>>> WELCOME BACK. WE SAW ANOTHER HUGE UPSET IN A
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY.
DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY. THIS STATE IN FLORIDA.
TALLAHASSEE MAYOR ANDREW GILLUM
IS UNAPOLOGETIC AND AGAINST A
TRUMP SUPPORTER, RON DeSANTIS.
IT’S BASE AGAINST BASE.
WE’LL HELP DETERMINE WHETHER IT
IS SAFE FOR THE TWO PARTIES TO
ABANDON THE MIDDLE AND FIRE UP
THE BASIS.
THE BASIS. ON DAY ONE OF THE CAMPAIGN,
DeSANTIS SAID THIS --
>> HE IS AN ARTICULAR SPOKESMAN
FOR THE FAR LEFT VIEWS AND
CHARISMATIC.
CHARISMATIC. THE LAST THING WE NEED TO DO IS
MONKEY THIS UP WITH HUGE TAX
INCREASES AND BANKRUPTING THE
STATE.
STATE. >> DeSANTIS AND THE TEAM SAY IT
DIDN’T HAVE CONNOTATIONS.
THEY NO LONGER USE WHISTLE
CALLS, THEY ARE USEING FULL BLOW
HORNS.
HORNS. JOINING ME IS ANDREW GILLUM.
WE ASKED CONGRESSMAN DeSANTIS TO
APPEAR, BUT HE DECLINED.
MAYOR GILLUM, WELCOME TO "MEET
THE PRESS."
THE PRESS." >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
I JUST WANT TO QUICKLY SAY,
YESTERDAY’S DISPLAY OF TRUE
PATRIOTISM WAS SOMETHING TO
BEHOLD IN TODAY’S AMERICA.
IT WAS INSPIRING.
ALL THE SPEECHES MOVED ME
PERSONALLY.
PERSONALLY. >> THANK YOU FOR SHARING THAT.
LET ME START WITH THE START OF
THIS CAMPAIGN.
THIS CAMPAIGN. YOU HAD THAT BACK AND FORTH WITH
YOUR OPPONENT.
YOUR OPPONENT. A NEONAZI GROUP HAD THINGS TO
SAY.
SAY. I THINK THEY ARE TRYING TO GET
FREE PUBLICITY.
FREE PUBLICITY. ARE YOU SHOCKED HOW QUICKLY
REPUBLICANS SHOT THAT DOWN AND
HOW THEY DON’T WANT TO MAKE RACE
AN ISSUE IN THIS CAMPAIGN?
>> WHAT IS IMPORTANT IS MR.
DeSANTIS AND THE PRESIDENT TRY
TO GO HIGH ON THIS THING.
WE CANNOT AFFORD TO WEAPONIZE
RACE AND TO GO TO THE BOTTOM OF
THE BARREL HERE.
HONESTLY, PEOPLE ARE GOING TAKE
THEIR QUEUES FROM WHAT THEIR
LEADERSHIP SAYS.
LEADERSHIP SAYS. IN THIS CASE, RON DeSANTIS IS
THE LEADER.
THE LEADER. THEREFORE, HE’S GOT TO BE VERY,
VERY CAREFUL ABOUT HOW HE
ADDRESSES THESE KINDS OF ISSUES.
I’M PLEASED TO SEE THEM.
IT’S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT RON
DeSANTIS TAKE CONTROL AND
OWNERSHIP OF HIS RHETORIC AND
WORDS.
WORDS. WE KNOW THAT GIVEN THE HIGHLY
SENSITIVE NATURE WE HAVE FOUND
OURSELVES, PEOPLE TAKE THEIR
QUEUES AND ACT OUT IN WAYS THAT
GO BEYOND WHAT IS APPROPRIATE IN
TODAY’S ENVIRONMENT.
TODAY’S ENVIRONMENT. >> YOU DO NOT THINK CONGRESSMAN
DeSANTIS IS A RACIST, DO YOU?
>> I HAVE NOT CALLED HIM A
RACIST.
RACIST. >> I KNOW YOU HAVEN’T.
>> I SAID HIS RHETORIC, IN MY
OPINION, HAS TO BE TONED DOWN.
I WILL CALL HIM IS SOMEONE WHO
HAS WORKED TO UNDERMINE THE
HEALTH CARE SYSTEM.
SOMEONE WHO DECIDED TO JOIN WITH
DONALD TRUMP TO GIVE MORE AND
MORE MONEY AWAY TO THE LARGEST
CORPORATIONS.
CORPORATIONS. I’M HAPPY TO DEBATE HIM ON THE
MERRITTS OF PUBLIC POLICY.
I AM NOT GOING TO GET INTO THE
GUTTER AND NAME CALL.
IT’S NOT WHAT FLORIDA VOTERS ARE
INTERESTED IN AND WHY I RAN FOR
GOVERNOR.
GOVERNOR. I’M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE
ISSUES OF OUR STATE.
>> YOU RAN AS A DEMOCRAT.
YOU ARE FOR MEDICARE FOR ALL.
YOU TALKED OF GETTING RID OF
I.C.E. AND THINGS THERE.
I’M CURIOUS, ONE OF THE THINGS
YOU WERE SUPPORTED BY TWO
BILLIONAIRES WHO CAME IN AND
HELPED YOUR CAMPAIGN AND
LARGELY, YOUR CAMPAIGN EARLY ON
WAS FUNDED BY THEM.
HOW DO YOU SQUARE, SORT OF A
POPULOUS, PROGRESSIVE CAMPAIGN
THAT WANTS TO GET BIG MONEY OUT
OF POLITICS, DARK MONEY OUT OF
POLITICS, YET IT’S BILLIONAIRES
THAT PROP UP YOUR CAMPAIGN?
>> WELL, I’LL TELL YOU, I’M
DEEPLY APPRECIATIVE OF BOTH MEN,
WHOM I HAVE KNOWN FOR SOME TIME.
THE TRUTH IS, OUR CAMPAIGN WAS
PROPPED UP BY SMALL
CONTRIBUTIONS INCLUDING MY
MOTHER.
MOTHER. IN THE FIRST TWO DAYS OF THIS
ELECTION, OUR CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN
VOID, RAISEING OVER $2 MILLION
BY EVERY DAY FOLKS, NOT BIG
CONTRIBUTIONS, BUT EVERY DAY
FOLKS SOWING A SEED INTO IT.
THAT IS WHAT IS GOING TO HELP US
WIN ON NOVEMBER 6.
THE EVERY DAY FOLKS DECIDING TO
SOW A SEED IN THE RACE.
>> THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR’S
ASSOCIATION MADE A $1 MILLION
INVESTMENT.
INVESTMENT. IT SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY,
BUT IT’S THE STATE OF FLORIDA.
I THINK THERE’S 17,000 MEDIA
MARKETS BY LAST COUNT, I’M
EXAGGERATING SLIGHTLY.
EXAGGERATING SLIGHTLY. SOME SAY THERE WAS A ZERO
MISSING THERE.
MISSING THERE. DO YOU THINK THEY ARE SHOWING
YOU ENOUGH SUPPORT?
>> WELL, I WILL TELL YOU, CHUCK,
I HAVE EVERY EXPECTATION THEY
ARE GOING TO COME INTO THIS RACE
STRONG.
STRONG. ONE, YOU KNOW THIS BEING A HOME
BOY YOURSELF, THE IMPLICATIONS
HERE IN FLORIDA ARE SO GREAT,
NOT JUST IN THIS RACE FOR
GOVERNOR AND THE CABINET, BUT
THE UNITED STATES SENATE.
I THINK THE PAIRING OF BILL
NELSON AND MYSELF AND THE OTHER
MEMBERS OF THE CABINET, NOT TO
MENTION THE LEGISLATIVE RACES
ARE CRITICAL FOR 2020
IMPLICATIONS.
IMPLICATIONS. I EXPECT THEY ARE GOING TO COME
IN AND HAVE OUR BACK.
THE TRUTH IS, WE ARE NOT GOING
TO WAIT OR RELY ON THAT.
WE NEED EVERY DAY PEOPLE TO SOW
A SEED IN THIS RACE.
WE ARE TRYING TO RUN A CAMPAIGN
SIMILAR TO THE PRIMARY, THROUGH
THE STRENGTH AND SUPPORT OF
EVERY DAY FOLKS WILLING TO SOW A
SEED IN THIS CAMPAIGN.
>> YOU HAVE BEEN PROPELLED A BIT
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE, "THE NEW
YORK TIMES" DIVES DEEPER INTO
THE FBI INVESTIGATION THAT HAS
BEEN TAKING PLACE IN THE CITY OF
TALLAHASSEE.
TALLAHASSEE. I HAVE READ THE STORY
COMPLETELY.
COMPLETELY. YOU SAID THE FBI TOLD YOU YOU
ARE NOT A FOCUS OF THE
INVESTIGATION.
INVESTIGATION. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS.
FIRST IS, WHEN DID YOU FIND OUT
IT WAS A STING OPERATION?
>> WELL, THIS CAME TO LIGHT FOR
ME, I ASSUME SOMETIME LAST YEAR
WHEN I WAS FIRST CONTACTED BY
TWO AGENTS THAT WANTED TO TALK
TO ME.
TO ME. I SPOKE TO THEM FOR 20 MINUTES.
IN THAT MEETING, THEY TOLD ME I
WAS NOT A TARGET OF THEIR
INVESTIGATION AND ASKED ME
QUESTIONS, SPECIFICALLY, ABOUT
ONE OF MY OR SOMEONE ELSE.
WHAT WE HAVE TRIED AND I THINK
IT’S IMPORTANT TO POINT THIS
OUT, THE CITY OF TALLAHASSEE IS
UNDER INVESTIGATION.
UNDER INVESTIGATION. WE HAD WORKED TO BE AS
COOPERATIVE AS WE CAN.
ANYONE WHO HAS DONE ANYTHING
WRONG OUGHT TO BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE.
ACCOUNTABLE. CONTRAST THAT TO DeSANTIS AND
TRUMP.
TRUMP. THEY WORKED TO UNDERMINE THE
WORK OF THIS AGENCY.
THE PRESIDENT GOING SO FAR TO
SUGGEST A DEEP STATE.
WHAT WE SAID IS WE WANT THIS
THING RESOLVED.
THING RESOLVED. ANYONE DOING ANYTHING WRONG
SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE.
THAT’S HOW YOU HANDLE THESE
THINGS, NOT STANDING IN THE WAY.
>> THERE’S PERCEPTION AND
REALITY.
REALITY. HAVE YOU CHANGED YOUR BEHAVIOR
GIVEN THIS EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE
GONE THROUGH?
GONE THROUGH? >> WELL, I WILL TELL YOU, I AM
OBVIOUSLY MORE CIRCUMSPECT ABOUT
EVERYTHING.
EVERYTHING. PART OF BEING ELECTED AT THE AGE
OF 23 AND NOT REALLY HAVING TO
BE, YOU KNOW, OVERLY CAUTIOUS OR
DISTRUSTFUL AT THE LOCAL LEVEL.
I THINK I WAS A BIT NAIVE THAT
EVERYBODY THAT COMES INTO MY
SPACE HAS GOOD INTENTIONS.
I KNOW THAT I WOULD HAVE CHANGED
ANY INTERACTIONS, BUT IT MADE ME
MORE SKRUT -- SCUTINOUS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE GOOD
INTENTIONS FOR ME, MY FAMILY AND
MY COMMUNITY.
MY COMMUNITY. >>> "THE NEW YORK TIMES" SAYS
YOU WERE GOING TO PROVIDE
RECEIPTS HAVING TO DO WITH A
COUPLE TRIPS HAVING TO DO WITH
LOBBYISTS.
LOBBYISTS. THEY HAVEN’T BEEN PROVIDED.
SHOULD WE EXPECT THAT SOON?
>> YOU SHOULD.
MY COMMITMENT IS TO MAKE EVERY
RECEIPT AVAILABLE.
RECEIPT AVAILABLE. I HAVE NOTHING TO HIDE.
I HAVE ONE INTERVIEW LEFT WITH
THE ETHICS BOARD THIS WEEK.
FOLLOWING THAT, WE WILL MAKE
THEM AVAILABLE.
THEM AVAILABLE. I WANTED THE PROCESS TO WRKORK T