The things we want. For the last 10 years, i have organized coalitions of ordinary american citizens to take on and we have been winning. That is what i believe has to happen. Let me give you a little background on who i am and who the family is. My mom is from minnesota. She ended up teaching in Public Schools in new york. My father was the first generation in his family to go to college. He was a lawyer. He stopped his law practice to go into world war ii. He ended up going after the nazis and prosecuting the nazis. At nuremberg. [applause] by the way, as long as we are in iowa, i will point out my mothers brother was a professor at the university of iowa for 50 years and my and betsy is nine and betsy is 99 years old and still is in iowa city. [applause] mr. Steyer but lets talk about what has to happen here. If you look at the Corporate Power that has bought our government, it comes out so many different ways. I know we are talking about the gun violence we have seen in the past couple of weeks in dayton, ohio and el paso, texas. Those are the 250th and 251st mass shooting in the United States this year, more than one a day. We all remember parkland. We remember sandy hook. The question is when more than 90 of america, democrats, republicans, independents, one mandatory background checks on want mandatory background gun purchase,y why has it not happen for decades . The reason is the money. The big money controls the nra. The nra controls the congress. We have to break the corporate stranglehold on our democracy if we will get any of the things that the American People want. If you guys think about what we dont have, you look at drug rising, we pay more than twice what other people pay for the exact same drug. It is illegal to drive to canada to buy the same drug at half price. Who do you think wrote the law . It was the Drug Companies. If you look at student debt, it is very much in the service of banks that students pay through the nose for trying to better their life and go to college and be more productive members of society and better citizens. Do you think that serves the people of the United States . They are the same people who brought us the mortgage crisis. I looked at the mortgage crisis. The banks paid 130 2 billion worth of fines but nobody went to jail. I promise, we will put people in jail from corporations who defraud and take advantage of the American People. I promise. We are looking at Drug Companies conspiring to an addict American Kids to opioids and they think they will get away with fines. That will not happen. Let me talk about the biggest bigmoney front in the United States, Climate Change. We are faced with something that will affect the health and safety of every single american in every single american in the future. It is urgent. I declare a state of emergency on day one. Im a business person. I spent 30 years looking at business. I know we can solve this and be richer. I know we can create Energy Cheaper with renewables than with fossil fuels p or were in iowa. This state has the highest percentage of renewables of any state in the united its of america. Is there anyone out there who thinks Warren Buffett is so stupid, that hes building windmills in iowa . We can do this and be healthier. We can do it and be richer. We create net millions of good paying jobs for people by doing this. We should not be afraid. We have to do this. The Oil Companies do not want us to do it. But i look at this, i listen to people talk about the United States and you would think we are nothing but crises and failure. We have the most Successful Society in the history of the planet. We have a couple of big challenges. We have to break these corporation stranglehold. We have to do it if we will solve the problem. Honestly, we need to stabilize the Natural World and and climate crisis. I declare emergency on day one. If we do those two things, we will have a society that is the envy of everyone on this planet, we will reestablish what it means to be american terms of moral leadership, in terms of where we go around the world and stand for what is right. They depend on us for leadership, technology, industrial might. The whole point of america in the first place. We think about what were looking at, we have challenges but we also create a society for ourselves which goes back to the original part about america. The most freedom and the most justice. We can have health care is a right if we do this. We can have free Public Education from prek to college. We can insist on living wage, and we can promise clean air and clean water to every american as a right. Were acting like that is what we have to reach for. That should be a floor in the 21st century. That should be a guarantee for every american in this century. If you dont have those things, if your kid is sick and you cannot afford the health care, are you really free . If you cannot live out your dreams and go to school and become the person youre could be, are you really free . If you are working to were three jobs because you have to to pay the rent, to pay health care, are you really free . We can deliver that, right now, if we redistribute the way the money is going in this country. That is something we can and have to do. When we think about 2020, there is a real question for everyone in the crowd who is an american, who i him is all of us. What does it mean to be an american and what will we create Going Forward . That is the question. If we break the corporate stranglehold and stabilize the climate, we can have a country that is more prosperous, more free, and more just than anyone in this crowd could imagine. We provide a standard of living better than people know and we can redefine what it means to be an american in the best possible way. That is why im running for president. I hope someone actually prepared a question. Ok. We will start right there in the front row. A national mandate, minimum to support interns and fellows at 15 an hour . Mr. Steyer im in favor of a 15 minimum wage. If you look at what has happened in the country, all of the increase income in this country have gone to the people who own and run corporations. Working people have not had a raise for 40 years. Never happened in america. If you want proof corporations owned this country, look at where the money is going. Have gotten to nexen terms of their pay. Times in terms of their pay. Everybody elses flat. You are good to your word and i respect and thank you for that. Mr. Steyer jim said to me before i came up, what have you done and what are you going to do . I have organized americans to take on corporations. We took on Oil Companies and beat them. No one thought that was possible. We took on Tobacco Companies who had won 17 times in a row. Hang on one second, jim. I closed a billiondollar tax loopholes for corporations and gave it to rebuild Public Schools. If you look at iowa, i started an organization to get young people to be registered, to be involved, and to turn out. We are on 41 campuses in the state of iowa. We have been here since the beginning of 2013. If you look at 2014 versus 2018, and the places we were, turn out by people under 30, it went from 18 , less than one in five people under 30 were voting, up to 41 , more than two times. That is how you revise democracy. One thing i ask you to do today, and i respect and i thank you for that, is to not disrespect my president. Mr. Steyer he is a trump supporter. You all know i started with the need for impeachment. They all know it. Jim is right. I dont want to talk about mr. Trump. What is a positive vision for america . I want to talk about what it means for islands to understand to understand what we are doing Going Forward and on this earth. What does america mean . That is a question we do not have an answer to right now, and mr. Trump would never have been elected if people understood we had a positive mission of what vision of what we are going to do together. That is what we should be talking about together. That is what we need. On the executive branch, and the branch you would control, what would you propose that would be a direct benefit for iowa farmers for improving soil . Mr. Steyer i will repeat that question. What will we do to talk to iowa farmers about improving their soil . I am highly aware this is an agricultural state. What you may or may not know is have been running a cow and calf operation in california for the last 50 years. We have been doing it to show that we can go from extractive agricultural model to a regenerative model where we improve the soil, sequester carbon, and farmers make more money. When i think about what we will do look, no one spends more time looking at the rainfall than farmers. No one spends more time looking at what is in the soil, the nutrients and what is needed than farmers. Everybody who works on a farm knows they need to be productive this year and Going Forward. There will be new techniques where farmers will make more money and rebuild in the soil. The nutrients in the soil. We have got to do it in a way that is climate sensitive. I look at it and say ok, what is the worst thing that happened to farmers in the last 10 years and i would say failed trade war. You want to hurt farmers . Lets take away the biggest customer and make sure they will not buy anything so the prices go to heck. The ever watched the movie with watched a movie about johnny cash, walk the line . One of my favorite lines is when he gets june carter to come out and sing a duet, and she goes on stage and says you have me out on stage, mr. Cash. Is that were your plan ends . For this president , that is where the plan ends. We started a war and he had no plans to get out of the war. I spent 30 years building a business from scratch. You want someone who understands economics around the world, i have done it. You want summoned to take on the somebody to take on the president and call him out for being a fake . Is doing makes no sense for the farmers of iowa and for everybody who lives here and everyone in america. Love to do it. Because he is not scary. He is incompetent. [applause]. My name is jeannie i support rights for all voters. Do you support the ability for people in prison to vote even while serving time . Mr. Steyer we have supported the rights of people who have paid their debt to society and come out of prison to vote and we supported actively in places where does not exist, including specifically florida. That is the model i believe in. I believe in redemption. That we give people a second chance. That we allow people to pay for their mistakes. We support america to become who they want to be and who they can be. I know this doesnt answer your question. What is success for america . It is americans doing well. We are america. When people ask me, do i believe in free Public Education from prek to college, i say, it is the 21st century. Do we want our young people in the most Global Economy we have ever faced to compete . Of course we do. If there is a kid from waterloo, iowa, who gets a good education becomes a productive citizen, that should benefit every Single Person in the United States. That person is paying taxes, raising a family. If someone is from compton, california, who gets a good education and support from a government and becomes a productive citizen and a more Effective Member of society, that helps every person in iowa. We should remember when we are helping americans back us, we rise together. The stuff about trying to divide us by race and gender, by an ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, it is an attempt to break us down. We will rise together and support each other. That is american success. Have you ruled out running as a thirdparty candidate . Mr. Steyer i will never do that. Good grief. Im a democrat. I still remember 2004. Thank you. I remember 2016. Thank you. The first job is to win the presidency. But that is not enough. We need a sweeping win. When i talk about breaking the corporate stranglehold on government, first thing i said was, term limits in congress. 12 years. If we have that, there is no mitch mcconnell. There is no lindsey graham. There is no chuck grassley. And there is no steve king. We talk about breaking the back. We cannot have a nice, close victory. We need a mandate to break the corporate control and get it back to the American People. If we get American People back in control, this country will be so great and we will be so proud of ourselves, we will have done our job is a generation. As a generation. Im insistent on doing that. I am also in aclu rights for all voters. Would you mind giving a yes or no on voting while in prison . Mr. Steyer i have never heard of that before. Until some explains to me how you get that while you are in prison or still a felon. What i said was i believe when you have paid your debt to society, you go back to being a full citizen. I believe that wholeheartedly. Talking about Climate Change and things that Oil Companies hate, would you invest in Passenger Rail . The trains in iowa have always avoided the major cities. Theres nothing to des moines. Mr. Steyer let me talk about Public Transportation. And the climate plan. My climate plan is different for three reasons. Unless you do this, i dont think you are real. State of emergency, day one. Were in an emergency. Use the 126 Emergency Powers of the presidency to deal with this on day one. Number it has got to be two, environmental justice, community driven, take care of displaced workers. Unless you are starting from the bottom up and you know what nitrate runoff in iowa means, unless you are dealing with clean air and clean water, as far as im concerned, you do not exist and you have the wrong policy. And if you are not dealing internationally on day one, youre kidding yourself. Unless we go back to leading the world morally, intellectually, technologically on this, we will not solve the problem. I will give you just a quick but let me say this. There are 200 37 coal plants in the United States. There are 2500 coal plants in the world and people talk about building 1000 more. If we close every coal plant here, worldwide, we could be going the wrong way. We have to become the leader of not just the free world, but the world. Mr. Trump is dead wrong with his America First policy. The last time they tried that, it was to support hitlers. Hitler. We have pushed hard for Public Transportation on a state basis. It is absolutely something that should happen and will be great for the environment. Weve created 500,000 jobs pushing propositions in california, union jobs, wellpaying jobs. Thank you very much. They will throw me out of here. Come back and ask questions. I want to answer them, but my time is up. Thank you for listening. [applause] you know why . They are younger. What is your name . Carter. How old are you . 10. Nice to meet you. My youngest is 25. I miss having a 10yearold. Most fun i ever had. I would like an autograph. Then i have a question. Ok. Teachers get higher salaries but they are getting low pay. Will you do anything about that . Yes. My mom is a teacher. My mom and dad are, too. Know how hard it is to get enoughey dont pay. But teachers are incredibly important. , its a just the money profession. In california, that something i was really trying to work on. What grade are you going into . Fifth. [inaudible] were going to take a few questions. 510 minutes. Are you guys perspiring . I give congress 100 days. Too fast some passed some form of the to pass some form of the Green New Deal. What a state of emergency gives president the ability to do is address things like building codes, miles per gallon. In an emergency, the president can change if you look at timing, scientifically on where we are, it is an emergency. The other thing is if we will have any credibility, go and say we need to solve us together, we have to go clean, to where we have made a commitment to solve our part of the problem and say, we want to help you solve the problem. If we dont, it will be impossible to lead a coalition. If you look at where we are technologically, no one should ever build another coal plant. Map, it is at the cheaper to do renewables. But if you look around the world , can we give people the confidence to do whats right. But i look at the model for this. It is really the iranian agreement president obama put together. A coalition of people pushing together to do something that was good for them. Not necessarily someone we agreed with or was an ally by any stretch of the imagination. The opposite. Is not a question of bludgeoning people into it. It is in everyones interest to solve this. This is a classic prisoners dilemma. There has got to be a different way to think about this. It demands american leadership, that means it demands american morality and commitment. That is what america was designed for to be that leader in the world. This is a perfect example for us to renew who we are the world. Reporter what is your interpretation and what would be your strategy to stand out . I think as an outsider who has taken on corporate interests for 10 years, i stand by who i am. If you look, senator, senator, mayor, congressman, im a person who has been organizing coalitions of america. I am the purposes of work in the private sector. I say this. Look. I dont think this is a question about tearing down other democrats. It is what do is stand for and if i had a criticism of how the debates have gone, americans didnt hear what is in it for them. What will we do that will actually help them that is positive . What is your reaction to President Trump retweeting unfounded conspiracy theories . Today . Yes or last night. I do not take a lot of time to figure out trump tweets because they are pretty random. I think there will be an investigation to find out, to make sure there was no hankypanky around mr. Epsteins suicide. The American People should be able to rest easy knowing something was not wrong there. But mr. Trumps tweets, if i spent my time worrying about that, i would spend a lot of time very upset. Where do you think the debate goes now, like what are you hearing from islands . How do we prevent it . This is a corporate money question. Get Gun Legislation after all of these years it will be because the republicans in senate will lose their jobs. Wantthan 90 of americans and background checks. Perfect example of the. Egalized corruption do i think we need a change . 100 . New zealand did it in nine days. Do you think democrats are open to billionaires like yourself running for office . I think the question americans are asking is who are we, where are we going, and how are we going to get there . I listen to the conversations about the nuances of this Green New Deal and this education promise, the question is how are you going to do it . You dont have the votes for any of that. The question is how will you do it . That is all i am talking about. If we are going to break the corporate back we can argue about the details when the time comes. What is the vision to get something done . Not talk about magical thinking. Do you think its up to the senate to change or could you take executive action . I would declare a state of emergency on day one. Thats executive action. There are 126 Emergency Powers of the presidency. I would urge the federal Election Commission to have much more transparency. Would i change the rules of the senate . If it were up to me, sure, i would. But thats a question for the senate. The ground game in iowa is very different. What is your strategy in iowa to get some of the moderate democrats and maybe even some Trump Supporters on your side . If you look at my background, i was in the private sector for a long time. I know it works economically around the world. Is there anyone interested that in charge isarged i sophisticated, knowledgeable, has made it work for decades. If you want the person who has actually worked in the private sector and knows where to invest, where not to invest, what works around the world politically and economically, thats me. How are you planning to use your organization . Those are separate organizations and they will be separate. I cannot be involved in running them. I will continue to make sure they keep going. Im committed to doing that because i think they are both important. They have to be separate. The only thing they both do is show what i will do, take on the president were no one else in the party will do it, work for organize the young people of this country. There are examples of things i have been willing to do when no one else does. They have to be separate and they will be. [inaudible] its an attack on our democracy, its Electronic Warfare. There are people in this world who have interests contrary to ours. There are people in this world who do things against our interest that are hostile. We have to stand up for ourselves. If you look at china specifically, china cheats commercially against americans multiple days every single day of the year. They are a frienemy. They are not a friend. They are not an enemy. They are people we have many mutual interests and that are unacceptable. We are going to have a complicated relationship with them. We are going to have to stand up for our rights. Ultimately, if china does well, thats good for us. It cannot be at our expense. Russia, its an act of war. Its Electronic Warfare to attack our democracy and try to choose our president. Its unacceptable what the president has had to say about this. And he has refused to protect the United States of america against a hostile foreign power. If you look at the climate, its the exact same thing. The health and safety of every american, he is working against it. Thats the one job, protect the health and safety of every american. Not even within a mile of ok. Nice to see you. [inaudible] [inaudible conversations] they have their whole lives ahead of them. At 26, 27, 28 years old, the young people need something affordable. She works fulltime, but she cant afford it. For a type one diabetic, its over 500 a month, and she cant afford it. Why is it costing 500 a month . If she has no insurance, its thousands of dollars. How are we going to fix it . What is the plan to fix it and make it so that young people are not dying on a daily basis . [inaudible] Drug Companies, you have to take away their power. We have a plan we think and help you take iowa. If you have some time while you are here. Ive seen your last two speeches. I will set it up with sally. There are so many necessary people in iowa. Can you do it on an economical basis . Im telling you. Do it on an economical basis. There are engineering questions. If you can answer them. Thats my question. Cost, safety. Are we ready . We cant afford 15 an hour. What is your business . Retail jewelry. Lets say a business cant afford 15 an hour, cannot pay their people 15 an hour. I can, im doing it already. Is there a penalty . Is there going to be a penalty . We started a Community Bank in california. We do this all the time. How about farmers and their kids . What is your plan . [inaudible] what about minimum wage in agriculture . If my kids work for me, do i have to pay them 15 . I pay them 11. It depends on if they are driving a tractor or baling hay. I bail 2500 myself in the last 30 days. Its easy to have the answers. When i look at the cost to produce a tomato or a bail of hay, the issue is not what the farmers are charging. Its between what you charge when it comes off the field and what i have to pay. Im a farmer and a rancher. So what do you do to get my vote . I respect that you have built a 37 billion whatever it is i am a poor man in iowa. I promise we will take the corporations on. Check out packers and sheep control and the chicken industry. If you think about the concentration and what you negotiate and what you dont negotiate. So, you are coming to our assistance if i vote for you . I will be fighting for you 100 . I would appreciate that. Not only me, a lot of people. How about iran . What do we do with iran . [inaudible] can we denuclearize them . Can you if i vote for you . What are you going to do . Get the coalition. Make sure it is verified. Their ass . Ick what if we are threatened . Tom, i have a blank check here for you. [laughter] how are you doing . This is very quiet and intimate. There are a whole bunch of people here. You did your first retail event here in iowa this weekend. How does that feel to you, being so close to voters in a retail way . Ive been coming to iowa doing retail since 2014. Ive been organizing on the ground. As a candidate it is more intense. What, 30 people watching us . Last year, there were fewer people. I would walk around and have the same kind of conversations but without as many people watching. How close are you to the debate stage . How close . We will make it. Why is it important to be on that stage in september . I want to get my message to us many people as possible. My whole goal is to say this is what we have to do, this is what we can do, and if we do it, this is whats possible. What do you say to critics who say you are trying to buy your way onto the stage . Can you convince people that your vision matters . Thats true of everyone. A Million Dollars a week in facebook ads . Is that the best use of that money, do you think . This is all about whether i have something to say that voters agree with and respond to. Money has nothing to do with it at all. Impeachment started as your core message. How does that rank with voters you are talking about . Im not talking about impeachment. As a candidate, i am talking about breaking the corporate stranglehold on america and what we can achieve together. What can i do . What can we do together . Do you think democrats are looking for more candidates on that stage as they try to narrow down their choice . I think they are looking for someone they relate to. I am the only one talking about climate in a realistic way. Was this your plan all along . You stood here in iowa and said i am not going to run for president and then you are back in the game. What changed between then and now . I said i wasnt going to run at that point. What happened was there are issues i care the most about, how are we going to break the corporate stranglehold and stabilize climate. That keeps me up at night. I cant sleep. Someone has to do something. How much are you willing to spend on this race . There is no way to know what is going to happen. I am committed to solving the problems i am describing, to getting done what i think is important. I dont see it in money terms. The sky is the limit . I am dedicated because i think its incredibly important and im willing to do whatever it takes. You will be on the debate say . Thank you very much. Good to see you. Tom, can i get a photo, im an iowa guy. Im sorry. I work with kids who cant afford summer camp, would you support federal legislation we will push really hard to control drug rices. To make sure everybody has the availability. You are asking me a specific question i will not be able to answer right now because i dont understand it, but im telling you, i guarantee you, we will fight like heck to control the prices and make sure they are available to every sick person. A Second Amendment question. Are you willing to denounce antifa . Antifa, are you willing to denounce antifa, a Domestic Terrorist Organization . They participated in the climate debate. Its a simple question. [inaudible] how are you doing . Why do you feel its ok to lecture people on firearms . Thats a good question. People are going to yell at me if i stop. What is better than no rain on a sunday . Thank you. [inaudible conversations] i love what you are saying. I love what you said. Youuilding on the climate, support the funding . The fate of the world is the climate, in shorthand. We will havewhat to do to make sure we are safe. [inaudible conversation] someone has to do this. I was at the systems summit. You have to do that. You have to engage those folks. We have to be engaging. How many genders do you think there are . In particular at his big events, always tries to get a young transgender person. Is easier to not put a number on it. Because then people can choose whichever. I think it is such a personal issue. I feel as if, the way people think about it has changed. For their two when you were a kid . Male and female . I think what is happening, people become aware how personal, how intimate, how important it is to people. All right. Hell yeah. Thank you, sir. God bless you. Ive been watching you close. Im wondering if you know what ticktock is . There is a new app, i wanted to know simply i just wanted to know i am. Can i ask you what your messages to the team on ticktock . I have never been on ticktock. I cant give a good answer. What about the teams generally . I have four kids between the ages of 25 and 31. They are the largest organizers of youth voters in the United States of america. I am incredibly respectful and appreciative of the attitudes and participation of young americans. Incredibly. I view their participation as a critical element. Critical. All right. I want them to hear that. They are going to hear it. They are listening. I chased you down that is all you are doing. Thank you. Good luck. Thank you for coming to iowa. Pleasure. Ive been coming here since i was six. Is that right . Is that right . How cool is that . Very cool. Very cool. Thanks for coming, so much. The i was state fair runs 11 days. More than a Million People attending the state fair in des moines. A tradition that dates back to 1854. Steyer. Us is tom you seem to be having a lot of fun, we have been following you for the past 45 minutes or so. What has it been like for you . Steve, it isnt my first i was state fair, but it is my first i was state fair as a candidate. All the fun things about being at the state fair including meeting people, it is really fun. Your you mentioned 99yearold aunt who lives and i was city. Has she participated in the caucuses in the past . Tom i dont know. My aunt betsy who will turn 100 in december and i was city, im sure she has voted in every single election since she has been eligible. Im not sure if they participated in the caucuses. At this point i think it would be a little hard for her to get around. Message that jimmy carter, barack obama and bill clinton also gave to voters. What can you do differently than the three democratic president s before . Saying is not purely just reforming government. What im saying is that these corporations have about the government. That there has been a hostile corporate takeover of the government. Until we break that stranglehold and get back to a democracy of, by, and for the people, we will not get the policy changes americans want. Steve how do you break the string a hold . The stranglehold . Mr. Steyer i think the first thing you have to do is in the selection, you have to name it. You have to say this is the issue, this is what im running on, this is why i want you to vote for me, so we have a mandate to make the change. If you actually look at what i have said i would do, i have put forward four specific things i would do, starting with term limits in congress, a national referendum. If congress will not act, we will go directly to the voters the way we do in 26 states now. Thirdly, i would deal with the issue about the ease of voting in the end of voters oppression which is an absolute issue in the United States, particularly of africanamerican voters. Lastly, we need to get rid of the idea that corporations are people. Corporations are clearly not people. It is ironic that the most famous expression the corporations are people was made at the iowa state fair, right here, by mitt romney. Steve let me go back to the issue of term limits. Critics would say it is unconstitutional. We have elections every 2, 4, 6, 8 years. Why have term limits that artificially restrict people from serving in government . Mr. Steyer i think one ends up happening is people getting ensconced. They get so much support and power that they cannot be undone. They stop trying to get things done. If you look at what is happening in california, they have put in term limits and it is something where we have to get it right. If you do it right, you get a more productive legislature. That is what we have seen across the country. Steve let me share you share this headline saying to hum steyers billions can buy ioans pizza but can can he win a debate slot . Where are you at the moment and will you be on the the debate stage in houston on abc next month . Mr. Steyer [laughter] steve, the wall street journal never fails to amuse. I will be on the debate stage next month. Steve how important is that for you . Mr. Steyer i think it is important. I think it is important to be able to get that stage and be able to present my idea of what we are facing, what we need to do, and what it means. I think the question in front of everyone running for president is what is your vision to help america . What is your vision for what it means to be an american . And what is your vision for what it is we are trying to create together . Americans are dying for that vision. That stage is a great place to put it forward. Steve we will get two calls in a moment. Give our audience your biography. Where you grew up in how you ended up in california . Mr. Steyer i grew up, i was born in new york city. My mom was from minnesota. She was a journalist when she got out of college. Then she taught in the new york Public Schools in the brooklyn house of detention. My father was from new york. He and his older brother and his younger sister were the first generation in their family to go to college. My father was a lawyer in new york. He interrupted his law practice to go into the navy in world war ii. Then he ended up prosecuting the nazis at the nuremberg trials after the war. I grew up in new york. I went to college at yale. I moved to california to go to graduate school. I started my business there at the beginning of 1986. My business was an investment business. I started it in one room with no windows and nobody else. I built it over 27 years to be a pretty substantial global business. I walked away from it at the end of 2012. And i spent the last seven years fulltime, and for three years before that, organizing coalitions of american citizens to take on Corporate Power. I got married along the way. Kat taylor and i have four kids. 31 years old, 29 years old, 27 years old, 25 years old. I think to the extent that the American People get a chance to meet my family, they will like me a lot more because my family is absolutely fantastic. My oldest son quit his job to travel with me in this campaign. But that is who i am. We have started, cap taylor and i, started a Community Bank to try and have a vision driven, values driven, Community Bank which would be based on the ideas of economic justice, environmental sensibility, women and minority owned businesses. It is over 1 billion in assets. Shes the ceo. We measure absolutely every loan in terms of its impact on the community. And we also started a ranch to do grass finished cattle to show the ways you raise animals and plants can be important and positive for sequestering carbon in the soil, making soil more productive, and the health of the Natural World and animals. I have been leading a very full life for the last seven years. I started the largest Grassroots Organization in the United States. Nexgen america. We are focused on registering, engaging, and turning out american citizens, particularly young people. And people of color. In 2018, we did the largest youth Voter Mobilization in american history. I also started, which is something a lot of americans know me for primarily, the need to Impeach Campaign two years ago. Where i said this president is the most corrupt in american history. He is putting us at risk. He is putting it every American Health and safety at risk. The constitution at risk. When you see something really wrong, we need to do something about it. Over 8. 2 million americans have signed our petition to say this man needs to leave. Steve lets get to our calls. Mr. Steyer go ahead. Steve martha is waiting in california with tom steyer, go ahead. Caller hi, thank you for joining us putting your hat and the ring. I have always liked what you have said and all the work you have been doing the last seven years. I thank you very much. I want to bring it i use to live in southeastern kentucky when i was a young woman. I recently visited, Whitley County was the county there. And it was very poor at the time. In the 1960s. It has not changed one single bit. Those poor people have been suffering in the Mining Industry for all of this time. You mentioned education. How can we help these people get into the education that will bring them to the kind of jobs in the kind of life that they deserve because these are the most wonderful, generous, kind, open hearted people you can imagine who have been stomped on. I lived there in the 1960s. It is now 2019 and it has not changed. Steve thank you. We will get a response. Mr. Steyer martha, let me say this, i share every sentiment that you just voiced. My old roommate lives in the poorest county in west virginia, also a coal mining part of the country, where you would say the exact same things about the people who live there. If you listen to what i have said, i have said if we can break the corporate stranglehold on our democracy, then we can get, as a right for every american citizen, and specifically for the people you are talking about in east kentucky, as a right, the right to health care, the right to free Public Education from prek through college with ongoing skills training, the right to a living wage, and the right to clean air and clean water. When i look about, what is success in america . Success in america is when american succeed. We need to invest in the people in east kentucky knowing that when we support a kid to get an education and to be healthy enough to be a productive citizen and a productive member of society, that benefits us all. Let me say at the same time, that when we invest in a young person in compton, california to get the same kind of education and the same kind of health care, to be a productive member of society and a good citizen, we all benefit from that too. When we see this president trying to divide americans based on race, based on ethnicity, based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, it is wrong. Because we should be looking at success for america as success for americans. And to understand that we will rise together. That is what makes us strong. And that is the kind of investment we should be making in ourselves and in the young people of this country. Steve paul is next from new holland, pennsylvania with tom steyer. Go ahead. Caller thank you, steve. Great job as always. Mr. Steyer, thank you for running for president. I just wanted to ask one question. Since he didnt have time on the way to the bus, what are your views on antifa . Mr. Steyer i dont know that much about antifa. I have only read about it in the paper. What i believe in terms of our politics, i believe in participation, voicing your views, and i believe in obeying the law. So i do not care where you are coming from, i am willing to listen to you and i am willing to hear what you have to say, even if i completely disagree with you. The things i insist is you tell the truth, but the American People first, and you do it on unviolently and on threateningly so we can have a Safe Exchange of views. I do not know that much about antifa which is why you did not answer your question because i did not want to answer it from ignorance. I have very straightforward rules about what i will except in politics because we need those rules to have a working democracy and to show respect for each other. Steve on the democrats line, flint, michigan. Aaron, you are next. Caller good afternoon. Im so glad you are running for president. Im in the home of the big water crisis. I just wanted to know, do you feel pushing for the impeachment of donald trump could cost us democrats the election in 2020 . If you do not become the nominee, will you support the democratic nominee to be donald trump . Mr. Steyer first of all, i would wish everyone would call me tom. I have never been called mr. Steyer in my life and i do not want to start now. I have been to flint to study the water situation. One of the things im talking about is the right of every american to have clean air and clean water, that nobody has the right to poison you so they can get richer. Flint was an absolute catastrophe and i believe a criminal catastrophe where a city was picked on knowingly by the State Government. Lets put that aside for a second. The question you are asking me would you repeat it again . Steve he wanted to know if you would support the democratic nominee if you are not the nominee and how you would fix the water problem in a town like flint . Mr. Steyer ok. When we look at flint, first of all, i will support the democratic nominee. I will never contemplate running as the third party. I have said not only will i support whoever the nominee is but i have guaranteed at the Grassroots Organizations that i have started, nexgen america, nexgen rising, the 420 campuses we are on will continue to be on, going on and knocking on doors with our partners in the later movement, we will continue to do, because we need the grassroots support for the sweeping victory the democrats need. I guarantee i will not step aside from that. In terms of the water policy, flint is the most famous example of people putting the health and safety of low income communities and communities of color at risk because they were not willing to spend the money. If i was i think about a month ago, i was in denmark, South Carolina where the State Government had refused to buy a Water Treatment facility for that rural, overwhelmingly africanamerican town and people had kidney failure and were dying. This is not what we see in flint, this is the poster child, but not at all unusual in the United States. It is essential that we deliver Safe Drinking Water to every american. That should be part of any solution that we are pushing in terms of energy and climate. The climate crisis. To me, when we look and talk about environmentalism, we need to start by talking about environmental justice. And that means delivering clean air and clean water as a right, particularly to low income communities and communities of color because that is where we have concentrated our pollution. That is where the health risks are by far the highest. And it is unjust and unamerican to allow that to continue to happen. Steve claude from riverview, florida. Good afternoon. Caller good afternoon, tom. Thank you for taking my call. Can you hear me . Mr. Steyer just fine, sir. Caller great. Thanks, tom, for taking my question. According to the state of new york, donald trump is an unindicted coconspirator in the commission of crimes. Michael cohen is serving prison time for those crimes. How will you prosecute donald trump on the campaign trail . We know according to the special counsel report, over 170 different meetings with the Trump Campaign and russia. If that was any other president , i do not think he would make it this far already. What will you do to prosecute that case . Mr. Steyer claude, we need to distinguish between the constitutional ability to impeach and remove the president with a criminal charging of the president and prosecution after he is out of office. It is the practice of the department of justice not to pursue any criminal case against a sitting president because they feel it takes up too much of his time. Any criminal prosecution must follow his leaving the presidency. While he is president , the constitutional remedy for a corrupt president like the one we have or someone who has broken the law and committed high crimes and misdemeanors, which he has, is an Impeachment Vote in the house and then removal by the senate under the leadership of the chief justices of the supreme court. That is why i started need to impeach almost two years ago to say he has met the criteria, it is important we stand up for what is right, it is important we stand up for the constitution and the safety of americans. At this point, the house has started last week, a formal impeachment inquiry. That process is ongoing. The criminal aspect including his participation in the crimes with mr. Cohen has delayed has to wait until after he is out of the presidency and from my standpoint, that is a question for the criminal courts, not so much for the American People. For us, the question is can we trust trust our president . Is the president a king above the law or will everyone be held to account . Thats what ive been fighting for for two years. Steve what do you tell the voter that is considering tom steyer versus another candidate who may have more political experience . What is your pitch to them . Mr. Steyer what i stay say is look at what ive done for the last 10 years. As an outsider, i have taken on the corporations and won. I have organized coalitions of americans to take on Oil Companies and Tobacco Companies, and Drug Companies at the ballot box. And we have beaten them consistently. I have also organized the largest Grassroots Organization in the United States to encourage americans to turn out and vote and take back this government. That is exactly what i believe in. That is exactly what i have been doing for 10 years. Im the only person in this race who is an outsider, has done what they are claiming they want to do. I have done it as an outsider. They are all from the beltway. Who do you think will make the change . A grassroots person or someone from the inside . Steve tom steyer joining us on the campaign bus. What do you think of the bus . Mr. Steyer oh my gosh, it is incredibly fancy. I cannot believe it. I told everybody, im moving in here. Steve thanks for stopping by the cspan bus and enjoy the iowa state fair. Get some of that good food. Thank you so much. Also speaking was democratic president ial candidate, senator michael bennet. And now we have senator michael bennet