Jay Inslee on Why He Wants to Be Known as “The Climate Guy”

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Well, let me ask you because we just set up the fact that you’re exploring the possibility of a candidacy for 2020, obviously using this as the major issue. Are you going to jump in? I mean, this is really, really important. Why not?

JAY INSLEE: Well, here’s what we know. We know we have to have a candidate who will make climate change and building a clean energy economy a central focus, an organizing principle for the American people and we need a president who will do the same. And the reason is, is we understand that the basic nature of the American people of what we invent, we create, we build, this is our moment. You mention it’s the 11th hour, it is the 11th hour but it is our time to shine, it is our moment because this is really just made for my state, in my nation to lead and join the world in developing a clean energy economy. We know we can create jobs by the thousands and millions, building the electric cars and solar panels and wind turbines and efficiency in our buildings. This is the greatest, not only peril of our time, but I believe promise of our time for economic growth and we’re experiencing that now in Washington State. So, yes, I am exploring this. I will have a decision here in weeks, not months. And I’m excited about this because as I’ve traveled the country, I hear people waiting for that bugle call from the White House. We heard it from Kennedy when he said we’re going to go to the moon, we need a similar bugle call of the American people on this and when they receive that, I believe they will rally to this cause.

AMANPOUR: Well, you talk about the White House, you obviously had what — how we describe what the president said, you know, “Good luck with that carbon footprint. Let’s eliminate everything. even the military.” I guess the question is, how do you speak to people like President Trump and people in the United States who do feel that they still need convincing, if they’re ever going to be convinced, that this will be a drain on the economy, that this fall and the way of life as they know it? You know, how do you convince them?

INSLEE: Well, I am much more interested in the beliefs and value systems of the American people than the narcissistic person who wants to remain willfully ignorant in the White House. I’m interested in the American people. And what they are telling me, and I’ve been in New Hampshire, Nevada and I were recently, is that they are ready to grow their economy around a clean energy future. Look, I’ve got people, the largest manufacturer of carbon fiber that goes in electric cars in the Western Hemisphere, it’s in my state in Moses Lake, we’re building batteries like crazy for electric cars in Nevada. In Iowa, they’ve built a multimillion-dollar wind turban industry amongst the soybeans and corn fields. I am hearing from Americans that they are ready to jump start this clean energy economy