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[Transcript edited for clarity, flow and length]
Mary Trump: Hello everybody. I am here with the awesome Cait Conley, who is running for Congress in New York’s 17th District. Cait, first of all, it is so great to talk to you, and I am so happy that you are running because I actually think you are one of the best candidates out there. You happen to be in a position to take out one of the worst incumbents out there, which would be Mike Lawler. The catchphrase for Mike Lawler is “funded by Musk, endorsed by Donald.” You cannot say two worst things about another human. So I just wanted to check in and see how it is going.
Cait Conley: Mary, I think your framing of Mike Lawler is about as spot on as one could possibly get. Elon just poured another $500,000 into him, I think yesterday. In 2024, Mike Lawler received more money from Elon Musk than any other member of the House of Representatives. Visit and donate to Cait’s campaign HERE. When you talk about bought and paid for, Mike went down to Trumpapalooza and then got Trump super PAC money, and they are trying to bring all this firepower to come at me.
But to your point, look, as somebody who did 16 years on active duty, four years at West Point, and six tours overseas, I have been in hard fights before for this country. I will certainly never, never step back. Instead, I will step forward when it comes to getting this done and putting country before any person or party, especially when we are seeing this administration enabled by cowards in Congress like Mike Lawler, who are selling out the American people and the people of the Hudson Valley for their own political ambition. That corruption ends now.
Mary Trump: And as I said, I think you are uniquely positioned here because of your biography. New York 17 is an interesting district because of the last few years. Mike Lawler is a one term incumbent who came in during, shall we say, a bad year for Democrats, but there were also some redistricting issues. So it is a great opportunity to get the House back for Democrats. But you also grew up in the Hudson Valley, so you know this area. Unlike Lawler, and I think Republicans in general, you actually care about the people who live there and what they need, which is not more Republican rule.
Cait Conley: Mary, my family has called this district home for the last four generations. Both my parents were born here. My grandparents and great grandparents worked their brickyards. When I tell you that my family literally grew up building and serving the Hudson Valley, my dad was a construction worker and my mom was a postal worker. So this is not only personal because it is home, but it is also because it is families like mine that corrupt politicians in Washington are leaving behind.
I am all over this district meeting families who are doing everything right, and it is still not enough to get ahead. It is not even enough to make ends meet in most places where people are working full time jobs, and it is still not enough to put food on the table, a roof over their heads, afford healthcare, or keep the lights on. That is not their fault. The system is not working for working people, but it is working for the ultra, ultra wealthy, and we have to stop that. Part of the reason it is that broken is because of politicians like Mike Lawler, who fuel the corruption, who benefit from the corruption, and who do nothing to help working people. So when we talk about how Mike Lawler’s corruption has literally cost the Hudson Valley and how he is such a sellout, Mike Lawler took nearly half a million dollars from big pharma and the insurance industry, and that did nothing to stop rising premiums.
Families are paying nearly 60% more in the last two years for healthcare. Then we saw him be the deciding vote on the one big ugly bill, where he ripped healthcare from nearly half a million New Yorkers and ended the premium tax credits for things like the Essential Plan, which is suffering here in New York. You see this man who does not care about people and only cares about his own political ambition, and it is fundamentally wrong. He has supported Trump’s agenda 100% of the time, even when it has literally harmed the Hudson Valley. People deserve better. They deserve a public servant, not a puppet.
Mary Trump: Before I talk about why we are so excited to have you as one of our Transcend champions, I want to remind people very quickly what you just said. The amount of money being thrown at Mike Lawler suggests one, they are probably pretty desperate, and two, they do not want a fair fight. So everybody listening, Cait is an extraordinary candidate, and please, please, please go and donate whatever you can, because even though we are only 12 days out, money later in races is crucially important. Cait, if you could talk a little bit about why that is, just to get people to open their wallets more than they might otherwise.
Visit and donate to Cait’s campaign HERE
Cait Conley: Mary, to your point, we have this guy on the ropes, and now it is time to finish him. We have been able to show people that they deserve better, and part of this is a matter of exposing who Mike Lawler is. That means showing how his votes have harmed them, and how his selling out to monopoly utility companies as a former utility lobbyist has literally cost them, with 60% rate increases and, through the one big ugly bill, over $80 billion in tax breaks for data center developers. By the way, five of those data centers were built in just one county in the district on Mike Lawler’s watch, when he was the former deputy town supervisor, with three more on the way.
He is literally exploiting our communities so his backers who bankroll his campaigns can benefit. People deserve better, but to show them better, that is where the money helps and is so essential, because donations fund ads that help us reach people, as well as our field operations. That is how we go out and knock doors, make phone calls, and get literature in front of voters to help make the case. I keep saying campaign donations are like investments in civics education, because your money is what we use to inform voters about why to choose us, why to choose better, and why they deserve better.
Mary Trump: There are many reasons you are one of our Transcend champions, which, to translate, just means that we wholeheartedly adore you. One reason is that you understand money in politics is unnecessary and something we want to get rid of. We need campaign finance. You are also willing to take on things that a lot of people are not. You want accountability, and you want to clean up corruption. The economy is an incredibly important issue in this election, in particular because of people like your opponent, Mike Lawler, who is devoted to supporting Donald and the agenda of the Republican regime, which is antithetical to the economic wellbeing of the people you will be representing. So I wanted to switch gears a little and let people know what could happen, yes, for New York 17 when you get elected, but also for the American people if the Democrats do as they should and get a majority in Congress.
Cait Conley: Mary, this is where I think it is so important. What we are talking about are not partisan values. What we are fighting for are patriotic values. I am fighting for an America where hardworking people can afford quality healthcare, where people can make healthcare decisions between them and a doctor and not the government, and where our immigrant neighbors can live in hope and not fear. There is so much in America right now that is out of whack because of the corruption and greed. But the good news is it is not too late to fix it. I am running because I believe in America, and because I believe our best days as a nation are still ahead of us.
We need to get the right people in Washington who are there to serve people and not their own self-interest. Mike Lawler is the epitome of the corrupt politician who is only there to serve himself. Look, over the last 20 years, when I was off defending democracy, Mike Lawler, as a political operative, oil and gas lobbyist, and politician, has been profiting from it. I think we have to change who is in Washington if we want to change how Washington works for working people. To your point, when we take back the House and take back government, we will deliver for working people. The priority must absolutely be lowering costs. That means undoing the harm of this administration, like rolling back the reckless foreign tariffs that Mike Lawler voted for eight times, which have cost the average household here in the Hudson Valley $4,200. It also means making sure we reinstate funding to Medicaid and the premium tax credit so people can have healthcare.
But we also have to go further. We have to rein in the monopoly utility companies, big pharma, and the health insurance industry so we do not continue to see these skyrocketing prices. We have to do more to deliver for working people in those ways and to rein in the egregious abuse and corruption we are seeing in these monopolies. The other part of this is that we have to rein in the corruption happening in Washington, because it is actually fueling the affordability crisis. This is where I am all in for banning stock trading for members of Congress, the White House, and political appointees, because people in those jobs should be focused on serving the country and not their stock portfolios. I also support term limits, both for Congress and the Supreme Court. We have to get back to a place where elected officials focus on doing what they can with the time they have, and not on trying to get reelected for the next 30 years. That is the kind of work we can actually deliver.
Cait Conley: One other thing I am super passionate about is creating an American Public Service Home Loan Program to help us tackle the housing crisis that is crushing the Hudson Valley. It would mirror the VA Home Loan Program that veterans like me get to benefit from. After 10 years of public service as a first responder, law enforcement officer, teacher, or nurse, you would qualify for the same benefits that veterans like me do, so you can actually buy a home and live in the communities you are serving. There is a lot we can do. We just have to get people in Washington who are there to serve the people and not themselves. That has never been Mike Lawler, and it will never be Mike Lawler, which is why we are going to get him voted out in 3 days.
Mary Trump: That is such a critically important point, because with Republicans in power, the idea that people get elected to be good public servants has gone by the wayside. We cannot make the kinds of changes we need unless we get a preponderance of people like you in Congress who are actually dedicated to public service, which of course you have been your whole life. Only then can we start to turn things around, when our elected officials start putting their constituents first as opposed to their own bottom line.
I always thought that politicians were, at their best, experts in governance who understand what public service is, and that definition has been corrupted largely by the Republican Party over the last several decades. If we can get enough Democrats like you in the House, in the Senate, and at every level of government, we can start to show the American people that government is a force for good. In fact, government is us, and it is there for the betterment of our lives. You so exemplify many of the qualities we need in our candidates, and you give us a lot of hope. So before we wrap up, I want to ask you what the best way is. Obviously money is a great way to help, but what are other ways people can help in the very last days of this campaign?
Cait Conley: If you know anyone who lives in New York 17, which is Northern Westchester County, all of Putnam County, Southern Dutchess County, and all of Rockland County, please get them out to vote. Tell them to come out and have their voice heard, because it matters so much. We have an incredible momentum on the ground. It is truly palpable, and we are feeling the passion of people in the district to drive change. But we need help, and that is where turning out everyone we can to vote becomes so important.
If you are in the area and want to come help knock doors, encourage folks to get out the vote, and make the case for us, we would love to have you. There is a volunteer link and a donate link there.
Visit and donate to Cait’s campaign HERE .
We would be so grateful to have you as part of this team. Look, defending democracy is a responsibility all of us share. I truly believe that 10 years from now, we are going to look back on this chapter in American history, and people are going to ask, “What did you do in this time?” You can say, “I gave it all I had, I fought for this country, I fought for our future, and we won.” That is what this is about.
Mary Trump: It is because this election will determine the future of this country. I know it has become a trite truth at this point, but this is indeed the most important election of our lifetime, and it will be followed by the most important election of our lifetime. So let’s get it right this time. I would add one other thing to Cait’s recommendations. Writing postcards is a very powerful way to get people motivated and educated. If for whatever reason you do not want to leave your house, writing postcards is a phenomenal thing to do.
Also, make sure you are registered. As you may be aware, Republicans are a little worried about what is going to happen on November 3rd, and we talked about how much money people like Elon Musk are pouring into Cait’s race against Mike Lawler. We do not want to take anything for granted.
If you are registered, please check that you are still registered, and keep checking until you cast your vote. If you are not registered, please do that. The right to vote is one of the most sacred rights afforded to us by our Constitution. It is incredibly important, as Cait said, that you let your voice be heard.
So Cait Conley, it has been such a pleasure to talk to you and to support you. We are so looking forward to what happens on November 3rd, and we cannot wait for you to be New York 17’s next Congressperson.
Cait Conley: Mary, thank you for having me, and thank you all for tuning in and for the support. Let’s go win this thing and turn the ship around.
Mary Trump: Excellent. Cool. That was awesome.
Visit and donate to Cait’s campaign HERE .
I can’t vote for Cait Conley because I’m in a different state, but if I were in the 17th district of New York, she would certainly have my vote.