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U.S. Sen. Tom Scott, a Republican presidential candidate from South Carolina, touched on a number of topics recently in a “Conversation with the Candidate” town hall event with voters. Watch the full conversation in the video player above or the links below. Included is a 30-minute, online-only portion of the conversation:Watch Part 1: Scott does not believe Trump is responsible for Capitol riots Watch Part 2: Scott calls for national 15-week abortion limit Watch online exclusive: Scott outlines his goals for police reform Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates’ assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real-time. Hearst Television is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle.Learn more about Tim Scott’s backgroundScott has represented South Carolina as a Republican U.S. senator since 2013.Scott is the ranking member on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee. His signature legislation, the 2017 Opportunity Zones, has spurred $75 billion worth of investment into struggling communities.Previously, Scott served in the U.S. House. He first entered politics during a 1995 special election for the Charleston County council and also served in the South Carolina state legislature. In his run for president, Scott has called for a Republican message of unity and optimism and has said “a child’s ZIP code” shouldn’t determine their access to quality schools.Scott graduated from Charleston Southern University and built his own small business before his time in public service. See the full “Conversation with the Candidate” event through the following links:Watch Part 1: Scott does not believe Trump is responsible for Capitol riots Watch Part 2: Scott calls for national 15-week abortion limit Watch online exclusive: Scott outlines his goals for police reform Scott says there is racism in US, but he does not believe there is systemic racism Asked by voter Laura Landerman-Garber to explain why he does not believe there is systemic racism in the U.S., Scott said he simply does not believe America is racist. “The rise in hate crimes in the nation is not indicative of the soul of America,” Scott said. “I do not think our nation is racist. I do think we have pockets that we have to fight – persistent pockets, at times, we have to fight against and eliminate,” Scott added. In explaining his reasoning, Scott brought up his personal story about his political rise from humble beginnings. “I believe it’s because of America’s evolution that we judge people more on the content of their character than the color of their skin,” Scott said.Scott said he thinks that society should look at racial issues with more of a focus on the future and how far we’ve come. “We have work that still needs to be done, but can we pause long enough to see the remarkable arc of progress that is ours? We should embrace it. We should thank God for it. Then we should go back to work to make it even better,” Scott said.“I think we focus so much on race from a historical perspective and not enough looking in the windshield of America’s future,” Scott added.While he remains optimistic about the issue, he did say it was important to remember the history of race relations in the country. “We should not try to be insincere about the progress we have made. We should also not whitewash the history of our nation. Our nation’s history is provocative and painful on the issue of race. But our progress is palpable,” Scott said. See his full answer in the video player below:Scott blasts direct cash payments during COVID-19, calls for balanced budget amendment Voter Jack Farrington asked Scott about what his plans are for reducing the national debt, which is about $32.5 trillion as of Friday. Scott blamed the “Radical Left” and President Joe Biden for increasing the debt in the past few years, citing one of Biden’s first acts in office — his push to get the “American Rescue Plan” passed. “The only thing missing in this COVID relief package? COVID relief,” Scott said. “The other $1.7 trillion was the progressive wish list.” Scott said that less than 10% of the bill was for COVID-19 vaccines and health-related issues. According to the National Association of Counties, that is true, but the other money addressed state and local fiscal recovery, education and childcare, transportation and other programs. More than $650 billion was used for direct cash payments to most Americans, a plan Scott blasted at the town hall. He claimed it led to a sharp rise in inflation during his presidency. “That led to 10 rate increases from our Federal Reserve,” Scott said. In all, the Biden and Trump administrations spent more than $4.6 trillion in bills related to the COVID-19 pandemic. To combat the debt issue, Scott called for recharging the economy.”We need to grow our economy around 5 percent,” Scott said. “We have to stop spending money we don’t have. We have to turn the spigot off.”Scott added that he thinks the U.S. needs a balanced budget amendment.“I think the people in our country would happily vote for it,” Scott said. “The notion of a smaller and less intrusive government cannot be more needed today than it has been in my lifetime.”See his full answer in the video player below:See the full “Conversation with the Candidate” event through the following links:Watch Part 1: Scott does not believe Trump is responsible for Capitol riots Watch Part 2: Scott calls for national 15-week abortion limit Watch online exclusive: Scott outlines his goals for police reform Other “Conversation with the Candidate” events will be held throughout the campaign season. The full list of candidates who participate will be updated here.Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates’ assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real-time. Hearst Television is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle.

U.S. Sen. Tom Scott, a Republican presidential candidate from South Carolina, touched on a number of topics recently in a “Conversation with the Candidate” town hall event with voters.

Watch the full conversation in the video player above or the links below. Included is a 30-minute, online-only portion of the conversation:

Conversation with the Candidate is a town hall-style program. It is intended to allow the candidate to convey their points of view on a wide range of topics. During the program, the moderator may challenge the candidates’ assertions, but every fact may not be checked in real-time. Hearst Television is committed to holding the candidates accountable on their claims throughout the election cycle.

Learn more about Tim Scott’s background

Scott has represented South Carolina as a Republican U.S. senator since 2013.

Scott is the ranking member on the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee.

His signature legislation, the 2017 Opportunity Zones, has spurred $75 billion worth of investment into struggling communities.

Previously, Scott served in the U.S. House.

He first entered politics during a 1995 special election for the Charleston County council and also served in the South Carolina state legislature.

In his run for president, Scott has called for a Republican message of unity and optimism and has said “a child’s ZIP code” shouldn’t determine their access to quality schools.

Scott graduated from Charleston Southern University and built his own small business before his time in public service.

See the full “Conversation with the Candidate” event through the following links:

Scott says there is racism in US, but he does not believe there is systemic racism

Asked by voter Laura Landerman-Garber to explain why he does not believe there is systemic racism in the U.S., Scott said he simply does not believe America is racist.

“The rise in hate crimes in the nation is not indicative of the soul of America,” Scott said.

“I do not think our nation is racist. I do think we have pockets that we have to fight – persistent pockets, at times, we have to fight against and eliminate,” Scott added.

In explaining his reasoning, Scott brought up his personal story about his political rise from humble beginnings.

“I believe it’s because of America’s evolution that we judge people more on the content of their character than the color of their skin,” Scott said.

Scott said he thinks that society should look at racial issues with more of a focus on the future and how far we’ve come.

“We have work that still needs to be done, but can we pause long enough to see the remarkable arc of progress that is ours? We should embrace it. We should thank God for it. Then we should go back to work to make it even better,” Scott said.

“I think we focus so much on race from a historical perspective and not enough looking in the windshield of America’s future,” Scott added.

While he remains optimistic about the issue, he did say it was important to remember the history of race relations in the country.

“We should not try to be insincere about the progress we have made. We should also not whitewash the history of our nation. Our nation’s history is provocative and painful on the issue of race. But our progress is palpable,” Scott said.

See his full answer in the video player below:

Scott blasts direct cash payments during COVID-19, calls for balanced budget amendment

Voter Jack Farrington asked Scott about what his plans are for reducing the national debt, which is about $32.5 trillion as of Friday.

Scott blamed the “Radical Left” and President Joe Biden for increasing the debt in the past few years, citing one of Biden’s first acts in office — his push to get the “American Rescue Plan” passed.

“The only thing missing in this COVID relief package? COVID relief,” Scott said. “The other $1.7 trillion was the progressive wish list.”

Scott said that less than 10% of the bill was for COVID-19 vaccines and health-related issues. According to the National Association of Counties, that is true, but the other money addressed state and local fiscal recovery, education and childcare, transportation and other programs.

More than $650 billion was used for direct cash payments to most Americans, a plan Scott blasted at the town hall. He claimed it led to a sharp rise in inflation during his presidency.

“That led to 10 rate increases from our Federal Reserve,” Scott said.

In all, the Biden and Trump administrations spent more than $4.6 trillion in bills related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To combat the debt issue, Scott called for recharging the economy.

“We need to grow our economy around 5 percent,” Scott said. “We have to stop spending money we don’t have. We have to turn the spigot off.”

Scott added that he thinks the U.S. needs a balanced budget amendment.

“I think the people in our country would happily vote for it,” Scott said. “The notion of a smaller and less intrusive government cannot be more needed today than it has been in my lifetime.”

See his full answer in the video player below:

See the full “Conversation with the Candidate” event through the following links:

Other “Conversation with the Candidate” events will be held throughout the campaign season. The full list of candidates who participate will be updated here.