What a perfect lead-in to Mother’s Day! The great Fox News Radio host where my mom lives—Richmond, Virginia—invited me on for a longer show, which gives me the bonus of an extra trip to see her. After that interview, I visited Wellborn Cabinet Inc. (pictured), one of the largest U.S. furniture manufacturers, and also had the joy of spending time with the three of my daughters—each now a mother themselves—including one who just had her first child.

Still, I made it back to Wisconsin by Saturday night to be with my wonderful wife, the incredible mother of our nine children, for the day itself. I hope your Mother’s Day is meaningful too—whether you’re with your mom, calling her, or maybe asking her to put in a good word for you upstairs. And as we’re reminded in John 2:5—do whatever she tells you!

Top Highlights the 3 days leading up to Mother’s Day:

• Family Business CEOs: Meetings with leaders of major manufacturing and infrastructure companies employing thousands
• Tariff Strategy: Trump-era tariffs are short-term moves to counteract long-term trade imbalances—U.S. goods faced tariffs 5x higher than those it imposed
• Fox News & WRVA: Featured in national and local media, including a standout WRVA interview in Virginia with Rich Herrera, leading to a longer visit to Virginia
• “51st State” Commentary: Trump’s swipe at Trudeau, reflecting Trudeau’s 22% favorable / 74% unfavorable marks in Canada – but respectful of Mark Carney
• Deep Roots & Future Impact: Pudner’s southern tour builds on years spent living in both Virginia and Alabama running campaigns as both states flipped from blue to red

John Pudner, President of both the Wisconsin Faith and Freedom Coalition and the nationally-focused Freedom and Family Action, took to the airwaves during a southern tour that included stops in states where he previously lived and while there helped flip legislatures from blue to red—Alabama and Virginia.

Family Business CEOs: Along the way, he met with CEOs of some of the most successful multi-generational family companies involved in infrastructure and manufacturing, from bridges to cabinetry. As part of a growing media presence that has included major national appearances, this particular interview with WRVA in Richmond stood out as it concluded with an invitation for a deeper, in-studio follow-up conversation later this month.

“51st State” Commentary: Pudner pressed themes including his belief that Trump’s references to Canada becoming the 51st state were more of a personal brushback of Justin Trudeau, who was criticizing the U.S. as one of the most unpopular elected leaders in history, with a 22% favorable / 74% unfavorable rating in a country with an economy one-tenth the size of the U.S. Trump clearly saw much more in common with his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney—who like Trump came from way behind to win his election and has successfully run large business efforts.

In Ashland, AL (pictured), Pudner met with long-time friend Paul Wellborn and other leaders of Wellborn Cabinet Inc. — one of four U.S. cabinet makers employing more than 1,300 employees—to better understand how combatting Chinese dumping with tariffs could lead to more excellent U.S. jobs. The other three cabinet makers of that size are Masco Corporation (Livonia, MI); American Woodmark Corporation (Winchester, VA); and Elkay Wood Products (Oak Brook, IL).

Tariff Strategy: Prior to Trump’s first term, the average tariff on U.S. goods from the 8 biggest trading partners (Brazil, Canada, China, European Union, India, Japan, Mexico, and South Korea) was over five times as high as the tariffs charged by the U.S. on goods coming from those countries. This data comes from the World Trade Organization and the World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) Database.

Those who oppose tariffs often point to the immediate negative impact on the economy, but Trump and his defenders argue that short-term counter-tariffs are a way to lower long-term tariffs on American exports—a bit like the phrase from This Means War (2012): “Pain is weakness leaving the body.” If the end result of lower tariffs on the US is the result of the US temporarily increasing tariffs on other countries to make them cut a deal, then short-term pain will lead to long-term gain.

Infrastructure Investment: Pudner also met with Ike Scott of the expanding Scott Bridge Company in Opelika, AL, which employs hundreds of Southerners—similar to the even larger Michels Corporation in Pudner’s home state of Wisconsin, which employs thousands in infrastructure. These conversations underscore the vital role America’s rebuilding efforts, alongside national hubs like Omaha, Nebraska, home to Union Pacific and Kiewit Corporation.

Deep Roots & Future Impact: While our current team continues building a national presence in the lead-up to the presidential election, we also celebrate our deep roots. The foundation laid by Tony Nasvik, the original leader of a Wisconsin Faith & Freedom (now with our allies at Faith Wins), still holds the record for this most-viewed interview (454,000 views) as he brought presidential candidates to Wisconsin. Just as Pudner was an early guest on Steve Hilton’s The Next Revolution on Fox News, it was an honor to be among the first political voices featured on Rich Herrera’s new show on WRVA, following his long broadcast career on CBS Radio and Fox Sports that included hosting shows from Miami to Los Angeles. We will be proud to visit Richmond again in the next couple of weeks to meet with Herrera for a longer interview and for other meetings – and here is a lightly edited transcript of last week’s interview..

Fox Interview Excerpt: Trump, Tariffs & Canadian Politics

WRVA NewsRadio Richmond, VA

Rich Herrera: Joining us now is John Pudner. He’s the president of Freedom and Family Action. He worked for George Bush in 2000, and Richmonders know him for growing up here and returning to run the campaign for Dave Brat’s defeat of Majority Leader Eric Cantor. John, good morning.

Pudner: Always good to be back in Richmond—even virtually.

Herrera: Let’s talk Trump and Canada. What kind of friendship do we really have with them? You have great friends who help you move, then other friends who ask you to pick things up for them when you are out – where does Canada fall?

Pudner: “51st State” Commentary: I think the “51st state” comment was mostly aimed at Trudeau, not all of Canada. Trudeau tried to position himself as Trump’s equal as he was critical of the US, but with an economy 1/10th the size and 22% approval and 74% unfavorable mark at home, it didn’t hold. Meanwhile, Trump found more in common with Mark Carney, as both won come-from-behind political victories and have successfully run large businesses.

Herrera: Is the economic relationship with Canada fair?

Pudner: Tariff Strategy: It’s not balanced. Canada enjoys proximity to the world’s biggest consumer base, but has to pull its weight militarily and economically. Trump’s strategy is about fairness. 

Herrera: You said “America First.” What does that mean to you?

Pudner: To me, it’s about patriotism and taking care of our people. The U.S. has sacrificed and led globally. We should be proud of that. If someone thinks another country is better, they’re free to move. But I think we need to return to patriotism.

Herrera: Let’s talk Virginia. What’s coming?

Pudner: Deep Roots & Future Impact: I’ve already defended John Reid, who I think would be great on a ticket. Virginia’s elections are always tight and exciting. With the White House party usually losing 26 House seats, and the fact that in Virginia the party that wins the White House has a tougher time winning the Gubernatorial election the next year make it tougher for Republicans the next year – so they have a fight despite the fact that the Democratic Party is unpopular now.

Herrera: Will you come back on to talk campaigns and strategy? I would love to set up a longer interview where you run through how the whole campaign process plays out.

Pudner: Absolutely. Let’s set it up—I will come to Richmond the next couple of weeks and swing by the studio between other meetings or call in again. Thanks for having me.