Calls border security 'a key to sovereignty itself' and frames enforcement as a rule-of-law issue, arguing the country can't enforce some laws while ignoring others. As governor signed one of the toughest state immigration laws and required E-Verify before it was politically popular; opposes sanctuary cities and wants law enforcement adequately funded.

Insists only Congress can declare war, rejecting unilateral presidential military action such as potential strikes on Iran. Puts it starkly: 'body bags don't go back to Washington. They come back to home states and congressional districts,' and wants any new use of force to require a congressional vote.

Declined to commit to backing John Thune for Senate Republican leader, calling him a 'scapegoat' for the chamber's narrow 53-47 GOP margin and saying more needs to be learned about him before pledging support. Signals willingness to break from leadership on procedural votes rather than fall in line automatically.

Says local communities should have direct input into the 'actual buildout' of data centers proposed near them, rather than decisions being made solely at the state or federal level, while also backing federal 'guardrails' to set baseline standards for where and how they're built.

Backs the goal of leveling the playing field on trade but urges caution on tariffs, noting South Carolina has more foreign direct investment than any other state and would feel abrupt tariff changes more than most states. Says the president's aim is right but implementation needs to be 'very judicious.'

In his final U.S. House term (2018), voted for a federal 20-week abortion ban, to strip Planned Parenthood funding, and to restrict ACA abortion coverage -- a record scored 15% by Reproductive Freedom for All. Opposed fetal-personhood bill H.R. 88, which would define life at fertilization.

Claims he voted with the president about 90% of the time in office, though independent trackers put the figure closer to 73% -- a gap that fed Trump-backed opposition and contributed to his losing a 2018 primary. Says he'll back the agenda but keep room to disagree.

Warns Social Security's trust fund will be exhausted in 5.5 years, able to pay only 75% of benefits without changes, and has long proposed personalized retirement accounts so workers own their contributions rather than rely on a depleting government fund. Also cites Medicare's 6.5-year insolvency window as part of the same warning about household costs.

Argues Washington overreaches on education mandates and wants power shifted back to empower teachers in the classroom and local communities to set priorities. Points to signing one of the first statewide charter-school laws as governor and backs expanding school choice as part of that same local-control approach.

Frames conservation as fiscal conservatism applied to natural resources, citing a record of protecting over 250,000 acres as governor — more than any predecessor — fighting to preserve funding for the state's conservation bank, and leading opposition to offshore oil drilling along South Carolina's coast.

Criticizes the Senate practice of voting on thousand-page bills lawmakers haven't had time to read, calling it evidence Washington's process itself is broken. Points to the self-imposed three-term limit he kept during his first U.S. House tenure as a model of accountability the institution lacks.

As governor in 2006, signed South Carolina's Castle Doctrine law presuming an intruder in a home, vehicle, or business intends harm and shielding self-defense from prosecution or civil suits, plus a law barring local governments from restricting firearm sale or transport during emergencies.

Points to being the only two-term South Carolina governor in a century to shrink the general fund in real terms, plus the state's first grocery-tax cut, first property-tax cut, and largest recurring tax cut. In Congress, repeatedly voted against debt-ceiling deals that raised borrowing without matching spending cuts.