South Dakota Congressman Dusty Johnson has voiced concerns that the United States is underestimating the threat posed by China, stating the nation is "sleepwalking through this competition."
During an interview at Freedom Fest in Las Vegas, Johnson, who is concluding his time in the U.S. House of Representatives, emphasized that China's leaders are actively seeking ways to gain an advantage over the United States.
"Every day the leaders of China get up and they try to figure out how to beat America, how to destabilize our country, how to get an advantage," Johnson said. "And we're frankly in this country spending more time fighting one another than we are trying to think about how to compete with the Chinese Communist Party."
Johnson, a former leader of the Republican Main Street Caucus, has advocated for a pragmatic approach to governance. He observed that in the current political climate, louder and more extreme voices often dominate the national discourse, making it challenging for more nuanced messages to gain traction.
Addressing the National Debt
Johnson also addressed the persistent issue of the national debt and the difficulty of balancing budgets, even when one party controls Congress and the White House. He argued that tackling issues like the solvency of Social Security and Medicare requires a bipartisan effort.
"Everybody wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die," Johnson stated, referring to the political challenge of reforming entitlement programs. He stressed that a status quo approach guarantees failure and that neither party can solve the problem alone. Johnson pointed to the 1983 Social Security reform, which required collaboration between Democratic Speaker Tip O'Neill and Republican President Ronald Reagan, as a model for addressing fiscal challenges.
Gubernatorial Primary and Future Plans
Johnson recently participated in the South Dakota GOP gubernatorial primary, where he placed third despite being considered a front-runner. He attributed the outcome, in part, to negative advertising that portrayed him as a "career politician" and "RINO," sentiments he believes resonated with voters fed up with Washington D.C.
He noted a shift in political dynamics where a congressional background, once an advantage for higher office, may now be a liability. "People are fed up with Washington D.C. And that clearly is a drag on my many colleagues like me who've lost their races," Johnson said.
Despite the primary results, Johnson expressed optimism about his future, stating he is not ready to retire. Having previously worked in business and the non-profit sector, he indicated he is open to continuing to make a contribution in various capacities.
"I know that you can lead a life of consequence. You can make a better society in business. I've done that before. In the nonprofit sector, in lesser elected office or government office," Johnson said. "So I don't really know yet, but I do know that I'm surely not ready to retire."