Byron Donalds' Defense Of Trump Tariffs Elicits Jeers And Anger At Town Hall

Forbes Breaking News

At a town hall event on Monday, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) was asked about green energy and tariffs.

Transcript

00:00C.R. McClinton? C.R. McClinton? C.R.

00:04There we go. C.R.

00:06As an engineer and proud of Florida, scaling up utility grid solar.

00:11It's technically a cost effective move given our solar capacity,

00:15but recent federal tariffs and critical components like Inverters and Transformers are a rule of concern.

00:21These are luxury items that are according to the grid stability and solar integration.

00:26The costs go up, the supply chain will slow down, risk delays, reliability issues, and higher rates right here in Florida.

00:33I ask you to advocate for targeted tariff relief so we can keep building modern resilient grid without penalizing taxpayers.

00:46C.R. So first I'm going to talk to tariffs at large and then I'll talk about the solar panel aspects of the overall grid for me.

00:55And actually some of the things that we have to prepare going forward in our state.

01:01Number one, I think the President's path with the Brexit tariffs is about resetting the relationship of global trade.

01:08That's, I agree with you, my opinion.

01:12So, I'm going to talk to you, because everybody has an opinion.

01:14My view of the President's agenda is to reset the global balance of trade.

01:19For the last 70 years in the world, other countries have built their economies based upon the back of the American economy.

01:27We have lost manufacturing in the United States to other countries.

01:31And I did not agree with multinational group manufacturing offshore.

01:35I did not agree with that.

01:36But they did that because we allowed for lapsed trade policies.

01:40And even worse, we didn't even enforce the trade agreements we have.

01:44We would let other nations abuse it, cheat it, etc.

01:48And I don't agree with that.

01:50So what the President is doing when it comes to trade writ large,

01:53is he is trying to reset the balance in global trade to make sure America is on an even plane field.

01:59And that's somebody, and that's somebody who does know to do free trade.

02:03I believe in free trade.

02:05But I would ask everybody in the room, can you have free trade if the party on the other side is not playing fair?

02:13You cannot have free trade.

02:15So I think in the room right now, the task is important to reset the balance of global trade.

02:20Now, specific to solar panels.

02:22My concern with solar panels is in part the panels themselves,

02:26but then also the batteries, the battery space and battery capacity,

02:30you have to bring in order for these solar arrays to be able to work and retain power.

02:35That is a fact.

02:36And so what's happening right now, in our state,

02:39is because a lot of more traditional power generation has been,

02:44I want to say marginalized by the regulatory environment.

02:49I'm talking about coal, clean coal, oil, gas, nuclear, nuclear, nuclear.

02:55Are we allowed to talk about all the forms of power generation, or is that good to you?

03:00I'm just trying to ask.

03:02Can we have an intellectually honest conversation about power generation?

03:12Power generation is not Republican or Democrat folks.

03:16Power generation is not liberal or conservative.

03:20Power generation is power generation.

03:22And we need base load power, not just in Florida, but in the United States,

03:27if we're to keep pace with China and every other nation on the planet.

03:31That's a fact.

03:33Let's talk about power generation for a moment.

03:36The Chinese are not building solar panels.

03:39The Chinese are building nuclear reactors, and they're building coal-fired power plants.

03:45That's what they're doing.

03:48The French, our friends in France, are not building solar panels.

03:53They go back to nuclear reactors.

03:56That's what the French have gone back to.

03:59That's what they are friends in Germany.

04:01The Germans are going back to that gas and nuclear power.

04:05Because what they've realized is solar arrays, to the point of your question,

04:09does not provide enough base load power for what people need.

04:14That is the truth.

04:15Especially when you factor in the fact that we have AI on the horizon.

04:21Server farms are here.

04:24Data centers are here.

04:26Cryptocurrency digital assets are on the way.

04:29You need base load power.

04:31This serves to your question about solar.

04:33My concern with solar.

04:35My concern with solar.

04:36Is that it doesn't provide enough base load power for the future of Florida's needs.

04:41That is my concern.

04:42Secondarily, when you look at the life cycle of solar.

04:46From mining to when you have to get rid of the panels and you bury them in landfills.

04:54Is that because a solar panel of solar doesn't last forever.

04:58It doesn't last forever, sir.

05:01Do you act, sir?

05:02Relax now.

05:03I indulged you earlier, sir.

05:05Relax.

05:06I'm trying to answer the question.

05:08Now.

05:09The issue with solar is, when you take into account the entire life cycle.

05:14It is dirtier than nuclear power.

05:17That is a fact.

05:19It is dirtier than nuclear power.

05:22If you were going to ask me why I think the future of Florida's grid, or quite frankly,

05:26the grid of the United States, it is with small modular reactors, micro reactors, and

05:31new reactors to create a much deeper bench of basal power for the United States.

05:36And for people who are concerned about nuclear waste, because I know there are people who

05:39are concerned about nuclear waste.

05:41The new technology in reactors, in small modular reactors, allows you to go into the upper

05:48mountain, and to go into the other repositories we have, around spent nuclear fuel rods, and

05:54you can re-enrich those rods and use them in reactors.

05:58You are essentially recycling old nuclear, old nuclear fuel rods, using them for energy

06:03generation today.

06:04That is a lift now.

06:05That is a lift now.

06:06That is a lift now.

06:07So, for short, my concerns with solar arrays are, when you take into account the mining of

06:11the necessary elements for batteries, and the panels themselves, coupled with the actual

06:13generation of solar.

06:14If your desire is to save the planet, and you think that climate change must be solved,

06:29I will tell you that that is pretty clear.

06:31We should be moving to nuclear in a way for solar.

06:35Oh, my gosh.

06:36Thank you, you.

06:38I want to make this like Catherine Poe.

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