03.05.25

Thune Joins Martha MacCallum on Fox News

“And I think that the Democrats, they’re clinging to this sort of ideological view that they have, and it’s completely out of step with the American people, and frankly, it’s completely out of step with what is just basic common sense.”

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WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) today joined Martha MacCallum on Fox News.

On the Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act:

“I said this the other day: I’ve never seen a quicker abandonment of something that Democrats used to say they supported than their undermining of Title IX. And to me, it’s mind-blowing to think that something that is an 80 percent issue with the American people – and frankly, just a matter of common sense. I mean, having boys playing girls’ sports is not safe, it’s not fair. There is no level playing field then when it comes to women in sports, and it’s just flat wrong. And I think that the Democrats, they’re clinging to this sort of ideological view that they have, and it’s completely out of step with the American people, and frankly, it’s completely out of step with what is just basic common sense.”

On tariffs:

“What I’ve said is, and [President Trump] talked about reciprocal tariffs, and that we ought to be treated fairly, and I don’t disagree with that. I do know, as somebody who represents an agricultural state, how dependent we are upon export markets, and so I think as we think through these things, you’ve got to think through the implications and the impacts that ultimately tariffs are going to have on certain sectors of the economy. And, you know, you take a state like South Dakota, a huge amount of our exporting is to Canada or Mexico, and a huge amount of our importing is from Canada and Mexico. And so obviously we’re going to pay attention to that, and we want to ensure, as they go about this, they do it the right way.

“In my view, and I’ve said this before, I think this is a specific purpose he’s trying to accomplish. He’s trying to stop the flow of fentanyl into this country, and to get our two neighboring countries, Canada and Mexico, more engaged in helping stop it. And then, for that reason, I hope this is a temporary thing.”

On DOGE:

“[A]t the end of the day, what DOGE is doing is long overdue – I’ve said this before. We need this kind of a scrub of the federal government, and it does need to be updated, [and it] does need to be modernized. It needs to be made more efficient, and it needs to cost less. And I think that’s what the American people are demanding. That’s what this is designed to do.”