Mark Sanford Explains Why He Is Running for President

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Why do you think this is your time?

MARK SANFORD (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: Because literally, if not now, then when? I do earnestly believe that we are walking ourselves towards quite the financial storm. And the friends that had encouraged this, their point was we can’t wait another five years to have a national debate on where we go next as a country on debt and deficit and spending. And you know, it’s once every four years that we have the chance, really, as Americans to debate what it means to be Republican, what it means to be a Democrat, where we want to go as Americans at large. And so, I think one, now is the time. And two, budget and financial issues are actually something that I actually have a lot of experience on. You know, when I was governor, I inherited a billion financial hole in coming at office and dealt with that. I was the first governor that actually pushed back against the then president’s stimulus package. I was the governor noted for carrying two pigs into the statehouse, decrying pork over a constitutional mandate. I was on the Budget Committee when I was in Congress. It’s something that I know a bit about. And I think, again, we are at a tipping point that needs to be talked about.

AMANPOUR: OK. So, we’re going to get into this whole deficit situation, because I want to know, is that your main pitch to voters, and is that what you think in this day in age, in these times, voters actually are going to connect with? And let me just ask you, in the context of what your own hometown newspaper has said of this bid, “Facing monumentally longshot odds, former South Carolina governor, Mark Sanford announced Sunday that he will challenge fellow Republican, President Donald Trump, for the White House.” So, the lead is monumentally longshot odds. You know, they say it’s quixotic.

SANFORD: Well, they say it’s tough, and I would acknowledge that. I mean, you look at the history since the 1950s in the United States of America, it has not worked out well for the challenger to a sitting president in terms of challenging nomination. But in every one of those instances, those challengers either changed the course of that presidential debate in the nomination process or, frankly, they changed the occupant in the White House. And that because of a primary challenge, the incumbent went on to lose. And so, I do think you can have much more affect than you might realize at the front end. I have said up front that it’s a long shot. I know that going in. But again, I think it’s worth the conversation on behalf of my four sons and a lot of other kids and grandkids that are out there based on the debt deficit problem that I am trying to elevate. But I also think that there are some other issues that are important in terms of where we go as a Republican Party. Do we — now, does it mean to be a Republican you’re looking inward versus outward? Do we believe in free trade, which used to be a cornerstone to the Republican Party? Do we believe in some of the institutions that have held our political fabric [13:05:00] together for more than 200 years? Do we believe in the president’s tone versus a different one?