Kris Kobach

Kris William Kobach (March 26, 1966 –) is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 31st Secretary of State of Kansas. A former Chairman of the Kansas Republican Party, Kobach came to national prominence over his far-right anti-immigration views, including involvement in the implementation of high-profile anti-immigration ordinances in various American cities. Kobach is also known for his calls for stronger voter ID laws in the United States, a national registry of Muslims in the United States, and his advocacy for anti-abortion legislation.

Kris Kobach in 2014

Quotes

• I have had the advantage of the opportunity to meet with Mr. Trump on several occasions. And my experience is that he’s very intelligent. He’s thirsty for information. He wants to hear what you have to say. He listens to his advisers. He digests the information very quickly, and he’s got a good memory, because I remember one time I was talking to him about something, and then he pulled some information out of his memory banks that was a great connection that I hadn’t even thought to mention to him. So, I think there is another difference here, too. Different presidents are different as far as their public persona vs. their persona meeting with advisers. For example, George Bush was pretty much the same in person as when he was speaking publicly. I think Donald Trump has a stage persona and he also has a temperament when meeting with his advisers. Now, the positions are the same, but the attitude is a little bit different.
  • Is Donald Trump fit to be president? (August 10, 2016)

• I think, to many conservatives, many Republicans, it was reassuring, in the sense that this was the first time we have seen a president, a conservative president, really express vocally at a press conference the bias he feels and many of us feel has been given in the coverage toward the Trump administration. And so he’s sort of holding the press’ feet to the fire while he’s taking their questions. And it’s combative. It’s interesting. I think you are going to see a lot more people tuning in to these press conferences. It used to be that conservatives who were in government, like myself, we would get what we felt was unfair coverage, we’d go home, we would grumble, we would complain about it, but we actually wouldn’t say anything to the reporter or to the reporters while they’re asking us additional questions. He’s very confrontational. And I think that’s refreshing. So I think it actually is going to be good. And I think the public is going to take an interest in these press conferences much more so than in past presidencies.
  • Does Trump’s confrontational style help him as president? (February 16, 2017)