TREASURY SECRETARY STEVE MNUCHIN WENT TO UCLA TO GIVE A
TALK ABOUT THE ECONOMY AND ECONOMICS AND SOME OF THE
STUDENTS WERE NOT IN FAVOR OF HIS APPEARANCE OR THE FACT
THAT HE WAS GIVING THIS TALK.
IN FACT THERE WERE PROTESTERS OUTSIDE WHO WERE HANDING
OUT SOME LITERATURE THAT WAS AGAINST MNUCHIN AND THEN
AS YOU CAN PROBABLY PREDICT, SOME OF THE STUDENTS SPOKE
OUT AS HE WAS TRYING TO SPEAK TO THE AUDIENCE.
WE HAVE TWO VIDEOS TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE OF THIS BUT BEFORE WE
GET TO THOSE VIDEOS, AND WENT TO GIVE YOU ANOTHER IMPORTANT
PORTION OF THE STORY WHICH IS THE FACT THAT THE MNUCHIN
REACHED
OUT TO UCLA AND ESSENTIALLY TOLD THE ADMINISTRATORS THAT HE
IS RESCINDING HIS AGREEMENT TO ALLOW THE VIDEO OF THE TALK
TO BE POSTED ONLINE, SO UCLA AS AN INSTITUTION WILL NOT POST IT.
BACK, LET'S GO BACK TO THE GRAPHIC.
THE STUDENTS MADE RECORDINGS OF THEIR OWN AND WE ARE ABOUT
TO SHOW YOU WHAT THOSE RECORDINGS ARE RIGHT NOW.
OF COURSE.
TAKE A LOOK.
IT ISN'T BLACK PEOPLE AND BROWN PEOPLE IN THE INNER CITIES WHO
DID THIS.
YOU ARE PUNISHING THEM FOR BEING IN THAT POSITION.
YOU ARE PUNISHING THEM FOR THE MISERY OF THIS SYSTEM, A SYSTEM
THAT YOU'RE ENFORCING.
AND SO OKAY, LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE DOING.
[INAUDIBLE]
HE IS GOING AFTER PEOPLE WHO ARE VULNERABLE.
THIS IS POLITICS OF CRUELTY.
THIS IS POLITICS OF FASCISM.
IT IS KIND OF HARD TO PAY ATTENTION TO WHAT THEY ARE
SAYING, BUT THEY ARE PRETTY IMPORTANT STUDENTS AND THEIR
ARGUING ABOUT HOW THE TAX BILL, TAX LAW NOW NEGATIVELY IMPACTS
THE POOR, PARTICULARLY MINORITY COMMUNITIES AND SO THEY HAVE
LEGITIMATE CONCERNS BUT I AM NOT SURE THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO
HANDLE IT.
BECAUSE IT IS EASY FOR PEOPLE TO DISMISS YOU AND MAKE IT SEEM
AS THOUGH YOU HAVE NO LEGITIMATE POINTS WHEN YOU GO ABOUT IT
THIS WAY AND I DO NOT WANT TO BE TOO HARD ON THE STUDENTS
BECAUSE I THINK THEY ARE SMART AND THEY'VE GOOD POINTS
THEY WANT TO BE HEARD IN THEIR FRUSTRATED AND ANGRY BY I WANT
TO GO ABOUT IT IN A STRATEGY THAT WILL BE MORE EFFECTIVE.
I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS.
I LOVE THAT WE HOLD PEOPLE IN POWER ACCOUNTABLE AND MY HYBRID
APPROACH HERE IS PROTEST IN SOME WAY THAT ALLOWS THEM TO SPEAK
WHETHER IT'S YOU SAY SOMETHING IN THE BEGINNING AND THEN STOP
OR YOU TURN YOUR BACK TO THEM OR WHATEVER IT MIGHT BE, SO I DO
NOT WANT TO NOT PROTEST THEM AND THEY ARE MAKING PERFECTLY GOOD
POINTS BUT AT SOME POINT WE HAD TO LET THEM SPEAK AND IT DOES
BUT THE COPS, THEY HANDLED IT OKAY THERE IN A TOUGH POSITION
WHERE THEY HAVE TO PHYSICALLY TAKE YOU OUT OF THE ROOM,
OTHERWISE HE CAN'T SPEAK AND THEN WE HAVE NOT HEARD HIM AND
LOOK, I THINK THE TAX LAWS HORRIFIC.
I AGREE WITH THE STUDENTS.
I THINK THEIR POINTS ARE WELL TAKEN, I THINK THE MNUCHIN
IS A CLOWN.
HE ALSO COMPLAINED ABOUT THE HOST WHO IS THE HOST OF
MARKETPLACE RADIO AND SAID HE WAS BIASED.
UNLESS SOMEONE AGREES WITH YOU AND THINKS THE TAX CUTS
SHOULD GO MAINLY TO THE RICH, THEY ARE BIASED?
HE IS ASKING YOU QUESTIONS.
SO HE WOULD'VE COMPLAINED ABOUT EVERYTHING AND DID COMPLAIN
ABOUT EVERYTHING.
I ACTUALLY WAS ON A PANEL AT UCLA LAST YEAR, ACTUALLY ABOUT A
YEAR AGO AND THE TWO PROFESSORS THAT I WAS ON THAT PANEL WITH
WERE NOT PROGRESSIVES AT ALL AND IT WAS GREAT.
IT WAS A GREAT CONVERSATION.
WE DISAGREE QUITE A BIT AND IT WAS KIND OF SAD TO SEE
THESE EDUCATED MEN MAKE SOME OF THE POINTS THAT THEY MADE,
BUT IT DOES NOT MATTER.
WE ARE HAVING A CONVERSATION AND EVEN IF PEOPLE DISAGREE
WITH ME OR THESE PROFESSORS.
I WOULD NOT WANT ANYONE TO DISRUPT THAT CONVERSATION.
THERE WAS A Q&A PORTION OF IT WHICH I THINK IS A GREAT
OPPORTUNITY TO ASK THE TOUGH QUESTIONS AND CALL THEM OUT.
CALL THEM OUT, LET THEM SPEAK AND DURING THE Q&A, SAY
WHAT YOU NEED TO SAY, MAKE THE COMMON SEE NEED TO MAKE AND
THEN ASKED THE TOUGH QUESTIONS.
I THINK THAT WILL ALLOW FOR SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE WILL TAKE
YOU SERIOUSLY AND YOU GET THAT MESSAGE ACROSS EFFECTIVELY
AND LOOK, I THINK ABOUT IN MY OWN CONTEXT AS WELL.
WHEN I WAS AT POLITICAL ON I WAS INVITED ON ONE OF THE
PANELS AND IT WAS ABOUT HOW CONSERVATIVES CAN APPEAL TO
MILLENNIALS AND THE AUDIENCE WAS FULL OF CONSERVATIVES.
EVERYONE ON THAT PANEL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF MAYBE ONE
PERSON WERE VERY CONSERVATIVE AND THEY WOULD NOT LET ME TALK.
THEY JUST WOULD NOT LET ME TALK AND IT WAS INCREDIBLY
FRUSTRATING SO I WOULD NOT WANT ANYONE ELSE WITH A
DIFFERENT POLITICAL IDEOLOGY TO DEAL WITH THAT EITHER.
I HEAR THE CONSERVATIVES ARE FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH
THOUGH, THAT'S KIND OF WEIRD.
LOOK, IT'S IMPORTANT ESPECIALLY ON A COLLEGE CAMPUS TO HAVE AN
EXCHANGE OF IDEAS EVEN IF YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CONVINCED THAT
YOU ARE RIGHT AND I'M CONVINCED THAT YOU'RE RIGHT NOW THE FACTS
TO BACK IT UP, THAT TAX BILL IN CASE YOU ARE ACTUALLY CONCERNED
ABOUT THE SUBSTANCE OF IT, EVERYBODY IN THE TOP 1% GETS
OVER $50,000 TAX BREAK ON AVERAGE AND AFTER 2027, EVERYONE
MAKING LESS THAN $75,000 GET THEIR TAXES INCREASED SO IT IS
REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH TO THE TOP SO THEIR POINTS ABOUT THE
BILL WERE FANTASTIC BUT THEN YOU ALSO PARTLY TURN THEM INTO A
VICTIM AND IT DOESN'T HELP.
IT REALLY DOESN'T HELP.
JUST LET THEM SAY THE ABSURD POINTS AND HE IS GOING TO
MAKE THAT COUNT OF THOSE POINTSÖ IS VERY IMPORTANT BUT I
KEEP SAYING IT, WE'VE BEEN CONSISTENT ON ALL ALONG.
LET HIM SPEAK BUT IF HE DID WANT FREEDOM OF SPEECH, BY THE WAY.
IS ALSO SLIGHTLY IRONIC THAT HE IS NOW BANNING THE VIDEO OF
HIS OWN SPEECH.
IT IS KIND OF AMAZING.
I WOULD ARGUE THAT RELEASING THE FULL VIDEO WOULD ACTUALLY BE
BETTER BECAUSE THEN AT LEAST PEOPLE CAN SEE THE FULL CONTEXT
OF WHAT IS GOING ON AS OPPOSED TO WHAT SOME OF THE STUDENTS ARE
POSTING.