Listen to the full episode here.
Washington D.C. — In an interview with Center for American Progress’ podcast Thinking CAP, California State Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin de León says progressive leaders in Washington need to keep pushing and fighting for the values and wellbeing of their constituents even under the difficult political circumstances of the Trump administration.
“That’s what I would say to my progressive friends, you have to keep pushing. Active determination. There ain’t no deal you can really make in Washington with someone like Trump. He’s a different animal,” said Sen. de León “He will betray his own Republicans, as he has proven, and if he has betrayed them then surely … he will be betraying Democrats.”
Sen. de León warned that progressive leaders should be wary of any compromise that would put the fate of DACA recipients and their families in limbo. “You can’t negotiate on behalf of [Dreamers] while at the same time deporting their parents. What do you get out of that? This is not a Sophie’s choice, an either or. … There’s smart compromise and then there’s dumb compromise.”
In his interview with Thinking CAP podcast co-hosts Michele Jawando and Igor Volsky, de León also discusses the California Values Act and how California is continuing the resistance against the Trump agenda by standing up for the state’s principles on clean energy, diversity, and economic inequality.
Along with the Thinking CAP episode, the podcast released its first ever Spanish interview with Kevin de León.
Thinking CAP is a weekly podcast, launched by CAP in May. During the last few months, Jawando and Volsky have spoken with leading progressive thought leaders, comedians, advocates, and politicians, and shared personal stories from Juan Escalante, a Dreamer who benefited from Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, and Jon Miller, who was born with cystic fibrosis and at risk of financial ruin under the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. New episodes are released every Thursday. The podcast is available on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and CAP’s website.
If you are looking for more information on guest booking, please contact Sally Tucker at [email protected] or 202.481.8103.