CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: Interview with Rep. Tulsi Gabbard

Interview

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[09:30:00] REP. TULSI GABBARD (D-HI), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: First of all, that he is using his platform of the presidency to foment racism and religious bigotry and to try to further divide our country. And, number two, that he is using that platform to try to shut people down who don't agree with him, to essentially say, look, if you don't agree with me, you should, quote/unquote, go home, undermining the very principles and -- and freedoms that each of us have enshrined in our Declaration of Independence, in our Constitution, freedom of speech, freedom to assemble, freedom of religion. All of these things that really make us who we are.

So Trump's anti-American tweets, comments, the things that he is doing really undermine our democracy and undermine the rights and freedoms that so many of my brothers and sisters in uniform have served and sacrificed to defend.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: Right. And, after all, he himself has often criticized the country.

As you know, the tweets, the comments, they were praised by white nationalists, publically praised. When asked if that concerned the president, concerned him, he said, not at all. You have some experience with this because David Duke, he repeatedly endorsed you for president, which you rejected.

I wonder -- to your credit. I wonder, in your view, the president not rejecting that support of his message? Is that, in effect, you know, accepting it? Is a failure to reject an acceptance of that -- of that support?

GABBARD: I think it is. And, again, I want to reiterate really what Trump is doing here that's so dangerous is he is stoking these racist sentiments in a very dangerous way in this country, further dividing us at a time when we need a president and a commander in chief who will reunite our country, who will bring people together, who will recognize, you can disagree without being disagreeable and that the freedom of speech that we have in this country has to be celebrated and protected, whether you agree or disagree with the speech that people are delivering. Moving us closer to that more perfect union and standing up for and upholding those principles in the Declaration of Independence, saying that all men are created equal, each of us endowed with these inalienable rights by our creator. These are the things that we need to celebrate and to protect at all costs and this is why I'm running for president, to do just that.

SCIUTTO: As you know, House Democrats today, Speaker Pelosi, to introduce and bring up a resolution condemning Trump's tweets, his comments here. I wonder, besides the symbolism, though, and the symbolism can be important. Besides the symbolism, what does that accomplish, because it's certainly not going to stop the president? The president has clearly decided this is to his benefit.

GABBARD: I think it's important to make a statement and make a stand about who we are as a country, what are these American ideals that we stand for, whether you're Democrats or Republicans or independents, it is these ideals that truly make our country great.

You know, Trump talks a lot about making our country great, but his actions are directly undermining what makes our country truly great, these ideals and these principles that we are founded upon, these freedoms that we cherish. So I think it's important that Congress does take action, that we stand up for these freedoms, we stand up against this kind of racism.

SCIUTTO: Question on a -- on a different topic, if I can, North Korea.

As I'm sure you know, North Korea is now threatening to renege on its denuclearization, at least discussion. Of course they've taken no steps to do so.

You've praised President Trump's decision to meet with the North Korean leader. He's done that with him three times, including most recently, we were there, just earlier this month. But North Korea has taking no concrete steps to do anything to curtail its nuclear program. I wonder if you think at this point the president's outreach to North Korea has failed?

GABBARD: It's clearly failed.

But first I want to say it's important for us to have leaders who have the courage to meet with both adversaries or potential adversaries in the pursuit of the safety and security of the American people and peace. So you've got to be able to have those negotiations and those conversations.

The problem with the approach that Trump has taken is, he is undermining his very attempts to negotiate a deal to denuclearize the Korean peninsula just by look -- you know, in many ways, but one example is by looking at what he's doing with Iran. Why would North Korea be interested in making a deal with Trump and the United States when they've seen how he has completely torn up the Iran nuclear deal. He has enacted crippling sanctions, even when Iran was complying with the terms of that agreement. And he's continuing to deploy more and more U.S. troops, stoking the fires of war and threatening regime change against Iran. So he's -- he's sending one message to North Korea, but undermining that very attempt towards denuclearization because of his failed foreign policy in places like Iran.

SCIUTTO: Quickly before we go, if you were president, would you rejoin the Iran nuclear deal, make the U.S. rejoin that deal? [09:35:03] GABBARD: I would. I think it's critical that we do that.

Obviously making sure that Iran gets back into complying with the terms of that agreement. We all know that this deal is not perfect. There are things that we want to be able to see and prove. We've got to re-enter the deal as it is to be able to prevent war with Iran and then look simultaneously and separately, how can we work out the differences? How do we improve the situation and the challenges that we are continuing to see with Iran separately?

SCIUTTO: Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, thanks very much.

GABBARD: Thanks, Jim.

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