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Do you agree with U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's decision to run for president?
- Yes
- No
- Maybe
- Undecided
New York U.S. Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand took center stage on CBS-TV's "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert" on Tuesday night, Jan. 15, announcing that she will be throwing her hat into what is likely to be a crowded field of Democrats challenging President Donald Trump for his seat in the Oval Office.
“I’m going to run for president of the United States, because as a young mom, I’m going to fight for other’s people’s kids as hard as I would fight for my own,” she told Colbert. “Which is why I believe healthcare should be a right not a privilege. It’s why I believe we should have better public schools for our kids, because it shouldn’t matter what block you grow up on, and why I believe anybody who wants to work hard enough should be able to get whatever job training they need to work up to the middle class.”
Following her announcement, Gillibrand addressed several issues, including what she would do on Day 1 in office if she was elected in 2020.
“I would restore what’s been lost," she said. "The integrity and compassion of this country. I would bring people together to start getting things done. If you want to get healthcare done, you have to bring Democrats and Republicans together. You have to get people together and find common ground.”
Gillibrand also touched on the government shutdown, which has become the longest in American history.
“We have 800,000 people who are not getting a paycheck. Families across America are worried about not making their rent and paying their mortgage,” they said. “People are worried about not having the money to heat their home, or buy food for their kids, or prescription medicine. What (Trump) has done is outrageous."
Gillibrand has been a frequent target of Trump on social media, which the senator addressed during her appearance on Colbert’s show.
“He’s created the problem himself. He’s created this crisis himself, and he shouldn’t be throwing a temper tantrum because he can’t get what he wants,” she said. “What he should be doing is speaking to Congress about what his vision for immigration reform and what he wants to accomplish.
“But shutting down the government is hurting people. Right now, he’s doing it because he wants his way. If you’re going to be doing something like that, you better be fighting for other people, not yourself.”
At the end of her appearance, Colbert presented Gillibrand with a basket full of campaign gifts, including an ear of corn for an upcoming Iowa visit, a campaign button, a baby doll to hold and kiss and an airplane ticket to Michigan.
Late last year, Gillibrand said that she has mulled the idea of challenging the incumbent president for his seat in the 2020 election.
"I'm definitely thinking about it, of course," Gillibrand told CNN in December. "I'm going to think about it over the holidays with my children and my husband, and I will make a decision soon.”
Now it’s official.
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