CNN "CNN Newsroom" - Transcript: "Interview with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand"

Interview

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BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: So I just wanted to give you the opportunity right now listening to the former Vice President, you know, being asked this question by you. What did you make of his response?

SEN. KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND (D-NY) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Well, he still didn't answer the question, he never actually told us, the American people and women, what he meant when he said it would lead to the deterioration of family. In his op-ed, he said that parents were avoiding their responsibilities, quote. So I just don't understand what he was saying then, and he didn't say that he -- he didn't explain what he was trying to say. And I was really dissatisfied. The reason why it matters is, we have a misogynist in the President right now. We have a man who devalues and --

BALDWIN: Before you talk about Trump and I know. No one -- no one wants a misogynist in the White House, but again, the op-ed to which you attribute is from 1981, and the title again is "Congress is Subsidizing the Deterioration of Family." And I know you pointed it out last night and I just want to be clear to people following along, Biden doesn't mention working mothers specifically.

In fact in a floor speech that same year, then Senator Biden said this, I have no objection to the fact that if a mother and a father want to get together and say, hey, by the way Joe, you take care of the child and I'm going to pursue my career, that is fine. That is a personal decision and I am all for it, Senator.

GILLIBRAND: Yes, I think he's full of BS when he says that, because the truth is, who works outside the home in '80s, '90s today. If you have two parents in a family. It's typically the woman who stays at home. Even today less than 5 percent of two parent households is the woman not the one to stay at home. So the truth is, he could only be referring to women, because that's the reality, when he wrote it, it's still the reality today.

BALDWIN: But you've stood by him in his past. He's done a lot for women. Why bring this up now?

GILLIBRAND: Of course he's done a lot for women. Vice President Biden is a man who's done great things for this country. I deeply respect his service. But we need a champion to be the nominee of the Democratic Party. We need a champion in the White House who's going to go full force to pass national paid leave. To pass affordable daycare and universal pre-K. To make sure that our economy thrives, because women are thriving in the workplace. Most women have to work to feed their families, to pay their bills, to pay their rent. And if you're demeaning that work by saying you're somehow deteriorating the family, it's so out of step with how I see the world, and how I saw the world in the '80s.

My mother worked outside the home. My grandmother worked outside the home. They both thought it was important to provide for their children but also to have an impact on society. My mother as a lawyer for LGBT couples when there were no other lawyers to represent them. My grandmother organized women for two generations so they could --

BALDWIN: No, and good on them. Good on them, Senator. I hear you loud and clear on that, but on the bigger picture of -- it was your good friend and rival Cory Booker.

GILLIBRAND: He's still my good friend.

BALDWIN: No, no, Joe Biden. Senator Booker's point last night, right, that all these interparty squabbles, is that just playing into Donald Trump's hands?

GILLIBRAND: No, the whole point of a primary is for people to talk about their vision for the country. To talk about their priorities. What they will accomplish and what they will do as President. I have a very, very significant vision for how we make the economy grow and how we make families thrive. I have a comprehensive family bill of rights that starts with making sure anyone who wants to be a parent can be a parent.

Making sure when you bring your baby home, the baby survives those first early months. Making sure that you have access to national paid leave. Making sure that you have universal pre-k and affordable day care. That's what I want to see in a President and that's why I'm running for President.

And so I think the American voter and American women are entitled to know what someone who's running for President wrote about women in the workplace. Because the language he chose to use was really severe. To say, again, deterioration of the family, to say again avoiding responsibility. I think that's highly problematic.

BALDWIN: What about former President Barack Obama? I didn't hear you jumping in on this, but there were several of your Democratic friends up there on that stage criticizing him and his legacy last night. And I wanted to know from you, did those Democrats cross a line?

GILLIBRAND: Again, the whole point of a Democratic primary is to show your vision for the country and to lay out who you are and why you're running. I think I made a pretty strong case that these debates are really creating a false choice. A false choice that you either have to have a progressive who inspires the base. Or you have to have a moderate who can win back those Obama -- [15:35:00] BALDWIN: That wasn't the question, the question is on a President who had a 93 percent approval rating leaving the White House. Why would these Democrats including a member of his own cabinet, why do you think though it's damaging your party, is my question?

GILLIBRAND: No, I don't. I don't. I think that candidates should speak about their values, who they are, why they're running. And I was really clear about mine. I'm not here to make excuses or defend other Presidential candidates. I am here to share with you my vision for this country.

And it includes a story for families. It includes a story for women. It includes a story for communities, that are deeply left behind across this country. And so I'm talking about why I'm running and I'm not going to talk about why they're running or what mistakes they may or may not be making.

BALDWIN: As we were just discussing. I had Emerald Garner on who actually in commercial break applauded you and said thank you for your response regarding her father last night. Daniel Pantaleo, the New York police officer accused of fatally choking her dad Eric Garner, could learn as early as tomorrow about the fate of his career.

And I know that you said if you were the New York City Mayor, that you would have fired him. Something that the current Mayor, Bill de Blasio has not done. Do you think that's disqualifying?

GILLIBRAND: I think it's the wrong decision. If I was Mayor, I would fire him. He should be fired. We've seen the evidence. We've seen the video. We saw this man struggling for breath, saying over and over again, he couldn't breathe. And for this officer to use a banned choke hold that they have already found he used is worthy of being fired.

That's the kind of thing, that disregard for humanity, that the lack of judgment that to me merits a firing. If I was President, I would make sure the investigation is made public. I would investigate that investigation if it didn't satisfy me. I'd enter into a consent order. So that's what you can do as President if you don't think that police departments are functioning well around the country.

BALDWIN: If you were the Democratic nominee for President, would you consider an all-female ticket? And if so, who would your Vice President be?

GILLIBRAND: Of course I would. And I got to tell you, the women running for President right now are amazing. And they're smart and they're capable and they have a vision for this country. And they know what they want to fight for.

BALDWIN: Who's on the Gillibrand ticket? Let's name names? Who's on the Gillibrand ticket?

GILLIBRAND: It's not the time nor place to do so. But I got to tell you, they're all amazing. BALDWIN: And then lastly, this has gone everywhere, you know, the

first act of the White House as you said, is to Clorox the Oval Office. And I'm sure you saw Trump 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, responded on Twitter. Let me read this for you.

Quote, funny Senator Gillibrand just said Clorox-ing the Oval while talking about climate change. Guess she isn't smart enough to know chlorine is one of the world's biggest pollutants.

Was there a retort? I thought the President didn't believe in climate change.

GILLIBRAND: Let's be clear. Obviously, they're not a mother. Every mother knows you need Clorox wipes somewhere in your house, so when a kid gets sick you can Clorox wipe every doorknob, every surface so the whole family doesn't get sick. That is what mothers do.

BALDWIN: And I guess they believe in climate science with that?

GILLIBRAND: Yes. And actually want to make sure that humanity survives.

BALDWIN: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. A pleasure, good luck.

GILLIBRAND: Thank you.

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