WE'RE BACK HERE WITH MAYOR PETE BUTTIGEIG.

NOW, MR. MAYOR, ANOTHER SUBJECT TONIGHT IN THE DEBATE, SUBJECT

FOR OUR NATION FOR MONTHS NOW, HAS BEEN THE SUPREME COURT, AND

SORT OF RAMMING THROUGH AMY CONEY BARRETT THIS CLOSE TO THE

ELECTION WHEN IT'S ALREADY STARTED.

AND THERE WAS SOME DISCUSSION TONIGHT OF WHAT THE STAKES ARE

HERE.

BUT THERE'S A VERY INTERESTING ONE THAT HAPPENED ON MONDAY.

TWO SUPREME COURT JUSTICES, THOMAS AND ALITO, IN AN OPINION

ABOUT A CASE THE COURT DECLINED TO HEAR, THREATENED THE FUTURE

OF MARRIAGE EQUALITY, BASICALLY LAYING THE GROUNDWORK, IN THEIR

OPINION THAT THEY THINK IT SHOULD BE OVERTURNED.

WHAT'S YOUR MESSAGE TO YOUR JUSTICES, SINCE THAT AFFECTS YOU

SPECIFICALLY.

YOU ARE A MARRIED GAY MAN.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SAY TO THOSE TWO JUSTICES?

>> YOU KNOW, I GUESS WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO SAY IS I'M TIRED

OF THE EXISTENCE OF MY MARRIAGE, MY FAMILY BEING UP FOR DEBATE.

THIS QUESTION WAS SETTLED, AND WHEN IT WAS, THAT WAS A STEP

FORWARD IN THIS COUNTRY.

AND THE IDEA THAT THESE JUSTICES WHO ASCRAB TO A JUDICIAL

PHILOSOPHY OR CLAIM TO, THAT'S ABOUT PRECEDENT AND ABOUT NOT

LEGISLATING FROM THE BENCH, TO NOW BE, AS I UNDERSTAND IT,

BETWEEN THE LINES, THREATENING MARRIAGE EQUALITY.

IT'S JUST A REMINDER OF WHAT'S AT STAKE IN THIS ELECTION.

THAT'S WHY I'M WITH THE MAJORITY OF AMERICANS, AND JOE BIDEN AND

KAMALA HARRIS, WHO THINK IT'S THE VOTERS VOTING RIGHT NOW WHO

OUGHT TO CHOOSE THE PRESIDENT WHO WILL CHOOSE THE NEXT SUPREME

COURT JUSTICE.

THIS IS SO PERSONAL FOR SO MANY OF US.

IT'S PERSONAL FOR US, BECAUSE I KNOW THAT MY MARRIAGE, MY

WEDDING RING ON MY FINGER IS ONLY THERE BY THE GRACE OF A

SINGLE VOTE ON THE COURT.

BUT IT'S PERSONAL IN SO MANY OTHER WAYS, TOO.

IT'S PERSONAL IF YOU HAVE PREEXISTING CONDITIONS AND THEY

COULD TAKE THAT AWAY.

IT'S PERSONAL GIVEN WHAT THEY COULD DO TO VOTING RIGHTS.

SO MANY THINGS IN OUR LIVES ARE SHAPED BY THESE DECISIONS.

WHAT THEY DO IN THERE IS NOT JUST ABOUT ARCANE POINTS OF

LEGAL ACADEMIA.

DECIDES HOW OUR LIVES ARE GOING TO GO.

AND IT'S ONE MORE REASON WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT WE WIN

THIS ELECTION.

>> Stephen: IF AMY CONEY BARRETT IS APPOINTED TO THE

SUPREME COURT SUCCESSFULLY-- AND IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S GOING TO BE

VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THAT FROM HAPPENING-- A MAJORITY OF THE

JUSTICES WILL HAVE BEEN APPOINTED BY PRESIDENTS WHO

RECEIVED A MINORITY OF THE VOTE FROM THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WHEN

THEY FIRST REACHED OFFICE.

IT'S A VERY ODD SHIFTING OF POWER.

YOU'VE GOT THIS UPCOMING GENERATION-- BASICALLY,

EVERYBODY UNDER 40-- IT'S NEARLY UNANIMOUS THAT THEY'RE FINE WITH

GAY MARRIAGE.

IT'S OBVIOUS TO THEM.

WHEREAS YOU HAVE A COURT THAT HAS THE POSSIBILITY OF

OVERTURNING SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

WHAT ON EARTH WOULD SNAP YOU HAVE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF

PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN MARRIED IN SAME-SEX MARRIAGES NOW, WHAT ON

EARTH WOULD BE THE MECHANISM GOING FORWARD?

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THOSE PEOPLE?

>> YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I'VE

ALWAYS HAD FOR PEOPLE LIKE MIKE PENCE AND PERHAPS JUDGE BATTER.

I DON'T KNOW.

IF YOU GET YOUR WAY AND OVERTURN OUR RIGHT TO MARRIAGE EQUALITY,

IS IT YOUR HOPE THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME HAVE TO GET DIVORCED AND

LEAVE THOSE WE LOVE?

OR WOULD YOU BE SATISFIED FOR US MERELY TO BE STRIPPED OF OUR

RIGHTS TO VISIT EACH OTHER IN THE HOSPITAL AND FILE TAXES

TOGETHER AND BE PROTECTED IN THE WORKPLACE?

I DON'T KNOW.

I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THEY WANT TO TAKE US BACK TO.

WHAT I DO KNOW IS THAT THE WORLD GOT A LITTLE BETTER WHEN-- A LOT

BETTER-- FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHEN MARRIAGE EQUALITY BECAME

THE LAW OF THE LAND.

AND IT'S NOT THE TIME TO TURN BACKWARDS.

>> Stephen: YOU'VE GOT A NEW BOOK.

IT'S CALLED "TRUST: AMERICA'S BEST CHANCE." AMERICA HAS, IN

MANY WAYS, HAS A TRUST PROBLEM.

AND THERE'S A LACK OF TRUST IN INSTITUTIONS, IN THE PRESIDENT,

IN EACH OTHER.

WHY IS TRUST OUR BEST CHANCE GOING FORWARD?

>> YOU KNOW, WELL, LIVES DEPEND ON TRUST.

JUST THINK ABOUT THE PANDEMIC, RIGHT.

IF PEOPLE COULD TRUST THAT WE LIVE IN THE SAME REALITY AND

WE'RE WILLING TO TRUST THE ADVICE OF SCIENTISTS AND

DOCTORS, AND IF WE HAD A TRUSTWORTHY PRESIDENT REMINDING

US TO TRUST THAT GUIDANCE, SO MANY LIVES COULD BE SAVED.

AND THAT'S EVEN MORE IMPORTANT WHEN A VACCINE COMES THROUGH,

GIVEN THE SHOCKING PROPORTION OF AMERICANS WHO SAY THEY'RE NOT

EVEN SURE THEY WOULD GET ONE.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS GOING TO REQUIRE US TO BUILD A LEVEL OF

TRUST AND COOPERATION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES.

AND, AGAIN, TRUST EXPERTS TELLING US SOMETIMES BAD NEWS.

OUR ENTIRE POLITICAL SYSTEM IS BASED ON TRUST.

THAT'S WHAT AN ELECTION IS, AN EXCHANGE OF TRUST BETWEEN WE,

THE PEOPLE, WHO ARE TRUSTED TO PICK OUR OWN LEADERS SOMETHING

THAT WAS A PRETTY RADICAL IDEA AT THE TIME OF THE FOUNDING, AND

WE WHO TRUST OUR LEADERS TO HAVE OUR BEST INTERESTS AT HEART.

AND THE MORE I THOUGHT ABOUT IT, THE MORE I FIND OUR MOST BASIC

INTERACTIONS, GETTING THROUGH LIFE, MAKING A PURCHASE, WALKING

DOWN THE STREET TO OUR POLITICAL PROCESSES, WE ARE TRUSTING

STRANGERS WITH OUR LIVES ALL THE TIME.

BUT THERE'S BEEN A COLLAPSE IN THE LEVEL OF TRUST THAT

AMERICANS HAVE.

IF YOU LOOK AT SURVEY DATA OVER THE LAST 50 YEARS, THE NUMBER OF

PEOPLE WHEN SAY THEY TRUST THE GOVERNMENT TO DO THE RIGHT

THING-- THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO SAY YOU CAN TRUST OTHER PEOPLE

TO DO THE RIGHT THING HAS PLUMMETED.

WE HAVE GOT TO CHANGE THIS IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT, IF WE'RE

GOING TO TURN THE TIDE AND HAVE THE 2020s BE A BETTER DECADE

FOR AMERICA.

I THINK WE CAN.

I WROTE SOME OF THE WAYS TRUST CAN BE BUILT IN A HURRY --

>> Stephen: MR. MAYOR, I'M SORRY TO CUT YOU OFF.

I REALLY HAVE TO GO TO A HARD BREAK RIGHT NOW.

I'M SO SORRY TO DO THAT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.

THE BOOK IS "TRUST: AMERICA'S BEST CHANCE."

IT'S AVAILABLE NOW.

MAYOR PETE BUTTIGEIG, EVERYBODY.

WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH "MEANWHILE."

THANK YOU, MR. MAYOR. SORRY ABOUT THAT.