>>> PUNDITS ARE CALLING MY NEXT GUEST THE BEST-KEPT SECRET IN
THE CROWDED DEMOCRATIC FIELD.
HE’S COUNTERING THE PRESIDENT’S
ECONOMIC MESSAGE BY BANKING ON
THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN LEFT BEHIND
BY THE TRUMP ECONOMY.
JOINING ME NOW, 2020
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, STEVE
BULLOCK.
BULLOCK. WELCOME, GOVERNOR.
WELCOME, GOVERNOR. I LOVE BEING USUALLY THE
LEAST-DRESSED GUY IN THE ROOM.
THEY MAKE ME WEAR A TIE.
I LOVE THAT YOU SHOW UP CASUAL.
>> YEAH, AND IT’S -- DONNY, THIS
IS SORT OF HOW I TYPICALLY
DRESS.
DRESS. IT’S GREAT TO BE ON YOUR SHOW, I
APPRECIATE YOU TAKING THE TIME
WITH HE HAD TODAY.
>> RIGHT BACK AT YOU.
WE MET WHEN YOU CAME ON "MORNING
JOE," YOU WALKED OFF THE SET AND
WE ALL LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND
SAID, THIS GUY HAS THAT "IT"
FACTORY.
FACTORY. YOU ACTUALLY GOT 30% OF THE
PEOPLE WHO VOTED FOR TRUMP.
GIVE ME IN A SIMPLE PHRASE WHAT
THE SECRET SAUCE YOU HAD THAT
DID THAT.
DID THAT. >> WELL, I THINK FIRST OF ALL, I
SHOW UP.
SHOW UP. I DON’T HAVE THE LUXURY IN
MONTANA OF JUST GOING TO, YOU
KNOW, POCKETS OF BLUE.
I GET ALL OVER THE STATE.
I LISTEN AS MUCH AS I TALK.
AND I BEGIN WITH THE BASE
ASSUMPTION THAT THE VALUES THAT
MOST FOLKS -- PEOPLE ARE TOO
BUSY IN THEIR LIVES FOR
POLITICS.
POLITICS. WHAT DO THEY WANT?
A SAFE COMMUNITY, A DECENT JOB,
A ROOF OVER THEIR HEAD, GOOD
PUBLIC SCHOOLS, CLEAN AIR, CLEAN
WATER, THE BELIEF THAT YOU CAN
DO BETTER FOR YOUR KIDS AND
GRANDKIDS THAN FOR YOUR
GENERATION.
GENERATION. SOMEWHERE ALONG THE LINE, THE
ECONOMY HAS BROKEN.
I WAS IN HELENA, MONTANA, I WAS
RAISED FOUR BLOCKS FROM HERE,
BACK WHEN I WAS A KID, 90% OF
30-YEAR-OLDS WERE DOING BETTER
THAN THEIR PARENTS AT AGE 30.
TODAY IT’S ONLY HALF.
44% OF AMERICANS WOULDN’T HAVE
400 BUCKS IN CASE OF MEDICAL OR
A FAMILY EMERGENCY.
SO WHEN THE ECONOMY’S NOT
WORKING FOR PEOPLE, THEY LOOK TO
THE POLITICAL SYSTEM FOR RELIEF.
AND IT REALLY IS CAPTURED BY THE
OUTSIDE DOLLARS AND THE
CORRUPTING INFLUENCE OF MONEY.
SO I THINK THAT MY SECRET SAUCE
IS ACTUALLY BY RECOGNIZING THAT
THINGS WE ALL WANT ARE THE SAME.
AND BY GOING TO PLACES THAT NOT
ALL DEMOCRATS GO.
>> GOVERNOR, I LOVE THAT YOU’RE
NOT CEDING THE ECONOMY TO TRUMP
BECAUSE IT IS TWO ECONOMIES.
THE DEMOCRATS ACROSS THE FIELD
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THERE’S A LOT
OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO PUNCH AT
THAT.
THAT. SPEAKING OF PUMPINGNCHING, YOU S
YOU’RE NOT GOING TO OUT-TRUMP
TRUMP, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO DO
ANYTHING TO EMBARRASSES YOUR
KIDS OR GRANDKIDS.
WHAT DID YOU MEAN?
>> EXACTLY THAT.
WE ALL HAVE AN OBLIGATION, MY
FIRST STATE OF THE STATE, I
TALKED ABOUT HOW WE NEED TO ACT
LIKE OUR KIDS ARE WATCHING AND
LEARNING FROM OUR BEHAVIOR, OUR
WORDS AND THEIR DEEDS.
AND THEY ARE.
SO YOU CAN CERTAINLY BE STRONG
AGAINST DONALD TRUMP.
YOU CAN STAND UP AND YOU CAN
MAKE PEOPLE BELIEVE, THOUGH,
THAT YOU ARE FIGHTING FOR THEIR
BEST INTERESTS.
BEST INTERESTS. >> I WANT TO STAY WITH STRENGTH
AND FIGHT.
AND FIGHT. I’VE DONE THIS WITH SOME OF THE
OTHER CANDIDATES.
OTHER CANDIDATES. I BELIEVE THAT THE RIGHT BRAIN,
THE EMOTIONAL NEED THAT VOTERS
HAVE FOR SOMEBODY TO BEAT TRUMP
ALMOST SUPERSEDES ANY OTHER KIND
OF LEFT BRAIN RATIONAL POLICY
BENEFIT.
BENEFIT. LET’S DO A LITTLE ROLE PLAY, I’M
TRUMP, I TURN TO YOU, I SAY,
LOOK AT THIS GUY, HE’S FROM
MONTANA, HE’S A NICE FELLA, HE
DOESN’T KNOW WHAT HE’S DOING, HE
CAN’T PLAY IN THE BIG TIME, HE
CAN’T GO AT IT WITH ME, I’VE
DONE SO MUCH MORE.
SHOW ME HOW YOU PUNCH BACK AT
THAT.
THAT. >> I WOULD SAY, LOOK, THE TRUMP
REFLEX HAS BEEN TO TREAT OUR
ADVERSARIES AS ENEMIES, OUR
ENEMIES AS ALLIES.
THAT HASN’T WORKED OUT TOO WELL.
IT’S BASICALLY TEARING DOWN
EVERYTHING FROM THE
POST-WORLD-WAR-II ORDER.
POST-WORLD-WAR-II ORDER. THAT HASN’T WORKED OUT TOO WELL.
YOU SAY YOU’VE DRAINED THE
SWAMP.
SWAMP. IT’S SWAMPIER TODAY THAN WHEN
YOU CAME IN.
LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF
INVESTIGATIONS, LOOK AT THE
NUMBER OF ACTING ADMINISTRATORS
BECAUSE YOU WON’T EVEN CONFIRM
THEM.
THEM. EVERY AD I’VE EVER RUN IN MY
PAST RACE, I’VE SAID I’M NOT
AFRAID TO TALK ABOUT THE
DIFFERENCES WITH MY OPPONENT BUT
YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THAT WITH
DARK AND SCARY MUSIC.
YOU CAN ACTUALLY CONNECT AND
TELL FOLKS, YOU KNOW WHAT, I’LL
BE FIGHTING FOR YOU.
>> OBVIOUSLY DEBATE’S COMING UP
IN A FEW WEEKS.
YOU NEED TO GET 65,000
SIGNATURES FROM 20 DIFFERENT
STATES OR DONORS FROM 20
DIFFERENT STATES.
DIFFERENT STATES. THE DNC HAS NOT SAID WHO WILL
MAKE THE CUT AT THIS POINT.
YOUR CAMPAIGN IS SAYING YOU ARE
MAKING THE CUT.
WHERE DO WE STAND THERE?
>> WELL, DONNY, BEING ON YOUR
SHOW, AND IF ALL YOUR VIEWERS
WENT TO STEVEBULLOCK.COM, WE
WOULD MAKE THE CUT FOR SURE.
AND I ONLY GOT IN RECENTLY,
BECAUSE I HAD THAT JOB TO DO TO
GET HEALTH CARE FOR MONTANANS
ANDS LIKE STHE LIKE.
IF YOU LOOK AT THAT STAGE, YOU
DON’T HAVE SOMEBODY THAT
ACTUALLY WON IN A TRUMP STATE.
YOU DON’T HAVE SOMEBODY THAT’S
BRIDGED DIVIDES TO MAKE
GOVERNMENT WORK.
GOVERNMENT WORK. YOU DON’T HAVE SOMEBODY THAT’S
TAKEN THE ACTIONS THAT I HAVE,
TO TAKE THE CORRUPTING INFLUENCE
OF OUTSIDE SPENDING, THIS
POST-CITIZENS-UNITED WORLD, AND
MADE A DIFFERENCE.
FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE, I SURE
HOPE I’M ON THE STAGE BECAUSE I
THINK I HAVE A LOT TO OFFER THAT
A LOT OF THE FIELD DOESN’T HAVE.
>> I ALSO THINK YOU HAVE A
COMMANDING PRESENCE THAT WOULD
WORK ON THAT PAGE.
A COUPLE OF MORE PERSONAL
QUESTIONS, I LOVE TO ASK
CANDIDATES STUFF ABOUT THEIR
CHILDHOOD.
CHILDHOOD. DID YOU EVER GET IN A FISTFIGHT?
>> I DID GET IN A FEW FIST
FIGHTS, GROWING UP.
>> TELL US YOUR WON/LOST RECORD,
OR SOMETHING THAT STANDS OUT
ABOUT AN ALTERCATION GROWING UP
THAT FORMS WHO WE ARE.
>> WELL, I THINK, YOU KNOW, I’M
IN THE GOVERNOR’S HOUSE RIGHT
NOW, THAT’S WHERE THIS INTERVIEW
IS COMING FROM, I WAS RAISED
FOUR BLOCKS FROM HERE.
I DELIVERED NEWSPAPERS TO THE
GOVERNOR’S HOUSE AS A KID.
AND I REMEMBER JUNIOR HIGH, AT
FIRST, YOU KNOW, THE KIDS WERE
PRETTY TOUGH ON ME AS A SMITH
SCHOOL KID.
SCHOOL KID. WHAT I DID WAS BECAME FRIENDS
WITH THE TOUGHEST KIDS IN OUR
CLASS.
CLASS. >> YOU BECAME FRIENDS WITH THEM
OR YOU FOUGHT WITH THEM?
>> OH, I ENDED UP BECOMING
FRIENDS WITH THE TOUGHEST KIDS
IN THE CLASS.
AND ANYBODY ELSE THAT I GOT IN A
FIGHT WITH WERE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE
NOT AS AFRAID OF ME, BUT THEY
WERE SURE AFRAID OF MY OTHER
BUDDIES.
BUDDIES. >> YOU WERE BUILDING
CONSTITUENTS BACK THEN.
ONE MORE QUESTION ON TRUMP.
>> OR JUST TRYING TO SAVE MY
HIDE, ONE OF THE TWO.
>> REACHING ACROSS THE AISLE AND
SAVING YOUR HIDE.
DO YOU RESPECT DONALD TRUMP?
>> UMM, I THINK THAT WHAT HE’S
DONE -- HE WAS ON TO SOMETHING
IN 2016.
IN 2016. FOLKS WERE FRUSTRATED.
FOLKS WERE ANGRY.
FOLKS WERE ANXIOUS THAT
GOVERNMENT DIDN’T WORK FOR THEM
AND HE POURED GASOLINE ON THE
FIRE.
FIRE. I DON’T RESPECT HOW HE’S BOTH
CONDUCTED HIMSELF IN OFFICE,
HOW, YOU KNOW, HE’S NORMALIZING
10,000 AT THIS POINT FAULTS,
MISLEADING STATEMENTS.
MISLEADING STATEMENTS. HOW HE’S ATTACKING PEOPLE AND
HOW HE’S ATTACKING THE MEDIA.
GO AHEAD, I’M SORRY.
>> YOU’RE A FATHER OF THREE.
YOU’RE OBVIOUSLY A MAN OF
PRINCIPLE.
PRINCIPLE. MAN TO MAN, DO YOU RESPECT HIM
AS A MAN?
AS A MAN? I DON’T -- I DON’T RESPECT THE
WAY THAT HE LEADS.
I DON’T RESPECT -- YOU KNOW, I
DON’T KNOW HIM WELL ENOUGH TO
HAVE A THOUGHT, BUT NO, THIS IS
NOT THE EXAMPLE THAT AMERICA
NEEDS AS A PRESIDENT OF THE
GREATEST SUPERPOWER IN THIS
WORLD.
WORLD. AND I THINK IT’S TEARING DOWN
BOTH WHAT PEOPLE EXPECT OUT OF A
PRESIDENT, IT’S TEARING DOWN OUR
NATION’S STANDING IN THE WORLD,
AND FUNDAMENTALLY, IT’S CAUSING
SOME REAL FRACTURES IN THIS
240-YEAR EXPERIMENT IN
DEMOCRACY.
DEMOCRACY. >> MONTANA GOVERNOR STEVE