Abortion rights, illegal immigration issues...Beyoncé vs Musk's Vote

■ Host: Cho Jin-hyuk Anchor
■ Starring: Ahn Mi-hyang YTN Texas Reporter

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information. Please specify [YTN24] when quoting.

[Anchor]
The U.S. presidential election, which is 10 days away, is hot. Superstar Beyoncé has joined the Democratic Harris campaign, which is highlighting the issue of abortion rights in Texas, a Republican stronghold. Elon Musk, who is all-in on Trump, has been embroiled in an illegal controversy as he is paying 1 million dollars and 1.4 billion won in prize money to voters in competing states every day. We will connect YTN, the Texas reporter in the U.S. to find out the local atmosphere. Reporter Ahn Mihyang.

[Ahn's Taste]
Hello, I'm Ahn Mihyang.

[Anchor]
Hello. Thank you for the late hour. What time is it in Texas?

[Ahn's Taste]
It's past 12:16 p.m. right now.

[Anchor]
Thank you for connecting at this late hour. Just a few hours ago, Vice President Harris visited Texas, the heart of conservatism, highlighting abortion issues. I heard Beyoncé also gave a speech in support. How was the atmosphere today?

[Ahn's Taste]
Harris' campaign in Texas focused on abortion issues such as women's health and women's right to self-determination. In addition, women affected by abortion in Texas and those subject to abortion-related lawsuits were highlighted. Starting with Jessica Alba's support speech, more than 50 obstetricians have since taken the podium. It is said that this is a symbolic scene of focusing on abortion issues. They also reported the damage caused by the complete abortion ban in Texas despite the current health risks. As a doctor, she strongly criticized the Rode Wade ruling during Donald Trump's presidency and the anti-abortion law called the Texas Heartbeat Act, saying that women in Texas are in crisis and will not stop fighting for women's freedom of self-determination. In addition, after struggling in the intensive care unit of the victim's family, who died from failing to undergo an abortion even in an emergency situation, the patient and his family came to the podium and appealed to prevent former President Trump from becoming president again, saying this is by no means someone else's story.

[Anchor]
But Texas is known to have effectively banned abortion, so isn't Harris quite unlikely to win here? But why did you highlight the abortion issue by visiting Texas where this is not possible?

[Ahn's Taste]
Until now, reproductive rights have not been a major issue in the U.S. presidential election. In June, abortion rights were abolished under the constitution, and the Democratic Party, which has since opposed it, has put forward abortion issues in various elections, achieving better-than-expected results. This should be a national message management, so the election rally could have a stronger effect on bringing abortion-related women's reproductive rights back to the national message in Texas, the Republican stronghold that has some of the strongest anti-abortion laws in the country. I think this is the strategy. According to political experts, this is what they say. According to today's media reports, a nationwide message is essential, and the most effective way to get a nationwide message is to be an unfriendly area, but it's a major issue in that area, like this abortion issue. Because the issue of abortion in Texas is so powerful, some analysts say that Texas may have chosen it as a last-minute campaign venue to highlight it as a national issue.

[Anchor]
You mentioned that you brought up this issue of abortion rights to maintain the national message at a disadvantage. And in the case of Texas, you mentioned that another big issue is border-related. Former President Trump also visited Austin, Texas, and expressed his position on border security and immigrant crimes, so please introduce what it is about.

[Ahn's Taste]
Candidate Trump is always in the same vein. It is following a similar direction to the 2016 and 2020 presidential campaigns. First of all, the border must be strongly controlled and the problem of illegal immigration at the US-Mexico border must be resolved. In order to do so, it seems to be sticking to the position that the construction of border barriers must be strengthened. Therefore, they argue that strengthening border barriers is the most effective means of preventing illegal immigration, drug trafficking, and human trafficking. In addition, the strong deportation policy for illegal immigrants is the same pledge as in 2020. First of all, illegal immigrants claim to put a great burden on the U.S. economy and increase the crime rate. Therefore, it is emphasized that the deportation process for illegal immigrants should be handled quickly. And there is a refuge city that protects illegal immigrants in the United States, and regulations on cities designated as refuge cities should also be strengthened.

[Anchor]
Former President Trump is known to have even made strong remarks that the U.S. has become a trash can because of illegal immigrants. Meanwhile, CEO Tesla Musk's words and actions continue to become a hot topic. So, we're going to give a million dollars, or 1.4 billion won, to each person who signs a petition supporting freedom of expression and the right to carry a gun, but I wonder if it's okay. What's the reaction of the voters?

[Ahn's Taste]
First of all, it is typically divided between two conservative and progressive camps. For now, Musk has shown a strong support for the core values of the conservative camp, such as freedom of expression and gun ownership. So it's getting a very positive response from Republican and conservative voters. There are also a lot of statements in Texas that emphasized gun rights, especially, and they are receiving great response from rural areas and conservative voters. And from what they say, it seems that Musk is the CEO of a large company, but he respects their freedom and rights. On the other hand, the progressive camp is very critical. In particular, the gun issue is a very sensitive issue. Especially among residents of urban areas and Democratic supporters, there is a great backlash. Elon Musk's comments are extremely irresponsible. Therefore, we are worried that this could have a negative impact on gun control discussions in the future. And what's impressive is the reaction of the middle class. First of all, in the case of the middle class, the votes are mixed. I understand that Elon Musk supports important rights like freedom of expression and gun possession. However, it raises the question of whether these remarks serve as a responsible corporate leader when they cause political controversy. Therefore, some middle-of-the-roaders say it is better for Elon Musk to focus more on developing society and refrain from political words and actions while leading positive changes through technological innovation.

[Anchor]
Elon Musk certainly seems to be resonating with supporters. But wasn't Elon Musk originally known to be a Democratic supporter? Why did you suddenly endorse Trump?

[Ahn's Taste]
First of all, the prevailing assessment is that it's because you're an entrepreneur. First of all, the reason for supporting Trump is related to antipathy to government regulations, freedom of expression, support for the right to possess guns, and an anti-victim attitude. First of all, Elon Musk has publicly stated that in 2022, he changed his tendency from Democrat to Republican. At the same time, companies also moved their headquarters from California to Texas. In this regard, it is apparent that corporate regulation has had the greatest impact. Compared to California, Texas is a very pro-business state, so first of all, there is little corporate tax or corporate tax, and you only have to pay 1% of business tax. And because employees don't have income tax here, Texas is a state that doesn't have income tax. That's why I've been advocating this pro-business environment more as an entrepreneur. Therefore, Musk, who leads large companies such as Tesla and SpaceX, seems to have thought that the government's excessive regulation hinders corporate innovation. There are many experts who see it that way. And the second one is about freedom of expression. Ever since he took over Twitter after not mentioning freedom of expression in the past, he has strongly criticized the issue of censorship on social media platforms since he took over Twitter, now called X. The prevailing analysis is that this is also one of the main factors driving Elon Musk closer to the Republican Party.

[Anchor]
Therefore, there is one judgment as an entrepreneur and the value of freedom of expression is shared. I think it would be good to organize it like this. If Trump has Musk, Harris has Bill Gates. It is said that he has donated 69 billion won to Vice President Harris, but he has not officially announced it. For what reason do you think you did that?

[Ahn's Taste]
For now, no specific announcement or remarks have been made that Bill Gates has officially endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. It is not known accurately through media reports, but if you look at media reports, it comes out like an interview with a person concerned. It's true that Bill Gates has been working with many politicians for a long time. And through his foundation, he was working on a variety of important issues like public health, education, and climate change. And it has been politically neutral and has tended to refrain from publicly supporting certain candidates. So, it was not confirmed exactly that the pants, which are known to have donated hundreds of millions of won this time, were made. However, even though Bill Gates has not officially announced his support for Kamala Harris, critics say he is looking a little more positively when it comes to Harris' perspective and pledges and policies on AI or climate change. Bill Gates also said he would not disclose his political position in the future, but he would support a government that prioritizes cooperation on global health issues, climate issues, and such issues. So on the climate issue, Democrats are more active than Republicans, so if you look at the media reports, I think Bill Gates is supporting Harris because his remarks are similar to Harris' policies.

[Anchor]
One of the things to watch is the fight between Elon Musk and Bill Gates. We looked at the current atmosphere of the U.S. presidential election, which is 10 days away. YTN with the Texas Reporter of the U.S. Thank you.