>> THIS IS A WMUR COMMITMENT 2020 SPECIAL CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATES.
TONIGHT, TOM STEYER.
>> GOOD EVENING AND WELCOME TO OUR CONVERSATION WITH THE CANDIDATES SERIES.
OUR GUESS THIS EVENING’S TOM STEYER.
WE WILL GET TO KNOW HIM AND WHERE HE STANDS ON KEY ISSUES FOR STOP I WILL ASK THE CANDIDATE SOME QUESTIONS AND AFTER A BREAK, WE WILL HAVE THE STUDIO AUDIENCE ASK THEIR
QUESTIONS IN A TOWN HALL FORMAT.
BEFORE WE BEGIN, LET’S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THE CANDIDATES BIOGRAPHY.
>TOM STEYER WAS ONE IN 1957 AND GREW UP IN NEW YORK CITY.
HE GRADUATED FROM YALE AND GOT HIS MBA FROM STANFORD WILL STOP IN 1986, HE MOVED TO SAN FRANCISCO AND STARTED HIS OWN SMALL INVESTMENT FIRM.
HE MANAGED A NEW FUND THAT WAS BACKED WITH SMALL INVESTMENTS FOR UNIVERSITIES, FOUNDATIONS AND INDIVIDUALS AND SAYS AT ITS PEAK, THE FIRM’S INVESTMENTS TOTALED $36 BILLION.
IN 2013 COME HE TURNED TO NONPROFIT AND POLITICAL ADVOCACY AND FOUNDED NEXT TO JEN AMERICA -- NEXTGEN AMERICA TO COMBAT CLIMATE CHANGE AND INCREASED VOTER PARTICIPATION.
HE THEN STARTED A PUSH TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP THROUGH GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING AND ADVERTISING.
HE AND HIS WIFE CATHERINE TAYLOR HAVE DONATED TIME AND MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO CHARITABLE PROJECTS TO ADVANCE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY, RENEWABLE ENERGY AND CLEAN AIR AND WATER.
THEY’VE ALSO GIVEN MORE THAN $120 MILLION TO BUILDING THE BENEFICIAL STATE RANK WHICH -- BANK WHICH MAKES AFFORDABLE LOANS TO WORKING PEOPLE COME A SMALL BUSINESSES, AND NONPROFIT
PROJECTS.
HE LIVES IN SAN FRANCISCO AND HAS FOUR GROWN CHILDREN.
TOM STEYER, THANKS FOR JOINING US.
>> IT’S GREAT TO BE HERE.
>> YOU SHARE SOME THINGS IN COMMON WITH DONALD TRUMP, OUTSIDER, BUSINESSMEN AND BILLIONAIRE.
WHAT YOU SAY TO DEMOCRATS WHO ARE TRYING TO DRAW A DISTINCTION?
>> LOOK, I THINK WITH DEMOCRATS ARE LOOKING FOR, I THINK THAT AMERICANS ARE LOOKING FOR IS A POSITIVE VISION FOR THE FUTURE THAT WE CAN ALL TURN TO.
I THINK MR. TRUMP ACTUALLY POINTED OUT SOMETHING TRUE IN 2016 WHICH IS THAT MOST AMERICANS THINK THAT THIS GOVERNMENT IS BROKEN, CORPORATIONS HAVE BOUGHT THE
GOVERNMENT, IT NO LONGER WORKS OF THEM BY AND FOR THE PEOPLE AND I THINK PEOPLE RESPONDED TO THAT BECAUSE HE WAS TELLING THE TRUTH.
I DISAGREE WITH HIM ON VIRTUALLY EVERY POLICY.
I FIND HIM PERSONALLY REPUGNANT AND AS YOU KNOW, I STARTED A MOVE TO IMPEACH WHICH HAS MORE THAN 8 MILLION CITIZENS WHO SIGNED ON TO PUSH FOR HIS IMPEACHMENT.
I THINK WHAT AMERICA IS STILL LOOKING FOR IS A POSITIVE VISION FOR HOW WE ARE GOING TO GO FORWARD TOGETHER AND CREATE A FUTURE THAT IS BETTER THAN ANYONE OF US CAN IMAGINE.
>> IT LOOKS LIKE IMPEACHMENT IS A DEAD ISSUE IN WASHINGTON EVEN AMONG DEMOCRATS.
SOME OF THEM WANT AN INQUIRY SO WHY DO YOU KEEP PUSHING FOR THAT?
>> WHEN YOU SAY IT’S A DEAD ISSUE, I THINK THE NUMBER OF DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED ON TO THE IDEA OF THE IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY WHICH IS THE INSIDE THE BELTWAY JARGON IS
116 AS OF THIS MORNING.
ALL MOST HAVE OF THE DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS AND FOUR MORE JOINED ON THIS MORNING.
ACTUALLY, I HAVE BEEN PUSHING FOR THIS FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS BECAUSE IT WAS OBVIOUS TO ME THAT THIS WAS A MOST CORRUPT PRESIDENT IN AMERICAN HISTORY, THAT HE MORE THAN MET THE
CRITERIA FOR IMPEACHMENT AND I AM TRYING TO TELL THE TRUTH AND STAND UP FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
TWO YEARS LATER, IT ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE INSTITUTIONAL WASHINGTON, D.C. HAS CAUGHT UP WITH IM AID MILLION OTHER AMERICANS -- WITH I AND EIGHT MILLION OTHER AMERICANS BELIEVE.
>> THE REPUBLICAN SENATE WILL ACQUIT SO WHY BOTHER?
>> I THINK PEOPLE INSIDE THE BELTWAY, IT IMPLIES THIS IS AN INSIDE THE BUT WOULD QUESTION.
THERE ARE SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON HERE.
IT SAYS WHEN AMERICANS SEE THE TRUTH WHETHER THEY ARE TRUMP VOTERS ARE ANTI-TRUMP VOTERS, THAT ALL SAY THE SAME THING -- HE IS A LIAR AND A CHEAT AND IF I DID THAT I WOULD GO TO JAIL.
I WANT THE AMERICAN PEOPLE, MY PUSH IS TO PUSH POWER PACKS OF AMERICAN PEOPLE AND LET THE PEOPLE TAKE CONTROL OF OUR GOVERNMENT AGAIN INCLUDING IMPEACHMENT.
HAVE THE TELEVISED HEARINGS, LET US ALL SEE.
DO THE RIGHT THING, TELL THE TRUTH, STAND UP FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE AND LET THE POLITICAL CONSEQUENCES BE WHAT THEY BE.
THAT’S WHAT WE SHOULD BE DOING.
>> WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR MIND ABOUT RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT?
YOU SAID YOU WOULD NOT DO IT AND NOW HERE YOU ARE.
>> EXCUSE ME, I COULDN’T SLEEP.
THE TWO THINGS THAT I REALLY BELIEVE OR NOT BEING TALKED ABOUT HARDLY AT ALL -- ONE IS THE IDEA THAT OUR GOVERNMENT HAS BEEN BOUGHT BY CORPORATIONS.
WE NEED TO RETURN POWER TO THE PEOPLE TO GET ANY OF THESE POLICY ISSUES AND ACTED.
AND THE SECOND IS CLIMATE.
IF YOU WATCHED THE DEBATE LAST NIGHT, THEY HARDLY TALK AT ALL ABOUT IT.
WE ARE IN A CRISIS.
I HAVE SAID THAT I WOULD DECLARE A CLIMATE EMERGENCY ON THE FIRST DAY OF MY PRESIDENCY.
I WOULD USE THE EMERGENCY POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT TO DEAL WITH IT IF CONGRESS DID NOT ACT WITHIN 100 DAYS AND I WOULD USE THIS ON DAY ONE TO REBUILD AMERICA’S STATURE IN THE WORLD AND REACH
OUT TO ALL OF OUR TRADITIONAL ALLIES, OUR TRADITIONAL COUNTERPARTS BECAUSE THIS IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM AND REASSERT AMERICAN MORAL LEADERSHIP, AMERICAN TECHNOLOGICAL
LEADERSHIP, AND AMERICAN INDUSTRIAL LEADERSHIP AROUND THE WORLD BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT IT WILL TAKE.
>> THANKS FOR ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS IN THE TOP ONES AWAIT IN THE TOWN HALL FORMAT.
COMING UP AFTER THE BREAK, WE WILL BRING OUR STUDIO AUDIENCE INTO THE CONVERSATION, STAY WITH US.