-Senator Sanders, thank you so much
for being on our show and coming back to it.
I know you're very, very busy. Thank you.
-Well, thanks very much for having me.
-Last time you were on our show, it was March 11th.
And we were in the studio on "The Tonight Show" in New York,
and that was the last show that we had a live audience.
-Yeah. -It feels like so long ago.
-You know, Jimmy, it is a crazy, crazy time
for our country and, in fact, the world.
You know, when we were kids, we study history,
and we look at pivotal moments --
the Civil War, the Great Depression,
World War II.
Well, you know, people are gonna be looking back
at this moment as just an unprecedented,
extraordinary moment in history in this country,
because so many different things are coming together.
You know, we're looking at this terrible pandemic,
over 100,000 people dead.
We're looking at an economic collapse,
40 million people losing their jobs.
You're looking at people's consciousness
regarding police brutality, and police murder,
in Minneapolis,
and people responding appropriately to that.
And in the midst of this, you have a president
who is a narcissist, who is a pathological liar,
who, in my view, is unfit for the job,
and you add all of those things together,
this is where we are as a moment -- in this moment --
and we've got to do everything that we can
to fight our way out of this and create the kind of country
that we know that we can become.
-Let's start with talking about the protests.
What do these protests mean for our political future?
Where do we go from here?
-Well, first of all, I gotta tell you,
as I look at the video and I look at the photographs
of these beautiful, beautiful young people,
these are young African-Americans
and not so young,
and whites and Latinos and Asian-Americans.
I have -- You know, people say,
"Are you optimistic for the future of this country?"
and I am, because I see the beauty and the decency
in these young people who want to create an America
very, very different than the one we have right now.
And they are standing up today, saying that we do not want
young African-Americans to be afraid
about walking the streets, you know,
because they may get beaten up or murdered by police officers.
But it goes beyond that.
If you're looking at that generation today,
those young people who are marching,
my guess is 20%, 25% of them do not have jobs.
Because we're looking at massive unemployment today.
You're looking at young people who cannot afford
to go to college or coming out of school deeply in debt.
We're looking at 100 million Americans
who have no health insurance today despite the fact
we pay the highest prices in the world for healthcare.
And you're looking at so many of our people
who are working for starvation wages.
So that is where we are and what these protests are about,
I think, are Americans from every background,
every race, standing up and demanding justice,
demanding a government and an economy
that works for all and not just a few.
-You know a thing or two about protests.
Do you remember your first protest, or...?
-Oh, God, I've been in so many.
But... [ Chuckles ]
Yes. I certainly -- When I was a young man
at the University of Chicago, way back when,
I was arrested for protesting segregated schools in Chicago.
I was active in a civil rights movement,
protesting against segregated housing.
So, you know -- And I had the honor of being
at the March on Washington for jobs and freedom
where Dr. King spoke. -Wow!
-So, you know, I've been at many demonstrations
throughout my life.
And all I can say is, I'm very proud of the people
who are standing up for justice and taking to the streets today.
-Do you see the charges against the police officers
a result of the protest? -Absolutely. Absolutely.
I mean, I think what everybody knows is,
this is not the first instance of a police torture and murder.
I mean, we all know the names.
We have seen it over and over and over again.
It has gone on for decades
when there were no video cameras,
when there were no cellphones recording this.
-Right. -It has gone on.
And you have African-American mothers who today
are scared to death of sending their kids out to the playground
because they might bump into some racist police officer.
So, you know, what we have got to do, among many other things,
and some of us are working hard on this,
is fundamental criminal-justice and police-department reform.
And essentially, what that reform is about
is that police officers have got to be held accountable
for their actions.
And that certainly has not happened in the past.
But to answer your question, no doubt in my mind that,
because millions of people have spoken up on this issue,
we're seeing some progress.
And I will tell you that Keith Ellison,
who's the Attorney General in Minnesota,
is, I believe, gonna do a very, very good job
in prosecuting this case.
-I want to talk about November when we get back.
Do you mind sticking around for another minute?
-My pleasure. -Thank you.
More with Bernie Sanders when we return.