Clinton Talks Trump, Recreational Marijuana In Exclusive Interview
OAKLAND (CBS SF) -- Hillary Clinton made a stop in the Bay Area Friday as she sets her sights on next month's California primary, but took time to speak to KPIX 5 reporter Phil Matier in an exclusive, one-on-one interview.
Only seconds after she sat down, she was ready to talk about presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.
"I've never seen a candidate like Donald Trump; that's fair," said Clinton. "And I've never seen so much concern – even in his own party – by Republicans about their nominee."
However, Clinton told Matier she was not worried about Trump turning his attacks on her.
"I'm not really concerned about what he says about me, because he traffics in insults," said Clinton. "I'm concerned about what he says he's going to do to everyone else."
Clinton went on to talked about Trump's proposed deportation plans that would affect 11 or 12 million people and include a deportation force as well as his ideas about letting other countries have nuclear weapons.
"I will also take him on when it comes to what he says about immigrants, what he says about women, what he says about people with disabilities, what he says about Muslims," explained Clinton. "It's a very long list and he's dividing America, which I find absolutely intolerable."
The democratic front runner re-affirmed her support for sanctuary cities. But without mentioning the case specifically, Clinton suggested she might have taken a different approach in the Kate Steinle case.
Steinle was the young woman shot a killed on Pier 14 in San Francisco by an undocumented immigrant with a criminal history.
Clinton admitted that, while there was "good logic" behind sanctuary cities from a law enforcement perspective, there still has to be a line.
"Violent offenders, people who have been deported, people who shouldn't be in the city in the first place, that's a whole different case," said Clinton. Those kinds of cases, she explained, would require cities to cooperate with federal authorities.
Clinton declared her support for high-speed rail and stressed the importance of improved infrastructure.
"We are woefully behind. We are behind on roads, bridges, tunnels, ports, airports, water systems, you name it," said Clinton. "I think it's a great missed opportunity that the congress has been so reluctant to appropriate money – to put people to work – repairing our infrastructure, including high speed rail."
Matier also asked her opinion on the legalization of recreational marijuana that is likely headed for a vote in California and how her administration would handle the state proceeding with legalization.
"Well, clearly this is going to be decided by the people of California," said Clinton. "I'm interested in following and evaluating what states are doing. I really do think states are the laboratories of democracy. I am supportive of using the laws to create more incentive study marijuana, particularly for medicinal use."
Clinton hedged her bets as far as whether she would vote for it, saying that she favored more research.
In closing, Matier asked one final question: given her healthy delegate lead, did California count?
"California always counts!" she said with a laugh. "First of all, it is our biggest state. It is a state of the future. Its diversity is one of its strongest assets. Running a vigorous campaign…is a way of connecting and hearing what is on the minds of Californians."