Full Sanders Interview: Fed Hikes, Not Democrats' Spending, Hurting Economy

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Senator Sanders joins me now. Senator, welcome back to Meet the Press. [00:00:05] Bernie Sanders: Good to be with you. [00:00:07] Speaker 1: Look, I want to focus on your, this was an op-ed you wrote about a week or so ago, and you've said this in other programs. So walk me through what you'd be doing right now. If you're in one of these battleground races, you've said abortion rights should be front and center. How would you be talking about the economic issues? [00:00:26] Bernie Sanders: Well, number one, what the Supreme Court did was totally outrageous. It is women who should control their own bodies, not the government. Number two, too many people have fought and died to defend American democracy. We cannot let right-wing extremists undermine what is so important to this country, and that is the right of all people to participate in the political process. Thirdly, and terribly important, we live in a moment, Chuck, in which we see an economy where the people on top are doing phenomenally well while working people are struggling. You've got more income and wealth inequality today than any time in the history of the United States. Three people owning more wealth than the bottom half of the people in our society. That is insane. So what I think is Democrats should talk about the economy. I think they should contrast their views with the Republican positions. I believe, and most Democrats believe, that at a time when half our people live in paycheck to paycheck, we should raise the minimum wage to a living wage. No Republicans support that. I think we should make it easier for workers to join unions. Republicans don't support that. I believe that when you have billionaires not paying a nickel, in some cases, in federal income taxes, yeah, we should demand that the rich and large corporations start paying their fair share. Now, what Republicans are saying, Chuck, which is quite amazing to me, is that in the midst of these difficult economic times for seniors and for other people, you know what they say? We've got to cut Social Security. We've got to cut Medicare. We've got to cut Medicaid. I think that that is grotesque, and I think Democrats have got to hold them accountable for those reactionary positions. [00:02:12] Speaker 1: Senator, do you accept the criticism that the American Rescue Plan passed in early 2021 contributed to the current inflation issue we're dealing with now? [00:02:22] Bernie Sanders: No, I don't. Inflation right now, as I'm sure you know, Chuck, is an international problem. In Germany, it is 10%. UK, it is 10%. Canada, it is 7%. Inflation globally is caused by the pandemic and the break in supply change. It is caused by, in my view, the war in Ukraine, obviously. And it is also caused by incredible corporate greed. And I hope everybody understands that when you go to the gas tank, you fill up your car today, the oil companies are making huge profits. The food companies are making huge profits. Prescription drug, a high pharmaceutical industry making huge profits. We've got to deal with that issue. And Republicans won't, by the way. [00:03:11] Speaker 1: We have a majority of economists now that believe a recession in the next 12 months is likely. First of all, do you think the Federal Reserve is currently helping or hurting the situation? [00:03:25] Bernie Sanders: I think they're hurting the situation. I think it is wrong to be saying that the way we're going to deal with inflation is by lowering wages and increasing unemployment. That is not what we should be doing. This inflation thing is a real issue. It is a global issue. But at a time when working families are struggling and the people on top are doing phenomenally well, [00:03:47] Speaker 1: I don't think you go after working people. So you wouldn't be raising interest rates anymore at this point? The damage has already been done, in your view? Yes. Let me move to a couple of races, and I want to get your take on a few things. John Fetterman in Pennsylvania. Look, you had some health issues on the trail during your presidential race. You did, you were asked to release more of your medical records. You didn't release all of your records, but you did release quite a few letters from your doctors. And frankly, you were on the trail being who you are and going all over the country. I think folks saw that your health was in good shape. Do you think Mr. Fetterman should be releasing more of his medical records since he's asking for a six-year term here? [00:04:30] Bernie Sanders: Well, Chuck, you know, I don't know enough about John's medical situation, but I think the contrast is very clear. I do know John Fetterman. I've known him for years. And John is somebody who is going to be a real fighter for the working class of this country. He is prepared to take on the greed of corporate America. And I hope very much he joins us in the United States Senate. [00:04:56] Speaker 1: In Wisconsin, Mandela Barnes is going to hit hard on the issue of crime. You've heard the phrase, defund the police. He's not alone. A lot of Democrats are being hit with these ads. How would you be handling these attacks? [00:05:13] Bernie Sanders: Well, you know, obviously it's not true, the attacks on him. I know that Mandela believes very strongly that we need good law enforcement, non-racist law enforcement. And I agree with him on that. I think at the end of the day, if we're going to solve the crime problem, if we're going to solve the terrible drug problem that we're seeing all over this country, we've got to get at the root causes of those problems. That means we have a better educational system, that we make sure that our young people have the decent jobs that they need. [00:05:45] Speaker 1: Democrats are not spending a lot of resources and time on two races in particular, Ohio and Florida, those Senate races. Do you think that's a mistake? [00:05:59] Bernie Sanders: Look, I think that Mr. Ryan in Ohio is running a very strong campaign, and I've known him for years. And this is a guy who is prepared to stand up and has been prepared to stand up for working class people. And again, to me, Chuck, all over this country, the issue is pretty clear. Are you going to support a party that wants to give more tax breaks to the rich, cut Social Security, Medicare or Medicaid? Or are you going to support people who are prepared to stand up for working people? Now, I'm not here to tell you that the Democrats are perfect. Believe me, they are not. But on virtually all of the issues, including climate change, the choice is pretty clear. Democrats are far, far more preferable in Florida, Ohio, all over this country. And I hope very much that we can retain control of both the House and the Senate. [00:06:45] Speaker 1: You know, Senator, you have not—during 2016 and in 2020, you made a big deal about wanting to court Trump voters. I'm curious your perspective on this now. In an era where a majority of Republican voters think the 2020 election was stolen and that Joe Biden is somehow an illegitimate president, are these voters still worth courting in your mind? [00:07:07] Bernie Sanders: Look, I think there are some extreme right-wing voters who are racists, who are sexists, who are homophobes, xenophobes. No, and I don't think you're going to ever get them. But I also think there are millions of people in this country, working-class people, who look at Washington and they say, You know what? I'm falling further and further behind. I can't afford health care. I can't afford to send my kids to college. I can't afford the outrageous cost of prescription drugs. Who is listening to me? And I think what we need is a Democratic Party that has the guts to stand up to them and say, Yeah, we're going to take on the greed of the insurance companies and the drug companies and Wall Street. And I think if we do that, some of those people—I'm not saying all—will say, You know what? I'm going to stand with the Democratic Party because on these economic issues, they're far preferable to right-wing Republicans. [00:07:59] Speaker 1: Senator Bernie Sanders, the independent senator from Vermont who does caucus with the Democrats, I imagine we're going to see you on the campaign trail a little bit in the next three weeks. Maybe we'll catch up with you again. Yes, you will. Thank you.