Spencer Cox on why Trump is the result — not the cause — of America’s crisis

**SPEAKER_1** (0:00)
People are building things here in America again, and this moment calls for the best of America, our people. Introducing America's Workforce Academy, built by Meta. A program helping to train the next generation of welders, fiber installers, crew leaders, and more. Paid training, a job, and a path to America's future, because the future is for everyone.
Learn more at meta.com/america'sworkforceacademy.

**Spencer Cox** (0:30)
I'm just here to tell you, man, like if we think that a governor or a president is going to fix this country, we're crazy.

**SPEAKER_1** (0:39)
Yeah.

**Spencer Cox** (0:39)
That's not going to happen. It's on me, it's on you.

**Jonathan Martin** (0:42)
Yes.

**Spencer Cox** (0:42)
It's on every one of us to fix the relationship with my father-in-law. To fix the relationship with that friend who disowned me when I supported Donald Trump.

**Jonathan Martin** (0:57)
Hey folks, this is Jonathan Martin coming at you on the road from Salt Lake City, Utah. We're at the Red Iguana 2
We got the UP freight train moving in front of us. Inside, we're going to be talking to Governor Spencer Cox of Utah about his new book on how to depolarize America. No small thing. But I got to confess, what I'm really looking forward to is trying some of the Red Iguana's legendary mole.

**Spencer Cox** (1:22)
Hey, Gov. What's up, man?

**Jonathan Martin** (1:24)
How are you? Thanks for doing this.

**Spencer Cox** (1:25)
Thanks for having me. It's a little more quiet than last time we were here. A little less busy right now. They cleaned it out for us.

**Jonathan Martin** (1:31)
Appreciate your chatting with us.

**Spencer Cox** (1:33)
No. Excited to do it. Anytime I get a chance to come eat here, you know I'm in. A restaurant is so great, they have to put two within a couple of blocks of each other.

**Jonathan Martin** (1:40)
There's a third, I hear.

**Spencer Cox** (1:41)
Yeah. Yeah.

**Jonathan Martin** (1:42)
They've had to expand to a third Red Iguana.

**Spencer Cox** (1:44)
They're doing great stuff here.

**Jonathan Martin** (1:45)
Salt Lake's booming, right?

**Spencer Cox** (1:46)
It is.

**Jonathan Martin** (1:47)
A third Red Iguana, that's the headline, right?

**Spencer Cox** (1:49)
Well, it is. I mean, and that's the thing. This is the OG. The food scene has really exploded.
We got our first Michelin star. I heard. Yeah. It's a big deal for us. We're pretty excited, but the food scene has really, really gone crazy the last five, 10 years, and James Beard recognized chefs all across the state. Of course, Park City's always had a pretty good food scene.

**Jonathan Martin** (2:10)
But Salt Lake too now.

**Spencer Cox** (2:12)
Yeah. Oh yeah. Salt Lake and even broader. I mean, the Wasatch Front, even some rural places, Utah, St. George is getting better. It's great stuff, but this is the place. This is great.

**Jonathan Martin** (2:21)
Is that because the Californians are moving here and looking for good food?

**Spencer Cox** (2:24)
Well, no.
That's part of it for sure, but it's just a change. I mean, really, when the Olympics came, that's when things started to change in 2002 And people have discovered Utah in really positive ways.

**Jonathan Martin** (2:38)
Nick calls it the Romney effect, starting in OCO this year.

**Spencer Cox** (2:41)
Oh, interesting. Yeah, I called it something else. Because he saved the Olympics in 2002 He played a big role in it. There's no question.

**Jonathan Martin** (2:48)
I'm glad you're here and I'm glad that we're doing this because we got a new book out.

**Spencer Cox** (2:51)
I do.

**Jonathan Martin** (2:52)
Off Ramp, How to Be a Peacemaker in an Age of Contempt. And Gov, I want you to know, I'm not one of these media folks who'd looked at the press release and then whatever. I got this thing dog-eared.

**Spencer Cox** (3:03)
I got some pages. I can see this. We're ready to roll. Look at this.

**Jonathan Martin** (3:06)
I got some notes in the back.

**Spencer Cox** (3:07)
Great.

**Jonathan Martin** (3:08)
We're going to disagree better.

**Spencer Cox** (3:09)
I'm going to ask you questions about the book to see if you really.

**Jonathan Martin** (3:11)
Bring on the quiz, man. Bring on the quiz. Shoot your problem. There we go.

**Spencer Cox** (3:15)
See? No.

**Jonathan Martin** (3:16)
You know our stuff. All right. So here's my first question in all seriousness.
How worried are you about the trajectory of this country? And are we at the risk of hyperbole, drifting towards some kind of a civil conflict in America?

**Spencer Cox** (3:32)
So yeah, I'm worried, deeply worried. That's why I wrote the book. I mean, I started the book three years ago because I was worried then. I don't think it's gotten better for sure than a year ago. We have a terrible tragedy here where highest profile assassination in 50 years in my state, in Happy Valley. This isn't supposed to happen here.