Tennessee State Representative Jake McCalmon (R-Franklin) said the Volunteer State is “fighting an uphill battle” against the Biden administration on “multiple” fronts due to the administration’s “failed policies.”
McCalmon, who was elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2022, said Tennessee is forced to mitigate issues stemming directly from policies implemented by the Biden administration, specifically citing the effects of illegal immigration – including human trafficking and illegal drugs.
“We do have to contend with the failed policies of the Biden administration. Where we find ourselves as a state is having to legislate to mitigate the issues. There is a gaping U. S. southern border. Human trafficking is tied to it, the fentanyl crisis…We as a state of Tennessee have to fight that uphill battle against the Biden administration and I truly believe that when we have the Trump administration back in office that our jobs will become much, much easier,” McCalmon said on Wednesday’s edition of The Michael Patrick Leahy Show.
McCalmon went on to tout the Tennessee General Assembly’s passing of multiple bills aimed at combating human trafficking and its support for Tennessee National Guard troops being deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border to assist with border security efforts.
“We’ve done a lot, and obviously, there’s still more we can be doing, and I’m looking forward to getting back to work on that come this January,” McCalmon said.
McCalmon also commended the General Assembly’s work to pass the largest business tax cut in state’s history and other anti-crime bills, including a bill signed into law by Governor Bill Lee that permits prosecutors to pursue the death penalty for child rapists.
“If D.C. had more Tennessee, the country would be in a heck of a lot better position,” McCalmon said.
When asked by guest host Aaron Gulbransen why he supports former President Donald Trump, McCalmon said his support for the former president stems from the former president’s policies, which he described as “total opposite” when compared to the Biden administration’s policies.
McCalmon attended the Republican National Convention last week as an alternate delegate supporting Trump, who officially accepted the GOP’s 2024 presidential nomination.
“For me, it comes down to policy. You’ve got four years of Trump’s record of prosperity and safety and security and no new wars, which was phenomenal, and you’ve got the past three and a half years of the total opposite,” McCalmon said.
“The world’s on fire, inflation is at record highs… Going back to the words of Ronald Reagan, ‘Are we better off than we were four years ago?’ I think other than a few social elitists in San Francisco, I think the answer is a resounding no for the vast majority of Americans. I believe that President Trump is going to have a plan to come in and fix the mess that we find ourselves in right now, not just as a country but across the world as well,” McCalmon added.
Watch the full interview:
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
