Billionaire businessman Tom Steyer claims he wants to be president. This means if he gets his wish, he will face strong congressional opposition for many of his policy proposals and conniving foreign adversaries. Accordingly his Monday appearance on MSNBC Live gave host Stephanie Ruhle the opportunity to ask Steyer how he would handle some of these challenges. Instead, Ruhle encouraged Steyer to take a victory lap on impeachment and to espouse their mutual dislike of Mitch McConnell and President Trump's tax policy.
Ruhle began by introducing the long shot presidential hopeful, "This morning marks nearly two weeks since Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would move forward with an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, but it marks nearly two years since the first calls for impeachment from 2020 candidate Tom Steyer, who launched an impeachment came in October of 2017. More than eight million signatures later and millions of dollars later Steyer has gotten some validation in Washington, 228 lawmakers no expressing their support for some action on impeachment." After hyping Steyer as a prophet and not as a base panderer, Ruhle asked, "What is your take on Nancy Pelosi now moving forward, as far as the impeachment inquiry."
After Steyer declared Trump to be "the most corrupt president in American history," Ruhle asked Steyer how he intends to appeal to voters who do not support impeachment, while also condemning Republicans for daring to characterize Democrats as obstructionists, "You and I both know that the House has passed 200 bills. The argument that Republicans want to make, “they’re just obstructionists and impeachment doesn't help the American people,” Mitch McConnell hasn’t even addressed one sing thing on gun reform and it has been on his desk for weeks."
The host then teed up Steyer on taxes, repeating the unoriginal and false talking point that the tax cuts only favored the rich, 'How is it that the president can make this argument "It’s about results not rhetoric? People care about getting stuff done. The economy' The tax cut hasn’t served anyone, except those corporations." Steyer used the opportunity to call Trump a "fraud and a failure" on the economy.
At times during the interview, it was hard to remember who was the journalist and who was the one running for President of the United States.
Here is a transcript for the October 7 show:
MSNBC
MSNBC Live with Stephanie Ruhle
9:47 AM ET
STEPHANIE RUHLE Welcome back, I'm Stephanie Ruhle. This morning marks nearly two weeks since Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced that the House would move forward with an impeachment inquiry into President Trump, but it marks nearly two years since the first calls for impeachment from 2020 candidate Tom Steyer, who launched an impeachment came in October of 2017.More than eight million signatures later and millions of dollars later Steyer has gotten some validation in Washington, 228 lawmakers no expressing their support for some action on impeachment. And this weekend he also got validation from voters, passing the threshold to qualify for the November Democratic debate. Only six other candidates have qualified so far. The businessman turned 2020 presidential candidate, Tom Steyer joins me now. Tom, I haven’t seen you in a while. Welcome, congratulations on meeting that threshold for November. What is your take on Nancy Pelosi now moving forward, as far as the impeachment inquiry.
TOM STEYER: Well, as you know Stephanie, as you said I believe the truth was there two years ago. I think it’s important to hold everyone under the same law, including the president, and I think now the evidence keeps piling up every single day that this is the most corrupt president in American history.
RUHLE: How do they make this argument to voters who say "I care about kitchen table issues." You and I both know that the House has passed 200 bills. The argument that Republicans want to make, “they’re just obstructionists and impeachment doesn't help the American people,” Mitch McConnell hasn’t even addressed one sing thing on gun reform and it has been on his desk for weeks.
STEYER: Stephanie, I'm running for president because this government is broken. They have not acted on gun reform, but they haven’t acted on climate, they haven’t acted really on drug pricing. This is a government in Washington DC that is broken, that has been bought by corporations. That is really what happened. They will never get to those 200 bills. You know it, I know it, I know it, the American people know it, they know this government is broken in every single way.RUHLE: Then take me to the Republican Party, because here’s the thing, you're a rich guy and you know all sorts of rich people. How is it that the president can make this argument "It’s about results not rhetoric? People care about getting stuff done. The economy” The tax cut hasn’t served anyone, except those corporations.
STEYER: Stephanie, Mr. Trump is a fraud and a failure. He was a fraud as a businessman, he's fraud and a failure as a steward of the American economy. You’re pointing out, his two big economy plans are, one, his tax plan which was the biggest give away to corporations in American history and his completely failed trade policy, the trade war he's declared that is hurting American workers, American business people and American farmers. He is a failure when it comes to the economy, which is his whole issue.
