State Sen. Brent Taylor of Eads, endorsed by President Donald Trump for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District, joined host Eric Barnes and Daily Memphian reporter Bill Dries this week on WKNO-TV’s “Behind the Headlines.” The Republican nominee discussed his views on immigration, affordability, the Iran war, Congress’ role in government, and the Trump Administration.
When asked how his views differ from Trump’s, Taylor said he does not necessarily disagree with the president, but would like to see the war with Iran brought to an end sooner rather than later. At the same time, he said U.S. efforts should continue until Iran’s nuclear capability has been eliminated.
“Whatever the cost is to ensure that they don't have a nuclear weapon will be far less than if they have a nuclear weapon,” Taylor said. “And, there is no better way to keep America safe than to ensure that Iran does not have a nuclear weapon.”
When Dries asked whether Congress should use its oversight power when it comes to the war with Iran, Taylor responded that while that falls within Congress’ authority, there are other issues lawmakers need to address.
Taylor argued that Congress has increasingly delegated its policymaking responsibilities to presidential administrations and regulatory agencies instead of passing legislation. He emphasized that Congress needs to "get back to legislating," especially on matters related to attracting more companies and business to the United States.
Much of the conversation also focused on immigration and affordability. Taylor acknowledged concerns about rising costs for groceries, gasoline, and housing. He argued that illegal immigration has contributed to higher housing costs and lower wages. Taylor suggested that the country should remove individuals who are in the U.S. illegally, while temporarily pausing legal immigration.
“We need to have a pause on legal immigration to allow those that are here legally time to assimilate and become Americans,” Taylor said.
Taylor also defended the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement efforts. When asked whether enforcement by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has gone too far in some cases, Taylor said cooperation between local and federal law enforcement could reduce confrontations.
"The reason those shootings happened up in Minnesota was because the illegal aliens, when they're arrested on other charges, they're let right back out rather than having ICE come to the jail facility where they can take the person into custody safely. The local law enforcement was releasing them right back out into the community, so ICE has to then go track them down in a public setting, and that's where you increase the danger."
Taylor also expressed his support for ending birthright citizenship, including through a constitutional amendment if necessary. He mentioned that the United States is the only country that automatically grants citizenship to anyone born within its borders.
"We cannot continue what we're doing," he said. "We're gonna lose our nation if we don't do something about immigration. I mean, we can't allow all of South and Central America just to flood our borders and come here. We can't afford that. And it harms Americans, and it harms Tennesseans. And that's why I support the president's effort on immigration."
On other issues involving the Trump administration, Taylor said he supports the release of files related to Jeffrey Epstein. He also defended Trump’s pardons of people convicted in connection with the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, saying, “The reason they were pardoned is because they didn't receive due process.”
When Barnes asked whether Trump lost the 2020 presidential election, Taylor did not directly say that Joe Biden won. Instead, he said he believed there were “irregularities” in the election and described Biden’s vote total as “shady.”
Taylor will face Democratic state Rep. Justin J. Pearson and independent candidates Dennis Jeffrey Clark and Michelle Head in the Nov. 3 general election for Tennessee’s 9th Congressional District. Early voting runs from Oct. 14 through Oct. 29.
