SIOUX CITY (KTIV) - South Carolina Senator and 2024 Republican Presidential Candidate Tim Scott was in Sioux City Wednesday evening.

Wednesday’s stop comes just a few days after he announced his presidential campaign. This was the first town hall meeting in his “Faith in America” series. It was held at a novelty machine and supply company.

When asked about his take on fossil fuels, Scott said, if he’s elected, he will resign the Keystone XL Pipeline system, putting people back to work.

“We should understand that our national security and our energy security are woven together from my perspective,” said Scott. “Therefore making sure we have the strongest excavation of our natural resources is absolutely essential for the future of our nation. We should make sure that the red tape that stops people from excavating energy that we have at home, we get rid of those irresponsible and oppressive regulatory environments.”

Scott said America is the greatest nation on earth. He said he’s running for president to create opportunities, restore hope and protect America. The senator said one of the ways to protect America is to start at the Southern Border.

“The solution to it is very simple, you build a wall,” said Scott. “You put it up. We need a physical impediment in the way. The second thing you do is use the latest technology available. It would cost us about $5 billion to have the surveillance technology to stop the flow of fentanyl from coming across the southern border.”

In the past, Scott has said he stands on a platform of expansion to educational opportunities for every American child. He is also a proponent of police reform, supporting law enforcement and wanting to increase penalties for criminals who intentionally target law enforcement officers.

Scott describes himself as strongly pro-life and wants to prohibit federal funding for abortion services.

Presidential Candidate Tim Scott visits Siouxland Christian

Wednesday morning, Sen. Scott toured Siouxland Christian School in Sioux City and spoke to students and staff.

Scot, the only African-American Republican in the Senate, has been the GOP’s leading voice on issues including policing and race relations while rejecting the idea that the country is racist. He told a roundtable at the school that he still believes in the traditional American Dream.

Positioning himself as a mild-mannered and deep-thinking candidate, Scott told faith educators he seeks to lead by example. He insists his faith is central in his life and campaign, but he’d rather convert voters and non-believers through actions than words.

“And that to me is incredibly important that we remind kids that the best is yet to come. All things are possible. It takes hard work, you’re gonna have to overcome obstacles and there’s gonna be pain, but hard work produces results,” said Scott.

There was one question and answer that perked up the room. He told the roundtable that he is in favor of more student loan forgiveness for teachers.

“And so retention becomes less of an issue long term, but also think that you provide more student loan forgiveness, and you try to create an apparatus on the federal level that we’re incentivizing teacher performance,” said Scott.

Scott also voiced his support for education savings accounts, which begin this fall for some public school students in Iowa. Under the law, a public school student, who enrolls in a private school, and meets certain income requirements, can receive almost $8,000 in tax dollars to pay for educational expenses.

“From what I hear and what I see in our school, we’re experiencing some growth,” said Dr. Lindsay Laurich, the superintendent of Siouxland Christian School. “And I’m delighted that Iowa will families have this option now.”

Scott took one question from the media but left without holding a press conference.