Governor bill weld gets tonights last word. Coming up on msnbc this independence day, the democratic debates. Both nights in their entirety. Thats next. Good evening, everyone, im lester holt, and welcome to the first democratic debate in the race for president. Hi, im savannah guthrie. Tonight its our first chance to see these candidates go head to head on stage together. Well be joined in our questioning tonight by our colleagues, jose diart. What sets them apart and which of these president ial hopefuls has what it takes. Well, now its time to find out. Tonight, round 1. New jersey senator cory booker, former housing secretary julian castro, New York City mayor, bill de blasio, former maryland congressman john delaney, hawaii
congresswoman tulsi gabbard, amy klobuchar, former texas congressman beto orourke. Ohio congressman tim ryan, and massachusetts senator elizabeth warren. From nbc news, decision 2020, the Democratic Candidates debate, live from the Performing Arts Center in miami, florida. And good evening again, everyone. Welcome to the candidates and to our candidates and all across the country. Tonight were going to take on many of the most pressing issues of the moment, including immigration, the situation unfolding at our border and the treatment of migrant children. And were going to talk about the conditions with iran, Climate Change and the economy,
those Kitchen Table issues. Before we begin, 20 candidates qualified for 24 first debate. Well hear from 10 00 tonight. The breakdown for each was selected at random. The candidates will have 60 seconds to answer and 30 seconds for any followups. Because of this large field, not every person will be able to comment on every topic. But over the course of the next two hours, we will hear from everyone. Wed also like to ask the audience to keep the reactions to a minimum. Were not going to be shy about making sure the candidates stick to time tonight. Well well start with senator elizabeth warren. Senator, good evening to you. Thank you. Good evening. You have many plans. Free college, free child care, Government Health care, cancellation of student desk, new taxes, new regulations. The breakup of major corporations. But this comes at a time when 71 of americans say the economy is doing well, including 60 of
democrats. What do you say to those who worry this kind of significant change could be risky to the economy . I think of it this way. Who is this economy really working for. Its doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top. Its doing great for giant drug companies. Its doing great for people who want to invest in private prisons. Not for the families whose lives are destroyed and whose communities are ruined. Its doing great for giant Oil Companies that want to drill everywhere. Just not for the rest of us who are watching Climate Change bear down upon us. When youve got a government, when youve got an economy that does great for those with money and Isnt Doing Great For Everyone Else that is corruption pure and simple. We need to make structural change in our government, in our economy and in our country. Senator klobuchar, you called programs like free College Something you might do if you were, quote, a magic genie. To be blunt, are the Government Programs and benefits some of your giving voters a false sense of whats actually achievable . First the economy. We know not everyone is sharing in this prosperity. And donald trump just sits in the white house and gloats about what whats going on. When you have so many people affording college and trouble affording their premiums. So i do get concerned about paying for college for rich kids. I do. But i think my plan is a good one. And my plan would be to make Community College free, and make
sure everyone else besides that Top Percentile gets help with education. My own dad and sister got their first degrees with Community College. There are many paths to success as well as certifications. Secondly, id double programs from 6,000 to 12,000 a year and expand to it the number of families that get covered. To families that make up 100,000. And the third thing i would do is make it easier for students to pay off their loans. If billionaires can pay off their yachts, students should be able to pay off their student loans. Thats time. Thank you. Congressman orourke, what we have just been discussing is how much fundamental change to the economy is desirable and how much is actually doable. Some democrat want a tax rate of 70 million on the highest earners. Would you support that . And if not, what would your top individual rate be . This economy has got to work for afternoon. And right now its going to take all of us coming together that it does. [ speaking spanish ] now we have a system that favors those who can pay for access and outcomes. Thats how you explain a economy rigged to the very wealthest. A 2 trillion tax cut that favored wealthiest while they were sitting on piles of catch at a time of historic wealth inequality. A new democracy because we returned power to the people. No pacs, no gerrymandering,
automatic and sameday registration and a new Voting Rights act. Congressman orourke. Thats how we each have a voice in our democracy and make this work for everyone. Thats time, sir. Ill give you ten seconds to answer. Would you support a 70 individual marginal tax rate . Yes, no, or pass . I would support a tax rate and a tax code that is fair to everyone. Same rate . Take that Corporate Tax rate up to 28 . You would generate the revenues you need to pay for the programs. Thats time. Thank you. Senator booker, there is a debate in this party about the role of negotiations, as you know. Publiced to break up Companies Like facebook, amazon and google. You said we should not, quote, be running around pointing at companies and breaking them up without any kind of process. Why do you disagree . I dont disagree. I think we have a serious problem in our country with
serious consolidation. You see the evidence of that in how dignity is being stripped from labor. And we have people that work fulltime jobs and make a living wage. We see that because Companies Often have monopolistic holds on drugs. This is an economy that is hurting Small Businesses and not allowing them to compete. One of the most aggressive bills in the senate is about corporate consolidation in the ag sector. I feel very strongly about the need to let the free market work. I live in a low income black and brown community. I see every single day this economy is not working for average americans. The indicators that are being used from gdp to wall streets rankings is not helping people in my community. It is about time that we have an economy that works for everybody, not just the wealthiest in our nation. Quickly, Senator Booker, you
didnt think it was right to name names, to single them out as senator warren has. Briefly, why is that . I will single out Companies Like halliburton or amazon. When it comes to antitrust, i will appoint judges that will enforce it. Number two, have a doj and a Federal Trade Commission that will go through the processes necessary to check this kind of corporate concentration. At the end of the day, we have too much of a problem with Citizens United and the way theyre trying to influence washington. Its about time we have a president that fights for the people in this country. Thats time, sir. We need someone as a champion for them. Senator warren, i mentioned you. Are you picking winners and losers . There is way too much consolidation in giant industries in this country. That hurts workers. It hurts Small Businesses. It hurts independent farmers. It hurts our economy overall, and it Helps Constrict Real Innovation and growth in this economy. Now, look, weve had the laws out there for a long time to be able to fight back. Whats been missing is courage, courage in washington to take on the giants. Thats part of the corruption in this system. It has been far too long that the monopolies have been funding the superpacs, have been out there making sure that their influence is heard and felt in every single decision that gets made in washington. Where i want to start this is i want to return government to the people and that means calling out the names of the monopolists and saying have i the courage to go after them. Take castro, the next question is for you. Democrats have been talking
about the pay gap for decades. What woo you do to make sure women are paid fairly in this country . Thank you very much for that question, lester. I grew up with a mother who raise Mid Brother Joaquin and me as a single parent. I know what its like to struggle. I know what its like to rent a home and to worry about whether youre going to able to pay the rent. And to know that moms across this country are getting paid less simply because theyre women. I would do several things, starting with something we should have done a long time ago, which is to pass the equal rights amendment, finally in this country. And also pursue legislation so that women are paid equal pay for equal work in this country. Its past time that we did that. And we have to this. If we want to be the most prosperous nation in the 21st century, we need to make sure women are paid what they deserve. Thank you. I want to put the same question to congresswoman gabbard. Your thoughts on equal pay. First of all, lets recognize the situation were in, that the American People deserve a president who will put your interests ahead of the rich and powerful. Thats not what we have right now. I enlisted in the National Guard after the terrorist attacks on 9 11 so i could go after those who attacked us on that day. I still serve as a major, deployed twice to the middle east. And in congress served on the Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committee for over six years. I know the importance of our national security, as well as the terribly high cost of war. And for too long our leaders have failed us, taking us from one Regime Change to the next, leading us into a new Arms War Costing us trillions of our hardearned Taxpayer Dollars and countless lives. This insanity must end. As president , he will take your hard earned tax dollars and invest those dollars into serving your needs, things like health care, good paying jobs,
protecting our environment, and so much more. Mayor de blasio. Youre the mayor of the biggest city in the United States, but its also one of the cities in the country with the greatest gap between the wealthy and the poor. How would you great Income Inequality . Well, weve been addressing Income Inequality in New York City by raising wages, by raising benefits, by putting money back in the hands of Working People. 15 minimum wage, paid sick day, prek for all things that are making a huge difference in Working Peoples lives. What were hearing already in the first round of questions is that this is supposed to be the party of Working People. Yes, were supposed to be for 70 tax rate on the wealthy. Yes, were supposed to be for free college, for free public college. Were supposed to break up Big Corporations when theyre not serving our democracy. This Democratic Party has to be strong and bold and progressive. And in new york weve proven that we can do something very different. We can put money back in the working hands of people. Every time you talk about investing in people and their communities, you hear folks say there is not enough money. What i hear every single day, there is plenty of money in this world, in this country. Its just in the wrong hands. Democrats have to fix that. Congressman delaney, you agree . I think we need to do real things to help American Workers and the American People, right . This is the issue that all of us on the campaign trail. We need to make sure everyone has a living wage. I called for raising the minimum wage, and creating paid family leave that will create a situation where people actually have a living wage. That gets right to workers. Then weve got to fix our Public Education system. Its not delivers the results our kids need. Nor is college and technical
training programs doing that. Im very different than everyone else here on the stage. Prior to being in congress, i was an entrepreneur. I started two businesses. I created thousands of jobs. I spent my whole career helping small to midsized businesses all over the country. 5,000 of them i supported. The Obama Administration gave me an award for lending to disadvantaged communities. I know how to create jobs. We need raising the minimum wage and create paid family leave and we need to have a longterm strategy to make sure this company is competitive and were creating jobs everywhere in this country. How would you address Income Inequality . Well, im a little bit surprised. I think plans are great, but im a governor. And we got to realize the people who brought us the weekend unions are going to bring us a long overdue raise in america. And im proud of standing up for unions. Ive got a plan to reinvigorate collective bargaining so we can
increase wages finally. I marked with the sciu spokes. Its not right tra that the ceo of mcdonalds makes 2,100 times more than the people slinging hash at mcdonalds. And the next thing ill do is put people to work in the jobs of the president and the future. Donald trump is simply wrong. He says Wind Turbines cause cancer. We know they cause jobs. And we know we can put millions of people to work in the Clean Energy Jobs of the future. Carpenter, machinists. Were doing it in my state today. And then we can do what america always does, lead the world and invent the very and put people to work. Thats what were going to do. Promised Manufacturing Jobs are all coming back to places like your home state of ohio. You make that same promise . Yes, i believe you can. But first, lets say the president came. He said dont sell your house to
people in youngstown, ohio. In his administration in just the last few years we lost 4,000 jobs at a General Motors facility. That rippled throughout our community. General motors got a tax cut. General motors got a bailout. And then they have the audacity to move the new car that theyre going to produce to mexico. Ive had Family Members that have to unbolt a machine from the factory floor, put it in a box and ship it to china. My area where i come from in northeast ohio, this issue were talking about here, its been going on 40 years. This is not a new phenomenon in the United States of america. The bottom 60 havent seen a raise since 1980. Meanwhile, the top 1 control 90 of the wealth. We need an Industrial Policy saying were going to dominate building electric vehicles. There is going to be 30 million made in the next senn years. I want half made in the United States. I want to dominate the Solar Industry and manufacturer those. Thank you. Senator warren, are they coming back . Are these jobs coming back . So weve had an Industrial Policy in the United States for decades now, and its basically been let giant corporations do whatever they want to do. Giant corporations have exactly one loyalty, and that is to profits. And if they can save a nickel by moving a job to mexico, to asia or canada, theyre going to do it. Here is what i propose for an Industrial Policy. Start with a place where there is a real need. There is going to be a worldwide need for grown technology, ways to clean up the air, ways to clean up the water. And we can be the ones to provide that. We need to go tenfold in our research and development on green energy going forward. And then we need to say any corporation can come and use that research. They can make all kinds of products from it. But they have to be manufactured right here in the United States of america. And then we have to double down and sell it around the world. There is a 23 trillion market come coming for green products. We should be the leaders and the owners, and we should have that 1. 2 Manufacturing Jobs here in america. We can do this. Were going to turn to the issue of health care right now and understand whether there may or may not be daylight between you. Many people watching at home have Health Insurance coverage through their employer. Who here would abolish their private Health