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The midterm elections are approaching, and Democrats seem to be getting more aggressive in their attacks. President Joe Biden has called the MAGA agenda —former President Donald Trump’s plan for America— “semi-fascist,” and on several occasions, has used the term “ultra-MAGA Republicans” to stigmatize Republican voters. Meanwhile, just a week ago, his press secretary claimed that the first time the president used the term “ultra-MAGA” was about Senator Rick Scott.
At El American, we talked to the Republican senator and chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee about these accusations that are not only directed at him but Republican voters in general. The former governor of Florida also gave us his opinion on the different economic measures that Biden is pushing forward, such as the Inflation Reduction Act. In addition, we asked him about the outlook for the November 8th elections and the role Hispanics will play in that outcome.
On the current administration’s finger-pointing and use of terms like “ultra-MAGA Republicans” and “semi-fascists,” the Florida senator stated, “I think it’s disgusting what he’s doing. I think it’s divisive. I think when you get elected, your job is to represent everybody. When I was governor of Florida, I didn’t talk about the party. I talked about how it’s going to solve problems.”
We also asked his opinion about the implications a country might face when the president refers to the voters of the Republican Party with those statements. Senator Scott said: “It feels like we’re in a Third World country. That’s what they do in places like Cuba and Nicaragua, and Venezuela, not in the United States. What we ought to be doing is fighting over the best policies that help families across the country. It shouldn’t be a partisan issue.”
Referring to the famous speech of president Biden —a speech staged to look like a scene out of a horror movie— where he insinuated Trump and the Republican Party are a threat to democracy, the Florida Senator assured that “the speech he gave, they ought to call it the raving lunatic speech because that’s what it looked like. And having the armed Marines behind him, you ought to probably put a couple of IRS agents, because that’s what he just signed off on 87,000 more IRS agents to attack American families.”
When asked about the economy —which, according to polls, is the main issue that worries Americans— the senator highlighted that the economy is hit every time taxes are raised to such a decisive extent as has been done in this administration, Scott stated that the Democrats “have caused an unbelievable increase in inflation” and that “since Joe Biden got elected, your cost of living has gone up by over 13%.”
About the upcoming elections, the Senator is optimistic and assures:
“I think Republicans will get both the House and the Senate. Here’s why we have great candidates running. The Biden agenda is very unpopular. Biden’s approval ratings are under 40% in pretty much every competitive state in the country. All the Democratic candidates are below 50 in their approval.”
Finally, we discussed the role Hispanics will play in this election, and Senator Scott, who knows this community very well, says without a doubt that they play a pivotal role.
“Well, the Hispanic voters are very important to make sure Republicans win. I think Hispanic voters are going to vote Republican. They have supported me and my races in Florida. And the reason is Hispanics are aspirational. They have a faith in God. They want to work. They want their kids to go to education. They want to live in safe places. They want to have a secure border. They want to have a strong military. So as a result, they know the Democrats don’t believe in any of those things, and so they’re going to vote Republican,” the senator concluded.
Vanessa Vallejo. Co-editor-in-chief of El American. Economist. Podcaster. Political and economic analysis of America. Colombian exile in the United States // Vanessa Vallejo. Co-editora en jefe de El American. Economista. Podcaster. Análisis político y económico de América. Colombiana exiliada en EE. UU.