Wilbur Ross

Right, right.

So a lot of people listen to this show, like when they hear about this casino deal with Merv Griffin, and I know you're going to bring in later on, Wilbur Ross, you're going to mention him, and even Leon Coca.

Right away, they start talking about Resorts International.

Did Resorts International come across your information there?

And so about a year into, so say 1991, we really start what's called, you know, we're waiting a year.

He hasn't paid anything.

He's hired Wilbur Ross.

We hire a really great, cool attorney.

Yeah.

So back in 2018, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross announced that he was adding a citizenship question to the census, something not asked on the short form since 1950.

Uh, Secretary Ross's stated justification was that the Justice Department needed better citizenship data to allow it to enforce the Voting [laughs] Rights Act.

That, that was a total lie.

It is, it was exactly like that, and I'd totally forgotten [laughs] about it.

Yeah.

[laughs] So obviously, Wilbur Ross did not care at all about the Voting Rights Act.

His real goals were twofold.

Well, I tell you what, I'm really glad to see you back.

And, uh, um, just remember, I think, uh, when people think Trump's being blackmailed and all that, he could be, you know, there's a video of Trump over in Russia with his buddy Wilbur Ross back in the early nineties that never made any circulation.

Nobody wants to send it around to anybody.

They're too scared, but Trump is meeting with some nefarious people.

And I just really don't wanna be married to Mark Esper.

And so I decided that the right thing to do strategically [laughs] would be to marry Wilbur Ross.

He's still alive, right? [laughs]

I think so.

Something that they could use.

That's what Wilbur Ross said of Trump back when he had his casinos and hocked to the bank.

Wilbur Ross, who became his commerce secretary, said, I pulled up to talk to him.

We were going to talk about what's going on with the bankruptcy.

And he said, there's a crowd of people and media that were there.

I have more experience than anybody in the West Wing right now negotiating with the Canadians because...

I was the guy with Wilbur Ross the day after the election that Steve Bannon helped the boss win in 2016, who was assigned to negotiate with the Canadians until Lighthizer would eventually become USTR.

I know these sons of

bitches.

But the previous the Trump Justice Department previously decided not to bring a criminal case against.

About Wilbur Ross.

And just drop that.

And the attitude was, well, that was just drop before I got here.

Because Canada basically screws America, and they've been doing it for a very, very long time, dating back to the 1990s.

Um, just as a little background, I actually have the most experience of anybody in the Trump administration negotiating with the Canadians because back when President Trump won the election in November, I was tasked with Wilbur Ross, who would become the commerce secretary, of renegotiating NAFTA, which would eventually become USMCA.

And I was frankly astonished.

I mean, I love Canada.

It's good for whoever is bringing the China stuff in in Mexico or Canada, but it's not good for the US.

So my point, John, is simple.

The simple answer to your question, USMCA was a deal that was, was well negotiated by Bob Lighthizer, myself, Donald Trump, and others in the mix, Wilbur Ross.

Uh, but when Biden took over, we, the, our government didn't pay attention.

You take the most antagonistic attitude as possible.

People end up, and no less a figure than Wilbur Ross, who was Trump's commerce secretary in his first administration, who negotiated US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement.

He says like, look, it is extremely difficult if you're a Canadian leader to make any concession to Donald Trump right now because the Canadian public hates Donald Trump.

And again, when you talk about them as the 51st state, nobody wants to make any concessions to you.