The next battlefield in national security is rapidly evolving, and Representative Don Davis of North Carolina’s 1st District is committed to ensuring America is prepared. In this electrifying episode with Fran Racioppi, Rep. Davis dissects the threats from global power players like Russia, China, and Iran. He demands a need for modernization in military and biosecurity measures to prepare America for the challenges ahead. As the 119th Congress takes center stage, Rep. Davis is laser-focused on ensuring that this isn’t just another political discussion but an urgent look at the fight for America’s future.
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Veterans are once again dominating Congress. The start of the 119th Congress has 100 Veterans across both sides of the aisle. Veterans by and large focus on teamwork and getting results.
To kick off the excitement behind the new Congress, Fran Racioppi spent a few snowy days on Capitol Hill with the members of the For Country Caucus; a bi-partisan group of House of Representative members who have each served across America’s military.
Representative Don Davis is an Air Force Academy graduate, a two term Congressman representing North Carolina’s 1st District, and the Vice Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, as well as a member of the Subcommittee on Readiness and the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces.
With the strength of American military power front and center, Fran asked Congressman Davis to explain just what the next battlefield may be, how ready the American military is to combat both terrorist organizations and near-peer nation states, as well as the role of Special Operations in the next conflict.
They also broke down the efforts of DOGE, Elon Musk and the application of the age old military sayings “slow is smooth, smooth is fast” and “speed and violence of action” gets things done.
Watch, listen or read our conversation from Congressman Davis’s office. Don’t miss our full coverage from Capitol Hill. Special thanks to For Country Caucus for setting up this series.
The Jedburgh Podcast is brought to you by University of Health & Performance, providing our Veterans world class education and training as fitness and nutrition entrepreneurs. Follow the Jedburgh Podcast and the Green Beret Foundation on social media. Listen on your favorite podcast platform, read on our website, and watch the full video version on YouTube as we show why America must continue to lead from the front, no matter the challenge.
The opinions presented on the The Jedburgh Podcast and the Jedburgh Media Channel are the opinions of guests and host Fran Racioppi. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Green Beret Foundation and the Green Beret Foundation assumes no liability for their accuracy, nor does Green Beret Foundation endorse any political candidate or any political party.
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Representative Davis, welcome to The Jedburgh Podcast.
I’m glad to be with you. Thank you.
We’re kicking off the 119th Congress. It’s a lot of years. A lot of folks have been in this building. You represent North Carolina’s 1st District, the wide portion of the state, and the Northeast part of the state, including Greenville, Rocky Mount, Wilson, Goldsboro, Henderson, and Roanoke Rapids, I’m familiar with it. Although, I was further South for a good amount of time in Fayetteville. That was my transit path.
This is your second consecutive term in Congress. You were part of the 118th Congress. You graduated from the US Air Force Academy, and spent eight years on active duty, then built a career in state government. I think that’s important. I want to talk about that in a couple of minutes. You’ve also been heralded as one of the most bipartisan members of the House of Representatives.
You serve not only the people of North Carolina but also the American people as the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Commodity Markets, Digital Assets, Rural Development, and Vice Ranking Member on the House Armed Services Committee on the Subcommittee for Readiness and also Tactical Air and Land Forces. We’re going to talk about readiness in a minute. Since the 119th Congress has kicked off, I figured we’d start there if it’s all right with you.
Let me say to you that only snow can slow Washington down. I don’t know how well it’s doing, but you are here. We’re glad to have you.
We made it, and I would argue that Washington is moving at a breakneck pace over the last couple of weeks.
Not even the snow can slow it down.
There are 100 veterans in the 119th Congress. This is the most in eight congresses. Veterans, by and large, are results-oriented people. They’re people who put teamwork and value teamwork above so much else. I don’t care what side of the aisle you sit on, but America would probably argue that we endured the longest political campaign in history, and it was divisive in a lot of ways.
America has to come together. That’s been the rallying cry from all sides. We have to find a way to come together. How are you now that the 119th has kicked off? Coming together with other veterans with this enormous number, how are you coming together to work as a cohesive unit to drive America forward?
Let me start by talking about the For Country Caucus. For Country is an incredible caucus. The members are amazing. We have over 30 members of the caucus. Those who have worn our uniform, men and women, served our country and are serving in Congress. When you look back on the 118th Congress, member-led bills. We had about 35 that were endorsed bills and of the 35, 13 became law.
This group of Democrats, Republicans, and those who have worn the uniform, when we come together, we are showing our strength. As we move forward to the 119th Congress, I believe there’s a lot that’s in the making and that’s being discussed. We’ll continue to talk about our national security. There’s so much going on around the world when we talk about Russia, the concerns of Iran, terrorists, proxy groups, and China. There’s so much that’s going on in the world. We’ll continue to be a leading voice in Congress on national security issues.
We’re going to also start looking at biosecurity and the importance of biosafety as we’ve learned so much from COVID, the commissions delivering a report. We’re looking at how we can improve. There’s always that looming conversation of modernization, modernizing the Force. We’ve always delved to some extent into veteran issues. How can we deal with those who have taken off the uniform but perhaps are serving in different ways?
I’m excited about the 119th Congress and the For Country Caucus in particular. As a co-chair, I’m leading with my friend, Representative Jake Ellzey. We’re looking forward to getting some good things done in the 119th Congress. When we think about the members of Congress who have served our nation wearing the uniform, it’s amazing that we’re seeing more former service members come and serve in Congress.
Going to the root of your question, growing up in Snow Hill, North Carolina, I cropped tobacco, making ends meet, and went on to serve our country. I graduated in ‘94 from the Air Force Academy. When I was serving as a mortuary officer and putting the last ribbons on to that member, we didn’t ask, “Are you Democratic or Republican?”
When the orders came down, we didn’t ask, “Are these democratic orders or Republican orders?” We executed the mission and I think the mission becomes our focus. As we continue to focus on mission and be mission-driven, especially the For Country Caucus members and being that example in the Congress. It’s going to make us even better as a nation and as a Congress. We’re going to move beyond that low double-digit approval rating.
I agree. It’s critically important for the nation to be able to get things done. That’s what has to happen. One of the things that we’ve seen with this administration is a lot of veterans taking key cabinet positions. We have Pete Hegseth as the Secretary of Defense. We have Mike Waltz as the National Security Advisor. Tulsi Gabbard is expected to be confirmed as the Director of National Intelligence and the vice president who was a former Marine. What do you expect out of them in those key positions and their ability to work across the aisle with Congress to get things done?
Let me say out of the group you name, I knew and know Mike Waltz personally having served on the Armed Services Committee. Mike is a true American. Not only has he worn the uniform, but in my experiences working with him, he has always tried to do what’s best for the American people. It’s good to see people like him excel to go on with the administration. The unfortunate side of that is it pulls them out of Congress. In a selfish way, I have been able to work with Tim to tackle some of our tough issues. We’re working in a different light.
My expectation would be of anyone who has worn the uniform and is now serving on the cabinet, you remember taking your oath of office. If you served the career over time, you took many of them. The fundamental basis of that oath is to protect the Constitution. I would expect everyone to be all-in to protect the Constitution of the United States. I would expect everyone to wake up every single day and ask themselves the question, “How can I make sure we’re doing everything to keep the American people safe?”
That’s the job. I want to get into your Military career because you brought up a little bit of it. You went to the Air Force Academy. We won’t hold it against you as an Air Force officer. We need those out there. It’s an important part of what we’re doing.
We came from the Army.
That’s true. It was the Army Air Corps. At the end of the day, you’re an Army guy, but you served eight years on active duty. You had a pretty cool job running the operations center for Air Force One. That’s got to be incredible. Talk for a second about growing up in North Carolina and thinking, “I want to go in the Air Force. That’s something that would be impactful to my life and my career.” Why?
I was born in downtown Snow Hill. It’s a small town and small community. Everybody knows each other. I worked in tobacco fields just helping the family make ends meet. We didn’t think anything about it. It was hard work, dedication, and love for the community and country. I was raised by my grandmother. Those were basic things that were instilled in me at a young age.
As I began to think about the future, I wanted to serve our country, so I applied for the United States Air Force Academy. I went on to attend the United States Air Force Academy and graduated in 1994. After that, I stayed for a year in the admissions office. My first assignment out of all places was Joint Base Andrews Air Force in the Washington area on the Maryland side.
My career field was a services officer. I worked and did special duty assignments. You were talking about the protocol. I served as a protocol officer overseeing Air Force One and not only that but the different heads of state coming in and out of the US. I engaged in many of the ceremonies that we saw, whether we were doing a red carpet or we were giving tribute to someone who had passed. A military member that may have died or was killed. It was interesting work. I had an opportunity to engage with families.
I’m being candid with you. It wasn’t what I thought I would be doing but I learned so much having done it. That’s the thing about the Military that I appreciate so much, salute smartly and give the orders and the direction, carry on, and do the best you can. In one case, we had an A-10 that went down the Eastern shore. I led a search and rescue team that eventually became a recovery effort. I was engaging with the mother. I still remember and have so many of those experiences that helped to shape me and my leadership.
I went on to East Carolina University, serving as an Assistant Professor of Aerospace Studies. I served as commandant of cadets there and taught Military history and national security affairs. The thing about that assignment, what I think is most important, going back to Eastern North Carolina. It was an opportunity to shape future leaders.
To think that so many of my former students are over at the Pentagon and doing amazing things. For me, it’s so fulfilling to see how we can shape and make a difference in our society. I believe it’s an obligation that we have not just to wear the uniform, but once you even get to the point at different times to take it off, continue to look at ways to make meaningful contributions.
When you took the uniform off, you went into state government. There’s an interesting conversation. I had this conversation with somebody. We were talking about the difference in the value, the pros and cons of when you take the uniform off. If you decide to pursue a career in elected service, do you go directly into the House or the Senate? What does that path look like? Does it make sense to gain experience and try to come up through state government, understand how government works at the state level, and then try to cross over to the federal side? Talk for a second about your decision to enter state politics, be there for a while, gain that experience, and then come into the federal side.
I moved back to Snow Hill, my hometown. I took the uniform off on the last day of filing for mayor of my hometown. I put my suit and tie on. I was at my home church. I came out and announced I was filing for mayor on the last day of filing for mayor. We were running against an incumbent. You know the odds are so much against you. We went to work, and by the time it was over, we won that election with 63% of the votes.
Let me share what life was like for me in my experience. I moved back to Snow Hill, but I remember as a child, we liked riding our bikes. We did WWE and all kinds of things pretending things the kids would do. There was a hill in the neighborhood and we would like to take the bikes and jump the hill. Long story short, you couldn’t take a direct path to that hill because there was a pothole in the road.
I came back in my adult life and the pothole was still there. I thought, “How many people have driven by this pothole?” It was a street, a subdivision. You walk by it and it’s done nothing. How many people have even taken the time to call in? Why is it still there? I was moved and inspired to do something, so I ran for mayor. We won and we had to fill that pothole.
It was the first order of business.
I was like, “We got to take care of that pothole.”
Did you have an executive order? Was that the first executive order, to fill the pothole?
Let me share. There are so many potholes that are still out there. When we look at rural America and places like Eastern North Carolina. There are so many challenges out there. When we look at our country, there are still potholes that people are craving to be filled. To me, that is a lot of what public service is about.
From there, I served as mayor. I was re-elected and served seven years, and stepped down because I was elected to the North Carolina Senate. I served twelve years in the State Senate. From there, I ran for House, as you mentioned I’m on my second term. I shared it all to say that coming from local government or State Government to Federal Government provided so much perspective. Those lessons and experiences stayed with me.
Being the mayor, it was about filling the potholes, keeping the lights on and the water going, responding to issues, emptying the trash, and making sure everything was taken care of. Guess what? I’m going to continue to say this, people reached out to the mayor. Everybody knew each other in the small town. They reached out when they had concerns. It wasn’t, “Is he a Democrat or Republican?” It was, “I have a concern that I wanted to address.”
I’m saying all this to say that’s what mayors do. It didn’t matter. As a matter of fact, sometimes they know I’m on the phone, it would continue to ring at all times. For me, it is that level of service. It’s about coming to Congress, bringing those experiences, and understanding what state legislators are perhaps experiencing. I remember even the time in the State Senate. We couldn’t do everything alone. We had to rely on and coordinate with the federal government on issues. Having that perspective, I believe, is so valuable coming to Congress. Not every member has that perspective, but it is a great perspective to have.
There’s something said about what we call effective intelligence, which is the term we use in the assessment of Special Operators. It is that you gain something from the experiences of your past. We’re all a byproduct of our experience in our past. The more that you understand about things, which is not always the longer you are on earth but sometimes the more experiences you have, then that helps you to shape your opinions in the future.
That has been the case. I see a lot of issues that we are discussing. In some shape or form, we may have had similar conversations, if not exact conversations at the state level. It was a great experience. I wouldn’t shy away from. At the same time, it makes for a larger learning curve for someone who may not have that experience. It doesn’t mean that they cannot come and serve honorably. I value those experiences of serving at the local and state levels.
I want to talk about national security. The top line issue is you serve as the Vice Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and you’re on the Subcommittee on Readiness and also the Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces. We had the opportunity to come down to DC and sit down with the former Sergeant Major of the Army, Dan Dailey, who also happened to be my first command sergeant major in my first battalion when I was in the infantry. That was a great conversation. We were reminiscent of history, going to Iraq, and how things have changed.
Let me say it again, I always thank you for your service. For those who are reading, we can never take for granted your service and your contributions.
Thank you. You forged the path. We came behind you. We talked about readiness and defined readiness. The army defines readiness as the ability to defeat, deny, or deter hybrid near-peer threats and meet operational demand requirements. Congress defines readiness as the ability of Military forces to fight and meet the demands of assigned missions. Readiness by doctrine has four pillars, manning, training, equipping, and leader development. As you sit on the subcommittee for readiness, how are you defining readiness?
I believe the most simplistic way of defining readiness is when there is a mission and a call then to respond to that mission, are we capable? When you begin to look beyond and stretch that out, it has so many components. You are concerned about the troops and personnel. You are concerned about equipment. You have to deploy equipment as well.
There are so many different parts of this. If you then step back, even in a broader context when we think about readiness, you can’t have a conversation without talking about recruitment, retention, and quality of life. That’s part of that. It is making sure that you have the equipment that is necessary. When we talk about modernization, how do we balance all of this? I can go from the most simplistic terms to what it means for the day-to-day. I believe it is such a broad concept, but at the end of the day, it comes back to our ability to successfully respond to keep the American people safe. That’s the bottom line.
I like how you used the word respond because oftentimes, people will say react but react is a failure of preparation. Responding is when we think proactively about the situation that we’re going to encounter and we prepare, which is readiness. We’ve spent twenty-plus years fighting what we termed the Global War on Terror since 9/11. We had this fighting spirit across the military for so long. Yet, over the past few years, recruiting has gone down to near-all-time lows.
We have an entire generation of Global War on Terror veterans who are getting out. Not for the sheer reason that it has been twenty years. The military is a pyramid like all organizations. You move up or you move out. At the end of twenty years, every year, there’s going to be less of the GWOT generation left. The image in a lot of ways of our military has also been a bit softer and a bit kinder than it was if you think back to the post-9/11 days or invasion of Iraq days where it was hard-charging. What is the next conflict in your mind that we are preparing for?
When we look across the globe, we have to be concerned about Iran and proxies. We’ve seen Hamas terrorists. I was in Israel in August 2023 prior to October 7th. I was down at the Gaza border. As a matter of fact, I remember I was taking a picture and later seeing Hamas terrorists in the same area, Kfar Aza and Kibbutz.
I’m saying all this to say we have to make sure that innocent civilians are kept safe and that we guard against terrorists and terrorism. In fact, I believe if we’re not careful or if we fail to do it, then we’ll find ourselves even more having to fight terrorists and terrorism right on American soil. It goes beyond Iran and proxies, whether it’s Hamas, Hezbollah, or the Houthis. We see that movement. When we talk about Russia and Putin’s aggression, we have to always be mindful there.
Shifting, we all know that China is a great threat that we have to be concerned about. Not only China but when we speak into the terms of China, it changes the landscape. I see our modern or contemporary battlefield being tied to our economy. Looking at the global economy as well as technology, it’s quickly shifting. As we see more innovations, it is important for us to make sure that we stay on top of those innovations. I’ve traveled to Kyiv, Ukraine. We have to always look at how technology is influencing our ability to respond.
There’s a lot going on. This is a dangerous world. There are threats out there. We’re going to continue to do everything we can on the earth with God’s help to keep the American people safe as the priority. We can come up here and do all this fussing and fighting. This is a polarized environment, but fundamentally, we have to keep the American people safe. That is a charge of mine and many members of the For Country Caucus.
When you talk about China, it’s very interesting you brought up that we have to broaden our definition of conflict. Being from a military background and being on the Armed Services Committee, you always tend to think about conflict in terms of bombs and bullets. It’s like, “We got to be in a war. We got to fight.” We have to define what is the battlefield that we’re on with China because the battlefield that we’re on with China is not the battlefield that we’re on with ISIS.
It is dealing with our economies and information. It is a very complex battlefield. It’s a different battlefield.
I had an opportunity several years ago to interview a former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich.
We saw him at the inauguration.
He’s still on TV every day. We had the opportunity to talk about DIME, the doctrinal term for Diplomatic, Informational, Military, and Economic levers that get pulled by governments to influence the elements of national power. It’s so important to contextualize the battle that we are in. I’ll ask you this question. What does it take to have a military conflict with China?
I’ll put it this way. We have to always make sure that we’re looking at every scenario under the sun, even troops and equipment. We would not be wise to not look at the context, in particular when we talk about the economy and the interconnectivity of our economies. What it comes down to is how you then take the most strategic approaches, balance approaches and make sure we’re very vigilant but unyielding at the same time, maintaining that American spirit. It is dynamic.
There’s a lot of conversation that’s been had over the last couple of years as different leaders within the national security infrastructure have come and testified before Congress. They’ll tell you the red lights are blinking. We are closer to another 9/11 than we are removed from 9/11 itself, and there are still terrorist organizations that are out there. A lot of folks, especially from the Special Forces community have called the situation with the withdrawal from Afghanistan a moral injury. They’ve accredited the resurgence of Al-Qaeda coming out of Afghanistan to the withdrawal from there several years ago.
Terrorism is a difficult challenge. We’ve fought a counter-terrorism for twenty-plus years. It comes down to intelligence and information. We have to be so much more proactive in understanding what’s happening with our adversaries. Sometimes, we don’t know who those adversaries are. What’s your assessment? When we look at the threats between a broader dying conflict with China or an actual potential victim of a terrorist attack, what’s your assessment of our terrorist adversaries’ capabilities within the United States or their willingness to target us?
Clearly, there’s a willingness to target us. We keep seeing whether they’re a lone wolf or people through information, whether it’s the internet, feeling somehow sympathetic to causes. Iran has been very active in getting weapons training. We didn’t get to October 7th, 2023 overnight. That was a process. It was very well-orchestrated and organized. You could see it in Gaza in terms of their capabilities, the rockets, and so forth.
We can never take it lightly. We cannot rest on our laurels that they will not attempt other attacks on the American people, whether it’s here or abroad. That’s part of the task that we have upon us as members of Congress to make sure that we’re attuned, we’re listening, that we have good intelligence as well, and that we’re doing everything with that information to keep the American people safe.
In your role on the Armed Services Committee, you have a firsthand view and decision-making into the presence of our Special Operations Forces and also into the integration of our Special Operations Forces with our conventional forces. A lot of focus has been put over the last couple of years on building up our conventional forces, investment in the Navy, Air Force and long-range strike capability, and rightfully so, in long-range artillery that has been used extensively in the Ukraine conflict that we’ve supplied to Ukraine to fight the Russians. We understand that in a near-peer or peer-to-peer conflict, those types of assets are going to be critical in our deep strike capability.
However, our Special Forces’ job is to prevent nation-state-on-nation-state conflict. They operate what we call and have termed left of bang left of conflict. Sergeant Major Weimer, the Sergeant Major of the Army, told me, “The Special Forces’ goal is to keep the term near in front of peer for as long as possible.” How is Congress looking at Special Operations Forces and the utilization of them as they prepare and get ready for the next conflict?
What I think is most important when we talk and think about our Special Forces is to continue to make sure that there is that level of coordination and collaboration taking place to make it easier to perhaps even engage within our units. Where I’m hitting is we have to make sure that they have the resources they need to be able to respond. There’s a lot of activity across the globe. I believe we’re going to increasingly rely upon our Special Forces to play critical roles across the globe. It is important. For me, one of the greater concerns is making sure they have the resources they need to respond to those global threats.
Do you think we’re ready?
I’ll put it this way. I feel very confident that we are still the world’s leading force. That does not mean that we are perfect and there are no opportunities for us to continue to grow and realize efficiencies but don’t hold that against America. We are ready to keep the American people safe.
We would be remiss if we didn’t discuss the rapid change that has been going on here in Washington and across the country as the Trump administration has taken power and solidified their base. President Trump has signed close to 60 executive orders ranging in everything from tariffs to pausing foreign aid, illegal immigration, bans on transgender people serving in the military, various medical care issues, and Super Bowl Sunday. The Gulf of Mexico has been renamed the Gulf of America. We have Gulf of America Day on February 9th.
There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that when President Trump took office, he would shake the tree. I’m not sure that everybody thought the tree would be shaken so violently. If you remember from our days in the military, we said that slow is smooth and smooth is fast. We also know from our days in the military that speed and violence of action get things done. What’s your perspective on the Trump administration’s rapid action across the board?
Let me ask a question. I’m going to ask you.
I like being in the hot zone.
There’s been a lot coming during a short, narrow window here. I will convey what I hear from constituents. I hear some who want and feel that we need to shake up the government. There are some that maybe don’t embrace the entire magnitude of the shake-up, so to speak. There are those in another spectrum that’s afraid. They’re like, “How far will this go?”
There are mixed reviews as we look at this. With immigration, I’ve traveled to the border and we need to secure the border. We have an amazing fentanyl crisis that has taken place before our very eyes. I think of the screening that we’re doing of less than 5% or so. These illicit drugs make it to distribution points, private vehicles, interstates, and then communities. It is deadly dangerous.
When we think about the border and the illicit drugs that are making it into communities across America, vehicles will come into distribution points, private vehicles, interstates, and then communities. This is not just a border-state issue. It’s all of ours. At the same time, I must admit I would’ve never in my wildest imagination thought we would even talk about using US troops and eventually setting up resorts in Gaza or as a person born in America would no longer be an American citizen. There are mixed reviews.
What I would come back to is when I look at my election in the 1st District of North Carolina, this is a Trump-Davis district. I’m sharing this to say the only mandate that I believe is out there, e~ven with the trifecta and the narrow majority in the House, the mandate is to come to Washington, DC, do everything you can to speak up for your constituents, and be a voice for them in those conversations at dinner tables and at church with people across the community. Be a strong voice to speak up, advocate, and share what’s taking place. At the end of the day, it is trying to make life better in communities.
For me, it is important not to lose sight. There were people hurting and struggling. Costs were high for so many, not quite understanding how they’d make ends meet or how they would eat, especially for some at the end of the month. Those issues did not go away because we held an election. Those issues are still there. There are still people who are struggling to make it. In Eastern North Carolina, our economy remains sluggish. People are always looking, “How do we get paying jobs in the area?” They’re looking for opportunities to realize the American dream.
I believe it’s important for us to make sure the voices are heard and we’re engaging in a way to say, “There’s hope.” In other words, I believe we should be bridges. Look at how we can bring people together to bring them along with us. I believe that’s part of leadership, and that’s what I’ve tried to do and will continue to do.
I also believe it is meeting people where they are. It is not expecting them to change who they are but meeting them where they are to understand their experiences. We have that obligation. That’s my commitment. In the midst of all this that’s going on, not to lose sight and to be a uniter and bring people together for the greater good of our country. We are the United States of America.
What we take from our military service is that character matters above all else and the strength of a person’s character is what perseveres in the good times and the bad times. Regardless of what side of the aisle you sit on and where your opinions lie, my hope is that America will come back to putting people in place who are people of character regardless of what their background is. They trust them. Those people are going to do the right thing no matter the challenge.
I believe it matters that people have a sense of a person who is fighting for them. That doesn’t mean anyone is going to agree 100% of the time, but they want to know that you care and that you’re in the fight to help them live a better life for not only them but most importantly for our children.
I got to get you back to work. You got a busy day. There are a couple of hours left here. You have about eight more hours left in the workday before the new one starts. I appreciate you spending time with us here, sharing your perspective, and, most importantly, leading for the people of North Carolina and for the American people.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.