of the people seeking to steer that government this november. in other words, your future. see the biggest picture for yourself and make up your own mind. with c-span's campaign 2020. brought to you as a public service by your cable and television provired. >> c-span's campaign 2020 coverage continues, we're joined from des moines, iowa by democratic presidential candidate tom steyer. steyer. mr. steyer, good morning and welcome to "washington journal." guest: good morning. how are you? host: doing very well. let's start with, why do you want to be president? guest: there are two big things that have to happen. one is i believe we have a broken government that has been purchased by corporations. job one is to get the government back off, by and for the people. as somebody for spend 10 years fighting and beating those corporations, i know that we can do it, and we need to

d.c., including having 12 year term limits for congresspeople and senators. secondly, we absolutely have to deal with our climate crisis. i have said it is my number one priority and i declared a state of emergency on day one. do it from the standpoint of environmental justice. create millions and millions of , but weing union jobs have to do it come we have to get on it on day one. if we do those two things, take back our government so we can get the progressive policies that americans want, and control our climate crisis, then i think we will be in a great position. if we don't, we will be in a lot trouble. host: focusing on the first point of euros on fighting corporate corruption in particular how do you think your background as an investor as an entrepreneur helps you do that best? guest: let me say this, bill, just so you know, i spent 10

years putting together coalitions of american citizens to take on unchecked corporate power, to take on oil companies over clean energy, make tobacco companies pay their fair share of medical costs, force utilities to move to clean energy. for 10 years i have been doing this and we have never lost. so i believe my background as an organizer, is a grassroots person fighting these corporations successfully for 10 years is the first part. as an investor, i understand the economy and what drives his corporations in ways that nobody else was running for president does, and i believe that fact,a, will let me beat mr. trump because he is running on the economy and i think he is a fake. somebody has to go into detail and show that he is a fake and a failure as an economic president. but also, as president, i have the experience and the expertise to understand what is driving these companies, to know that we

need a vibrant, competitive, innovative private sector, but these corporations can't control the government, they can't write the rules under which they are going to operate. host: joining us from des moines the caucus is six days away. what do you see as your path to the nomination. guest: -- guest: there is a poll out this morning about the 4 early primary states, which are iowa, new hampshire, nevada and south carolina. in the poll, it has me at 17%, in third place. so my task is to do well in the 4 early primary states to build momentum, because those numbers have gone up virtually every day since i got into this race in july, to build that momentum into super tuesday. so this is really just a question of doing what i have been doing for the last seven

months, which is seeing as many people as possible, making my case, letting them see who i am, then riding that momentum. host: we will give you a chance to hear from some of our callers. we will open up our phone lines for your input. 202-748-8000 is the line for democrats. 202-748-8001 for republicans. 202-748-8002.ts, you can send us a text you have a question or comment for mr. 202-748-8003, but include your name and where you are texting from. we have been talking about the senate impeachment trial. obviously, you may not get a chance to watch the trial itself, but what are your impressions so far, and how much is this coming up from people on the campaign trail? guest: let me just take you back a little bit, bill i am the person who started the need to impeach movement.

over 8.5 million americans signed the petition that i thosed, and in addition, people called and wrote and emailed their congresspeople saying, please do the right thing and hold this corrupt president accountable. i believe those eight and a half million people are really what dragged washington, d.c. interceding this was a matter of right and wrong, not politically expediency or partisanship, but about protecting the country. so what i have said for over two years is what i want, what i believe those 8.5 million people are demanded, is televised hearings with the administration officials under oath in front of the american people, explaining what happened so that we can make up our own minds. to me, what matters here is the court of public opinion, what the american people think. so i believe this will be a farce and a cover-up unless the

administration officials like john bolton get in front of the tv cameras and let the american people here exactly what happened so that we can decide exactly how corrupt this president is. host: tom steyer, our guest until 9:30 eastern. we welcome your comments. laid in new york, on the republican line. go ahead. caller: sorry. because to me, the process of impeachment has been, at first glance, the american people, we actually don't know enough about tha legal issues. and we are so swayed about the emotion of it, the political, republican business of it. but in the last three days, to hear and learn more about the law, more about what the constitution says, more about the seriousness of removing somebody from office, the office of the presidency, i am telling

you, i am almost happy that nancy pelosi and the congress jumped the gun with their anger -- let's admit it, the whole nation is polarized -- the fact that they rushed ahead and held it, then it got confusing to the i really can't say in the last few days, especially ken starr, and frankly even seeing the chief justice sitting there, that we are in a court. we are not in the political arena. it is not the senate or the house. they are sitting there as if they are the court, and they have put a seriousness in it. i believe the right thing will happen. and i am not sure that this reaches the level of impeachment. host: tom steyer, a very different view of impeachment than yours.

guest: actually, i thought that was the responsible point. i think she was saying that she understands how serious this is. this isn't about partisanship, this is about a quart, where senators and the thief justice have sworn an oa to uphold the coast edition. and i think she and i agree with -- uphold the constitution. i think she and i agree with, let the american people see the truth and make up our mind in this absolutely serious proceeding, to hold the president accountable just the way every other american citizen is held accountable. this is exactly what the founders wanted. what the people who wrote the constitution wanted, to let the american people make up our minds about our deepest values when they are under threat.

in my mind, it is a foregone conclusion that mr. trump has done something wrong. but i know the court matters tolynn and the citizens of the united states, and i want them to see for themselves what happens when we make up our minds. host: what do you make of some republicans argument saying that the decision should be made by the voters in november this year? guest: if mr. trump isn't removed from office, then that will definitely happen. but there is something else going on here, which is, the founders gave us impeachment and removal as a way of dealing with a corrupt president. i deeply believe we have a very corrupt president. ist this ukraine incident part of a pattern of behavior that he has engaged in since his first day in office, and this is a different statement about protecting the law, protecting the constitution and standing up for the system, for democracy

itself, that says no one is above the law. no one gets to break the law on his behalf in this case, and to disadvantage the people of the united states. there is a right and wrong here that we have to stand up for. if the rich and powerful aren't subject to the law, then we don't have the law. that is exactly what this is about. did the president have to obey the law, or can he do whatever he wants the way a king would? that is as simple as this. host: whether you are in iowa or south carolina on the campaign trail, what is the top issue coming up? is it impeachment or other issues? guest: i think the real issue in this campaign that i think is -- that i think i'm the guards almost everything is this question about, does the government serve the people of the united states or does it serve the biggest corporations and the richest people? i think that goes under

virtually every single argument. when you're talking about health care, you're talking about a system where we are paying twice as much as other countries for the same or worse health care because corporations are making twice as much money. when talking about climate, --king about a question there is no scientific doubt that we should be acting on climate, and there is a way to do it that makes us better paid or healthier. but are we going to do what is right for the american people, or are we going to do what is right for the exxon mobil corporation and the people who run it? wayy single question in its comes back to this idea of this government is broken, but it is serving corporations diligently and faithfully and it is during american people under the bus. that comes out in every question. and it is painful to go around this country and talk to citizens, perfectly wonderful, hard-working americans, and see

how badly they are being treated by their government. it is upsetting. to me, it is a straight up question of right and wrong. and really, that is why i am so determined to break this corporate stranglehold, because it comes down to cruelty to americans. really from the time you are born to your last breath. and it is just wrong. election is this about and that is what are here on the campaign trail. host: let's go to john in philadelphia on the democrats line. caller: mr. steyer. hello. guest: good morning. caller: how are you doing? guest: good. caller: you probably know this, but what you see above trump is all a game? it is all an act? in other words, when he says

left, he means right. when he says up, he needs down. he plays chess. [laughter] he is a chessmaster. he is a highly regarded chessplayer. no, you are laughing, but -- guest: i am laughing because, look, he has his act, i agree with you. mr. trump has an act that he puts on. i know it. that heeel that, john, is a deeply corrupt president and supremely incompetent. had this actt just that takes everybody's attention, but in fact, he is extremely incompetent in terms of getting things done to help the american people and to make our country stronger and safer. and it is a really funny, i agree with you, because the consequences of it are so bad for the american people.

host: to the republican line it next and hear from terry in woodbridge, illinois. caller: good morning. i would elect ask him a couple of questions. one, i noticed -- i didn't know of him at all until president trump got an office. all of a sudden, he started spending millions and millions of dollars to campaign to have him impeached, before the president even g did anything wrong. so i was wondering -- you said over one million people signed the petition, by the way our country runs is a majority. 53 million people put him in office. and the way you won -- the way you make your money is by capitalist, so why are you against the country picking your own president. host: ok, terry. terry, i believe mr.

trump started to break the law virtually on his first day in office, that it is against the constitution for the president to take money from a foreign country, or private company, and he has done it virtually since the first day, getting payments through his real estate operations from foreign countries and from corporations seeking his favor. so i believe that he has been corrupt from the very first day and he has done everything he can to cover that up. the ukraine example which happened to an a half years into his presidency, it is just a continuation of a trend that one.ed virtually on day and the 8.5 million people who signed the petition it wasn't one million, it was eight and a half million, were asking their congresspeople and the government to hold the president to account just to the way every single other american citizen has to live under the law.

so in fact what they were asking for is for the president to be a citizen as well as the president. and that's exactly what the founders of the constitution put in, but if a president is corrupt, this is the method, and really the only method for removing him or her from office. so in fact, what we have been doing is just a straightforward patriotic act of trying to stand up for the country and make sure we are a country of laws. that in fact everybody lives under the same standard. that is the idea of being a democracy or a republic, we are all equal and nobody is above the law. host: i will give you a chance to weigh in on immigration. the supreme court yesterday ruling 5-4, in a decision allowing the administration to deny green cards to immigration -- those in need of aid, u.s. aid. your campaign put out a statement about that. tell us about that and, what with this tire administration -- what would be the mr. steyer

administration policy on immigration? guest: what you are referring to is the ruling saying that if you will come here, if you are poor, if you will start at the bottom and need some help to get going, that you can be denied a green card and you can no longer emigrate to the united states of america. that is completely contrary to our history. who haver centuries, been fleeing persecution or violence, or seeking a better life for themselves and their family have come here as an ambitious hard-working people from all over the world to build a better life for themselves, and by the way, to build the united states of america. so the idea that we are no longer open to people who don't have a lot but want to work hard, and we are only open to people who have already got a sufficient amount of money that they don't need help, to me, flies completely in the face of the idea of what this country is all about. it is really taking away one of

our greatest strengths, which is that people come here to work hard, improve their lot in life, and the whole country benefits from their hard work. my opinion about immigration is simple, we get to control our own borders, but immigrants make us stronger. mr. trump has politicized immigration. he has used it really to talk about race. he is not opposed to immigration, he is opposed to immigration by nonwhite people, and under those rules, he has inflamed his supporters. he has committed crimes on international law, but he has also tortured children, and he has committed crimes against humanity. my idea about immigration is endtty simple, i would an his illegal and, in my mind, highly unethical treatment of people coming here, seeking sanctuary. i would go back to a lot of the obama-era policies

including daca, i would end the ban, i would try to get comprehensive immigration reform for the 12 million people who have lived here and average of 15 years -- it is an open secret, everybody knows they are here -- they are working and school.ds go to i would give them legal status and a path to citizenship and i would go back to the idea that we control our borders. but having people come here and work hard and start a new life is not a bad thing. we can control it. but it is something that makes america stronger. we should stop with this extremely racist rhetoric and attitude and realize that we are a very diverse country, and that is fantastic. as people come here and we become more diverse, it gets better. host: next, we will hear from ruby calling from las vegas on the independent line. caller: hello, mr. steyer? guest: hey, ruby. caller: my son is 28 years old.

he is going to be crazy once he finds out i am talking to you because i had never heard of you. [laughter] i am a diehard kamala harris fan, but i was wondering, would you even consider having her as the nominee? also, i want the second question seeing you last night and i see this morning so i thought, i had better call. i know you are pretty open about reparations. we don't really need anybody to say what we need to think about, you seem to be a doer. inant to know, did you get -- if you get income would you go ahead and knock this stuff out? you don't appear to be a talker, we want people to get it done. [laughter] guest: let me say a couple of things.

i am from san francisco, and i have a lot of respect for kamala harris. i have known her for a long time. i consider her an outstanding senator and an outstanding person and friend, and i hope anything i do, i do with and alongside senator harris. in terms of race and reparations, let me say this, i am someone who believes in talking about frankly. i believe there is a substantial racial undertone and aspect to virtually every policy area in the united states of america. people talk about criminal justice in terms of race, and it is absolutely there from policing,, to how we treat people who are incarcerated. when i talk about climate, i say to people, i am the only person who makes climate my number one priority. but i start in terms of environmental justice in the communities, basically black and brown communities overwhelmingly, where you can't breathe without getting asthma

and you can't drink the water without getting sick. people think that climate is a straight up environmental issue. to me, there is a substantial racial undertone to it that needs to be addressed in terms of justice. what i have said is this -- policy comes out of narrative. i know you said i am a door, and i believe i am a door. that is what i believe my whole background says -- i know you said i am a doer. i am for reparations. but the way that i get to them is this, i would start a formal commission on race on my first day to retell the story of the united states from the point of view of the african-american community. i would tell the truth both about the historic legalized prejudice and discrimination built into our constitution, but also of the contributions of that community to our country in terms of building the country and the moral leadership may have provided to all of us, including dr. king, but for generations before him and read

up to today -- right up to today. i think after telling the true story of america, and the contributions, and the discrimination the african-american community has undergone, we will come up with correct ways to repair the damage that has been done, to acknowledge the past and to move on together, having come up with solutions of how to repair the damage. so i am a doer. and i absolutely believe in this. i think i may be the only person running for president who believes in reparations. who believe the time is due, and rights to do it now. that is the way i believe in everything, to be blunt. to tell the truth and not to be scared of the truth, but to let the truth, so we can talk about how to do the right thing moving forward so that we can be the country we want to be. loving,n be the freedom equality and justice-loving country want to be, and we can actually be prosperous together,

be strong together, be the america we have always thought we were and that we can be, and that we are going to be. host: you mentioned one of the early primary states, south carolina. we have a call from columbia, south carolina. robert on our democrats line. caller: good morning c-span good morning, mr. steyer. thank you for being on this morning. can you hear me? host: yes we can, go ahead. caller: we are a long-term family supporter. you came to south carolina back in the summer. we were very impressed by your message. we want to do what we can to support you. number one, would you comment on say,transparency toward,

the less fortunate people as far as achievement is concerned? i think elizabeth warren has a good message to try to get people educated, or allow opportunities for education. could you mentioned that, and also, let me just thank you. , fornd mayor bloomberg putting your money where your mouth is as far as running for office, for the highest office in the land. again, let me say, i admire your priorities as far as your initiative towards clean air and whatnot, because we are burning the world down, and if we do, we have nothing to look forward to in this country. host: robert from south carolina, thanks. guest: robert, let me say this, i appreciate everything you just said. i really do. you asked me a specific question about what i think about

education, so let me talk about education for second. my mom was a teacher in the new york public schools. she taught prisoners at the broking house of detention. i come from a family that has always had teachers and it and thinks that education is the means for self-improvement so that you can get further in life. i consider that to be an absolute obligation of the government and a right for every american, to quality public education from universal preschool through college, and for skills training for people throughout their life. i think it is not only the way we create a prosperous country, where we invest in every american so that as a country, they do well, so we do well, but aalso believe that having quality public education is the only way we can have justice and mobility in our society. that every kid gets a chance to go as far as his or her talents and ambitions and hard work will take them.

and i believe we are falling down on this job dramatically. i believe that not just do we not have enough money going towards education, i believe we have really, the republican party has looked at this as a investment. i view this as the absolute basic investment in the american people, in our future, and in our growth. so i would treat teachers completely different. i view them as the stewards of our future. i would put much more money into this system. and i believe that it is absolutely critical not just to make college affordable for every american, but that we started a very early age to address issues for young people and make sure they are getting the support and education that puts them on the path towards a prosperous and productive life. that is the best investment we can make. i would dramatically change the way we spend money, they'll,

dramatically. host: i wanted to ask you a question that may take a longer answer. here is how we started. charlie from pennsylvania tested us this -- i agree that we need to get corporations and the money out of politics. however, i don't hear any candidates running on this platform. if elected, how do you plan on implementing of policies with a partisan support? guest: look. bill. grassroots person, i am somebody who has always gone directly to the people. so i believe that this campaign is largely about asking the question, what do americans care about and what are we going to do together? so if we have this campaign, and i go out and i have the momentum that i have, and people respond to me the way to have been responded, and i went, that makes -- and i win, that makes this issue, just as in 2008 1 awww ran -- he was running on health care, and he got into

office and lo and behold, the thing he accomplished first was the affordable care act. so as far as i am concerned, we need to be asking the american people, and american people need to be asking themselves -- don't we need to take back this government from the people who bought it? the answer is yes. i believe this is the critical question in front of us. than the other people elected have to realize, that is the will of the american people. that that is the reason i will elected. they will have to either go along or realize they are going to get voted out of office, because this is what i am running on, this is what i have to do, and this is what will re-create the american people want. the government serving the people, not the government corporations. if we do that, we are going to get a foot of a health care as a right for every single american. we are going to get quality public education -- we are going to get affordable health care as a right for every single american, a quality public

education, and a living wage, so that a family can live on one wage. it is all within our capabilities in our power if the government serves the people and not the corporations. that is the issue in front of us. if the people speak they are done well going to get their way, and i am going to make sure that happens. anyone who stands in our way will get voted out of office. host: tom steyer's website is >> c-span, your unfiltered view of government. in 1979 andable brought to you today by your television provider. coming up tonight on c-span, next, pete buttigieg holds a town hold event and i what you'd that is followed by andrew yang's rally.

after that, representative tulsi gabbard speaks with voters in claremont, new hampshire. next, candidate pete buttigieg holds a townhome meeting at a ymca in iowa. the state caucuses are monday. this runs one hour. [no audio]