IHIP News: Trump LOSING Midterms as Billionaires TURN AGAINST HIM! Total Disaster For Him!

All right, joining me on I hit news. today is our friend Tom Steyer. Tom, how. are you? >> I'm great, Jennifer. How are you doing? >> Great. Let's dive into this. So, you. just ran for governor of California, which I appreciate that progressive. people that are standing up to. corporations are running. And as Bernie. Sanders has shown us, it might take two, three, four political cycles to finally. charge through. And I so I think that. your efforts are not done in vain. because it takes time to change the.

culture of an electorate. And speaking. of the culture of an electorate, uh. there's reporting from Politico popped. this up. As AIPAC spending surges, it faces a big. primary test. AIPAC is on pace to. surpass its previous spending records. It's become an issue in Maryland. and New York. Did AIPAC spend money. against you? >> Um they're not allowed I don't think. AIPAC actually acts in state races.

directly. That I believe they only act. in federal races. So, they'd act in. Congress, they'd act in, you know, the. presidency or but I don't believe they. act it directly in state races. >> But I think uh 55 million in corporate. PAC money was spent against you. >> Against you? >> [laughter]. >> Right. >> That doesn't include what they spent on. the other candidates. But yes, 55. million million dollars spent really not. on debating any issues.

Really not on saying that you know, they. didn't debate whether we should have. single-payer health care. They didn't. debate whether we should build houses. They didn't debate whether we should. break up the electric monopolies power. They basically do what. you know, what I believe these guys. always do, which is they say you're a. bad person. It's always an ad hominem argument um as. opposed to an argument about the future,

about vision, about what we should do. It's always, you know, an an argument. about trying to disqualify the person. >> [snorts]. >> Yeah, it always seems like they're. trying to put a shiny object out for the. electorate to chew on. And we all have. kind of shortened attention spans from. our phones and the way we are consuming. information and news. But they put this. such shiny object out there like Tom is. all of these terrible things or Zaren. Momdani is all of these terrible things.

And they do that because they cannot. deliver for the citizens in material. ways where citizens are materially. benefiting from their government. >> Well, you know, and the perfect example. cuz it's just so clear. is PG&E. I mean, they spend over 13 million. dollars attacking me as a person, but. they spent no dollars, zero dollars and. zero cents saying we deserve to have a. monopoly and charge you twice as much as.

everybody else in the United States of. America. That was never brought up by. them for a single second. It was just to. try and avoid that argument. And that. was pretty much true across the board. that the companies that were coming. after me. never wanted to engage on the merits. They wanted to try and smear me. >> And critics have pointed out that you. spent over 200 million. of your own money on your gubernatorial.

campaign. What do you say to people who. think that billionaires shouldn't fund. their own campaigns? >> Look, I'm I understand the idea about. why that that's unfair. But let me say. this, if someone isn't willing to spend. a lot of money to fight these. corporations, they will always win. And so the real question is and this was. true in my race, they spent a record. amount of money against me because I had. a very clear message that the people of.

California should come first. That it should be a place that people. can afford to live, working people can. afford to live. It should be a place. We're such a rich state, why do we have. such a terrible education system? You know, it should be a place where. people get health care as a right at an. affordable price. And so the stuff I No. one ever came out and said, "We should. have a terrible education system. That's. what we're for." They never came out and. said, "We're happy that people can't. afford to have health care. That's. terrific.".

No one ever said that. They spent a lot. of money and so for me to push back. against that was very expensive. >> So what what are your plans now, Tom, to. do You have a lot of wealth and you have. a lot of ideas and you have integrity. I mean, so what what is your plan. because I think it's going to take I've. seen the most bravery. in everyday citizens, in grand juries. that refused to. sign an indictment. We all know grand. juries would indict a ham sandwich, or.

so the saying goes, that refused to. indict Letitia James. And you see Scott. Pelley of 60 Minutes bravely stand up. and say salary be damned, I will not do. this. So you see everyday Americans standing. up to this regime more than the. billionaire class, which is what you're. in. So we could call you a class. traitor, which I commend you for. But what's the plan now? >> Well, look, this. The plan is to continue going Look, this.

race was not. a an anomaly in my life. This race. reflected what I'd been doing before and. it reflected what I'm going to continue. to do. You know, I have been pushing on. progressive. policies for a very long time. And, you know, we I talked about that in. my race, the things that we'd gotten. done individually, the corporate. interests that we'd taken on and beaten, getting free breakfast and lunch lunch. for school kids in California, all the.

stuff we'd done. And I'm going to. continue to that The difference is this, Jennifer, it's. as governor, you can do it all. Like, you basically have a platform to. at. to address each one of what I would. think of as the policy verticals. As a private citizen, you don't have. that luxury. And so, the question for me. will be exactly where will I engage, not. whether will I whether I'll engage,

but exactly where Where are the places. where I feel like I can make a. difference? Who are the people who I can. support, who I think will make a. difference? You know, how do we move the. ball forward as a private citizen as. opposed to an elected official? >> And where do you feel called to do that? Like, for me, if I had your kind of. wealth, I see [clears throat] what uh. the Supreme Court is doing with the. Voting Rights Act. And I think that the. lack of white allyship with our black.

community has been something that. incubated this fascism. When we saw. Renee Good get shot in the street, we. were like, "Oh my god, they shot. somebody." Well, in the black community, they were like, "We've been trying to. tell you this for a long time, that our. communities have been over-policed." So, that would be something that I would. want to invest in. Where do you want to. invest in? >> point, Jennifer. Let me say that I think. that what you just said is a great. point. And that is this, one of the things that. I've said consistently and that I said. when I was running is.

the black community. has been. the moral leader of the United States. for longer than anyone's been alive. And they continue to be. And partnering with that community. is something which I think. is critical for anybody who wants to. make a moral argument in the United. States of America. And so, you know, I always say people. look back a pretty long way to Dr. King.

and to the Civil Rights Movement. Um but I don't think you need to look. that far back at all. I mean, I I always. like to point out that the only. Congressperson who voted against the. Iraq War on a moral issue was the a. black woman who's currently the mayor of. Oakland, California. And so, to a very large extent, that. moral leadership is something which. continues and is unbroken. And I think.

for anybody. who wants to. push a broad-based. human-based. agenda. aligning with the black community, participating with the black community, partnering with the black community. seems to me like. a necessity. And I you know, I think that's really. true. Um I think it's true in California. I. think it's true outside California. And. I think to a large extent.

what we're seeing in America is a. failure of values. >> Yeah. >> The idea that people were fighting me. about uh whether the people of. California should be the biggest concern. of the government of California. I mean, if you take a step back, that's insane. Of course, the people of California. should be the primary interest of the. government of California. Wha- What else. would it be? And so, you know, what we're seeing is a.

pullback from that. You know, when you. see corporate leaders say, you know, we have no response in Well, they some of them have said it. explicitly, but their actions are all. saying we have no responsibility. to the community as a whole. We have a. responsibility only to our shareholders, and we'll do whatever it takes. That. covers anything. The bottom line. justifies anything that's legal. And that is not leadership. And so, what we're really looking for is.

how do we re-establish the idea that. people across the board definitely. political leaders, for goodness sakes, but also leaders in other parts of our. society see a responsibility to the. greater society. See a responsibility, and also a pride in the idea that we. have a successful society with everyone. participating in that success. And the. idea that that was a strange idea or a. controversial idea. is like that's very hard for me to.

fathom, because that's the whole point. >> So, each election cycle, I feel like on. the left we're getting closer and closer. to true progressive candidates that are. not beholden to corporations. And on the. right, they're getting crazier and. crazier. >> [laughter]. >> I mean, they're just off their rocker, right? You know, like whatever comes. after Trump on that side, you know it's. going to be worse, because that's their. trajectory. How important is it that we keep putting.

up progressive candidates and keep. pushing the You spoke a little bit about. the culture, the culture of our country. in valuing human beings over money. It's really, really a cultural sickness, and you see that played out in the. politicians that are chosen. So, what. are your thoughts about that? >> I I think Jennifer, I think you put your. finger on something that's really. critical. We're not changing this. without people who can. understand and explain a vision.

to. citizens, to voters. And so, when we. look at it, I mean, one of the people. who I met I'd met before, but who I got. to know much better in this campaign was. Ro Khanna. And I believe he. >> him. >> He I believe he's extraordinary. I I and I think he's extraordinary. clear-eyed in what's needed, very very. practical, but moving the ball down the field. And, you know, to take. a broader view for a second, there's no. question that Bernie Sanders has changed.

the conversation in the United States of. America. There's just no question. And, you know, he did it originally. where he felt like, "I've got to run to. make this point.". And I think when you look now, when I. look, so I don't want to speak for. everybody, but when I look at. candidates, my question is, "Okay, wh- where are we trying to go? What is. the vision? What are the changes that. you see we need to make, and what are. the values behind those changes?" But. until.

I That's just seems to me incredibly. obvious because as this. country. leaves so many people behind, leaves. behind its own sense of community and. shared progress, i- i- that is not the America that I. grew up in. That's not the California. that I want to live in. And I think that it's a recipe for. failure. And that's what we're seeing is. that idea of. every person for themselves, dog eat.

dog, no sense of community, just focused. on them. That is a recipe for failure. And we're seeing it happen, and I think. Donald Trump's. failure as a president, which we can go. into, but it's very clear, is a reflection of that kind of. extremely short-sighted, self-interested. way of thinking about life, which does. not lead to success. in any meaningful way, and is really. in my mind a.

contradiction. to the spirit of you know freedom. community equality. shared progress. >> All right, last question. So you. mentioned congressman Ro Khanna and he. was on my podcast over the weekend. >> He was. >> were talking yeah, we were talking about. Elon Musk. >> I read I did not realize that was on. your podcast. I. read about kind of that back and forth. >> Elon Musk pennies are in a big wad and. he is just wound up like a cheap clock. as we say in Oklahoma. He is so mad at.

Ro Khanna because he is saying that. there is a UCLA report that shows that. the pulling of USAID. can cause deaths. And I think we all. knew this. So he's. going bananas and so I had Ro Khanna. again last night and I said, "Okay, if. you if Hakeem Jeffries gets the hammer. and listener don't go bananas, we could. have another podcast about who should be. speaker, but if we you know, that's just. the way it's going to be for right now. What will you do on day one? Are you.

intimidated by Elon Musk?" He said, "No, on day one we will launch an. investigation of oversight into what he. did at Dodge." How important do you. think holding. these wealthy. people, which by the way get a lot of. government subsidies, which by the way. he's also an immigrant, which I don't. have a problem with, but according to. Maga that's their big thing. How. important is it that Democrats when they. get the hammer back in the house or if. they get the Senate, how important is it. that we hammer down on accountability.

and fight back? >> Look, I think. that we have to change. the narrative about what's going on in. the United States and the idea that we. should have cut out. aid around the world. to people who are starving, sick, and especially kids, which because this. is overwhelmingly kids, that we should do that, and that's a.

smart savings of money. when we're spending they want to spend a. trillion and a half dollars. on armaments, on guns. Seems to me to be. an absolute description of how this. administration and that party has gone. so wildly off the rails. And the result. of it is, if you look at the United. States around the world, Trump is always.

saying, "Now they respect us." Like, "No, now they revile us.". Now they look at us as untrustworthy, dishonest, selfish, and corrupt. And. they're not wrong. So to me, showing the world that someone. who is all about money and is willing to. kill children in the millions, or. to be fair, to take the money away that. would save children in the millions, is that is a value statement that has to.

be reversed. Because if that's what the. United States stands for, we are going. to scare you, we are going to bomb you. if you don't do what we want, and it's. all about our bottom line and our power. and our, you know, sense of overweening. pride and arrogance, that is a. absolutely opposed to my idea of the. republic that started 250 years ago. about the citizens and about equality. and about freedom. That is the exact.

opposite. That is a bunch of people. whose egos have gone massively insane, and they've lost any touch with what I. think are basic American values. >> Tom Steyer, thank you. Let's keep. fighting the fight together. I always. love having you on. >> Right on, Jennifer. It's so great to see. you. >> Uh-huh. Bye-bye. >> [music]. [music].