Insightful and perceptive Fox News Host Trey Gowdy has extensive experience in the courtroom and the House of Representatives has given him a unique perspective on this year’s election season.
“I try to make people laugh. I’m not saying there aren’t serious issues [in the news] there are really, really, really serious issues. But when you’ve done death penalty cases, and child sex abuse cases, and sexual assault cases, it gives you a renewed perspective on what’s really worth getting angry about.”
Gowdy has worked as a prosecutor in both state and federal courts. A career he called, “That’s my favorite job of all time but it does take its toll on what’s left of your soul. I was a homicide prosecutor. There are just no good days. I mean, I had over 100 jury trials in federal and state court, I’ve done everything you can do as a prosecutor. I wanted to try to leave before I had become totally cynical about life. The sad part is, that had already happened.”
He ran for Congress, a decision looking back he questions doing, as he saw the move as “an honorable exit to get out of what I was doing,” and won against an incumbent. “I was in Congress for eight years. I really wanted to leave after my third term, but my best friend in politics is Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC). He convinced me to stay.”
Gowdy called the halls of Congress, “a lonely place” but he did make some lifelong friends along the way. “So there were four of us that had a very special relationship: Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-TX), Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and me. And, I guess I was the first to go.”
His media career came shortly after calling it, “Fox’s grace.”
“They let me on as a contributor. They were fantastic. Greta Van Susteren, I think, was the first person to have me on. The first interview I did with Megyn Kelly, I was sure I would never be asked back on television again. I stared at the top of my shoes the entire time, which if you’re wondering, is not good for television to not to be looking down the entire time. It’s not good, [but] they said, ‘Do you want to be a contributor?’ And my first thought was ‘What do I have to contribute?’”
To his shock, but to no surprise to Fox News executives, Gowdy has quite a lot to contribute, including three books, two podcasts, and a Sunday night show. This year he will also be a part of Fox News’ Republican National Convention coverage this week. While he doesn’t believe this election cycle is worth getting angry over, there is definitely some frustration. “There are things that are worth getting sad about and then the sadness leads into a deep level of frustration.”
The frustration stems from President Biden’s questionable cognitive abilities. “It was clear to me well before the debate that Father Time had called President Biden — and I don’t I say that out of sadness because [Father Time] is going to catch every one of us. I did not see a man that was capable of running the country. So the sadness then gives way to who is enabling that. Who is so thirsty for power that you would put someone in a position? I mean, you have to have people in your life that love you enough to say it’s time to walk away.”
While his experience is helpful in his media career, there is one thing he left behind with his Congressional career: social media. “I think [social media] dumbs [this issues] down. I think life is complicated and the notion that we can discuss it and 140 characters, or however many you get on social media or a short video [doesn’t makes sense].”
Trey Gowdy was on social media while in office but he had someone do it for him. “Why should it matter what [people I don’t know] think about me if they don’t know me? I mean, they see me on television for five minutes and they think that they’ve got me figured out. So if all you do is inhabit the praise or fear the criticism of people who don’t know you, that’s a formula for a miserable life.
“There are parts of social media that are fantastic. The ability to get information out quickly. The ability to be or to believe that you are heard. But the reality is, all opinions are not equal.”
The host of Sunday Night in America has found other ways outside social media to connect with his following, through his podcast, The Trey Gowdy Podcast.
“I interview people that I find interesting. I try to make an effort to make it happy and instructive. I’ve had lots of my Democrat friends come on because they are friends. We don’t vote the same way and I think people look at me like I’ve lost my mind when I say I have friends who would never vote for me, but they’re still my friend. I actually value the friendship more than I do the vote. They shouldn’t vote for me. We don’t have the same view of government. They should go vote for someone else. But I would trust them with the most precious assets that I had in life. That, to me, is more important.”
Trey Gowdy views podcasts, which sometimes reach across the aisle and speak with democrats, as important because without understanding the other side we live in an echo chamber.
“If I’m trying to understand how President Obama was elected twice, what good does it do me to ask someone who didn’t vote for me? I got to ask somebody who actually voted for him. And the same goes for President Trump. I mean, you got these people clutching their pearls and thinking the world is about to end because Donald Trump was elected in 2016. Did you know anybody who voted for him? Because if you know people who voted for him, they can explain to you why they did.”
For those looking to follow in any one of Gowdy’s career paths, or more importantly do good in life, he said to ask the following question to yourself, “What do you want people to say about me? What do you want to be remembered for? By whom? What characteristics do you want people to say he or she had? And are you making decisions now to get you there?
“If all you want them to say is he or she was rich. I don’t know what happens in the afterlife, but my guess is you don’t need money. Whatever it is, you’re not going to need money. So if that’s your sole goal in life, then I think you’ll be underwhelmed. I guess it was Tolstoy who said ‘The essence of life is human service.’ The happiest people I know are doing things for other people. So my advice for young people is to find what you’re good at. Find what you love. See if the two can marry one another. Sometimes what you’re good at, you don’t like. You shouldn’t do it. Sometimes what you love, you’re not any good at. You shouldn’t do it. Find what you’re good at that you also like or love and then go do that.”
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
