Senator Tester, welcome to The Daily Social Distancing Show.
(laughing): It's great to be with you virtually.
You're one of the most interesting politicians
in America because you're an organic farmer,
a seasoned butcher, and you are the senator
of a deeply red state, you know.
You-you voted against Neil Gorsuch.
You-you have stood up to many of Donald Trump's decisions,
and, yet, people still vote for you.
So are you a sign
that America isn't as polarized as people think,
or is your winning an exception to the rule?
Look, I think the country's more polarized than it's ever been,
certainly in my 64 years on this earth,
but I still think we have far more in common
than we have differences.
And I think that the key is, is to bring people together,
and that's not something that Donald Trump has done.
He tends to divide us a lot more than bring us together.
But the truth is, is I think if we come together,
and we have good, honest conversations,
and we have a good debate, and we compromise,
we can come up with solutions.
And, by the way, that's the way it's worked
from the beginning of time in this nation.
It's what made us the greatest country on earth.
And we can do it again.
Okay, let's put that to the test.
One of the biggest problems
America is facing right now is the coronavirus,
and specifically, what to do with schools.
You are in a unique position
where you're not just a lawmaker,
but you are a former teacher
who, you know, was a member of the school board.
So you've been in the trenches.
What do you think America needs to do
with regards to opening the schools-- the when and the how?
Look, in my small town, uh, what I would have recommended
if I was on the school board is that we use every facility
that we could to social distance those kids
and keep those teachers safe and keep those kids safe.
I'm talking about using everything from community halls
to church basements to every meeting place there is.
Now, I know it's going to cost a few more bucks
to get it clean and make sure it's safe,
but the truth is, is that I think, you know,
things like wearing masks and being socially distanced
are things that really can help stop the spread of this virus.
And I think that if I was a parent, school board member,
teacher, even a student, I'd be saying,
"Hey, let's look how we can best socially distance."
And-and I think that's really... that's really the key.
Uh, you don't... I don't... I don't agree in stopping school.
I-I think people need to get back to a normal way of life.
But we need to let science be our guide,
and I think that's what is critically important.
Your book is entitled
Grounded: A Senator's Lessons on Winning Back Rural America.
And it's really interesting that you say,
"Winning Back Rural America.”
Do you feel that Democrats have lost white rural voters?
And how do you think they can begin winning them back?
When I was growing up, the area I live in,
North Central Montana, had a whole heck
of a lot Democrats in it.
That started disappearing in the '70s
and continued in the '80s and '90s,
and now, there's not many Democrats left in it.
The fact is, is we need to listen.
Look, we've got big issues out there.
Trevor, you know that.
I mean, issues around climate change and health care.
And the fact is, is that we can bring everybody along
if-if, in fact, we talk to them
and listen to them and find that common ground.
Look, I think the reason climate change, for example,
is so very, very difficult in my area, in my town,
is 'cause people are afraid that any changes we might make
might put them out of businesses.
So let's talk about changes we can make
that will make their business better
and not put them out of business.
You know, as an experienced farmer,
you yourself have conceded the fact
that Donald Trump has done a good job
of making farmers believe that he is on their side.
Recently, you filibustered the Covid bill
that would have allocated $20 billion to help farmers.
And as a farmer, it feels like, you know,
you would have a really soft spot in your heart
for all farmers who are struggling through this period.
TESTER: Farmers are very, very important. Trust me.
I'm one of them. We work at feeding the world.
That is a fact.
But the truth is,
it has to be much more comprehensive than that
if we're gonna get a bill to pass
that actually helps turn this economy around,
not only for farmers but for everybody:
for working folks, for small businesses, the...
the whole... the whole thing.
Every bill you work on
has positive and negative things to it.
The problem with the one that... that we voted down
or filibustered last week was,
there just wasn't much there there.
There was a little bit of there there for farmers,
but the truth is, is that there needs to be...
there needs to be more.
This is a big deal, this COVID-19,
and our economy is suffering greatly for it.
And it's not just agriculture, by the way--
hospitality sector and other sectors
are getting pounded.
And the other thing I would point out to farmers
is that we need somebody that knows how to, uh,
get trade policies that work.
Without exports, farmers are dead in the water,
and long before COVID came, the president of the United States
was in trade wars that really hurt production agriculture,
both grains and-and-and pulses and livestock,
beef and pork.
So we've got a lot more work to do
to help out the-the family farms in this nation.
One last question.
When you look at the upcoming election,
it is no secret that Joe Biden's biggest challenge
is going to be wrestling those voters
who maybe voted for Obama and then moved to Trump,
and are now, in some ways, up in the air.
As a politician who many see as a D.C. outsider,
the man who they say pays $11 for his flattop
and no more than that,
what advice would you give to the Biden campaign
on how to communicate with bringing some of these voters
back into the fold?
Uh, it's pretty straightforward.
Be honest, be authentic,
and show up.
I know Joe Biden.
Joe Biden is straight up. He's a working-class guy.
He wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
He's-he's worked for everything he's got.
He needs to tell that story to rural America.
And if he tells it and looks them in the eye when he says it,
I think he'll get a lot more votes
than our previous candidate did.
Senator Tester, thank you so much for joining us on the show.
Thank you, Trevor. Thank you.