Although local Republican and Democratic parties usually look to national parties to set positions on issues, it’s local leaders who get to pick and choose which ones they like and which ones to toss. KPBS spoke with Corey Gustafson and Kyle Krahel-Frolander of the San Diego Republican and Democratic parties respectively to get their take on President Trump’s first four months in office.
Corey, the San Diego Chamber of Commerce says the Trump administration's tariffs on foreign goods and the promise of more have created uncertainty and could potentially devastate the local economy, creating empty shelves, supply chain issues, layoffs. How do you view these tariffs?
Gustafson: Well, look, I think, number one, tariffs from the perspective of the Trump administration are about national security. We have a tremendous inflow of fentanyl coming in over our southern border. And what we've seen under the Trump administration already is a 97% reduction in illegal immigration. We've seen him take the first narco terrorism charges against drug cartels that was just issued in the San Diego courts last week because President Trump made the cartels into terrorist organizations.
Kyle, the administration says the goal of these tariffs is to return manufacturing to the United States, a process that some economists say could take up to 15 years. What are the realities of the Trump administration's tariffs?
Krahel-Frolander: These tariffs are only going to be a tax on the American people, increase prices yet again and squeeze us out even more. We have a bi-national economy here in San Diego, Tijuana and San Diego, and of course Mexico and the United States are two of the closest trading partners. And if you increase tariffs, you're only going to drive down business and reduce investment on both sides of the border and hurt working people.
Kyle, I want to pivot very, very quickly to the local San Diego County Board of Supervisors. This is a race between Chula Vista Mayor John McCann and Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre. This is to fill the District 1 seat. How do you think what's happening in Washington D.C. right now affects this local race?
Krahel-Frolander: We have an amazing candidate in Paloma Aguirre. She has been fighting very hard to address the most pressing issue in South Bay, which is the terrible cross border pollution crisis. She's been fighting for this for many years. This is not something new to her and that makes her unique in this. And I bring that up as part of the federal government because this solution that needs to take the federal government's role into account, it's not just going to be done locally, though we do need local work from the County Board and all other jurisdictions. We need the administration to work with Mexico, make sure that they fulfill their part of the bargain and also make sure that we continue our side to fix the problem on our end as well.
Corey, if McCann wins, Republicans will once again have a majority on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors after a multiple year hiatus. What would be the priorities of a Republican-dominated Board of Supervisors in 2025?
Gustafson: Well, number one, I would say homelessness. We have to get the problem under control. And Republicans around San Diego County, people like John Franklin, the mayor of Vista, Republican politicians and mayors are putting forward solutions on cutting homelessness and getting people off of the streets while providing them shelter. I think a Republican Board of Supervisors will really be able to attack the homelessness crisis and fix what we see going on. When you go to a Padres game, do you see homeless people everywhere? This is Democratic failed policies.
Okay, back to what's going on in Washington, D.C. and the potential repercussions for San Diegans. Kyle, close to 1 million people are on Medicaid in San Diego County. The House GOP is proposing sweeping cuts to the program. Without Medicaid, what options do people here have for health care?
Krahel-Frolander: Well, you know, we need Medicaid. It is foundational to our health care system, both in California and across the country. And it's a guarantee that people will not be left out without having health insurance, which is vital for the health of our economy, not just for those individuals. But it's also lost in this that these cuts, these terrible, extremist cuts, are meant to just be able to fund a tax bill that would be a huge giveaway to billionaires. We would see the shutdown of many, many of our local hospitals if these drastic, draconian, extremist cuts to Medicaid go into effect.
Corey, Republican Senator Josh Hawley has said these cuts to Medicaid, if they go through, are morally wrong and politically suicidal. Do you agree?
Gustafson: I don't agree with the question. These are not cuts. These are making sure that the folks who are eligible for Medicaid are eligible. These are just standards that Republicans are putting. And they're making sure there's not any waste, fraud and abuse, making sure that the people who are actually on the program are eligible. So I think this is fantastic. It's something that the Obama administration tried to do in 2008–2016, but they failed. Republicans are saving taxpayers money.
Funding for scientific research has taken a real beating under the Trump administration. At UC San Diego, clinical trials have been halted at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Money for the study of the ocean, considered vital for weather forecasts and climate change study, is under threat. How do you view cuts or potential cuts to scientific research?
Gustafson: Innovation doesn't only come from government. Innovation comes from the private sector. And what you see with the new proposal from Republicans on Capitol Hill is a massive amount of money going back to the American people, small businesses, corporations, because these are the folks who are innovating in our society. They grow the economy, they discover new possibilities, just like Apple Computer. Look at the things that Apple's done for society because of the fact that they have an interest in profit.
I've spoken to government officials and university officials who say that there is no way that private industry could possibly fill the void of what government funding has been to scientific research in this country. These people have also told me that they're looking to the state of California, which now has the world's fourth largest economy, to use its economic leverage with Washington to stave off some of these cuts. What does that leverage look like?
Krahel-Frolander: We need to fight back and that's what we're going to do as California, as Democrats, because this is important to our economy, but it's also important to the people who rely on clinical trials to save their lives. And I also think it's important to point out that these cuts are not coming through the standard budget process. It's not coming through Congress. These are being done unilaterally by the executive branch, illegally, in my opinion. And I think it's part of an attack on our institutions like universities, like independent science, in order to advance a frankly authoritarian vision that doesn't have any opposition power to this president.
The U.S. attorney's office here in San Diego files dozens of border-related cases each week. President Trump has said in an interview this month that he didn't know whether he has to uphold the Constitution by giving immigrants the right to due process before deporting them. What are your thoughts on this statement?
Gustafson: My thoughts are that President Trump is going to do what it takes to secure our southern border. He has done it. The idea that there should be any criticism against President Trump—his number one priority was saying we need to know who's coming into this country. We need to stop and halt illegal immigration coming from our southern border. And he's done it. He did it within a week. This is incredible.
Meanwhile, Trump's aide Stephen Miller has said the administration is exploring suspending habeas corpus for migrants. Do you think it will happen? And if so, what recourse do opponents of this move have?
Krahel-Frolander: I think we need to rely on our checks and balances. The Supreme Court is our backstop here. I know it's not a Supreme Court that I necessarily completely agree with, but I do believe that there are enough justices on that Supreme Court to strike down any unconstitutional power grabs that would invade the rights of Americans. And I say Americans not just because this is not just the migrants and other folks that they talk about coming through the southern border. These are attacks that are happening to people who are actually here legally.
A San Diego man is in the process of launching what he calls the Big Middle. It's an online platform to assemble people of all political persuasions to find common ground. Is the time, is the moment ripe for this?
Gustafson: It's already been done. President Trump just did it in November 2024. He just got 76 million people to vote for him. He just created an electoral landslide against the failed policies of the Biden administration and Kamala Harris. So if you want to talk about creating a huge movement amongst the American people, President Trump's done it.
Do you agree? Is there representation of this so-called Big Middle, people from across political persuasions who may feel the same way about the big issues? Do they have representation in the Trump administration?
Krahel-Frolander: I can't say that this administration has lived up to the promises that it said it would do to the American people that were supposed to attract the middle. All it's doing is kowtowing to the richest in our country, to the billionaires and their friends, and that is not what the middle wants. The middle wants their prices to go down. That's not happening. The middle wants good jobs. Those jobs are disappearing right now as we speak. They want their 401k so that they can retire with dignity, and those are being disappeared by this administration's policies.
