WEBVTT - North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper Talks Gubernatorial Race Controversy

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio news.

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<v Speaker 2>From at North Carolina at the governor Mansion with Governor

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<v Speaker 2>Lloyd Cooper.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you so much for joining Bloomberg TV. Glad to

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<v Speaker 1>be here. Thanks. Your state is.

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<v Speaker 2>Getting more interesting by the day, and it's really in

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<v Speaker 2>focus now given this explosive report overnight from CNN about

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<v Speaker 2>the sitting Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. He's also the good

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<v Speaker 2>editorial candidate on the Republican side. Salacious, explicit, very offensive

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<v Speaker 2>words he was using on a porn forum. He's come

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<v Speaker 2>out and said this is trash tabloids. Do you think

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<v Speaker 2>this changes the race?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, these comments were shocking, but they really weren't surprising

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<v Speaker 3>for Mark Robinson. He has a history of these kinds

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<v Speaker 3>of inflammatory comments that completely disrespect women, that incite violence.

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<v Speaker 1>We've known for a while that.

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<v Speaker 3>He was someone who is unfit for office. Not only

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<v Speaker 3>should he not have been elected to the office he's in,

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<v Speaker 3>he certainly doesn't need to be governor of the state.

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<v Speaker 3>I think it makes it even more certain that Josh Stein,

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<v Speaker 3>our attorney general, will be elected as governor. But I

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<v Speaker 3>also think that Donald Trump and North Carolina Republican leaders

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<v Speaker 3>have continued to encourage and support Mark Robinson, and now

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<v Speaker 3>they're having to reap what they are sewing.

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<v Speaker 2>But is it a distraction in the short term or

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<v Speaker 2>is this a liability come November fifth?

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<v Speaker 3>Well, I think for anyone who has been supporting, encouraging

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<v Speaker 3>Mark Robinson, this a liability because voters are going to

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<v Speaker 3>look at the fact that Donald Trump and these Republican

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<v Speaker 3>leaders knew Mark Robinson character, They knew who he was,

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<v Speaker 3>the kinds of things that he was saying. This is

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<v Speaker 3>very on brand for Mark Robinson, and it should hurt

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<v Speaker 3>their candidacies as well as Mark Robinson.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think it will I believe it will.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes.

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<v Speaker 1>Do you think Kamala Harris could benefit from this? Well?

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<v Speaker 3>I believe even before this that Kamala Harris was on

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<v Speaker 3>track to make history and win North Carolina. The last

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<v Speaker 3>Democratic nominee was Barack Obama, who won North Carolina. This

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<v Speaker 3>was Biden Harris's closest loss in twenty twenty one point

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<v Speaker 3>three percent. There's that sane excitement that I felt in

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<v Speaker 3>two thousand and eight here in North Carolina in twenty

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<v Speaker 3>twenty four, I think North Carolina can make history again,

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<v Speaker 3>and I think this makes it more likely because Donald

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<v Speaker 3>Trump has embraced Mark Robinson for quite a while and

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<v Speaker 3>he's still to this day hasn't said anything negative about

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<v Speaker 3>Mark Robinson.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, he'll be here tomorrow, so potentially he'll have to

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<v Speaker 2>comment on it. But just about winning North Carolina for

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<v Speaker 2>the Democrats, you mentioned Barack Obama. He only won it

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<v Speaker 2>though in two thousand and eight, only his first term.

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<v Speaker 1>Why is this a state that.

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<v Speaker 2>Is willing to vote for Democrats at the state level,

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<v Speaker 2>You've benefited from that, but not at the national level.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, Carolynians are very independent and they will split their ticket.

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<v Speaker 3>We've seen this time and time again, so this is

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<v Speaker 3>not unusual. We're very purple state.

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<v Speaker 1>We're always going to be close.

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<v Speaker 3>And I'll tell you this, Donald Trump has to win

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<v Speaker 3>North Carolina in order to be president. If Kamala Harris

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<v Speaker 3>can win this race here, and we believe she can,

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<v Speaker 3>she's the next president of the United States.

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<v Speaker 2>The top issue in national local polls has been inflation.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you find that voters are more willing to blame

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<v Speaker 2>the politicians in Washington, d c.

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<v Speaker 1>And not the local ones.

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<v Speaker 3>Well, people are frustrated with paying more at the grocery store.

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<v Speaker 3>They're frustrated that their dollars doesn't go as far. It's

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<v Speaker 3>pretty clear that Kamala Harris has worked very hard to

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<v Speaker 3>help control costs. She's worked to make sure that we've

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<v Speaker 3>got better paying jobs for people. But now she came

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<v Speaker 3>to North Carolina and rolled out her economic plan that's

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<v Speaker 3>going to help small businesses to help fight higher prices

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<v Speaker 3>at the grocery store. I think that is having an

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<v Speaker 3>effect already, that inflation is cooling in our country. I

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<v Speaker 3>think that's going to be positive for her, and I

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<v Speaker 3>think people have listened to her and believe that she

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<v Speaker 3>cares about middle class North Carolinians. Donald Trump only cares

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<v Speaker 3>about the wealthy and corporations and himself.

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<v Speaker 2>So the rate of inflation has come down, but people

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<v Speaker 2>are still struggling with the level.

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<v Speaker 1>Of prices that's not coming down.

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<v Speaker 2>And a lot of things Kamala Harris talks about, you

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<v Speaker 2>need congressional support and it's very slim on details. Do

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<v Speaker 2>you think she needs to dive deeper into the policy

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<v Speaker 2>to discussions.

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<v Speaker 3>So she's rolled out a very specific plan, but she's

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<v Speaker 3>also aware that getting legislation through Congress requires a lot

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<v Speaker 3>of work and consensus building, and she was a key

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<v Speaker 3>part of the Biden Harris administration that got through the

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<v Speaker 3>Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, the American Rescue Plan,

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<v Speaker 3>Chips and Science, all of this legislation that's going to

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<v Speaker 3>make generational investments. She was a part of doing it,

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<v Speaker 3>cast the deciding vote. Sometimes she understands that she's going

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<v Speaker 3>to have to get down into the details and find

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<v Speaker 3>ideas that work. You know, people talk about trying to

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<v Speaker 3>fight higher prices at the grocery store, and she's talked

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<v Speaker 3>about trying to fight those prices. There are ways to

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<v Speaker 3>do that. I'm excited about the fact that she's ready

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<v Speaker 3>to take this on.

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<v Speaker 2>The other top issue in this race, especially North Carolina

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<v Speaker 2>that when you look at the polls, is a born

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<v Speaker 2>this is something you've been focused on.

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<v Speaker 1>One thing I've gathered from.

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<v Speaker 2>All the polling is that voters in North Carolina seem

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<v Speaker 2>to on a middle ground. They seem to coalescing around say,

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<v Speaker 2>fifteen weeks as.

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<v Speaker 1>A cutoff for abortion.

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<v Speaker 2>Do you think this is something Democrats and Republicans could

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<v Speaker 2>compromise on.

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<v Speaker 3>I think you can't compromise on women's right to choose.

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<v Speaker 3>I don't think that you can compromise on the fact

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<v Speaker 3>that we've got women who are in danger of dying

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<v Speaker 3>because doctors are afraid of the government coming in and

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<v Speaker 3>getting between them and their patient. That's exactly what's happening

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<v Speaker 3>across the country. Donald Trump, History.

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<v Speaker 1>Of North Carolina.

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<v Speaker 3>Yeah, we are because we have a twelve week abortion ban,

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<v Speaker 3>and not only that, but with more requirements, a seventy

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<v Speaker 3>two hour requirement that many women have a difficult time facing.

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<v Speaker 3>They've put in a lot of other restrictions. So there

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<v Speaker 3>is an abortion and banned in North Carolina that passed

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<v Speaker 3>over my veto by one vote. Every Republican voted to

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<v Speaker 3>override my veto, every Democrat voted to sustain it.

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<v Speaker 1>So it came from twenty to twelve.

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<v Speaker 2>But do you think there could be a compromise for

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<v Speaker 2>say something like fifteen or sixteen weeks?

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<v Speaker 3>So you can't talk about women's health in that way

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<v Speaker 3>because many of these cases are very complicated and often

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<v Speaker 3>involve parents who really want to have children but have

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<v Speaker 3>extraordinary complications. This is an issue that should be left

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<v Speaker 3>to women and their doctors. And that's why people like

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<v Speaker 3>Donald Trump, people like Mark Robinson are dangerous because they

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<v Speaker 3>believe that politicians should be in that exam room with

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<v Speaker 3>women and their doctors, and that there should be hard

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<v Speaker 3>and fast rules. And what happens is you endanger women's lives,

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<v Speaker 3>you take away what should be their constitutional rights.

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<v Speaker 2>The Forum president has said he wants to leave it

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<v Speaker 2>up to states. Is something that you're dealing with now

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<v Speaker 2>with your Republican led legislature. I just want to end

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<v Speaker 2>on your future because if you think Kamala Harris is

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<v Speaker 2>going to win North Carolina, you'll be the man to

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<v Speaker 2>help deliver those electoral votes for her. What do you

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<v Speaker 2>have in sight? Is it the Court of Saint James?

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<v Speaker 2>Is it attorney General?

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<v Speaker 3>So what I have in site is the finish line

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<v Speaker 3>of my term as governor. You know, I want to

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<v Speaker 3>run through the take. There's so much happening here, investing

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<v Speaker 3>these generational dollars for our children and grandchildren.

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<v Speaker 1>I love public service.

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<v Speaker 3>I'll see what's next after this.

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<v Speaker 1>So you're not done yet.

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<v Speaker 2>You're not going to politics after a beautiful governor's.

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<v Speaker 1>Mansion, I don't think so.

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<v Speaker 3>I do like public service.

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<v Speaker 1>And we'll see what happens. Do you think that there

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<v Speaker 1>needs to be a different almost more trust.

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<v Speaker 2>In the DOJ right now that we're seeing is that

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<v Speaker 2>something you think you could bring to a Department of Justice.

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<v Speaker 3>So I'm not going to get into what other cabinet

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<v Speaker 3>position that I may or may not be involved in.

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<v Speaker 3>What I do know is that Kamala Harris has got

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<v Speaker 3>to win before she can make those kinds of choices,

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<v Speaker 3>and we're going to work hard every day to make

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<v Speaker 3>sure she does well.

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<v Speaker 1>I think you're on the short list. Governor Roy Cooper,

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<v Speaker 1>thank you so much for your time.

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<v Speaker 3>Thanks a lot.

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<v Speaker 2>That was, of course, Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina,

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<v Speaker 2>a very swing state in this election.