Maryland Gov. Wes Moore joined WTOP live on the air Monday afternoon to talk about a wide range of topics in the headlines.
WTOP anchors Shawn Anderson and Anne Kramer asked the governor about the recent ICE raids, governor control of the National Guard, a look at why he was featured on the broadcast of a play with George Clooney, and more.
Listen to the full interview below or read the transcript. The transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Shawn Anderson: It has been a wild couple of days in Los Angeles as protesters clashed with police over ICE raids. Protests are still planned there for today and there is an immigration protest planned this evening in Baltimore. Rallies are also going on in some communities, like here in D.C., outside of the Justice Department in connection to the deportations by the Trump administration.
California’s governor has vowed to sue the president over Trump’s decision not to consult him about allowing the National Guard to send troops into Los Angeles to help police with protesters. Plus, we are weeks away from some new laws going into effect in Maryland.
Anne Kramer: Joining us now to tackle all of this for a couple minutes is Maryland Gov. Wes Moore. Gov. Moore, so good to have you back on with us this afternoon. Let’s start with these protests over the ICE raids in Los Angeles and the president calling the National Guard. You, along with your Democratic counterparts, wrote a response. Why should Americans be worried about President Trump calling in the Guard in these type of situations?
Gov. Wes Moore: Well, because there’s a precedent to this on how exactly to deal with this, and what we are seeing right now is very dangerous escalation that the president is doing. First, we know that, watching how the president is deploying the state National Guard without coordinating with the state’s governor. It’s just, it’s a dangerous abuse of power.
We take seriously the fact that we are the commanders and chiefs of our own individual Guards, and we take very seriously making sure that our people are kept safe.
There are mechanisms that we have to include local law enforcement, to include state officials, that we know that are in place to make sure that communities are safe, that you can do peaceful protesting. But at the same time, you know, we have, all of us as governors, have that unique authority to be able to mobilize our National Guard.
The idea that the president of the United States would unilaterally start making this decision without involving the commander in chief of the state’s National Guard is just, is absurd.
And so, we all stand united in knowing that not only does our heart go out to the Los Angeles community and its law enforcement and its National Guard, but it’s knowing that President Trump’s actions right now are showing that this administration does not prioritize public safety and does not trust local law enforcement or local leaders and is unwilling to work for the good of our citizens.
Shawn Anderson: Would you allow the National Guard to be called into Maryland if we had protests like in LA happen here? Do you have any mechanism to fight such a call for on his part?
Gov. Wes Moore: Well, I take very seriously my role as commander in chief of the Maryland National Guard and we have been coordinating and working very closely even throughout this and also scenario planning. I’m very clear about where the lines are about localized jurisdictions and the president’s ability to be able to nationalize a National Guard.
I also know that having military forces performing policing functions inside of neighborhoods on American citizens, there is a very clear legal line there, and we are going to make sure that we are following the law and we are going to make sure that we are not observing unlawful orders.
Anne Kramer: Governor, if we stick to Maryland here for a couple of minutes, modernizing government has been a big initiative for you, especially the last few months, you say it’s a way to save taxpayers money. You had your staffers look at some ways to do that. What highlights of what they found can you share with us?
Gov. Wes Moore: Really excited, because one of the first hires that I made as governor is a chief performance officer. Because, you know, because I believe that our job is to be good stewards of taxpayer dollars and modernizing state government is truly one of my priorities as governor. And so, the work that they have done has really been extraordinary.
Where, you know, we’ve identified $326 million in long-term saving simply by optimizing our state’s real estate footprint. We’ve identified over $30 million in potential IT savings through the improved usage of existing assets and streamlined purchasing processes. We’ve identified over $14 million in potential procurement savings through a greater awareness and accountability of state contracts.
So we’re really proud that we’re showing that we can have a government that works, have a government that is accountable to people, that we can identify, ‘Are there places in our state government where there is abuse or waste?’ and making sure we’re eliminating it, but also doing it in a way that is accountable, in a way that is data driven, and in a way that is humane.
So, I’m really proud that Maryland’s really on the cutting edge about what it means to focus on performance and to focus on the issues that we know the people of our state care deeply about.
Shawn Anderson: Now we know you signed measures into law to help Maryland deal with the big budget deficit. Among those measures, a hike in vehicle registration costs, also a jump in emission testing fees from $14 to $30. All this taking effect July 1, maybe some folks aren’t aware of these increases. What do you say to them if they’re upset with you?
Gov. Wes Moore: Well, I think people can see that we lead with a real measure of fiscal discipline within the administration, that, you know, that we inherited a $3-plus billion structural deficit that I said I’m not going to kick the can down the road, and that we’ve got to be able to address and we’ve got to be able to fix, and we have been able to turn a structural deficit into a structural surplus, and still have been able to give the middle class in our state a tax cut.
And so, we believe strongly in our ability to make sure that we have a government that is functioning, a government that is prioritizing middle class families and giving middle class families a tax cut, but also saying that the basic frames and supports that we have for our state, and making sure that we know that we can continue this historic drop in violent crime, continue this historic, historically low unemployment rate, that these are things we are going to prioritize and make sure that our government works to produce them.
Anne Kramer: Governor, while we have you, ‘Good Night, and Good Luck,’ the Broadway play about Edward R. Murrow, starring George Clooney, had a live performance on Saturday night on CNN. When we watched the end of it, you appeared in a video montage on the end part as Clooney was still on stage, where you talked about President Trump and his actions since taking office again, saying our democracy is under attack. Any chance there was a subliminal message here between you and George Clooney, who wants you to run for president, that you were trying to tell all the potential people looking to see if, in fact, you’re going to make the presidential run?
Gov. Wes Moore: Well, I have been very clear, and I’ll be very clear again, I am not running for president, but I appreciate the fact that people, not just in the state of Maryland, but also people outside the state of Maryland, recognize that, that we’re making government work, that we are producing, not just showing fiscal discipline, but also still giving the middle class a tax cut, that we’re having some of the fastest drops in violent crime anywhere in America, here in the state of Maryland, better unemployment rate.
We’re now going on 15 straight months of amongst the lowest unemployment rates in the entire country. Our unemployment rate right now in the state of Maryland is 3.1%, which is more than a full point lower than our national average. And so, our state is leading, our state is moving, and I’m really proud of that, and I’m excited to go back in front of the people and in ’26 for reelection.
Shawn Anderson: We won’t stop asking you, because you still answer in the present tense. Gov. Moore, we always love having you on. We appreciate it.
Gov. Wes Moore: Bless you guys. Thanks so much.
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