-Senator Sanders,
thank you so much
for being on our show
and coming back to it.
I know you're very, very busy.
Thank you.
-Well, thanks very much
for having me.
-Last time you were on our show,
it was March 11th.
And we were in the studio on
"The Tonight Show" in New York,
and that was the last show
that we had a live audience.
-Yeah.
-It feels like so long ago.
-You know, Jimmy,
it is a crazy, crazy time
for our country
and, in fact, the world.
You know, when we were kids,
we study history,
and we look
at pivotal moments --
the Civil War,
the Great Depression,
World War II.
Well, you know, people
are gonna be looking back
at this moment
as just an unprecedented,
extraordinary moment in history
in this country,
because so many different things
are coming together.
You know, we're looking
at this terrible pandemic,
over 100,000 people dead.
We're looking at
an economic collapse,
40 million people
losing their jobs.
You're looking
at people's consciousness
regarding police brutality,
and police murder,
in Minneapolis,
and people responding
appropriately to that.
And in the midst of this,
you have a president
who is a narcissist,
who is a pathological liar,
who, in my view,
is unfit for the job,
and you add all of
those things together,
this is where we are
as a moment -- in this moment --
and we've got to do everything
that we can
to fight our way out of this
and create the kind of country
that we know that we can become.
-Let's start with talking about
the protests.
What do these protests mean
for our political future?
Where do we go from here?
-Well, first of all,
I gotta tell you,
as I look at the video
and I look at the photographs
of these beautiful,
beautiful young people,
these are young
African-Americans
and not so young,
and whites and Latinos
and Asian-Americans.
I have --
You know, people say,
"Are you optimistic
for the future of this country?"
and I am, because I see
the beauty and the decency
in these young people
who want to create an America
very, very different than
the one we have right now.
And they are standing up today,
saying that we do not want
young African-Americans
to be afraid
about walking the streets,
you know,
because they may get beaten up
or murdered by police officers.
But it goes beyond that.
If you're looking
at that generation today,
those young people
who are marching,
my guess is 20%,
25% of them do not have jobs.
Because we're looking at
massive unemployment today.
You're looking at young people
who cannot afford
to go to college or coming out
of school deeply in debt.
We're looking at
100 million Americans
who have no health insurance
today despite the fact
we pay the highest prices
in the world for healthcare.
And you're looking at
so many of our people
who are working
for starvation wages.
So that is where we are and what
these protests are about,
I think, are Americans
from every background,
every race, standing up
and demanding justice,
demanding a government
and an economy
that works for all
and not just a few.
-You know a thing or two
about protests.
Do you remember
your first protest, or...?
-Oh, God,
I've been in so many.
But...
[ Chuckles ]
Yes. I certainly --
When I was a young man
at the University of Chicago,
way back when,
I was arrested for protesting
segregated schools in Chicago.
I was active
in a civil rights movement,
protesting against
segregated housing.
So, you know --
And I had the honor of being
at the March on Washington
for jobs and freedom
where Dr. King spoke.
-Wow!
-So, you know, I've been
at many demonstrations
throughout my life.
And all I can say is,
I'm very proud of the people
who are standing up for justice
and taking to the streets today.
-Do you see the charges
against the police officers
a result of the protest?
-Absolutely. Absolutely.
I mean, I think
what everybody knows is,
this is not the first instance
of a police torture and murder.
I mean,
we all know the names.
We have seen it over
and over and over again.
It has gone on for decades
when there
were no video cameras,
when there were no
cellphones recording this.
-Right.
-It has gone on.
And you have African-American
mothers who today
are scared to death of sending
their kids out to the playground
because they might bump into
some racist police officer.
So, you know, what we have got
to do, among many other things,
and some of us
are working hard on this,
is fundamental criminal-justice
and police-department reform.
And essentially,
what that reform is about
is that police officers
have got to be held accountable
for their actions.
And that certainly
has not happened in the past.
But to answer your question,
no doubt in my mind that,
because millions of people
have spoken up on this issue,
we're seeing some progress.
And I will tell you
that Keith Ellison,
who's the Attorney General
in Minnesota,
is, I believe,
gonna do a very, very good job
in prosecuting this case.
-I want to talk about November
when we get back.
Do you mind sticking around
for another minute?
-My pleasure.
-Thank you.
More with Bernie Sanders
when we return.
