Last week, U.S. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), joined the Fox News podcast, “The Big Ben Show” hosted by Ben Domenech. The Senator discussed getting President Trump’s nominees confirmed, America leading the way again on the world stage under President Trump, and the influx of jobs to Oklahoma. Highlights below.
On President Trump’s Unique Cabinet and Secretary Hegseth’s Confirmation:
“If you’re going to change D.C., you’ve got to bring new people in that want change. And it was a resistance… The hardest one to get through, Secretary Hegseth… The President and I sat down and talked about it, and he said, ‘What do you think?’ And I said, ‘Man, just go for it.’ He goes, ‘I agree. Let’s just go for it.’ He said, if we can win this one, we can win them all. And he said, ‘You think Pete can do it?’ And I said, ‘Have you seen him? He hasn’t backed down.’ All the stories coming out about him. He’s going right at it. His wife was walking the hallways. And I said he’s the perfect one to be the first one out the gate, and it set the tone.
“Literally Hegseth’s nomination set the tone for this administration, because he tackled it head on and said, bring it. Don’t care. We’re going to bring it. And this is the cast of characters that I’m putting around me, and all of them have a passion for change, and the media is losing their ever-loving mind over it because they can’t wrap their hand around it, because why? They’re doing things different.”
On the vacuum left between Trump Administrations:
“The best thing that happened to Trump 45 versus Trump 47, is the world got a taste of 46 and they hated it. They realized the hole that is left when the United States doesn’t lead. And when the United States isn’t leading what happens around the world?”
On America leading again:
“I met with the Secretary of NATO. I had dinner with him the other night… He said, we need a leader that’s going to lead. Otherwise, you have a NATO body that you have a bunch of different fractions. When you have one person that people look at and respect from a strength perspective, not fear, strength… So foreign affairs, we’re in the best position we’ve ever been. I talk to foreign leaders all over the world on a weekly basis and they are excited about America being back.”
On the influx of jobs to Oklahoma:
“Oklahoma has received an unbelievable amount of influx in manufacturing jobs, from pharmaceuticals to literally smelting plants, to the Northern Hemisphere’s largest paper plant because of the friendly environment it brings… You want an opportunity for your kids to be able to make a living there, and not just get by, not just scrape by, but make a living.”
On the household income in Oklahoma booming under the Trump Administration:
“The average household income in Oklahoma when I first got in office 12 years ago, was $37,000. That has increased to over $50,000 now… But it’s continuing to grow every single day and this administration has put it on steroids. So, what we’re seeing is that people were having to leave communities like Adair County, they’re able to stay there because of the investments happening all around us, and so our kids don’t have to leave home anymore. So, our small towns that were dying, they’re able to thrive again… they’re able to drive and come back and stay right there in their own communities.”
On Senator Mullin’s role in the Senate:
“We want to be where we can be the most effective… I wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think we were being effective… But the fact that we’re being so dominant in winning right now is exciting to me.”
The full interview can be found here.
