As the rare Democrat who’s won two elections in a staunchly red state, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear has a unique perspective on the U.S.’s two-party political divide.
“People aren’t as political as we think that they are,” he explains to Katie Couric in a new interview. “When someone wakes up in the morning, they’re not thinking about the next election. They’re thinking about their job. And whether they make enough to support their family.”
In their comprehensive conversation, Beshear explains how he builds bridges based on the practical concerns of his constituents: “I spend 80 percent of my time focused on those core concerns and areas. The great part is when we do better in those areas — and we have across the board in Kentucky — we lift everybody up. Democrats, Republicans, and Independents, we make their life better.”
Given his effort to unite the state of Kentucky, Beshear has some specific thoughts on the first 100 days of the Trump administration. Voicing one of his chief concerns, Beshear says, “[Trump’s] tariff policy is hitting my people harder than just about anyone.”
“The prices of everything are going up,” he goes on. “There’s one study, I think it’s [a] Yale study, that said one of these tariff policies could cost an American family $4,700 in extra costs a year. Most Kentuckians will not make it. Most Americans will not make it.”
The tariffs have gotten outsize criticism, thanks in large part to numbers like that, but the governor told Katie the negative responses are clearly warranted.
“I’ve never seen anything in politics or in government as potentially devastating to families in terms of higher costs,” he says. “That is attributable to the decisions of one person and one person alone, because Donald Trump is saying, ‘I’m making the decisions on these tariffs that are making it harder for you to get by.’”
In the full interview, which you can see in the video above, Katie and Beshear discuss how average Kentuckians feel about Trump’s first 100 days, the threat of cuts to Medicaid, the rumors Beshear could run for president in 2028, and much more.
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