NBC "Meet the Press" - Transcript: Interview with Sen. Elizabeth Warren
Interview
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CHUCK TODD:
Welcome back. Perhaps no one has had a more up-and-down run so far for the Democratic nomination than Elizabeth Warren. The senator from Massachusetts started the race in single digits. After some strong debate performances, her candidacy and fundraising boomed, putting her at the top of some national polls.Since then, Warren has slipped a bit, into third place nationally behind Biden and Sanders, though not very far behind, after coming under attack though for how realistic her plans are. And so joining me now from Dubuque, Iowa is the Democratic senator, presidential candidate, Elizabeth Warren. Senator Warren, what are we? Twenty-nine days from caucus day, right?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
That's right. Every one counts.
CHUCK TODD:
Every one counts, and every hour and second counts. Before I get to the campaign, I want to ask you about the situation in Iran, what the Secretary of State claimed. He said not acting, not taking Soleimani out, that the consequences would have been worse than not acting. So far from what you've learned, what do you believe was the right call here?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
Look, we are not safer because Donald Trump had Soleimani killed. We are much closer to the edge of war. The question is: Why now? Why not a month ago? Why not a month from now? And the administration simply can't keep its story straight. It points in all different directions.
The last time we saw this was this past summer over Ukraine. When people started asking questions about what had happened on the phone call between Donald Trump and the president of Ukraine and why aid to Ukraine had been stopped, the administration did the same thing. They pointed in all different directions and gave a whole lot of different answers. And of course what it turned out to be is that Donald Trump was doing what Donald Trump does. And that is he was advancing his own personal political interest. And I think the question people reasonably ask --
CHUCK TODD:
Do you think that's happening here?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
I think the question people reasonably ask is, "Next week Donald Trump faces the start potentially of an impeachment trial. And why now?" I think people are starting to ask, "Why now did he do this? Why not delay?" And why this one is so dangerous is that he is truly taking us right to the edge of war. And that is something that puts us at risk. It puts the Middle East at risk. It puts the entire world at risk.
CHUCK TODD:
Look, you brought up the impeachment trial. You're right. I mean there's -- two weeks ago if you had asked me what would this show have been about, I would have assumed we would be previewing the start of this trial that might have been starting tomorrow or Tuesday. It is not now. It sounds like you believe -- you want to investigate and find out if this is a motivation.
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
Well, I think that people are asking, "Why this moment?" You know, as I said, the administration can't keep its story straight. And in the case of Ukraine, it was all about protecting Donald Trump's skin. We know that Donald Trump is very upset about this upcoming impeachment trial, but look what he's doing now. He is taking us to the edge of war. We've been at were for 20 years in the Middle East. And now, he's talking about expanding that war. This has been something that has cost of thousands of American lives. It has cost us enormously in many ways, both at home and around the world. And at the same time, look what it's done to the Middle East. Millions of people who've been killed, who've been injured, who've been displaced. The job of the president is to keep us safer.
CHUCK TODD:
Let me --
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
The job of the president is not to move us to the edge of war.
CHUCK TODD:
Let me turn to the campaign. You surprised some people. You came out in favor, somewhat reluctantly I think in the way you put it out there, for USMCA, NAFTA 2.0. But here's what you said about it a year ago. Let me play that.
[BEGIN TAPE]
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
Trump's deal won't stop the serious and ongoing harm NAFTA causes American workers. It won't stop outsourcing. It won't raise wages. And it won't create jobs.
[END TAPE]
CHUCK TODD:
What changed in your mind?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
The deal. Democrats got in and negotiated a very different deal than we had a year ago. And I really want to give credit to people like Jan Schakowsky, who got the whole giveaway to the drug industry pulled out; and Rosa DeLauro; Sherrod Brown, who made sure that we actually had some enforcement of worker protections in the deal. Look, this is not a great arrangement. It's a better -- It's an improvement over where NAFTA stands right now. Look at the box the president has put us in with farmers. Farmers have just had their legs taken out from under them in one trade war after another that Donald Trump has initiated on his own. Farmers need help. They're in real trouble.
CHUCK TODD:
Let me --
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
And they get some help from this arrangement. Same thing with workers. Workers are in trouble. They need some help.
CHUCK TODD:
As you know, Senator Sanders still is against this deal, using similar rhetoric that you have. Let me ask it this way. You have backed off a bit on your Medicare-for-all plans, meaning you want to let the public sort of take a -- get traction on it first. You've reversed course a bit here on NAFTA from where you were to where you are now. What should voters take away from this about you?
SEN. ELIZABETH WARREN:
I want to be practical on the trade deal. If we can get some improvement for our farmers who are suffering, if we can get some improvement in enforcement for our workers, then I want to see us do that. And then as president, I want to see us negotiate a very different kind of trade deal. And the kind of trade deal that we should be negotiating is one that starts with the fact that everybody wants access to America's market. That means we should be using that leverage to raise environmental standards all around the world, to raise labor standards around the world. We should negotiate for a better deal, not just to back out of this box. But we should also provide relief right now to the farmers who are suffering, to the workers who are suffering. That's how I see it. I see the same kind of thing on health care. We need to make improvement. You know what I'll do on day one as president? I'll defend the Affordable Care Act against the sabotage of the Trump administration, and I'll reduce the cost of prescription drugs that have been jacked up by the pharmaceutical industry. I'll reduce the cost of EpiPens and insulin, and HIV/AIDS drugs. The president has the authority to do that all by herself, doesn't need Congress. And that's what I'm going to do. I want to get --
CHUCK TODD:
All right.
SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN:
-- as much relief to as many people as quickly as we can. I think that ought to be the job of the president of the United States.
CHUCK TODD:
Senator Elizabeth Warren, Democrat from Massachusetts, coming to us from Iowa. Thanks for coming on and sharing your views. Stay safe on the trail.
SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN:
Thank you for having me here.
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