Kamala Harris & Arnold Schwarzenegger on Terminating Pollution, the Iran War & AI Data Centers

[00:00:00] Speaker 1: Give it up for the 49th Vice President of the United States Kamala Harris and the 38th Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger. Thank you very much. Great to have you here. Great to see you. So there are some Democrats that say Democrats shouldn't lean into the climate issue right now. Why for you was it important for you to come here halfway across the world with a Republican governor to Austria? What's the message you're sending just with your presence here today? Yes, Madam Vice President. [00:00:55] Kamala Harris: First of all, I thank Mr. President and Mr. Chancellor for the warm welcome and the words that just spoke this afternoon. I think that what Governor Schwarzenegger has been able to do over these 10 years is the trend that's going on. This is an issue that impacts us all. We are increasingly as a world, interdependent and inter-connected. And when we think about one of the most pressing issues, that is everything from a national security issue, Mr. Chancellor, you mentioned that, to what we must do to what we must do to care about the health and the gain of children and how we can think. Mr. President, you talked about innovation and economies and growing economies. The governor has talked forever and done an extraordinary work that is internationally recognized for recognizing the power of local, state and federal governments to actually not only speak about the harm, but implement bold, innovative promises that within the lifetime of that office hall can have an impact on the economy, the health and the well-being of the people. All of that to say, this is an issue that should be thought of as non-products, and especially in this year of 2026, it should be something that gives us a sense of encourage and ambition. As the governor said this, where we should be unstoppable in knowing that there is so much that has already been done and can be done to make a difference in a way that builds industries, and creates efficiencies, and creates efficiencies, and creates leadership around helping the people see what can be unburdened by what has been. [00:02:57] Speaker 1: But to that point, that this should be non-partisan governor, in the last 10 years, it seems like everything has gotten more partisan, and including sometimes this issue, what is the message you're trying to send by having the vice president here, sort of the big message you're sending [00:03:14] Arnold Schwarzenegger: Well, I think the message here is, as you can see, we have people from the Green Party here, we have Democrats, we have Republicans, we have people from the Brazilian Party in Austria, we have everybody here, because I always say that the only way you can resolve this problem is if we work together. So this is number one. Number two, I mean, Kamala, when she was Attorney General, did extraordinary work with Obama, and there was one thing to pass around in the lawsuit that someone has to go to make sure that this is done, and that people can pollute, and that people can follow the law, and she, when she was Attorney General, she did an extraordinary job, and really pushed back, and really pushed back on the big polluters. So, to me, I felt kind of like, I never felt like she was doing that as a Democrat, I felt like she was doing that as a public servant. Because she was elected to protect the people who wanted, right? So, and she did that, she fulfilled her obligation in a perfect way, and so this is why I felt it was very important. Someone that believes in that subject to come over here, and also let's not forget, I was a voter for her. [00:04:28] Speaker 1: Yes, you did. Yes, you did. You endorsed her. Yes. [00:04:39] Kamala Harris: If I may add to what the Governor said, on the issue of what we will do to terminate pollution, and to save our planet, the policy must include, and my experience as Attorney General reinforced that for me, the policies must include accountability and consequence for bad behaviors. The other piece of it that I think is increasingly becoming important as we, and how we talk about the issue, is centering, as much as anything, the discussion around the needs of the consumer. You know, in the United States right now, politically, there's a whole conversation about should, you know, are people hushing, and not really, especially Democrats, speaking with a loud voice about climate policy. And, and instead, centering it more on the issue of affordability. And that may be true, and there may be political reasons for that. But there are also reasons that are firmly based on merit. on merit, which is this. When we think about the clean energy movement, thankfully, we are now at a place one decade into the governor's convening where we have proven that clean energy is actually cheaper. That is one of the reasons that I think this theme of yours, Arnold, about unstoppable is so right on point for this moment. It's cheaper. And it wasn't always the case. In this movement, there was a time where we had to convince people it's the right thing to do even though it is not readily available, even though solar is the thing you may have to invest in, right? So we can also center this conversation in a way that we think about the consumer of products and how is it in their best interest when they're looking at their monthly bill. And right now, we can have a conversation that says to them, it's cheaper for you. Because, by the way, that consumer, when they're trying to make ends meet at the end of the week and month, aren't going to be so concerned with whether the electricity they're using is generated by solar or coal. They need to feed their children and put a roof over their head. But when we think about where this movement has come and how we should feel excited about the trajectory, we can now say, and it's cheaper. And in that way is in the best interest of you as a consumer who has to pay bills. [00:07:22] Speaker 1: Well, gas has not been cheaper for a lot of people this year. Well, there are other reasons for that. Because of the war with Iran, which has been one of the biggest energy stories of the year. First off, if you were president, does that war even happen? [00:07:37] Kamala Harris: So are we going to have this conversation? I'm happy to. [00:07:41] Speaker 1: Sure. Yeah. [00:07:43] Kamala Harris: First of all, this is a war the American people did not want. This is a war of choice. This is a president who has proven himself to be entirely self-indulgent. And we will see what happens in the coming hours and days in terms of the negotiation and really it's a concept of an agreement and where it ends up. But there is no question that there is a direct correlation between this war of choice and what has happened in terms of gas prices. It is estimated the average American has spent since the war started $500 more because of this war. And I will add to that number to put it in context. The average American is $400 away from bankruptcy for any unexpected expense. So $400 of an unexpected expense could result in bankruptcy for the average American. And this war has resulted in $500 more of expenses, a large part of that because of the gas prices going up. [00:08:57] Speaker 1: But to be clear, if you were president, you'd never start this war. [00:09:00] Kamala Harris: Absolutely not. Absolutely not. And let's be clear about this. Let's be clear about this. Thank you, Tim. Let's be clear about this. Whatever is being negotiated, this president is going to declare victory and we'll end up where we were after the JCPOA and call that a victory, the JCPOA that he withdrew from. [00:09:24] Speaker 1: The Obama nuclear agreement. And so you're not, I mean, that's your thought on this potential deal this week? [00:09:31] Kamala Harris: Well, I have more thoughts, but that's not why we're here. Yeah, yeah, sure. [00:09:34] Speaker 1: To that point, though, on what we've seen on the climate aspect in terms of this war, Governor, the Trump administration has used that and said, we're going to invoke the Defense Production Act because there has not been enough oil coming out of the Strait of Wormuz and have started to increase oil production in places like California because of it and are now looking seriously at oil drilling in California because of it. Your response to that and sort of the argument that some on the conservative side said that shows that this is the importance to invest in coal and old school energy. [00:10:11] Arnold Schwarzenegger: Well, first of all, let me just say that the current administration is pushing very hard for coal energy. So clearly, they live in the past because the people are way ahead of them. This last month, for the first time, renewable energy from solar has surpassed the energy from coal. So it's for the first time ever that this happened in the United States. So just think about that. Even though that Trump and his administration is pushing for coal, electricity now from renewable energy from solar has surpassed coal. That's why I said here earlier, it doesn't matter who is in the White House, we are going to move forward. We are unstoppable. We are going in the right direction because the people have learned in the meantime that coal is a big polluter and no one wants to be part of the 7 million people that die every year because of pollution. So it doesn't matter. Now, when it comes to drilling oil, I mean, I believe that we should rather build, you know, create a law that says that you have to have solar panels on every warehouse in California. Because when you fly around with a helicopter in California, you will see millions and millions and millions of square feet of rooftops, of warehouses that could have solar and produce a lot of energy, much more than the oil ever will. But I have to say that California is making some major mistakes in policy-wise because they make fuel very expensive. So our fuel is around $2 per gallon more than the average in the United States. And the reason is because the Californian legislators somehow feel like they don't want to have a refinery in California. So the refineries now go to Texas. So now you have to go and ship all the oil to Texas, then you do the refining, and then you go and ship it back again. But what do you think what happens when you ship? That creates pollution. So it is absolutely contradictory to what they believe in. So they're a little confused, which is not unusual with legislators, may I remind you. Okay, so, but I mean, the bottom line is, I think that it needs the leadership to kind of bring kind of coherency in there. And let's just say, this is the direction we go. There's a lot of things like that that we can do. And because the world is there, they are, California is for the environment. We are leading in the environment. We've been the first ones to pass the strict laws and everything with the help of this very same kind of legislators, with the Democrats and Republicans coming together. And we did it. And we did something that was like, became a model for the rest of the world. And like I said earlier, we copied England. They were the model for us. [00:13:27] Speaker 1: How do you think about that, Vice President, the balance? Because obviously there's the goal to go more solar, to go more renewable going forward. But right now, there's a lot of people that have cars that need to get around, gas-powered cars. And there is a debate about what to do about oil in a place like California, other states like that. And how are you thinking about that issue or this concept of whether there should be more drilling? [00:13:53] Kamala Harris: Well, a lot of what has spurred the innovation, I think, is we've been purposeful and intentional in creating incentives. And that is a cycle that feeds itself. I mean, the governor, for example, is talking about renewable energy and solar. Well, there was a time when we were having this conversation. And the naysayers were right to question, well, when it doesn't, when the sun is not shining, then everything just goes dark. What is happening? But now, because we have also created incentives for the innovation through, for example, battery technology, we now know that we can take advantage of the power generated by solar and store it. So it is no longer a function of whether the sun is shining or not. Is it sustainable? And when we think about, then, this present moment, there is innovation that is happening on a daily basis. But we have to create incentives both for the innovators, the manufacturers, and for the consumer. So there are, there is the work that we have done, some of it has been undone, but around tax credits, for example, for EVs, creating tax credits for even used electric vehicles, right? This is innovative work that then allows the consumer to be able to afford the car, where it's still a bit more expensive than a gas-fueled car, but doing it in a way that then creates the consumer confidence in the technology and also the prevalence of it. It includes, I mean, these are mundane, perhaps details, but critically important, having then fueling stations for EVs while we are building the technology. Now we are building EVs so that we can go about 300 miles. What would that be in metric measurement? Somebody will help me. But about 300 miles, right, which before it was a shorter span of time. So do we have then the outlets for the fueling of those electric vehicles so that people can drive long distances? That is happening in real time. But incentives are critically important to changing consumer behaviors. [00:16:12] Speaker 1: And, and, and then there's all these sort of legal fights as well. Um, I, I have one more news a day question, then I'll let you off the hook. Uh, last time that we talked on camera was February, 2024, and I watched that interview again. And you predicted at the time, you said that, uh, if president Trump is reelected, um, he will use the department of justice to go after his political opponents. Yeah. Uh, governor Newsom in California says that's happening to him now and his wife. Um, if for people that may not know, the governor says that there is an, that the Trump administration, the DOJ is investigating him, especially his wife. Governor Walz and your running mate says that there's a BS investigation. We don't know that much about it yet, but what do you think? Do you think that's a BS investigation? [00:16:57] Kamala Harris: I predicted just about everything that has happened with this administration. [00:17:01] Speaker 1: And you say, I told you so. [00:17:02] Kamala Harris: Including, include, I don't say I told you so. That's kind of obnoxious. I don't say that, but the reality is many of us predicted, um, and it didn't require much creative thought because he told us most of what we knew would happen. But, including that he would go after his political enemies using the Department of Justice. Um, I, I am, so I am not surprised that he may be using the Department of Justice to go after a political enemy in the current governor of California. And this is why I do believe this upon many other examples of what is essentially, you're going to ask me questions about the current president, I'm going to be candid, what is essentially the most callous, corrupt, and incompetent presidential administration America's ever experienced. And for that reason, I have no question or doubt that we will win the midterms and it will be a result of people of every background and political association who will contribute to that outcome. I mentioned to one of the officials here, it's important. And I say this to all of my friends here who are not from the United States, please do know and recall that in the 2024 election, one third of the electorate voted for the current president. One third voted for us, one third voted for us, one third did not vote, which means two thirds of the American electorate did not vote for this. And so when there are questions being raised among our friends around the world, who are the American people? I think it is important to know and remember that the American people do stand, the majority of us, for the alliances that we have formed over decades. Do stand for the importance of America being, the chancellor talked about this, reliable as a partner, being an authority among many on important issues, including this changing climate and what we must do to save this dear planet of ours. [00:19:18] Speaker 1: And on that issue of the climate, Governor, the AI is the next big issue. And the big question about AI data centers, which use an extraordinary amount of energy is something that lawmakers are thinking about all over the world. How are you thinking about that issue and how to balance the concerns there? [00:19:41] Arnold Schwarzenegger: Well, I think that the important thing is that we make everything more energy efficient. And I think those centers also have to become more energy efficient. I remember that when those flat screen TVs came out, they used up a lot of electricity. And then we passed laws in California where we said, OK, the new mixers and the planters in the kitchen, you know, stuff and the TVs and all this have to be more energy efficient. And, you know, five years later, they were. And as a matter of fact, I was telling you yesterday that on our hardest day, when I was governor, we used 52,000 megawatts of energy. It was on the hardest day when it was like all over 100 degrees and stuff like that. Now, the hardest day last year was they used only 43,000 megawatts, so almost 10,000 less. It's all because of efficiency. So, we don't need to use all of that, but at the same time, we have to always be prepared to create more electricity. And I think that we have to just also think about a combination of renewables and also nuclear, even though amongst the environmental community that's always a no-no to talk about nuclear. But the fact of the matter is, it is clean energy, and we only had 4,800 deaths because of nuclear accidents, and there's seven million people dying every year because of pollution. So, therefore, that pollution and oil and all the stuff that we're using every day is much more dangerous than nuclear ever can be. So, I believe, and I'm a big believer in that, to build more nuclear powers, and I think that we have to really be careful not to let us slow down. With the permitting process, the way we have it in the United States, in Austria, for instance, they just passed laws here, where they said we're going to go and move very quickly now, when we pass a law and try to create more renewable energy, let's go and do it right away, do our studies and then move forward and not have it tied up for years and years and years. In California, in California, I mean, with the anti-inflation act that they passed during the Biden administration, there are some projects that would take 14 years to finish because of the permitting process. So, who is this going to help when you pass a law and then you cannot move forward and then you cannot go and build the solar or the wind or the stuff that you have put out there? And how is it going to help then with your inflation act when you cannot act immediately and start spending the money, put people to work and all of that? So, it doesn't make any sense. So, I think that it is very important that politicians in the future think about reforming this permitting process rather than kissing up to the trial lawyers and having them just keep suing and suing and delaying and delaying and nothing is getting really done because the will is there to do it. So, it's just a matter of now following through. You agree with that? [00:22:41] Kamala Harris: Well, I just want to mention the data center piece and what the governor said about renewal energy. I believe that what we should be requiring from a policy perspective is that any organization, corporation that wants to build a data center in a community, that they be required to power it with renewable energy. And that they also be required to invest in what has been a decaying for decades energy grid in America. The energy grid writ large in America was built in the 1960s and 70s. It is old and it is inefficient. And when we look at the specific reasons for then high energy prices, that is among them, which is an old and decaying energy grid. So, as data centers are being developed and there is a certain, you know, just ubiquitous nature of it. It's happening around the country. Tim, you know that. The question should be also what is the trade-off? Right. [00:23:55] Speaker 1: And what is a trade-off? [00:23:56] Kamala Harris: Well, the trade-off should include that requirement that it use renewable energy so it is not sucking the resources out of those local communities. And that they also invest in those communities in terms of the energy grid. [00:24:10] Speaker 1: Do you agree with him that permitting could be sped up a little bit? [00:24:13] Kamala Harris: Oh, absolutely. How so? How do we do that? How do we do that? I'm a devout and lifelong public servant. The bureaucracy in government is overwhelming in its ability to slow down innovation and progress. And when we look at increasing distrust that the public has in government, I do believe that is one of the reasons. We have taken on an ethos almost that prioritizes process over progress to our detriment. When we -- I think most countries, but I'll speak for America -- when we look at and ask why do the people not trust their government or its leaders, one of the most specific and obvious answers to that question is, are we delivering? And are we delivering in real time for the real needs of the people? And the basic need that the people have is to be able to afford life, which means raise their children, have enough to eat, have a roof over their head, be able to take a vacation from time to time. And when we're not meeting those needs, we fail. And bureaucracy, and therefore, what it does to delay the speed with which we should address the needs of the people, results in distrust and also inefficiency. [00:25:47] Speaker 1: They're telling me to wrap up, but I want to ask each of you a question about the future, because that's what both of you are so focused on. First off, just on your future. There's a lot of people -- you've talked about that you're thinking about running for president, right? How is that thought process going? What's the process in that? And I know you're on a listening tour. And I'm curious what you're hearing from people as you've gone around the country. What people are telling you that maybe you've learned that you didn't know before the process of doing so? [00:26:15] Kamala Harris: What people are telling me includes that they want to believe in systems, and they've lost trust in those systems. What I hear a lot is that people know that at the end of this administration, there will be a lot of debris. I tell them often, I can't guarantee that it won't get worse before it gets better. But the one thing I do know is at the end of it, there will be a lot of debris. And it would be irresponsible to then address that in a way that we only talk about what should we do, what do we need to do to rebuild. And if we do that with any sense of nostalgia, that would be irresponsible. Because the reality is, even before, there were many things that were not working for a lot of people. The status quo is not working for a lot of people. And what the people are telling us is that they want things to be better. And in some places, what that sounds like is we want that to be broken. But they don't actually necessarily mean break it through destruction. But they do mean it has to be better. And I think the people are right. One of the things I think about in the context of the future is Gen Z. I love Gen Z. They are -- in the United States, I'm not sure about here in Austria -- they are a larger population than baby boomers, demographically. They are between the age of about 13 and 28. They have only known the climate crisis. They experienced a pandemic where they lost significant portions of their education and socialization. And the thing I love about this generation, they are so beautifully impatient. They are not waiting for us to figure it out. They are in a group. And if we think about -- as we invest in the future of our world, and we are unstoppable -- if we think about investing in that generation, knowing, for example, that someone who is 20 years old today, based on all actuarials, will live to be about 100 policymakers among us, let's think about what are we doing right now that for the next eight decades of their life, will plant the seeds for the majority of the life they have yet to live. That gives me a great deal of optimism about what we are capable of doing if we think that way. [00:29:23] Speaker 1: So all that being said, does that make you more likely to -- Does that make you more likely to run, then? [00:29:34] Kamala Harris: Well, no, you started by asking me what I was going to do next. And what I'm going to do next is get a soccer tort to take home. Okay. [00:29:41] Speaker 1: Governor, to wrap up with you at your home here. [00:29:44] Arnold Schwarzenegger: I just want to add here a little bit something, if you don't mind. Sure. Okay. Number one, she's right about the generation. They're seeing all my movies. So this is what I love about them. They're just there with twins and with Kindergarten Cop and Terminator 1, Terminator 2, Terminator 6. It makes no difference. Yeah. And so that is really great. So I see it from both sides. How do we educate them so they go in the right direction environmentally? And how can I make them see my movies? Okay, so this is like -- I always go on both tracks. Number two, you talked about her running for president again and all this stuff. I think that we should reveal that I was partially a big supporter of hers and voted for her because she promised me she would do immigration reform, meaning that an Austrian-born can also run for president of the United States. [00:30:52] Speaker 1: There you go. And last word to you, Governor. You talk about action, being an action hero, having a vision. Everybody here, you got people watching around the world, everybody in this room. What's the action item for all of us when it comes to the climate? What can we do at a time when so many people feel hopeless? What can we do to get us into a better place? [00:31:13] Arnold Schwarzenegger: Well, I think the most important thing for everyone is, and especially the journalists and the politicians and then the environmentalists, we have to communicate better about this issue. Because you can talk all you want about global climate change, and you can talk all about rising sea levels, and you can all talk about the polar bear and the icebergs melting, and the this and that. All of this, that means nothing to people. But when you talk about 7 million people dying because of pollution, and the amount of people that are getting caught up in hospitals with cancer and respiratory kind of problems, heart issues and stuff like that, that is really a problem. We have to talk about that rather than throwing around this kind of fancy names that is only from one environmentalist to the other. The people are not connecting. I'll tell you an example. I was, when Kevin McCarty was the Speaker in Washington, he's a good friend of mine, so I visited him periodically when I was in Washington, and he was the Speaker in charge of all of the Republicans in the House. And he says, "Come up for lunch." Then he called me a few minutes before and he says, "Do you mind if I have 20 of my colleagues join us?" I said, "No, not at all. Let's all have a good time." And so I had a chance there to talk to those Republican guys, and I said to them, I said, "Okay, let me ask you something." I said, "How many of you care about and think this is a real threat, climate change?" Two hands raised up. Two out of 20. And they felt kind of somewhat reluctantly amongst the others. They looked around guilty that they raised their hand in the first place. Then I said, "Well, how many of you believe that we should fight pollution, that pollution is a real threat?" All of them raised their hands. So now if you go to the Republicans and say, "Okay, let's fight pollution rather than let's fight climate change," everything changes. And immediately now you have people working with you because you have something in common. Because the very fact that the Democrats say there's climate change, they have to say there's no climate change. that's just the way it works. But when you go and you talk about the health aspect and about pollution, that's when all of a sudden they started connecting and they were raising their hands. So it just shows to you the way it works. And even when we do polls, it always is like below 50% when you talk about climate change, what is the people's interest? But when you say pollution, it goes way above. It goes to 50, 60, 70% sometimes in the polls. So I think we have to communicate better. I talk about it all the time. I mean, I've literally seen Biden when he was doing his State of the Union. He was in the middle of the speech. And then he said, "Let me talk a little bit about climate." I said, "About climate? What about pollution? Why wouldn't you want to talk about pollution?" So to me, the three minutes or four minutes he talked about climate, to me was a total waste. But here he has the whole world watching. So someone that wrote his speech should have known that the new way or the real effective way of communicating is to talk about pollution. We got to terminate pollution. Because when we terminate pollution, when we get rid of pollution, then there is no climate change. There will be no heating of the earth and all of this, the temperatures going up and the melting of the glaciers and the sea level rising. We got to go to the source, the pollution. And pollution comes from fossil fuels. So we got to go and get rid of fossil fuels and replace that with renewable energy and with nuclear power and with all of those kind of new technologies. That's as simple as that. To me, that is the issue that has to be addressed. And the journalists have to learn how to kind of shift gears and not continue talking about climate change and about climate and using all this, you know, climate justice and all of this kind of thing. It goes right over people's heads. Let's go down to the facts, pollution. It's terminated pollution. [00:35:32] Speaker 1: And you do that so well. I always end on a cultural question. So real quickly, what is your favorite Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of all time? Terminator. Terminator. There we go. So we're all going to terminate pollution together in that spirit. Thank you both very much for the time. It is so great to see you. Thank you. I'll give it up. Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you. [00:35:52] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. [00:35:56] Speaker 4: Well, ladies and gentlemen, if you're wondering why it's warm in here, it's because that panel was on fire. I think we just heard breaking news. Kamala for president in 2028, Arnold for president in 2032.