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<v Speaker 1>Former mayor of New York, builde Blasio joining us by phone. Mayor,

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<v Speaker 1>thanks for making time for us. We appreciate it.

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<v Speaker 2>It's my great pleasure. What incredible week were.

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<v Speaker 1>San It is a lot. We have been very impressed

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<v Speaker 1>with everything that's been going on right now. But I

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<v Speaker 1>will tell you, Mayor, I'd love to talk to you

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<v Speaker 1>about the economic plan that was unveiled by Kamala Harris

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<v Speaker 1>on Friday, so if I can get your thoughts on that.

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<v Speaker 1>She unveiled a plan that would do several things. One

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<v Speaker 1>she wants to create a federal ban on price gouging.

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<v Speaker 1>She also talked about a program to give twenty five

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<v Speaker 1>thousand dollars to some first time home buyers and talked

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<v Speaker 1>about capping the price of insulin at thirty five dollars.

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<v Speaker 1>I'd love to ask you about those policy positions and

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<v Speaker 1>what you'd like to see more of in economic policy.

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<v Speaker 2>I think it's extraordinarily helpful that she's moving in this direction.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, Joe Biden to the State of the Union

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<v Speaker 2>was plinty in some of the same directions, and then

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<v Speaker 2>on the stopped talking about it, and I was perplexed

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<v Speaker 2>that he did. I think the world of Joe Biden.

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<v Speaker 2>I think he's been one of the best presidents we've

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<v Speaker 2>had in a long time. But in terms of the campaign,

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<v Speaker 2>he just stopped talking about the vision of how to

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<v Speaker 2>address inflation and how to move us forward. I think

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<v Speaker 2>that's part of why folks got frustrated. I think Kamala

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<v Speaker 2>Harris has been really aggressive and keyed into her history

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<v Speaker 2>as an Attorney general as a former prosecutor by going

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<v Speaker 2>after the price gouging issue, which we're all seeing we're

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<v Speaker 2>all experiencing now. I understand some of the critique out

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<v Speaker 2>there about the nature of economics in a free enterprise system,

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<v Speaker 2>but my answer to that would be, look, this is

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<v Speaker 2>a broken reality right now. This level of inflation is

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<v Speaker 2>not natural. It's not just normal market dynamics. We're seeing

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<v Speaker 2>things double and triple and price in a matter of

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<v Speaker 2>a few years. It's got to be rained in and

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<v Speaker 2>some of it is just playing corporate greed. So the

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<v Speaker 2>notion of putting some real limits on and even by

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<v Speaker 2>the very debate over those limits, I think it's going

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<v Speaker 2>to constrain some of the worst impulses we've seen in

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<v Speaker 2>the corporate world to jack up prices while they had

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<v Speaker 2>a chance.

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<v Speaker 1>Does government spending play much of a role in your

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<v Speaker 1>view on inflation?

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<v Speaker 2>Look the whole picture and plays a role. Obviously, the

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<v Speaker 2>supply chain issues were part of it. The stimulus played

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<v Speaker 2>some kind of role, even though I'm very glad the

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<v Speaker 2>stimulus was as aggressive as it was. Generally, it's a

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<v Speaker 2>real question how the different pieces came together. But I

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<v Speaker 2>would remind everyone, you know, even though way too many

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<v Speaker 2>Americans are hurting, still, the big picture is, thank god,

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<v Speaker 2>the American economy is one of the strongest in the world.

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<v Speaker 2>Thank God, wages are going up, and you know, we've

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<v Speaker 2>seen some real progress. I think the inflation issue is

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<v Speaker 2>both the thing that's hurting people day to day, hour

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<v Speaker 2>to hour, and also it's good thank you. Also that

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<v Speaker 2>is profoundly, you know, confusing people because it's been demoralizing

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<v Speaker 2>to see this kind of inflation, and it needs an answer.

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<v Speaker 2>So I think, you know, what we're seeing is the

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<v Speaker 2>Vice President actually key into what folks have gone through

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<v Speaker 2>and speaking to their needs in a way that unfortune

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<v Speaker 2>I don't think pleasident Biden felt he could because he

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<v Speaker 2>was always having to defend the overall reality of the economy.

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<v Speaker 2>So I think that and obviously the focus on prescription drugs, insulin.

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<v Speaker 2>These are profound kitchen table issues, and you'll notice it's

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<v Speaker 2>generally not where Trump and the Republicans go, So it

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<v Speaker 2>just magnifies the competitive advantage of Kamala Harrison.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think that's why Biden's campaigns stumbled because the

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<v Speaker 1>reality that people are living every day was not necessarily

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<v Speaker 1>driving with the reality of markets doing really well right

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<v Speaker 1>now and other indicators in the economy that are good,

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<v Speaker 1>but people's kitchen table economics are not.

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<v Speaker 2>I You're exactly right, you can't. You cannot tell people

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<v Speaker 2>look at this wonderful statistical economy they feel great about

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<v Speaker 2>when they themselves are hurting. Just that does not work.

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<v Speaker 2>It comes down to what people are experiencing themselves. And

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<v Speaker 2>I think Joe Biden was handcuffed by the overall challenges

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<v Speaker 2>he was facing. And it's you know, look, we all

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<v Speaker 2>watched the man who was incredibly vigorous in the State

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<v Speaker 2>of Union and now you know, six months or more

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<v Speaker 2>or later, was really struggling in that debate. He just

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<v Speaker 2>wasn't in a position to be the strong, agile voice

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<v Speaker 2>who could have said, I know you're hurting. Here's what

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<v Speaker 2>I'm going to do about it, but Kamala Harris is,

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<v Speaker 2>and I do think it added to the frustration. I

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<v Speaker 2>think the profound frustration was that folks started to worry

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<v Speaker 2>the president couldn't fulfill the role, even though his intentions

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<v Speaker 2>were extraordinary and his accomplishments were great. But on top

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<v Speaker 2>of that, he just wasn't speaking forcefully to the suffering

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<v Speaker 2>and offering a vision. Now, ironically, the only person who's

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<v Speaker 2>really talking about a way to a lower prices is

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<v Speaker 2>Kamala Harris. After all the blusser from Donald Trump, the

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<v Speaker 2>one thing he talks about is tariffs, and those are

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<v Speaker 2>actually going to be additionally inflationary in a big way.

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<v Speaker 2>If you put those tariffs on the prices of a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of things that Americans depend on go through the roofs.

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<v Speaker 1>What would you say to Americans? I mean, I'm a

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<v Speaker 1>deficit hawk by nature. I've been a deficit hawk for years.

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<v Speaker 1>I was very disappointed with the explosion of the deficits

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<v Speaker 1>during the Trump administration. But what would you say to

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<v Speaker 1>someone like me who hears a new spending plan twenty

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<v Speaker 1>five thousand dollars for housing and I think, holy crap,

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<v Speaker 1>how are we going to pay.

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<v Speaker 2>For all this well, I think there's always a central

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<v Speaker 2>question when it comes to definite spending about what is

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<v Speaker 2>the revenue impact and what's the macroeconomic impact. And you know,

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<v Speaker 2>I'm a kingsy in myself, so I would say, if

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<v Speaker 2>if the spending will have those bigger impacts, and that's

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<v Speaker 2>not always the case, but if it will, then you

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<v Speaker 2>have to look at in that perspective. I think if

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<v Speaker 2>you see a boom in construction and rehab of housing,

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<v Speaker 2>that's going to trade a lot of economic activity, jobs

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<v Speaker 2>and tax revenues. Also, let's face it, we are in

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<v Speaker 2>a tenuous position where so many Americans are paying an

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<v Speaker 2>unlordly amount of godly I should say, amount of their

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<v Speaker 2>income in housing or just can't find housing anywhere near

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<v Speaker 2>them their works. You're seeing it all over the country,

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<v Speaker 2>especially out West, all sorts of places where people can't

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<v Speaker 2>even find housing where the jobs are. So we got

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<v Speaker 2>to address that fundamentally. I think what she's doing is

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<v Speaker 2>the smart and responsible thing. It would probably get moderated,

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<v Speaker 2>to say the least, in the congressional process, but right now,

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<v Speaker 2>and I always tell this as mayor, when you see

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<v Speaker 2>basic human needs going on, net on met like the

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<v Speaker 2>fundamental need for people that have housing. You can't do nothing.

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<v Speaker 2>You got to try and find a way that is

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<v Speaker 2>not going to blow up a deficit but still addresses

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<v Speaker 2>the issue.

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<v Speaker 1>Or former Mayor build at Lasia of New York. We

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<v Speaker 1>are out of time, but I very much appreciate you

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<v Speaker 1>making time for us today and I hope you enjoyed

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of the convention.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, thank you, I will and said best to you.