Tom Steyer, the former hedge-fund executive and progressive activist, announced his candidacy for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday, joining a crowded field.
“If you think that there is something absolutely critical, try as hard as you can and let the chips fall as they may. And that is exactly what I’m doing,” Steyer, 62, said in video declaring his bid.
In his announcement video, Steyer focused heavily on corporate greed and its undue influence on politicians in Washington. He stressed that big business’s avarice is the root cause of major issues such as climate change and the U.S. opioid crisis.
“Almost every single major intractable problem, at the back of it, you see a big money interest for whom stopping progress, stopping justice is really important to their bottom line,” he said.
Steyer made his fortune as the head of an investment firm and is worth roughly $1.6 billion, according to Forbes. He and his wife, Kathryn Taylor, are signatories to the Giving Pledge, a coalition of ultra-wealthy individuals that have promised to give away at least half of their wealth to charitable causes.
“We relish the opportunity to do our part and leave our collective campsite cleaner and better tended than we found it,” the couple wrote in their pledge.
In recent years, Steyer has championed several progessive causes, most notably combating the climate crisis, and has been heavily involved in California politics. He launched the liberal advocacy group NextGen Climate in 2013, which was later renamed to NextGen America following the election of President Trump.
Steyer has also been a leading voice in the impeachment movement against Trump. In 2017, he founded Need to Impeach, which lobbies members of Congress and has since gained over 8.2 million supporters.
“Through the important work of NextGen America and Need to Impeach, which I will continue to support, I've focused on registering & turning out the youth vote, and pressuring Congress to hold this president accountable by beginning impeachment proceedings,” Steyer added on Twitter. “But it's not enough.”
Tuesday’s announcement is a reversal for Steyer. He told The New York Times in January that was would not run for the White House and instead focus on doing “whatever it takes” to remove Trump from office.
Steyer’s entry into the crowded field comes just a day after California Rep. Eric Swalwell became the first candidate to bow out.
The House narrowly passed President Biden's $1.7 trillion Build Back Better bill, the largest expansion of the social safety net in decades. The final vote was 220 to 213, with only one Democrat joining all Republicans in opposing the bill. It now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain fate. Jennifer Haberkorn, congressional reporter for the Los Angeles Times, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where she breaks down the current version of the bill, where it goes next, and what it could mean for the country if it eventually reaches the president's desk.
Two murder trials in focus in America — Wisconsin V. Kyle Rittenhouse and Georgia V. Travis Mcmichael, Gregory Mcmichael, and William Bryan, the Men who killed Ahmaud Arbery. Civil rights and criminal defense lawyer Anthony Tall and the Founder and CEO of Kim Crowder consulting Kim Crowder, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
Rep. Ruben Gallego (D - Arizona) joined Cheddar to discuss the passing of President Biden's Infrastructure Bill and his new book, 'They Called us 'Lucky,' about his time serving in the Iraq War.
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A federal judge tossed out a lawsuit against financial services platform Robinhood following the meme stock saga that swept the investment world. The judge said it found no wrongdoing on Robinhood's part after the platform halted trading on popular meme stocks Gamestop and AMC.
Jill and Carlo are back to cover the latest in the Rittenhouse trial, new information on the origins of Covid, return-to-office and more.
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The U.S. Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Uber after it was discovered that disabled people were being disproportionately affected by extra “wait time” fees. Attorney Jonathan Bell joined Cheddar to discuss.
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Polarization is among the defining traits of American politics in the 21st century. Sometimes it seems like the only thing we can all agree on is the fact that we don't really agree on anything. But those divisions don't just stop at whether you vote red or blue.
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Andrew Daniller, research associate at the Pew Research Center, joins None of the Above to discuss.
