>>> WHEN IT COMES TO GUNS, DONALD TRUMP IS VERY CLEARLY AND
SOMEWHAT INTERESTINGLY I THINK
CROSS-PRESSURED.
CROSS-PRESSURED. HE HAS FAVORED SOME KINDS OF GUN
CONTROL IN THE PAST FOR MUCH OF
HIS SORT OF PUBLIC LIFE.
HE CLEARLY ALSO HAS ENOUGH
POLITICAL INSTINCT TO UNDERSTAND
THAT SOME FORMS OF GUN CONTROL
SUCH AS UNIVERSITY VERSAL
BACKGROUND CHECKS ARE
OVERWHELMINGLY POPULAR RIGHT
NOW.
NOW. HE ALSO KNOWS THE NRA HELPED HIM
GET ELECTED.
GET ELECTED. THEY SPENT $30 MILLION IN 2016.
MORE THAN ALL OF ITS SPENDING
FOR EVERY CANDIDATE COMBINED IN
2008 AND 2012.
SO YOU CAN SEE TRUMP CAUGHT
BETWEEN THE TWO POSITIONS, AND
WHAT YOU GET FROM THAT IS A
SERIES OF INCOHERENT
PRONOUNCEMENTS, HAND-WAVING,
PRONOUNCEMENTS, HAND-WAVING, YADDA, YADDA, YADDAING AND
SENTENCES THAT LOOP BACK AND
CONTRADICT EACH OTHER.
IN THE WAKE OF THE SHOOTINGS IN
EL PASO AND DAYTON, HE SAID
THERE IS A VERY STRONG APPETITE
FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS, EXPRESSED
HIS SUPPORT FOR A BACKGROUND
CHECK BILL.
CHECK BILL. THEN HE GOT SEVERAL CALLS FROM
WAYNE LaPIERRE.
WAYNE LaPIERRE. I WONDER WHAT THOSE WENT LIKE.
HE IS REITERATING NRA TALKING
POINTS ABOUT GUN VIOLENCE BEING
A MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE AND
WALKING BACK HIS SUPPORT OF
BACKGROUND BILLS.
BACKGROUND BILLS. >> L PEOPLE DON’T REALIZE WE
HAVE VERY STRONG BACKGROUND
CHECKS RIGHT NOW.
YOU GO IN TO BUY A GUN, YOU HAVE
TO SIGN UP.
THERE ARE A LOT OF BACKGROUND
CHECKS THAT HAVE BEEN APPROVED
OVER THE YEARS.
>> I WANT TO BRING IN SOMEONE
WHO HAS SPENT A GREAT DEAL OF
TIME CONSIDERING THE GUN CRISIS,
2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
SENATOR FROM NEW YORK KIRSTEN
GILLIBRAND.
GILLIBRAND. SENATOR, WHAT DO YOU THINK OF
THE PRESIDENT’S SORT OF BACK AND
FORTH ON THIS?
IS THERE ANY POSSIBILITY OF THIS
WHITE HOUSE BACKED BY THE BASE
THAT IT IS BACKED BY AND WITH
MITCH McCONNELL IN THE SENATE
BREAKING THROUGH THE OPPOSITION?
>> I DON’T SEE IT.
HE’S BEEN UNWILLING TO STAND UP
TO THE NRA.
UNWILLING TO STAND UP TO SPECIAL
INTERESTS IN WASHINGTON.
AND WE ALL KNOW THAT THE CENTER
OF CORRUPTION IN WASHINGTON IS
THE MONEY AND GREED THAT RUNS
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. AND, YOU KNOW, WE’VE SEEN ENOUGH
GUN DEATH IN THIS LAST DECADE.
IT’S ABSURD AND OUTRAGEOUS THAT
CONGRESS REFUSES TO ACT.
IT’S ABSURD THAT MITCH WILL NOT
CALL REPUBLICAN SENATORS BACK TO
CONGRESS SO THAT WE CAN ACTUALLY
VOTE ON THE MEASURES THAT WERE
PASSED IN THE HOUSE.
IT’S JUST A LACK OF LEADERSHIP
AND THIS PRESIDENT IS BEHOLDEN
TO THE NRA AS ANY REPUBLICAN
RIGHT NOW.
RIGHT NOW. >> YOU WERE -- YOU’VE HAD AN
INTERESTING TRAJECTORY ON THIS
ISSUE.
ISSUE. YOU HAD AN "A" RATING WITH THE
NRA AS A DEMOCRATIC MEMBER OF
CONGRESS IN UPSTATE NEW YORK.
I THINK YOU’RE VIEWS HAVE
CHANGED QUITE A BIT ON GUN
POLICY.
POLICY. I GUESS MY QUESTION TO YOU, IS
PERSUASION POSSIBLE ON THIS
ISSUE?
ISSUE? I MEAN, IT DOES SEEM QUITE
POLARIZED IT, IT ALSO SEEMS FOR
FUND-RAISING AND THE
ORGANIZATIONAL MUSCLE OF THE
NRA, THERE ISN’T A LOT OF BACK
AND FORTH, PEOPLE LISTENING TO
ARGUMENTS ON THIS, BUT MAYBE
PEOPLE ARE PERSUADABLE, WHAT DO
YOU THINK?
YOU THINK? >> I THINK THEY ARE.
I’VE HAD A PROUD "F" RATING FOR
A DECADE NOW.
I CAN TELL YOU UNIVERSAL
BACKGROUND CHECKS, BANNING LARGE
MAGAZINES AND MILITARY ASSAULT
WEAPONS AND HAVING A FEDERAL BAN
ON GUN TRAFFICKING LAW.
YOU CAN GO INTO A RED PART OF A
STATE OR RED AND PURPLE STATE
AND TALK TO HUNTERS, SECOND
AMENDMENT SUPPORTERS, AND SAY
WHY SHOULD A 4-YEAR-OLD CHILD
DIE ON A PARK BENCH IN BROOKLYN
BECAUSE AN ILLEGAL WEAPON WAS
SOLD OUT OF THE BACK OF A TRUCK
TO A GANG MEMBER?
THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS IN NEW YORK
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS IN CHICAGO
EVERY DAY.
EVERY DAY. SO THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THAT THIS
IS SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE TO
DEAL WITH.
DEAL WITH. THEY CAN UNDERSTAND THAT IN
AMERICA TODAY WE SHOULDN’T BE
WILLING TO LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE
YOU WANT GO TO A WALMART TO DO
YOUR BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING
WITH YOUR KIDS BECAUSE THERE
MIGHT BE A SHOOTER.
YOU CAN’T GO TO A CHURCH SERVICE
OR A BIBLE STUDY.
YOU CAN’T GO TO A CONCERT WITH
FRIENDS.
FRIENDS. THAT’S NOT THE AMERICA WE WANT
TO LIVE IN.
YOU CAN GO TO THE WHITE LADIES
IN THE SUBURBS AND SAY DO YOU
WANT TO LIVE IN THAT KIND OF A
WORLD OR MAKE IT HARDER FOR
PEOPLE WHO SHOULDN’T HAVE THESE
WEAPONS, MAKE IT HARDER FOR THEM
TO GET ACCESS TO IT?
I THINK WE CAN FIND COMMON
GROUND AND AGREEMENT.
>> THAT’S COMMON GROUND AND
AGREEMENT ON THE VOTER BASIS.
I AGREE WITH YOU.
I GUESS THE QUESTION IS LIKE A
POLITICAL SENATOR TO SENATE -- I
GUESS I’M TRYING TO ASK, IS
THERE A SPACE IN THE U.S. SENATE
IN WHICH YOU -- YOU HAVE
EXCHANGES WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES
ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS WHERE
THERE IS AN ACTUAL ACTIVE SET OF
ARGUMENTS AND BACK AND FORTH AND
GIVE AND TAKE THAT’S HAPPENING?
OR ON THIS ISSUE DOES THAT SPACE
JUST NOT EXIST?
>> NO, I THINK IT DOES EXIST.
IN FACT, AFTER SANDY HOOK ONE OF
THE BILLS I WROTE WAS AN
ANTI-FEDERAL GUN TRAFFICKING
LAW.
LAW. AND WE GOT 58 VOTES.
THAT’S JUST TWO SHY OF THE 60
THAT WE NEEDED.
AND I KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO GET
THOSE VOTES.
THOSE VOTES. IF WE HAD THAT VOTE TODAY, I
BELIEVE IT WOULD PASS.
I ALSO BELIEVE OUR UNIVERSAL
BACKGROUND CHECKS BILL WOULD
PASS TODAY.
PASS TODAY. I THINK PEOPLE ARE TIRED OF IT.
>> YEAH.
>> YEAH. >> THE FACT THAT THE PARKLAND
KIDS STARTED A NATIONWIDE MARCH,
MARCHING OUT OF SCHOOL, MARCHING
ON WASHINGTON, I THINK IT’S
CHANGING PEOPLE’S PERSPECTIVES.
IF NOT MEMBERS OF CONGRESS YET,
CERTAINLY THE MOTHERS AND
GRANDPARENTS AND FATHERS OF
THESE KIDS, AND THEY LIVE IN ALL
50 STATES.
50 STATES. SO I BELIEVE THAT THE NATURE OF
THIS DEBATE HAS CHANGED BECAUSE
WE HAVE SUCH FEARLESSNESS COMING
FROM THE NEXT GENERATION AND I
THINK THEY ARE DEMANDING THAT
QUESTION HOLD MEMBERS OF
CONGRESS ACCOUNTABLE WHO WON’T
STAND UP TO THE NRA.
IT’S ONE OF THE REASONS WHY,
CHRIS, AS A PRESIDENT CANDIDATE,
THE FIRST BILL I INTRODUCED AS A
CANDIDATE WAS GETTING MONEY OUT
OF POLITICS.
OF POLITICS. WE’VE GOT TO GO TO THE ROOT OF
THE CORRUPTION, WHICH IS THE
GREED IN WASHINGTON, AND YOU GOT
TO TAKE OUT POLITICAL CORRUPTION
BY PUBLICLY-FUNDED ELECTIONS,
CLEAN ELECTIONS.
CLEAN ELECTIONS. >> YOU WERE JUST AT A
REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM FORUM I
BELIEVE IN MISSOURI, IF I’M NOT
MISTAKEN.
MISTAKEN. YOU HAVE BEEN SOMEONE WHO HAS
SPOKEN A LOT ABOUT REPRODUCTIVE
CHOICE AND ABOUT THE JUDICIARY,
PARTICULARLY, AND ITS
IMPORTANCE.
IMPORTANCE. I WANT TO READ YOU THIS.
PREET BHARARA TWEETED THIS.
IT’S NOT A NOVEL INSIGHT ON HIS
PART BUT I THINK IT WAS WELL
SAID.
SAID. GIVEN THE MAKEUP OF THE COURT
AND TRUMP’S EXPLICIT PROMISE IF
HE’S RE-ELECTED, ROE IS GONE.
CHOICE IS GONE.
FIRST OF ALL, DO YOU AGREE WITH
THAT AS A DESCRIPTIVE OF WHERE
THINGS STAND AND DO YOU THINK
THERE HAS BEEN A SUFFICIENT
EMPHASIS ON THAT POINT IN THE
CAMPAIGN SO FAR?
>> YES, PRESIDENT TRUMP HAS HAD
AN ALL-OUT ATTACK ON WOMEN’S
RIGHTS AND HE’S EMBOLDENED 30
LEGISLATURES AROUND THE COUNTRY
TO PASS ANTI-CHOICE LEGISLATION
WITH THE INTENTION OF
OVERTURNING ROE.
OVERTURNING ROE. I THINK PRESIDENT TRUMP WILL TRY
VERY HARD RIGHT NOW TO TRY TO
PUT FORWARD A CASE TO OVERTURN
ROE.
ROE. IT’S WHY HE CHOSE GORSUCH.
IT’S WHY HE CHOSE KAVANAUGH.
AS PRESIDENT, I WILL ONLY
NOMINATE JUDGES AND JUSTICES
THAT SEE ROE AS THE LAW OF THE
LAND IT’S BEEN.
IT’S PROVIDED A CONSTITUTIONAL
RIGHT FOR 40 YEARS TO A RIGHT TO
PRIVACY.
PRIVACY. AND ONE OF THE REASONS I WANT TO
MAKE THAT SEPTEMBER DEBATE
STAGE, CHRIS, IS BECAUSE
CANDIDATES ARE RAISING THIS
ISSUE.
ISSUE. THEY’RE NOT BEING ASKED ABOUT
IT.
IT. IT’S WHY I WENT TO THE FRONT
LINES IN MISSOURI.
IT’S WHY I WENT TO THE FRONT
LINES IN GEORGIA.
SO I HOPE YOUR VIEWERS WILL GO
TO KIRSTENGILLIBRAND.COM AND
HELP MY CAMPAIGN.
SEND A DOLLAR SO I CAN MAKE THE
SEPTEMBER DEBATE STAGE BECAUSE
THESE ARE THE ISSUES WE HAVE TO
BE ADDRESSING BECAUSE PRESIDENT
TRUMP IS LITERALLY STARTING A
WAR WITH AMERICA’S WOMEN.
IF IT’S A WAR HE WANTS, IT’S A
WAR HE’S GOING TO HAVE, AND,