David Broncano's long-awaited interview with the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, on La 1's 'La Revuelta', has been marked by an intense debate in which candidate and presenter have confronted their positions on immigration, climate change, sexist violence and the Spanish political situation. A conversation that has left aside the classic questions of the program and in which there have been moments of certain dialectical tension between interviewer and interviewee, although there has also been room for jokes and some recognition from the Vox leader.
Abascal was received at the Albéniz Theater with a standing ovation and shouts of "president, president" from an audience—unusual in the program—selected by casting, something that Broncano explained at the beginning of the interview. "There was a certain fear among the program's regular audience that it would hinder the conversation and the pace of the interview," defended the presenter before beginning his talk with Abascal.
The presentations and Abascal's gift to the comedian, a flag of Ceuta as a gesture towards the autonomous city, have given rise to several exchanges of diametrically opposed opinions between the two. One of the most intense has occurred when addressing climate change, after Abascal criticized "climate fanaticism" and the 2030 Agenda, considering that they harm economic competitiveness. Broncano has described his approaches as "dangerous" and "irresponsible" and has defended the scientific evidence of global warming. "When have I denied climate change? The climate changes from morning to afternoon, from season to season...", responded Abascal, who insisted that in science there is discussion about it in front of the presenter, who reproached him for his positions discrediting the scientific method. The Vox leader has also questioned the effectiveness of environmental restrictions in Spain while countries like China continue to pollute.
The housing access crisis has also occupied a good part of the conversation. Broncano asked the leader why Vox discredits protests over access to housing, a problem that Abascal has recognized as one of the country's great challenges. However, he has blamed the Government for the rise in real estate prices and has pointed to immigration and restrictions on land liberalization as main factors. "It is not being built and more and more people are entering," said the leader, who has defended the construction of public housing, the revitalization of emptied Spain and a process of "re-emigration." Asked about the so-called 'vulture funds', he acknowledged that the speculative practices of real estate companies must be monitored and that the market must be regulated, although he insisted on blaming the Executive for the situation in the sector, especially due to tax pressure and immigration policies.
Immigration, sexist violence and foreign policy
The debate has extended to immigration policy, with Broncano assuring Abascal that repeatedly linking immigration and crime can cause foreigners who legally reside in Spain to feel singled out and considered part of the same problem. "We have never talked about expelling workers," responded the Vox leader, who has defended that immigrants who comply with the laws and respect the rules of coexistence are welcome in Spain. However, he has advocated for the repatriations of those who enter the country irregularly and the expulsion of foreigners who commit crimes. The presenter has also reproached him for the fact that Vox leaders have spoken of "hunting immigrants", an expression that the party leader has admitted may not have been accurate, although he has justified it in the context of the migratory crisis in Ceuta. "No one hunts immigrants, what happens is that many of those who entered Ceuta went to hunt Spaniards," Abascal stated.
Another of the issues addressed has been violence against women, after Broncano questioned Vox's positions regarding current legislation and its absence in some tributes to victims of sexist violence. Abascal has defended that his party recognizes this violence, but has rejected the laws that, in his opinion, "seek confrontation of the sexes." The presenter, for his part, has defended that current legislation has contributed to women being able to report the attacks they suffer. Asked about the absence of Vox in a minute of silence for a victim of sexist violence, Abascal assured that he regrets any crime, although he explained that he is not willing to stand behind banners with political messages that he does not share.
International politics has also generated disagreements between Broncano and Abascal. The Vox candidate has advocated good neighborliness with all the countries that share a border with Spain, but has proposed reviewing commercial and diplomatic relations with Morocco, including the joint organization of the 2030 World Cup, due to the massive entry of immigrants into Ceuta, which he has described as an "invasion" and "hybrid war", and also due to Rabat's claims on the autonomous Spanish cities in Africa.
Regarding Israel, he has assured that his contacts with the Government of Benjamin Netanyahu have been limited to showing solidarity after the Hamas attacks of 2023 and to request support for Spain regarding Catalonia, Ceuta and Melilla. Broncano has reproached him for the fact that none of these conversations addressed the victims of Gaza, to which Abascal has lamented the deaths of civilians, including children, both in Israel and Palestine, although he has held Hamas responsible for the start of the war and has accused it of using its population as a human shield. "There are those who want to expel the Israelis into the sea and there are those who want to reconquer Al Andalus, and that is Islamic fundamentalism," added the Vox leader. "I have no animosity towards any country, nor support for any other than Spain," he stated.
Polarization and the law of historical memory
There has also been an intense exchange about political polarization: Broncano has disgraced Abascal that Vox calls the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, a "dictator", while the leader of Vox has denounced the "demonization" of his party and has blamed the PSOE for the deterioration of public debate. Abascal has justified his accusations by referring to the judicial proceedings that affect Sánchez's personal, family and political environment and what he considers an attempt by the Executive to control the institutions. "I would like the tone to be different, of parties, of programs and for coexistence to be better, but blaming that on us is unfair," he defended.
The Vox leader has also criticized the so-called 'grandchildren law', accusing the Government of granting Spanish nationality to descendants of emigrants with the aim of influencing the electoral results. Likewise, he has accused the Government of using the Civil War to divide Spaniards, and has extended his criticism to the historical memory legislation, which, in his opinion, contributes to deteriorating coexistence. "We are not against people searching for their relatives in the graves, we think it is fine," said Abascal, although he has rejected the law being used to impose an official interpretation of history, something he considers to be the exclusive responsibility of historians. "Vox does not have a position" on the Civil War, stated the leader, who has advocated a "path of harmony" and has expressed his respect for both the descendants of the national side and those of the republican side. "My responsibility is to unite the Spanish people," he defended, before reiterating: "I am not going to impose a vision of our history on voters."
Despite the discrepancies, Abascal has acknowledged that Vox was wrong in its criticism of Broncano's signing by RTVE, after the comedian reproached him for being targeted by accusing him of taking resources away from public health. "I'm going to agree with you," the leader admitted, although he also reproached the presenter for attributing positions to him during the conversation that he does not defend. Abascal described the meeting as an "intense debate" and stressed that, despite the differences between the two, "at least I was able to talk."
