Transcript: Mayor de Blasio Appears on CNN's New Day to Discuss Income Inequality

September 29, 2015

Michaela Pereira: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio – speaking out about the 2016 race, giving his take on the two front-runners, and also explaining how he wants to make America more inclusive. CNN’s Poppy Harlow spent a lot of time with the mayor, and she joins us now. 

Poppy Harlow: We did, Michaela. We took the subway up to the South Bronx. It is the poorest congressional district in the country. We talked about income inequality. He’s put forth his Progressive Agenda. Very liberal – wants to see minimum wage across the country at $15 dollars an hour, raise taxes on the wealthy. How’s he going to sell it? And are the Democratic candidates saying enough on that front?

[Footage cuts to interview]

Harlow: You wanted to bring me here. 

Mayor Bill de Blasio: Yeah.

Harlow: Why?

Mayor: Because this is an example of a neighborhood – Melrose, in the Bronx – that is really suffering. But there are things that can be done to address income inequality. 

Harlow: Mayor de Blasio wanted to take us on the 2-train up to the South Bronx to show us one of the affordable housing projects his administration has been promoting. 

Mayor: We went from a neighborhood where the median household income was $179,000, to here in the Bronx – $21,000 for a family – below the poverty level – is the median income here.

Harlow: In 20-25 minutes.

Mayor: Correct. That’s all it took to go from one world to another, effectively. I’ve often talked about the tale of two cities. You know, our mission is to try and create more fairness, more opportunity across the board, and we’re using the tools of the city government to do this. 

Harlow: And to those who say, Mr. Mayor, that sounds too socialist. Capitalism – not perfect; America – not perfect economically, but the best example there is in the world. What do you say to them? 

Mayor: There’s no contradiction between a free-enterprise system and a very energetic role of government, creating fair regulation and making some of the adjustments we need so that people can participate in this society. 

Harlow: Where is that right balance? Because you don’t want a society where everyone has the same.

Mayor: I don’t think it’s conceivable to have such a society with human beings involved. I want a society where there’s opportunity for all. I want a society where no one’s left out economically or otherwise. 

Harlow: Homelessness in this city has risen under your administration from 50,000 to 57,000 people right now. Why?

Mayor: Because of the same tale of two cities I’ve talked about. The weight of the economic crisis of the last few years has been felt more and more. What we’ve found in the city is while people were becoming economically less stable, losing their jobs, or in jobs that just didn’t pay much more than the minimum wage, the cost of housing kept going up. So, the basic economics stopped working for more and more New Yorkers. 

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich: One of the most difficult trends in America right now –

Harlow: Which is?

Former Secretary Reich: – Which is income segregation. It’s not just racial segregation, it’s income segregation. As we are segregating by income, we’re creating different societies that have almost nothing to do with one another. 

Harlow: I’ve read half of New Yorkers are at or near the poverty line right now.

Mayor: 46 percent – 46 percent, yeah.

Harlow: You were Hillary Clinton’s campaign manager for her 2000 Senate race.

Mayor: Yes.

Harlow: You said you have “tremendous respect for her,” but you have not come out an endorsed her. Why?

Mayor: Because I want to see the vision fleshed out. I think – when she announced her candidacy, I thought she was arguably the most capable and experienced person to ever run for the office. But I said we’re facing a profound economic crisis and a kind of inequality we had never seen before – we need to set a solution. To her great credit, she has, with each passing week, put more meat on the bone. 

Harlow: So, she’s getting you closer to her?

Mayor: Well, I think she’s getting a lot of Democrats closer because she’s speaking to the issues at hand. But the point is, there’s still some outstanding issues that I, for one, need to see, and I think a lot of people need to see a little bit more on. But this is why we have these debates. 

Harlow: Donald Trump came forward with his tax proposal. What do you make of the plan?

Mayor: The one part I like, and I give him credit for, is calling for the closing of the carried interest loop hole, because I think his voice actually matters on this. But the rest of the plan is very suspect, and it looks to me like a plan that continues to reward wealth instead of work. It certainly looks like a plan where wealthy Americans do better – actually pay less taxes. 

[Footage cuts back to the studio]

Harlow: On the note of Donald Trump, I want to show you what he brought me. Take a look. He brought me a hat, and he told me that it is quite obvious, Michaela – this is his quote – it is quite obvious, if you want to get a good idea across in America, you need to put on a hat. 

[Laughter]

I asked him if he was envious of Donald Trump’s poll numbers. He put on his hat and he said, well, let’s see if it works for the Progressive Agenda. So, he’s making a hard push. 

Pereira: Donald Trump’s hat saying, “Make America Great Again” –

Harlow: This is, “Make America Fair Again.”

Pereira: Interesting play on that. Alright, Poppy – excellent conversation. Thanks so much.