information, get information back from agencies, ask some questions. Of course, while we don't control what hearings are in front of us, we can have our own kind of shadow hearings, which we plan on doing across the country. And we can ensure that the hearings themselves that we are bringing the right questions, the right energy, and that we're matching the Republicans as it relates to the way they play this game, which is they'll do anything it takes to get their agenda done. We have to match that level of energy.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Think that in fact you would get more younger ideas and different perspectives into Congress. I think anything, these types of ideas, obviously and these types of reforms, I think should be on the table to discuss”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, that's what I'm saying. I was Turn Limiter and I was mayor. And again, I don't know that I opposed term limits per se for Congress. I think I'd be open to that. I do think, but they work. I mean, I was terminal limited when I was mayor. I think governors are term limited. I've yet to be convinced how having term limits in Congress would actually damage the institution.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, I think look, that's not something that I think I know what the right answer is. I think, look, I don't mind turn limits.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Women and families and dads, and people that have a new baby aren't allowed to take any time off after to vote by proxy. I mean, moms have to rush back in the second they have a child because they get no ability to vote remotely. I mean, these are the kinds of archaic rules that are set up. To not empower, I think younger people. And so I think working class people, younger folks, changing the system, I think all that's going to be on the table.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Chairs that there should be some type of limit like Republicans have. I've said I would support that. I mean, I don't know what the right answer is. I mean, I think Republicans, for example, you can lead that committee for, what is it, three terms. They have a limit that's pretty set. And I think us having some type of limit that we can have new folks and new ideas, I think would be very healthy for us. And so I would not be surprised if in the next year or two, especially as we look towards winning the majority, you're going to start hearing conversations and debates within our caucus about how we're going to modernize ourselves. And I think there's a group of us that believe that we've got to modernize Congress in a lot of ways. I mean, look.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“The first folks I started talking to were all the newer members. And to newer members from my class or the class that just came in They were clear. They were like seniority is not important to me. I think what's more important is are you prepared to do the job and what's your forward-looking vision for the committee? And I was, you know, I obviously have experience in being a chief executive of a city, pretty large city. And I felt confident I could do the work. And what I told folks is, look, I understand that seniority is an important part of our cocktail. It's always going to be. I mean, it brings wisdom. It brings the strength of having had so much knowledge of the way things have worked for a long time. So I don't want to diminish that. But I think in looking forward, if we're going to build a party of the future, we've got to bring in new people. And so I think that we have made a change. As far as term limits, I mean, I'll tell you what I told the Concord servers that asked me. I actually favor term limits for leaders of committees. It's something that I would support. I would impose that on myself. But I've been asked by members of our caucus, like, would you, do you think that ranking members or”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, so look, I think a couple of things. So, one is I do think that this election and that I've been given the responsibility, I think does signal a shift. And when I went around talking to the caucus, I took this very seriously. I thought, look, I understand. I've been in Congress for not even three years. But I also understood that when we're going out to these town halls and going back to our constituents, people want change. People want younger folks involved. It's time for Democrats of this next generation to take leadership and be at the table. And so I think that not just the leadership of our caucus, but I think that all the members understood and understand that we have to expand the tent and that this election was an opportunity to do that. And so I do think it does signal an absolute shift in the way we're going to approach these leadership elections when it relates to these committees. It was very clear to me also when I started talking about this.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think these are family to family conversations that are happening, I think, at a lot of dinner tables and a lot of family gatherings, and they're happening in my family. And they're happening at other Latino families across the country. And they're very hard because we feel betrayed. I feel betrayed. Members of my family That I know voted for Donald Trump. Unfortunately, it's not many. A vast majority did not. But I do feel the trade. And I think a lot of Latinos feel the same way.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think a lot of them will. I mean, like, obviously, I think. Trump's not going to be on the ballot again, obviously. I mean, we hope. But I think that it will shift some of their votes. And I hope that they've realized that the modern Republican Party is not the party of Ronald Reagan. It's not the Ronald Reagan Party that gave amnesty and a pathway to citizenship to so many families, including mine. This is a warped, dark, incredibly cruel MAGA party that wants nothing to do with immigrant families and will not support the Latino community in any way.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“They say, you know, and it's hard for me to listen to them because I tell them this is exactly what he said he was going to do and what we said he would do. And they just didn't believe it. And they thought, well, it can't happen to us or there's no way he's going to come to do this. And in some ways, and I've told friends of mine, I'm like, it's a selfish worldview that, oh, it's not going to impact them, but it will impact others. At the end of the day, like people need to, people are struggling through this. And I'm glad that every day more Latinos, Latinos are waking up that supported Trump and realizing they made a mistake and that Donald Trump lied and that they did not understand that this was actually going to be his plan all along. And so I think more and more Latinos and Latinos, I've talked to some Trump supporting Latinos that don't agree with us. And they think this is too far. And so I'm glad.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think it's absolutely having an impact. I think one, they were wrong, and I've told a couple members of my family, very close to, that had voted differently. And I think some of them recognize now and have had conversations with them that they've made a mistake. They feel betrayed. We've all seen those images and those videos.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“For those that are in a more secure place that our citizens or have some type of naturalization, we have to be out there peacefully protesting and supporting, especially if you are Latino or come from an immigrant family. And think about what's happening to people like your mom or your cousins or your Thea or your Abolita. This is a direct attack on us. Racism absolutely is a huge piece of this. Anti-immigrant sentiment is a piece of this. This is about getting rid of people that are different and about trying to install this different worldview of how our government should be and what the foundations of our country should be. So I think to that question, I think all of us, especially other Latinos, have to be out there peacefully protesting and picking up that mantle. And we should continue to push back and supporting our family members that can't.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And reminding folks that they have rights if an agent tries to talk to them, if they come to their home or their place of work, knowing your rights and the work that immigration groups across the country are doing right now on that issue is to me the most important thing on day one. And to not go to whether it's a protest or an event or a place where you might feel unsafe or you feel you're going to be targeted, I think everyone has a right to protect themselves. I think it is heartbreaking to drive around or visit some business districts in the Los Angeles area and see how empty they are. I have seen images of some of these farmers markets, these kind of markets where a lot of like Latino and immigrant families would gather and buy goods and sell flowers and they're empty and small businesses are sharing how their sales have collapsed because folks aren't coming out.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Exactly. And I just don't think that we can do that. I think the most important thing for what I've told people, particularly those that are maybe in some type of another or maybe non-citizens, whether it's their undocumented or they have some type of visa or some type of work permit or school permit, I said the most important thing is to protect yourself, your family, and to know your rights. That is number one. And to not put yourself in a position where you feel unsafe.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Because they are afraid that their information is going to be tracked. I've had other immigrants that have, I mean, they're here, they have some type of documentation that don't want to even engage with any law enforcement or that are scared to even go outside. And so I think it's a heavy question because I wish I could say trust your government or trust the process and I can't.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Thank you. Gracias. Look, I think first it's a complicated question because I think in a normal environment, you tell someone, look, the government's here generally is going to protect you and is going to do the right thing. And you should go to your immigration appointment and you should check in with the immigration office and you should do all the things you're supposed to do in order to earn citizenship. Now I think we're in a place, and I think we have to be honest where I don't, I can't even trust that the government is protecting our private and personal information in the right way. I mean, I've had questions of folks saying, you know, should I show up to my immigration appointment? Am I going to be safe? I've had people that don't want to fill out forms, like basic government forms.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think that we should, I think this country should be worried. And if you are an immigrant to this country, whether you're naturalized or in any way or in the process, I think all immigrants are worried. I mean, I've got family members, nephews that are the sons of... Family members of mine who are also from immigrant families who are saying, should I be carrying around my identification? Do I need an ID? I mean, people are scared. But I don't know that I'm scared for myself. I think he's going to come after people and he's going to do what he does. But I am concerned for other people that don't have the same protections that I might have.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I swore note to this country. I take the Constitution seriously and I take my oath to this country incredibly seriously, unlike Donald Trump and most of his crew. And so I'm a member of the United States Congress. And so for me, I'm less worried about me and more concerned about other folks who may not have the same protections or may not have the same megaphone that I might have as a member of Congress, who are going to be dealing with this exact question. So if you're a new citizen, you have every right, essentially with the exception of running for president, you have almost every single right that any other U.S. citizen has. And so Donald Trump cannot strip and denaturalize people. And so this march starts trying to do that through the courts. It should be very concerning to all of us. And it's being monitored, of course, very carefully. And I can't imagine.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, I mean, look, this is this debate has been also difficult to see and to watch and kind of play out. I mean, I remember when Donald Trump, I had a friend saying, hey, do you think Donald Trump's going to, this was a few months ago, saying, do you think Donald Trump's going to go after a birthright citizenship? And obviously you gain citizenship later in your life. And I was like, I mean, I said, no way, you can't. I'm a U.S. citizen. There's no way that could happen. And I think every day that goes by, you start to see how serious I think this actually is. The Supreme Court obviously has been giving him broad powers as it relates to his executive orders. You're hearing what the Attorney General is saying, which you just mentioned just a minute ago. So it is concerning, but it certainly isn't going to stop us. And certainly not going to stop me from kind of pushing back and fighting and doing the oversight and the accountability work that we have to do. I mean, I am a U.S. citizen who earned my citizenship. I raised my right hand.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“We have talked to people in the detention centers in the United States, not El Salvador, that are not well fed. They've had no access to an attorney, have had their due rights violated, and they're scared that they're in there and afraid they're not going to get out and ever see their families again. And in some cases, U.S. citizens, we know, have been sent to these places. And so this is what we're dealing with right now. And I think more people need to understand that this horrific budget is, yes, going to do horrible things on healthcare and taxes. What it does on the kind of detainment of people and the destruction of people's due rights process through the courts, I think, is something just as scary and dangerous.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yeah, we're tasteless. I mean, look, we didn't go in, they wouldn't allow us to actually go into the actual prison to seek on himself. We've obviously seen images about what happens. And this is true. It's not just happening in El Salvador, it's happening here in this country. Donald Trump just put a seven-day hold on members of Congress being able to visit a detention center here in the United States. Prior to two weeks ago, the law is and has been that a member of Congress can show up to a detention center unannounced and enter that facility to inspect it. That's been the case. And multiple members of Congress have exercised that right. Now for years. So as of one week ago, Donald Trump and Christianoma put under a new rule. We have to give them seven days notice. Now, we're fighting that and we're going to be fighting that in the courts. And certainly we're pushing that. That is unconstitutional. But we're now showing up to these detention centers and are being denied entry and are being told we need to give them a seven-day notice. So what are they hiding where we can't do these visits anymore? And what we do know is in the prior visits and members have made,”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Legally on some type of temporary work permit or something else are being sent without due process than to never be heard of again essentially a kidnapping the entire country should be outraged by that, that the inhumanity of how people are being treated and the fear that has been stalled in the public in El Salvador is the same type of fear that Donald Trump is trying to install here.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Mr. Brigo Garcia, and to others like Andrew Romero. What we learned there is one is the Bukele government is incredibly disciplined in what they're doing, right? They've terrorized their country, and there are people there on the ground that are trying to organize and bring attention to the fact that folks are getting sent down there without any due process and they're being treated in horrific conditions. Neither people that don't have access to an attorney. And oftentimes they're being kept in horrific conditions, little access to water. In Andrew's case, for example, we have had no proof of his life, essentially. We've asked for a basic proof of life now for months and none has been given to us. And people that are sent to these prisons oftentimes are never seen again or heard from ever again. And so the danger now of United States citizens in some cases or people that are here.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I mean, one, first, it's important that we, I think, as members of Congress stand up for due process and the Constitution and Kilmar Brigo Garcia's case, obviously clearly you had someone that with the Supreme Court ordered to bring back to the United States and Trump was defying that court order. And these are people that are being sent, whether it's Andrew's case, which is, again, horrific, right? Someone that shows up to his immigration appointment that we give him, then we get to essentially kidnap them taken to El Salvador, a country he's never been in, with no real evidence presented to a judge or any sort of ruling by a judge that he should be there. And so this is happening over and over again. And people do process and their rights are being stripped. We know that people in our country have the ability and have the right to do process, whether they are a citizen or non-citizen that is in our Constitution, clear as day in writing. And so, yeah, we went down there to bring awareness to what was happening to obviously.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“People need to realize is you've had law enforcement agencies across the country push back on this, right? You had the large cities, whether it's been New York or Los Angeles or Chicago, say, hey, our police force is not going to engage in federal immigration law. And so what has Donald Trump done instead? He said, okay, well, then I don't need your permission. I'm going to create my own national kind of police force. And it's one that he chooses to have them wear masks. And it's one where they're carrying around rifles. And it's one where they're in armored vehicles and gear. I mean, it looks like a military unit, not any type of federal law enforcement agency. And so I think people have got to be very concerned about the ice piece of this bill. It hasn't gotten as much attention as the others, but it's really concerning. I think that he is going to turn the Department of Homeland Security into his...”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I said now he's going to have more resources than the FBI. If you take the FBI and some of our other, for example, federal law enforcement agencies, whether it's that do gun control or drug prevention, the ICE budget will now have more resources than all of those other federal law enforcement agencies put together. I think Donald Trump is trying to do is it's not just his kind of mass deportation agenda, which is I believe unconstitutional. It seems humane. It's a bunch of things. It is also Donald Trump building his own police force, his own national law enforcement agency that serves at his pleasure. And he's always wanted to control the country. He's always wanted to control and assert his own fear and his authoritarian nature as he views himself, this type of dictator slash.”
2025-07-10 · On with Kara Swisher · Taking on Trump Family Corruption with Rep. Robert Garcia · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT