JUDY WOODRUFF: Now we continue our series of conversations with 2020 presidential candidates.
Joining me, billionaire activist and philanthropist Tom Steyer.
Tom Steyer, welcome to the "NewsHour."
TOM STEYER (D), Presidential Candidate: Judy, thank you so much for having me.
JUDY WOODRUFF: So, let's talk about your decision to get in.
In January, you said: I'm not running for president.
But then, last month, you said: I'm going to run.
But, by this point, there were, what, two dozen other Democrats running.
TOM STEYER: Yes.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Why should people vote for you?
TOM STEYER: Well, my basic thesis on what's going on in the United States is that we have
a broken government in Washington, D.C., that corporate cash has bought the democracy, and
that the only solution is to push power back to the people, to retake the democracy on
behalf of, of, by and for the people.
And for the last 10 years, I have been organizing coalitions of ordinary American citizens to
take on that unchecked corporate power, and we have been winning.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Well, let's talk about one of the issues that is motivating many Americans
today.
And that is in the aftermath of these terrible shootings in Ohio and Texas.
You have a number of other Democratic candidates for presidents this week condemning President
Trump's rhetoric, condemning white supremacist ideology.
They're also talking about gun control.
What would your priority be to stop these kinds of incidents as president, if you're
elected president?
TOM STEYER: Well, as you point out, Judy, there are two things coming together here.
There is the failure to check gun violence in the United States, and there is the racist
rhetoric that the president has employed to create an atmosphere that empowers people
to take on these acts.
So, let's start with the first one, the failure to check gun violence in the United States.
These are -- the El Paso and Dayton are 250th and 251st mass shootings this year in the
United States we have had.
Don't forget Parkland.
Don't forget Sandy Hook.
This has been decades of unchecked violence, gun violence, in the country.
And why is that?
It's because the gun manufacturers, through the NRA, control the Republican control the
Republican Party, and commonsense gun legislation that over 90 percent of American citizens
support can't get into law because of that corporate control of the Senate.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And you're saying you would go after those corporations.
But let me point out that it was under Democratic President Obama legislation even on background
checks could not get passed.
So now you have other Democrats running for president who are talking about tougher measures,
gun licensing, gun buyback programs.
Do you have a worry that Democrats, in advocating these kinds of things, could go so far to
the left that there could be some kind of blowback?
TOM STEYER: No.
Over 90 percent of Americans want mandatory background checks on every gun purchase.
There is no question here that the will of the American people is being frustrated, and
is being frustrated by gun manufacturers through the NRA.
And this is just one example.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And you're saying...
TOM STEYER: I think it does in this case.
To be fair, look, I have been going after this idea of corporate control of our government.
That is the motivating idea behind my campaign.
But let me say, I am the person who almost two years ago said, impeach this president.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Right.
TOM STEYER: He is deeply corrupt.
And he has more than met the criteria.
And he needs to go.
JUDY WOODRUFF: And that, in fact, is what many people will recognize you for.
You are running -- have been running millions of dollars in ads on television and elsewhere
arguing for the impeachment of President Trump.
A few months ago, you said this is something that had to happen this year, it couldn't
happen in 2020.
But here we are.
It's almost the fall.
Even the Democratic congressional leadership is not in favor of an impeachment process.
Where is this going?
TOM STEYER: Look, Judy, the funny thing is, more than half the congressional Democrats
have come out publicly for impeachment.
I have pushed to get as many televised hearings in front of the American people, because what
we were really trying to do with impeachment is let the American people decide.
Have televised hearings.
Let -- all our research said, if the American people get the facts, they say, I didn't know
that, he's a liar and a crook, and, if I did that, I would go to jail.
JUDY WOODRUFF: But yes or no, you think it can happen this year?
TOM STEYER: I think time is extremely short, Judy.
JUDY WOODRUFF: 2019.
TOM STEYER: We're still pushing for it.
We will never walk away from the fact that the right thing is to impeach and remove this
president.
But time is extremely short, because the only way to get this done is to bring in the American
people.
And that means televised hearings, like the one in Watergate, that convinced the American
people that Richard Nixon was a crook who had to go.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Climate change, this has been a passion of yours.
You have worked on this issue for years.
You have spent hundreds of millions of dollars advocating there.
There are some environmental activists out there who are saying, Tom Steyer would be
much better off continuing to focus on climate change, rather than turning his focus to running
for president.
What do you say to them and to those who point to your report managing a hedge fund, where
you invested in things like coal mines around the world that were carbon emitters, ultimately,
and companies that, frankly, invested in these private prisons, where -- detention facilities
for migrants on the border?
TOM STEYER: So, let me answer -- let me first answer the investment question, and then I
will talk about what I'm doing now in terms of climate change.
Look, we invested in everything, every part of the American economy, including fossil
fuels.
And I decided over 10 years ago, oh my gosh, I realized there is this impact on the climate
that's going to be dreadful and we need -- I need to divest myself from it.
I quit my business.
I took the giving pledge to give my money to good causes, and I started organizing coalitions
to fight to prevent climate change right then.
That's exactly what I have been asking other Americans to do.
We all grew up in a fossil fuel-based economy, including you.
We have all filled up at the pump.
That is where we came from.
We need to go to a different place.
And that's what I have been pushing for, for more than 10 years ago, successfully beating
oil companies.
In terms of the private prisons, we made an investment.
I thought about it.
I decided, that is not the right thing to do.
It was a mistake.
And I sold it 15 years before any of this political stuff came, because I said, that's
not a place where somebody should be making money, including us.
It was a mistake to ever buy it.
And we sold it.
And we -- that was 15 or 17 years ago.
But let me answer this last question, Judy, which was, what am I -- why is this a way
to attack climate change?
If you have seen the climate proposal that I put out about two weeks ago, it is the most
aggressive climate proposal by far in this campaign.
It talks about declaring a state of emergency the first day of my presidency.
It talks about basically being animated by environmental justice, going to most affected
communities, and getting their ideas of leadership to make sure the program works for them.
And it talks about trying to lead an international coalition on day one, not the idea of signing
back up for Paris.
Of course we'd sign up -- back up for Paris.
That is far from enough.
If you look at the numbers in climate -- and I would challenge these climate activists
to talk about how they're going to make an impact -- if you look at the numbers on climate,
it is an emergency.
The president should deal with it that way, because we're talking about the health and
safety of every American.
And we can't do it unless the global community comes along with us, unless we lead it, and
unless we have made the commitment to get our house in order.
JUDY WOODRUFF: Tom Steyer, running for the Democratic nomination, thank you very much.
TOM STEYER: Judy, thank you so much for having me.