(uplifting music) - [Announcer] This is a production of PBS Charlotte.

- This weekend "Unspun," ready on day one.

Whether you're the new governor's mansion or headed back to the White House for four more years, how do you hit the ground running after winning in November?

And how quickly can you really keep those campaign promises that sounded so good to voters not so long ago?

Plus, I'll count down the top five things they won't be talking about in Washington before inauguration day.

(dramatic music) In today's America, welcome to the spin game.

Believe me, I know.

I'm Pat McCrory.

When I was governor and mayor, I played the spin game.

I was played by the spin game.

But aren't we all done being spun?

Let's take the spin out of the world.

We're in here on "Unspun."

(dramatic music) Good evening.

I'm Pat McCrory, and welcome to "Unspun," the show that tells you what politicians are thinking.

But not saying we're back for a new year of new shows just like we promised.

But making promises is a lot easier than keeping promises, especially for politicians.

Donald Trump said he'd end the war in Ukraine on day one and impose tariffs on day one and start deportations on day one, and pardon protesters at the capitol on day one.

It sounds like Trump plans to be pretty busy on inauguration day on day one.

And here in North Carolina, newly elected Governor Josh Stein didn't even wait for his inauguration day.

- Do you, Joshua H. Stein, swear that you'll support the constitutional laws of the United States and of the state of North Carolina, and that you'll faithfully perform the duties pertaining to the office of governor?

- I do.

(crowd applauding) - This is Governor Stein proudly taking his oath of office on January 1st, day one for the new governor coming 10 days before the state's public swearing in ceremony.

Governor Stein is already signing executive orders to speed up state aid for hurricane victims in Western North Carolina.

Yup.

All politicians are in a hurry to do as much as they can as soon as they can, but every elected official, including me when I held office, finds out pretty quickly that big government moves pretty slowly, no matter how hard you push.

And it's usually not long after you're sworn in that you start getting sworn at.

Joining us now to talk about how to make the most of those first days in office is former North Carolina Congressman Patrick McHenry, who served as acting Speaker of the House in 2023 after 20 years on Capitol Hill representing North Carolina's 10th District.

He was also GOP Chairman of the Powerful House Financial Services Committee in Washington DC, and won his first election to the North Carolina General Assembly at age 27.

Patrick, it's great to have you here on the first episode of the New Year on "Unspun."

- Great to be with you.

Thanks, governor.

Appreciate it.

- Well, listen, I'm so proud of what you did during the past year, especially as the acting speaker of the House right here from North Carolina.

So you were watching at CNN headquarters helping them give editorial comments on the speaker vote.

How do you think it went and will it last for Speaker Johnson?

- Well, I think the key differential from two years ago is that this speaker, while not as long and experienced as Speaker McCarthy, he has this added capacity with the powers of incoming President Trump, who stands in a rare set of powers within the Republican party and with unified control and a popular vote victory.

That gives him enormous way to help Speaker Johnson through what will be a tumultuous and interesting two years.

And so I give him a high marks on how he managed that vote, Speaker Johnson manage that vote and the outcome, the fact it was done with one ballot when those that were against him wanted to drag that on and try to open up the floor for an additional set of ballots.

So kudos to him and his team.

- So behind the scenes, what was the president really saying to a couple of these reps?

Was it tough love?

Was it threats?

Was it, "Hey, do me a favor?"

- Well, from my experience with President Trump is it's a mix of those things.

It could be very nice sounding words, but the consequences are significant.

So I mean, frankly, President Trump does not need to explain his powers to Republican members of the house.

They understand that they understand the popularity this president has among the American people, but especially the Republicans who elect members of Congress.

And so he explained that and he explained how this speaker vote was an imperative for him and his agenda, and to get on with the business of organizing so we can get on the business of winning and public policy.

And so, it's not, no hateful words, but significant words and impactful words.

So impactful that the final two holdouts came right into the fold.

- Congressman, President Trump's made a lot of promises to fulfill, especially on day one.

What are the most likely chances of the pieces of legislation that will get through both the House and the Senate, especially during the first two crucial years?

- Well, the opening pledge here is stability when it comes to tax policy.

The American people did not vote for a tax increase.

And the Republicans that control the House and the Senate have imperative, number one, is to see the extension that the Trump tax cuts that were so successful and so impactful for our economy.

Two, we need legislative results to meet the president's demands and the president's actions in his four first four years when it comes to the border and border security.

And then three, the actions of this president in his first term to bring more stability to a really unstable and dangerous world.

It's a far more dangerous world after the last four years of the Biden administration with more problems than than President Trump faced in his initial term.

So that, the national security package.

So those are the three major legislative priorities I would mark for the Congress.

And the President has additional works that he's gonna work, that he's gonna put into delivering on the regulatory front that link up with those items as well.

- So there were a couple of promises made on the campaign trail toward the end.

In Fact, vice President Harris jumped on one of them, and that was overtime pay not being taxed.

Interesting idea appealing to the blue collar worker.

Do you think that will be part of the package during the first year?

- Well, I think that that'll have to be a part of the tax extension, the tax cut package.

That will be the major focus of this year.

And I think we'll take a number of months to see through Congress.

I mean, this is gonna take longer than I think the president expects, President Trump expects, and longer than congressional leaders expect at this stage of the game.

But to deliver on something like that is complicated from a regulatory standpoint and enforcement standpoint.

So they gotta get the finer details of that policy written and scored and through the legislative process.

- You and I were both kind of deficit hawks when we were in office, me as governor and you were in the Congress, there are some major issues regarding social security, Medicaid, Medicare.

Congress just passed a new Social security addition in the past several weeks.

It was signed by President Biden this past week.

How is Congress, Republicans and Democrats gonna deal with these basically unfunded liabilities?

- Well, if the past is any example, not well.

What we've seen from both democratic congresses and Republican congresses is that they've not been willing to reign in spending in a concerted way.

The last time we had successful fiscal restraint was in the debt ceiling negotiations that Speaker McCarthy asked Congressman Garret Graves and I to negotiate with the White House on.

We've got real spending cuts year over year.

And that's the first time in a decade that Congress has actually done that.

Prior to that, it was Speaker Boehner and his leadership with driving the Obama administration into spending curves.

What we need is government efficiency.

This DOGE initiative headlined by Elon Musk, driven by Elon Musk, is an imperative for us as a country.

We have a government that is too expensive for us.

It is beyond which we can afford as a great nation with the dynamic economy.

We cannot raise taxes enough to pay for the government we currently have.

If we doubled taxation, we would still not be able to pay for the current government that the Biden administration has built.

So we have a lot of work to do and ample territory for us to reign in spending.

But that needs to be pushed by the American people that their elected representatives follow their demands for spending restraint.

And heretofore, we've not had that, and I hope we do this Congress.

- So in reality, do you think President Trump really has two years knowing there's another congressional election, we could have a turn on the house in two years?

And in two years, president Trump will be lame duck and everyone else will be running for president in both the Democratic and Republican party.

Is it really the first two years that are gonna be the most important?

- Yeah, they are the most impactful years of any presidency.

And the first year of this president will be the dynamic shift in this economy and in public policy and national security.

The last president to see a midterm election by which they kept power was Jimmy Carter.

And we know from his funeral this week that that has been a long time since he was in office from '76 to 1980.

So you can't bank on long-term majorities in Washington in any environment, but especially in our current political environment.

- Patrick, in the final 30 seconds, you represented Western North Carolina that has been gotten hit so hard.

What message do you have to the new president and the new governor on what they need to do differently maybe than the past governor and the past president to help the people who are still hurting out west?

- Well, it's infrastructure.

We need to make sure that the infrastructure of Western North Carolina is cared for.

Like the Raleigh and Raleigh suburbs have been cared for.

We wanna make sure that they've got very good infrastructure that match what a world class set of people we have in Western North Carolina.

And so there's lot of work to be done, to rebuild, but don't take the eye off the ball here.

Let's get it done and let's get building quickly.

- Congressman, I really appreciate your past service to the state of North Carolina, and I hope I have you back on "Unspun."

- Absolutely, Pat, thanks so much.

Enjoy the program and always enjoy seeing you.

- Next up, PBS Charlotte's Jeff Sonier takes "Unspun" on the street, finding out what voters are cheering or fearing about our new leadership in Washington.

- Yeah, we're here at Douglas Airport asking airport passengers if their expectations for four more years of Donald Trump and the White House are sky high, or if they're in sort of a political holding pattern.

(lively music) - I'm expecting him to do what he said he was gonna do because he believes in whatever he promises he does.

And he showed that the first four years, and I think he's going to show it again.

- [Jeff] What are your expectations for the next four years with President Trump back in the White House?

- Very cautious.

I find his past track record to be very unpredictable.

(lively music) - I'm trying to get a green card here to make a job, find a job.

But Trump's policies is more like strict to like H-1B Visa or for like international students to the find a job and working with the visas.

- [Jeff] So Trump's next four years could have a real impact on your life?

- Yeah, I think so.

- [Jeff] What's the one thing you'd like to see the president do in the next four years?

- Everybody to make it.

Everybody to make it.

- [Jeff] You mean as far as economically?

- Yeah.

- Jobs and that sort of thing?

- Yeah.

- [Jeff] Has that been a problem you think the last four years?

- Yeah.

- My expectations are just to be able to afford a house again, really.

You know, last time Trump was in office house markets, they went down.

Everyone could afford a house.

And that's really what I want.

So, you know, coming out of college, at his end of his term, I really want the economy to be better and to afford a house.

That's about it.

- Yeah, not surprisingly, expectations for the next four years kind of depend on who you voted for on election day.

Pat.

- Thanks, Jeff.

So what do you think the president and the governor should do on day one?

Email us your thoughts.

What should our new leaders be doing day one?

To unspun@wtvi.org.

Or even better, send us a video and we might use it on the air.

(dramatic music) All right, tonight on our Unspun countdown, the top five things DC politicians will not want to talk about before the swearing in ceremony.

All right, let's start out with number five.

The billion spent by the Harris Campaign.

Believe me, right now, the Democrats don't wanna talk about where in the heck did the billions of dollars, where was it spent in a three-month time period?

And how did she lose spending a billion dollars?

Never done before in US history.

People are gonna be asking questions, but not until after the inauguration.

Number four, ah, the pardons of Hunter Biden and also the pardons of the January 6th protestors.

Neither one polls very well.

So neither Democrats or Republicans right now wanna talk about pardons.

Let's go to number three.

The legality of executive orders.

The legality of executive orders.

Let me tell you, when a Democrat president does executive orders, the Republicans hate it.

They say it's unconstitutional.

When the Republicans do executive orders, when the Republican president does executive orders, the Democrats hate it and they say it's unconstitutional.

On day one, President Trump is saying, I'm gonna do a lot of executive orders.

The Republicans will be silent.

The Democrats will be raising cane.

The hypocrisy of both parties, it's amazing.

Number two, the dangers of homegrown terrorism.

Listen, a horrible, horrible attack in New Orleans in the French Quarter.

But the fact of the matter is, and politicians don't want to admit this, is there's really not much you can do to prevent one person causing a lot of death and destruction.

Yes, they could have done a better job in New Orleans, but believe me, there's a lot of weaknesses in our security system when lone wolf, one lone wolf wants to do a lot of damage and harm.

And number one, the real deficit at all levels of government.

We've been repeating this over and over again.

The deficit is in the trillions of dollars of unfunded liabilities at the local, state, and federal level.

But you're not gonna hear the governor talk about it much and you're not gonna hear the President talk about it much.

Why?

Because there's no easy solution.

(dramatic music) PBS Charlotte's Jeff Sonier joins me now for Unspun one-on-one.

You know, during the holidays, during our break, I had so many people come up to me at the grocery store and other places say, "Boy, that Jeff Sonier is such a nice guy.

He's really good for your show.

He's my favorite part of the show."

- You know, I was at the airport, they were actually running me out of town.

(both laughing) Anyway, let's get to a one-on-one.

- I didn't tell them the truth.

What you really like off camera.

- I ask them, you answer them, that's why we call it one-on-one.

- Okay.

Okay.

- So inauguration weekend in Raleigh for the new governor.

What's the role for you and the former governors on that weekend?

- Well, actually this is gonna be the first time in 12 years that the former governors will be meeting at inauguration.

- Really?

- Since my inauguration in 2012.

- Wow.

- Because the first inauguration of Cooper's was snowed out and then the next one was COVID.

So no one came.

So this is gonna be rather historic.

We're gonna have seven current or past governors meeting and we're gonna meet around nine o'clock in the old State Capitol building.

And I'm glad Governor Stein is moving the ceremonies where I had them on the Old Capitol grounds.

Not in front of some old ugly 1960s building that they've been doing for the last 30 years except for my inauguration.

So I'm real proud of that.

But I look forward to seeing Governor Hunt and Governor Martin and Governor Easley and Governor Perdue.

And now Governor Cooper, who am I missing?

- Governor Martin.

- Martin, yeah.

He and I are both driving up from the Charlotte area to get there.

Hopefully, we're not gonna be snowed out.

We're not sure yet.

- Well, you know, in Washington we're also seeing all the living presidents past and present together for the funeral of Jimmy Carter.

I guess that's another moment where we put aside what separates us and celebrate what unites us.

- You know, this is where ceremonies make a difference.

And I was watching the ceremony of President Carter's casket going down Pennsylvania Avenue.

And I think that helps bring the nation together.

And I think the ceremony of the president's inauguration and the governor's inauguration where past and current presidents and governors come together show the strength of our nation.

So I'm looking forward to being part of the ceremony in Raleigh Saturday.

And I look forward to watching the ceremony in Washington DC and the swearing in and the parades.

It's part of the pomp and circumstance that I think makes our nation stronger in the long run.

- So it's day one in office or week one in office.

What are you doing as a newly elected public official, a governor or president?

Both in public and also behind the scenes?

- Well, I'll tell you what happened to my team 'cause we were brand new to Raleigh.

- Yeah - I remember Sharon Decker, my commerce secretary.

I said, okay, we all met at the mansion.

We had a meeting around my conference room at the Governor's mansion.

I said, Okay," go to your offices."

And Sharon went, "I have no idea where the commerce department is."

And I went, "I don't either."

I mean, that's how new we are.

And then she went up to the office and there were no keys to get in the door.

- It's different when you're an outsider coming in from city government as opposed to within state government, isn't it?

- Yes.

Well Stein won't have that problem and neither will now, our new president who was president before.

He will know how to get into the White House and where everything is.

And that will make it easier for him an awful lot.

- What's the one thing that surprised you most?

Something you didn't expect about the job or maybe about the government that you're now in charge of?

- I think it's what we said earlier in the show, and that is the power of the bureaucracy.

And this was even true as mayor.

I remember I was mayor for 14 years in Charlotte and I remember leaving and I was going down the elevator with someone and they said, "I outweighted you on that one project."

- Wow.

- I mean.

- Long memories.

- They have memories.

You know, 'cause you could, you know, when President Trump comes in or now Governor Stein goes in, you think, "Okay, I'm the all powerful executive."

But first of all, you have other two branches of government and you also do have the bureaucracy where if they don't wanna do it, they will do everything to slow roll it.

And I think that's a surprise to every new executive branch, whether it be mayor, governor, or president of the United States.

And it's also, the public is confused.

They think often the executive office has more power than they actually do.

But that's the strength and weakness of our system.

The separation of powers.

- You mentioned Governor Stein and talked about how he's already passing executive orders to help the folks in Western North Carolina.

How does a disaster like that or some others, something unforeseen throw off or maybe show off a new administration?

A lot of people are watching to see how you handle it, I suppose.

- Well, I think it was a smart move of him politically.

And I think he felt it inside was to go out to Western North Carolina.

It's one of his first acts, especially as the cold weather has come now.

Because there are still people, a lot of suffering and businesses closed and people freezing up there right now.

So I think it's a good move for them.

I think it can show strength and it can show weakness also if you don't do it right.

You see Governor Newsom out here, the California wildfires right now, and some people are going a too little too late.

And that was maybe gonna also help the Governor Cooper had he continued in office in his term, not it ended.

Because he was catching a lot of heat for some people would say a slow response.

But Stein, I think is doing at least a first impression of a good job and being there and showing action is very important regardless of what party you're from because this is not political, but it can become political if you do a bad job.

- So what is your advice to new office holders at the highest levels, whether it's a mayor, whether it's a governor, whether it's a president?

I mean, what do you tell folks when they ask you for advice?

You know, to being in that top office, - Pick the best people you can to be around you.

You can't do it by yourself.

And second, if you mess up and someone you've picked isn't that good, get rid of as quick as possible.

Don't drag it out.

It's kinda like picking the wrong football player in a draft.

Sometimes they keep them too long because they were number one draft pick when they should, after a week of practice, behind the scenes, they don't say it.

The theme of our show is what we say behind the scenes.

But we don't say in public, behind the scenes, "God, I made a mistake."

Correct your mistakes as quick as possible.

- You have to admit your mistakes before you can correct them though.

- Well, sometimes you might not admit it, but you give an easy out for the individual that you picked wrongly.

So they are not embarrassed.

And you're not embarrassed too.

- I know we're gonna talk a little bit next week about the choices that are being made in Washington right now for a cabinet, but for now at least that's all the time we have for this week's one-on-one.

Thanks, governor.

- Thank you very much.

(dramatic music) Well, in Washington and Raleigh, inauguration day starts with a public ceremony outdoors in the freezing cold on the steps of the capitol.

Big crowds, shivering through the speeches, then bundling up for the parades of the parties on the surrounding streets.

But the hottest ticket in town, if you can get one, is for one of those inaugural balls.

It's a time-honored tradition.

Big formal, fancy celebrations with a who's who of politics on the guest list, celebrities in the crowd, and a guaranteed appearance by the president or the governor.

But here's what they don't tell you about inaugural balls.

They're really expensive.

The lines are really long.

The food is at best, average.

And you spend most of your time standing around on a concrete floor in a crowded ballroom with 1,000 other guests waiting for a far away glimpse of the first couple, dancing for a few minutes to a favorite song before leaving for the next ball somewhere else.

Oh, and don't forget the traffic jams getting to and from the ball and the parking and the security and the protestors waiting outside.

- [Protester] Shame on you.

Shame on you!

- Shame, shame, shame.

- How can you be like that?

- Shame, shame, shame.

- Yup.

That's me surrounded by protestors when I was in Washington for the 2016 inaugural ball and I wasn't even governor anymore.

And don't be deceived by that smile on my face in the video.

There were a lot of protestors there and I was seriously worried about my safety and others' safeties.

So here's the question.

Is it all worth it?

Heck yeah.

It's worth it.

An inaugural ball, is it just for the elected official?

It's all about the volunteers who help make it happen.

It's one last chance to relive the moment of an election night win before the real work begins on day one.

Well, that's the reality as I see it.

I hope you'll come back next week as we tell you what politicians are thinking, but not saying right here on "Unspun."

Goodnight, folks.

(lively music) - [Announcer] A production of PBS Charlotte.

(ambient music)