Thank you!
(cheering and applause continue)
Do you ever get used to this?
It's a good feeling to get used to.
-Thank you very much. -(cheering and applause)
It feels like...
It literally feels like you are the political Beatles.
That's what you are. You're all of them, rolled into one.
-MAN: I love you, Bernie! -Is-is it strange--
is it strange to be in a position where,
in 2016, you were the insurgent candidate--
you know, you were-- you were leading a political revolution--
but now you're entering the race as a frontrunner?
Um, like, d-does that feel different for you?
Are you gonna do things differently this time around?
It does feel differently.
And-and what's happened is that, four years ago,
Trevor, the ideas that we talked about,
the idea that health care is a human right, not a privilege...
-Right. -(cheering and applause) -Yeah.
Four years ago, that was perceived as a radical idea.
Not anymore!
The idea that if you work 40 hours a week in this country,
you should make at least 15 bucks an hour
and not live in poverty,
-not a radical idea anymore! -(cheering and applause) -Right.
The idea that, in a competitive global economy,
our young people need the best education possible--
we should make public colleges and universities tuition-free
and reduce student debt substantially...
(cheering and applause)
Again, four years ago,
you will recall, "Oh, Bernie's crazy.
I mean, there's just-- Nobody in America supports those ideas."
-Yes. -Well, four years have come and gone.
Those ideas are now supported
by a majority of the American people.
(cheering and applause)
So...
So, then-- so, then you're done. Why run?
(laughs)
One little problem.
We have to take on an incredibly powerful establishment
that, to a large degree,
controls the economic and political life of this country.
-Right. -And when we talk--
The, you know-- the mantra of our campaign
is "Not me. Us."
And the reason for that is,
to take on Wall Street,
to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry
and the insurance companies,
and if you want to save the planet,
you're gonna have to take on the fossil fuel industry,
and that means millions of people
are gonna have to stand up and fight back
in a way that we have never done before.
And that's what this campaign is about.
You know, the media has picked up
on we raised a lot of money, and that's great.
What was more important to me, Trevor,
is we have over a million people who are prepared
to volunteer on this campaign, which is unprecedented.
-It's interesting that you, uh... -(cheering and applause)
It's interesting that you bring that up,
because you-you have raised a lot of money--
I believe, $18 million in under six weeks.
You-You're breaking records,
raising money from individuals who say,
"Hey, we want to help you out, Bernie."
But you hate the banks. So where do you keep the money,
-under a mattress? Where do you... -(laughs)
-Well... -(laughing)
Still there. All right.
Let's-let's talk about--
let's talk about this Democratic field.
This is an interesting time
where this field is more diverse than ever before.
But some people have said, "All right,
"you have a diverse field, but it feels like the frontrunners
are still old white men." You still have yourself,
you have Joe Biden, who's not even in the race.
-You're not talking about me, are you? -No, no, no.
-(laughter) -Oh. -No, of course... of course not.
I mean, the white men, the old white men.
Those older guys. Yes.
Um, but-but... but how do you respond to that criticism
that people sometimes say like, "Oh, well, isn't this a time
for you guys to step aside?"
Look, I think
the American people have to make that decision.
-Right. -No-Nobody else makes it.
And what I believe what politics is about is taking a hard look
at the ideas and the history
and the experience that candidates have.
And let me be very clear.
I know, you know, certainly all of the senators who are running
for president, and without exception,
that are good, smart, dedicated people.
-Many of them are my friends. -Right.
So you're not gonna hear me disparaging other candidates.
Uh, but I think it is appropriate
for people to say, "Okay, uh,
"who has been talking about this issue when?
"Who had the courage to go forward,
-uh, and at what time?" -Right.
So it's important not to look at just personalities.
I think in American politics in general,
-we do too much of that. -Yes.
What we need to do is to say,
"Okay, we have massive levels of income and wealth inequality.
"As a nation, are we happy that three people own more wealth
"than the bottom half of America?
"Are we happy that billionaires are able to buy elections?
"How do we change that? How do we create a nation
-in which you have universal childcare?" -Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
Where you don't have half of our people
living paycheck to paycheck.
So I think what we need to do is focus on a progressive agenda.
And I'm proud of the fact that I've been a leader
in fighting for that agenda for a long time.
It's interesting. Basically, what you're saying is...
(applause and cheering)
You're basically saying, people have jumped on,
-but you're the O.G. of this idea. -(laughter)
That's-that's essentially what you're saying.
And-and interestingly enough, as an O.G.,
you've-you've managed to connect with groups
that many people haven't been able to connect with.
I mean, you're-you're able to connect with young voters.
You know, historically, 18 to 29-year-olds don't vote.
-Right. That's right. -You know?
But they've... they've-they've come out for you.
We've seen this repeatedly.
It's also been interesting to see
that you are actually leading with minority voters, as well.
The people that have been polled right now.
What do you think is driving those... those-those voters?
Why do you think you're connecting so well
with young people who don't think
voting is usually worth it?
Uh, I think that this generation is, in my view,
the most progressive generation
probably in the history of the United States of America.
-This is a generation of young people... -Right.
(applause and cheering)
...who are not going to tolerate racism
or sexism or homophobia or xenophobia
or religious bigotry, all of which, sadly,
the president of the United States is giving us.
And I think it is also a generation, Trevor,
and we should make this point out--
they're not doing well financially, all right?
Everything being equal, this is a generation that,
unless we turn it around,
will have a lower standard of living than their parents.
They are leaving...
I just met with some young people yesterday in my office.
Young people who are going into teaching
$180,000 in debt for college loans.
That's not uncommon.
People, young people can't afford apartments.
They're living with their parents.
So they understand that we need to have an economy
-and a government that works for everybody... -Right.
not just the one percent.
And I think our message resonates with them, as well.
-(applause, whooping) -You really have...
you really have connected with people
that-that-that you wouldn't expect.
I mean, young people, uh, people of color--
you've connected with so many groups.
And now what's really interesting to me is,
it recently came out that you have decided to do
-a Fox News town hall... -Yeah.
even though, you know, the DNC made a decision
to not go with Fox News for any of the, uh, the debates.
-Yes. -You're breaking with that line of thinking.
Some would say, "But, Bernie, why would you go to Fox News?
It's not a legitimate news organization."
-So what are you doing there? -Well... -(laughter)
Trust me, I know Fox News.
-(laughter) -I know who they are,
and I know the role that they are playing.
-Right. -Uh, on the other hand,
the, uh... during the last campaign,
I did a town meeting with a fellow named, uh, Bret Baier...
-Yes. -who did it very fairly.
And, uh, he did it straightforward.
Believe me, we went over the ground rules before,
and they kept their word.
So to me it is important
to distinguish Fox News from the many millions of people
who watch Fox News.
-Right. -And I think it is important
to talk to those people and say: You know what?
I know that many of you voted for Donald Trump,
but he lied to you.
He told you, for example,
he was gonna provide health care to all people.
Now he wants to throw 30 million people
off the health care that they had.
He told you that he was gonna give tax reform
that would not benefit the wealthy.
83% of the benefits go to the top one percent.
So I think it is important to talk to Trump's supporters
and explain to him to what degree he has betrayed
the working class of this country
and lied during his campaign in terms of what he would do.
This has been an interesting time
where, you know, people have said:
Bernie's running again.
Uh, Bernie doesn't feel old, but your age is still a number,
-despite what Aaliyah says, and... -(laughter)
and some people are saying: Hey, Bernie...
do you have any concerns about your health?
Are you doing things to keep yourself healthy
if you were to take the office of the presidency?
Look, all I can say is, thank God--
this is not wood, but I'm knocking on it anyhow--
-my health is good. -Right.
When I was a kid, I was a long distance runner.
I had a lot of endurance, and I still do.
-(woman whoops) -So I am feeling...
(laughter, cheering, applause)
Not like that. Hey. Hey.
Sorry. I'm sorry about them.
-I'm so sorry. -(laughter)
You know, and-and I recall some of these reporters
who say, "Well, you're kind of old,"
and they were following me on the campaign trail,
and they say, "Slow down, slow down.
-Right. -You're moving too fast."
It really is something that-that you have used to your credit.
And, um, let's talk about some of the policies.
-Good. -You know, Bernie Sanders is someone
who has been notorious
as the person who can tell it like it is.
You know? That's one thing I loved, you were like...
Howard Schultz, when they said: Oh, he... he'll agree
to step out of the race if people like Bernie go away,
if they put up a moderate candidate.
And you were like, "Oh-ho, thank you very much.
Oh, how nice of him." But you've always been
a person who seems like a complete straight talker,
so let's get into some of the issues here.
-Let's talk about health care, all right? -Good.
This past week, House Democrats introduced a bill
to strengthen Obamacare, right?
It was supported by everyone from Pelosi through to AOC,
but you said, "No. I don't want to support this."
You said "I want to come in and I want to fight
for Medicare for everyone." Right?
And some people might say, "Okay, but Bernie,
"if everyone is going one way and you're going your own way,
"doesn't that go against what the job
of the president's gonna be? Don't you have to sell ideas?"
Trevor, here is the reality.
The reality is that bill will never pass the Senate.
I don't even think it'll be taken up by the Senate.
So where we are right now is a fight for
how we do two things.
Number one, as a nation,
should we guarantee health care to all people as a human right?
-Right. -I think, "yes."
If you do that, how do you do it in a cost-effective way?
And I think the answer is overwhelming
that the only way to do that is through
a Medicare-for all, single-payer program.
Now, I supported Obamacare.
In fact, we got some really important provisions in it.
But the discussion that you're raising
is a little bit academic,
'cause that bill is not gonna come to the Senate.
What we have to do now is rally the American people
and ask the questions why,
at a time when we have 30 million uninsured,
we are spending twice as much per capita on health care
as do the people of any other country?
Why do we pay by far
the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs?
So would you try and bring the cost of Medicare--
-medical aid down? -Absolutely. We got legislation...
Would you bring health care, prescription drugs...?
Absolutely. Look, we have legislation in
that will lower the cost of prescription drugs
in this country by 50%.
Is that a radical idea? No.
It's not a radical idea
because that's what the rest of world is paying.
We are getting ripped off by the greed
of the pharmaceutical industry.
In terms of health insurance,
it now costs about $11,000 per person
for health care in this country; family of four, 28,000 bucks.
-That is unsustainable. -Right.
Twice as much as the Canadians do.
They guarantee health care to all people.
Why is that? Because the function
of the current health care system--
you're not gonna hear too many people say this--
is not to provide health care to all people,
it is to make huge profits
for the insurance companies and the drug companies.
It is to provide people like the guy
who's head of United Health Insurance
$83 million in compensation in one year.
It is to allow the five major drug companies
to make $50 billion in profit last year.
Somebody has got to take these guys on.
They're criminals, people are hurting.
We need to move toward Medicare-for-all.
(cheers and applause)
One thing you...
you really do bring up,
and, I mean, health care just touched on it,
-is income inequality. -Yes.
Um, you have been proud to say, "Yes, I believe that we need
"to adjust how people earn money in this country,
-and how people are taxed." -Yes.
Trump has now used this as a slur against you,
calling you a socialist, you know.
And saying that it means that we're gonna all
have to drive battery cars and-and share one road.
-But what does it mean to you? -Good-- Good question.
Thank you for asking it.
It means that economic rights are human rights, okay?
I believe, from the bottom of my heart,
that health care is a human right.
I believe that in the richest country
in the history of the world,
we should not have a tax system which allows Amazon,
owned by the wealthiest guy in the world,
to pay zero in federal taxes last year,
after making $11 billion in profits.
That is insane.
To be a democratic socialist means that we believe--
I believe-- that human rights
include a decent job, affordable housing,
health care, education
and, by the way, a clean environment.
It means that we cannot allow our kids
to grow up in an environment
-which is increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable. -Right.
We have got to take on the fossil fuel industry,
move to energy efficiency and sustainable energy.
-That's what it means to me. -I know that you are...
(cheering and applause)
I know that you are proposing legislation
arguing that companies shouldn't be able
to participate in stock buybacks
if they don't provide their workers
-with a minimum wage of a certain amount... -Exactly.
-...and health care and seven days off in a year. -Yes.
-Right. -But let me ask you this.
Doesn't... Some people may argue that, like,
"Bernie, that's the government getting involved
at the boardroom level."
Shouldn't you just go in and say,
"Hey, let's reverse the SEC ruling
on how easy it is for stock buybacks to occur"?
Well, we-we're in favor of doing that, as well.
But I think what we have right now, Trevor,
is an economic system
where the people on top in corporate America--
to a large degree, not-not totally--
are just incredibly greedy
and very contemptuous of working people.
For example, the average CEO of a major corporation
now makes 300 times more than his or her employees.
-Mm-hmm. -That's really not acceptable.
People are doing buybacks, stock buybacks,
uh, while at the same time,
they're not paying their workers a living wage.
So I think it is the responsibility
of the federal government to be aggressive
and to make certain that the working people
of this country, uh, get a fair shake.
Give you another example.
Uh, if a company today is making money
but they want to shut down
and move to low-wage countries abroad,
well, you know, I got a problem with that
if they then get online to get a federal contract.
-They want a military contract. -Right.
So we have a right to say to them,
"You want a military contract?
"You want some federal money? You know what,
treat your workers with respect."
What's happened in the last 40 years,
there's been a massive transfer of wealth
from working families to the top one percent.
We've got to reverse that trend.
-(cheering and applause) -Speaking of a fair shake...
speaking of a fair shake, before we're done,
it's been interesting that now the Democrats
have used their power to say to the IRS,
-"We want to see Donald Trump's tax returns." -Yeah.
Um, people on the right have responded and said,
"But where's Bernie's tax returns?
"Bernie only released 2014.
We still don't have Bernie's tax returns."
And I was like, "Well, if Bernie hasn't released them,
"and Trump hasn't released them,
there's probably secrets on both sides."
-(laughs) -My theory is Trump doesn't want us to know
that he's not a billionaire,
and you don't want us to know that you are.
(laughter)
-So, are we gonna see your tax returns? -You sure are.
Look, um, April 15 is coming.
That will be the tenth year,
and we will make them all public very shortly.
But what's all? What's all? Just so people know.
-Ten years. -Ten years of tax returns.
And by the way, I'm delighted to do that.
Proud to do that.
Hey, Mr. Trump, you do the same thing.
(cheering and applause)
Senator Bernie Sanders, everybody.