Live from Virginia Monday morning on The John Fredericks Show – weekdays on WNTW AM 820/ FM 92.7 – Richmond, WJFN FM 100.5 – Central Virginia, WMPH AM 1010 / FM 100.1 / FM 96.9 (7-9 PM) Hampton Roads, WBRG AM 1050 / FM 105.1 – Lynchburg/Roanoke and Weekdays 6-10 am and 24/7 Stream – host Fredericks welcomed Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to the show to weigh in on the progress of overturning mask mandates for school children and encouraging parents to trust the legal process.
Fredericks: Joining us now, Governor of Virginia. Hey it’s great to even say this. You don’t have to say governor-elect or candidate you can say Governor Glenn Youngkin, Republican of Virginia, joining us now.
Governor, I really appreciate you being with us, sir, especially since I know you got a lot going on today. Thank you for your time with our listeners, sir.
Youngkin: Good morning, John great to be with you. It’s a busy day today, but I am very happy to start it with you.
Fredericks: I just want to start off by saying this: Promises made; promises kept. You know, we’re in a time, right now, where many of us are suspect about politicians that run on a platform, make promises in a campaign then get there and do either nothing or the opposite or it gets on the back burner.
I really have to compliment you, governor. All the promises that you made that were staples of your campaign, you’re doing every single one of them much like Trump did when he got in or attempted to do so we appreciate that.
But I know it’s very dispiriting for a lot of us when you work really hard to get people elected that you believe in because you believe in what they say. And then they get there and they don’t do what they said.
I just want to start with that. Every promise that you’ve made on the campaign trail that mattered, every single one you’ve followed through on.
I just want to want to start with that and say that those of us in Virginia that live here and that voted for you really appreciate the intensity which you’re attempting to follow through on the promises that you made on the trail, sir. So thank you for that.
Youngkin: John, thank you. This was a statement made by Republicans, Independents, and Democrats. And we won in November. We were set to get the day one game plan moving. And starting last Saturday, right after I took my oath of office, we got moving.
11 executive actions, 59 bills moving through the House and the Senate, 25 budget amendments went in this past week, and we’re gonna make sure that we deliver on the day one game plan. That’s what we were sent here to do.
The amazing thing is that people don’t to have to worry that I’m gonna do what I said I’m gonna do. I’m gonna absolutely do what I promised I was going to do every time. And I’m not a lifelong politician.
I’m a guy that stepped up to run for office at a time when I think that Virginians needed a different kind of candidate and I’m going to be a different kind of governor I guess because I’m going to deliver on what I said I was going to do.
Fredericks: We’re going to continue to hold you to that, and hold you accountable, and that’s as you know if you you go off that trend – then we’re going to be the first ones to be critical of it as you know. And we’ve done that in the past.
But so far there’s not a single caller that’s called into my show since you’ve taken the oath of office that hasn’t been ecstatic with what you’ve done.
Let’s get to your your mask mandate, your executive order on masks saying that parents should have the right to make their own decision and masks are optional.
Yet that’s been defied now by a number of school districts. Whether it be superintendents or school boards, whatever. And we had a lot of callers earlier today trying to send their kids to school without a mask.
They don’t know what’s going to happen. You do a mandate like your predecessor did. You do a mandate and you got a number of schools that are just ignoring it giving you the New Jersey salute but you do an executive order.
What should parents do sir right now if they’re in a school district that says hey, we don’t really care what governor Youngkin says the hell with him we want masks? What do they do sir?
Youngkin: First, I want to thank all of the school systems that are recognizing the rights of parents. Is it so is it a surprise that some of these school systems, and the reality is it’s about 25 out of our 130 school systems across across Virginia who aren’t recognizing the rights of parents today.
And oh, by the way, they haven’t been recognizing the rights of parents all along. And so I’m not surprised at all to hear the these reactions from school boards that have consistently prioritized bureaucrats and politicians over the rights of parents.
By the way, John, we all know this, that parents not only have a fundamental right in Virginia to make decisions with regards to their kids education their upbringing and their care.
There is no one better better position to look after the health and well-being of their child than their parents. And so what I’m telling parents today is trust the legal process.
It’s not gonna it’s not happening as fast as I would like. We’ve asked for the Supreme Court to expedite things this week we’ll see how that goes. Trust the legal process.
Love your neighbor. This is one of these moments where I know people might want to do some things that that make a strong statement. Just love your neighbor. It’s day number one. Day number one, call. And then and finally, listen to your principal.
And it may not be exactly what you want to hear today but keep your kid in school that’s really important. And the legal process will sort this out because parents have this fundamental right in Virginia. It is in code.
This will be decided in the favor of parents. It’s just going to take a little time. Be patient. We’re going to get this done because I’m not going to stop fighting for the rights of parents to make these decisions for their kids.
Fredericks: I just said House of Delegates member Tim Anderson a lawyer who said that this is likely not going to get decided until after Siobhan Dunnavant’s bill a sun sets in august.
He didn’t think that any court decision would be made until the school year was over. If that’s the case is there anything else that you can do? Can you lay down the hammer? What are the options, sir?
Youngkin: We’re going to continue to press in the court system as as aggressively as we can. And I think this is one of these clear moments where we’re going to we’re going to request continuously as the attorney general did last week for an expedited ruling on all of these issues so that we can have clarity.
It is clear in my mind and it is clear in so many’s minds including all of our advisors and our attorney general that parents have this fundamental right to make decisions with regards to their children, their best position to make decisions with kids health care and well-being and this will be clear.
We’re gonna press as hard as we can to get the decision as fast as we can. I continue to ask everyone to love your neighbor, listen to your principal, and trust the legal process.
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Listen to the full interview here:
Photo “Glenn Youngkin” by Glenn Youngkin.
