CANDIDATES WILL BE BACK ON STAGE

ON JANUARY 14th IN DES MOINES,

IOWA.

SO FAR, FIVE CANDIDATES HAVE

QUALIFIED: VICE PRESIDENT JOE

BIDEN, SENATOR BERNIE SANDERS,

ELIZABETH WARREN AND AMY

KLOBUCHAR, AS WELL AS MAYOR PETE

BUTTIGIEG.

AND JOINING ME NOW IS CANDIDATE

ANDREW YANG, HE IS ALSO HOPING

TO MAKE THE STAGE.

SO THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING

HERE IN STUDIO.

I KNOW YOU'VE HAD A BUSY, BUSY

WEEK.

AS WE'VE REPORTED, THE

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEE IS

GONNA BE RAISING THE THRESHOLD

AGAIN FOR JANUARY.

YOU WERE THE ONLY CANDIDATE OF

COLOR ON STAGE THIS TIME AROUND.

ARE YOU CONCERNED AT ALL THAT

THESE RULES ARE ICING OUT

CANDIDATES OF COLOR?

>> YOU KNOW, OUR BIGGEST CONCERN

YAMICHE, IS HOW MANY POLLS ARE

THEY GOING TO RUN BETWEEN NOW

AND JANUARY 10?

WE'RE CONFIDENT THAT I'M GOING

TO BE ON THAT DEBATE STAGE IN

JANUARY AS LONG AS THEY RUN SOME

POLLS THAT SHOW THAT WE'RE

GROWING EVERY SINGLE DAY IN THE

EARLY STATES.

AND I WAS GENUINELY SURPRISED

THAT THEY DECIDED TO RAISE THE

THRESHOLDS.

>> Alcindor: AND ARE YOU AT ALL

WORRIED ABOUT WHAT THAT SAYS TO

VOTERS, ESPECIALLY AS THE

DEMOCRATIC PARTY IS BECOMING

INCREASINGLY DIVERSE?

>> WELL, CERTAINLY TO ME, I WAS

SURPRISED BY THE D.N.C.s

DECISION BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN

CRITICIZED FOR THIS PAST DEBATE

WHEN I WAS A LONE CANDIDATE OF

COLOR, AND THEN THEY RAISED A

THRESHOLD THAT MIGHT EXCLUDE ME

FROM THIS NEXT DEBATE.

SO TO ME, IT'S A LITTLE BIT

BEWILDERING, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU

HAVE TO LET TOM MAKE HIS OWN

DECISIONS.

>> Alcindor: LET ME ASK YOU

ABOUT YOUR SIGNATURE PROGRAM.

$1000 A MONTH FOR AMERICAN

ADULTS OVER THE AGE OF 18.

HOW DOES THAT PROGRAM SQUARE

WITH SOCIAL SAFETY NET PROGRAMS,

ESPECIALLY FOOD STAMPS AND

FEDERAL HOUSING VOUCHERS?

>> SO THE WAY IT WORKS IS THAT

IS UNIVERSAL AND OPT IN THE

FREEDOM DIVIDEND OF $1000 A

MONTH FOR EVERY AMERICAN IT

STACKS ON TOP OF SOCIAL SECURITY

BENEFITS TO HELP STAB OFF THE

RETIREE CRISIS, THE RETIREMENT

CRISIS THAT MANY OLDER AMERICANS

ARE FACING, AND SO IT'S OPT IN.

IF YOU DO OPT IN, YOU WOULD

FORGO CASH AND CASH LIKE

BENEFITS FROM CERTAIN PROGRAMS.

>> Alcindor: LIKE FOOD STAMPS

AND FEDERAL HOUSING VOUCHERS?,

>> NOT FEDERAL HOUSING VOUCHERS.

THAT'S NOT ON THERE, BUT FOOD

STAMPS, YES.

THOUGH, WHEN I TALKED TO PEOPLE

WHO ARE ON THESE PROGRAMS, THEY

LIVE IN FEAR, OFTEN TIMES OF

LOSING WHATEVER BENEFITS THEY'RE

GETTING.

THEY'RE AFRAID OF MISSING SOME

FILING REQUIREMENT OR HAVING

PEOPLE LOOK IN ON THEM.

AND SO FOR THEM, UNCONDITIONAL

CASH SEEMS LIKE A MASSIVE

IMPROVEMENT.

>> Alcindor: THERE'S A LOT OF

FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES THAT

PRESIDENTS ARE GOING TO HAVE TO

NAVIGATE.

RIGHT NOW, NORTH KOREA IS

THREATENING TO DELIVER A

CHRISTMAS GIFT, WHICH MIGHT BE A

MISSILE TEST.

HOW WOULD YOU DEAL WITH THIS

ISSUE IF YOU WERE PRESIDENT?

>> I HAVE FAMILY IN SEOUL RIGHT

NOW, SO IT'S PERSONAL.

WE NEED TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN

TO ENCOURAGE NORTH KOREA TO

DENUCLEARIZE, EITHER IN WHOLE OR

IN PART.

AND WHILE DONALD TRUMP I DON'T

THINK MADE A MISTAKE NECESSARILY

BY SITTING DOWN WITH KIM JONG

UN, HE DID MAKE A HUGE MISTAKE

IN THAT HE DIDN'T ACTUALLY GET

MEANINGFUL CONCESSIONS.

AND THIS NUCLEAR MISSILE TEST,

UNFORTUNATELY, IS ILLUSTRATING

THAT.

>> Alcindor: HOW WOULD YOU

HANDLE IT IF YOU WERE PRESIDENT?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY

THAN PRESIDENT TRUMP IF YOU'RE

FACED WITH THIS ISSUE?

>> I WOULD SAY TO THE NORTH

KOREANS, LOOK, WE WILL MEET WITH

YOU AND TRY AND ADDRESS SOME OF

YOUR ECONOMIC CONCERNS BECAUSE

THE REALITY IS THAT SOCIETY IS

ON THE BRINK OF ECONOMIC RUIN.

BUT WE NEED YOU TO WORK WITH US

IN TERMS OF SCALING BACK YOUR

MISSILE PROGRAMS AND YOUR

NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT.

>> Alcindor: SO YOU WOULD MEET

WITH KIM JONG UN?

>> I WOULD AGREE TO MEET IF I

THOUGHT IT WOULD HELP

DENUCLEARIZE THE PENINSULA.

I WOULD NOT MEET JUST FOR THE

SAKE OF A PHOTO OP.

>> Alcindor: THE ECONOMY.

IT'S ALSO SOMETHING THAT'S ON

VOTERS MINDS.

PRESIDENT TRUMP LAST NIGHT

TALKED A LOT ABOUT IT.

HE DIDN'T TALK THAT MUCH

SURPRISINGLY ABOUT IMPEACHMENT.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO VOTERS WHO

MAYBE DON'T LIKE THE PRESIDENT

BUT REALLY DO LIKE THE WAY THAT

THE ECONOMY'S GOING, ESPECIALLY

WITH LOW UNEMPLOYMENT RATES?

>> WELL, THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

DOES NOT ILLUSTRATE THE LIVED

EXPERIENCE OF ANY OF THE

AMERICANS I'M TALKING TO ON THE

TRAIL.

THE FACT IS, MILLIONS OF

AMERICANS HAVE DROPPED OUT OF

THE WORKFORCE.

40 TO 44% OF RECENT COLLEGE

GRADUATES ARE UNDEREMPLOYED IN A

JOB THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE A

DEGREE.

THERE'S A TON OF WEAKNESS IN THE

LABOR MARKET THAT'S BEING

OBSCURED BY THE HEADLINE

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE, WHICH EVEN

DONALD TRUMP WHEN HE WAS RUNNING

FOR PRESIDENT SAID WAS FAKE

NEWS.

IT'S A VERY, VERY MISLEADING

STATISTIC.

>> Alcindor: SO IN OTHER WORDS,

YOU THINK THAT YOU WOULD MAKE

THE CASE TO VOTERS THAT THE

ECONOMY IS BASICALLY NOT WORKING

FOR PEOPLE, AND AS A RESULT, YOU

SHOULD ELECT ME FOR PRESIDENT.

>> WHAT I WOULD SAY TO AMERICANS

IS LOOK, RECORD HIGHS IN THIS

COUNTRY RIGHT NOW.

STRESS, FINANCIAL INSECURITY,

DEPRESSION, SUICIDES, DRUG

OVERDOSES, STUDENT LOAN DEBT.

AND THEY SENSE THIS.

THEY FEEL IT WHEN THEY SEE THE

HEADLINE STAT ON THE TV SCREEN.

THEY'RE NOT SAYING, OH, THINGS

ARE GREAT.

THEY'RE SAYING, WHY DOES IT NOT

FEEL LIKE IT'S GREAT IN MY

FAMILY AND MY COMMUNITY?

>> Alcindor: AND WOULD YOU

PARDON PRESIDENT TRUMP IF YOU

WERE ELECTED?

>> WELL, YOU'D HAVE TO MAKE A

DECISION AT THAT TIME.

BUT WHAT I WOULD SUGGEST IS THAT

A DYNAMIC THE UNITED STATES

WANTS TO AVOID IS ONE WHERE

PRESIDENTS ARE THROWING PAST

PRESIDENTS IN JAIL.

BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AROUND THE

WORLD, THAT'S BEEN A DYNAMIC

THAT GETS ESTABLISHED IN

DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, AND THE

UNITED STATES HAS HISTORICALLY

MANAGED TO AVOID, THAT BENEFIT

>> Alcindor: SO YOU WOULD HAVE A

PARDON ON THE TABLE FOR

PRESIDENT TRUMP POSSIBLY?

>> I'M FOCUSED ON SOLVING THE

PROBLEMS THAT GOT DONALD TRUMP

ELECTED AND MOVING THE COUNTRY

FORWARD, AND THAT'S WHAT I THINK

THE PRESIDENT'S PARTY SHOULD BE.

>> Alcindor: SO THAT SOUNDS LIKE

A YES.

>> LET'S JUST SAY LIKE, I'M NOT

SOMEONE WHO THINKS THAT BEING

OVERLY VINDICTIVE OR PUNITIVE

NECESSARILY IS HELPFUL TO UNIFY

THE COUNTRY.

>> Alcindor: WELL, THANK YOU SO

MUCH FOR JOINING ME IN STUDIO.

ANDREW YANG WHO IS, OF COURSE,

RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT.

>> THANK YOU, YAMICHE.

IT'S GREAT TO SEE YOU AGAIN.

AND GREAT JOB WITH THE DEBATE.

>> Alcindor: THANK YOU.