Gillibrand Addresses Stephen Miller Chief Of Staff News, Says Democrats Must Focus On Lowering Costs, Ending Iran War On MS NOW’s Politicsnation With Al Sharpton

Gillibrand Addresses Stephen Miller Chief Of Staff News, Says Democrats Must Focus On Lowering Costs, Ending Iran War On MS NOW's Politicsnation With Al Sharpton

Nov 9, 2026

Gillibrand: "People Were Fed Up With Trump's Corruption And Chaos And High Costs. They Voted For Change. And So This Congress And In The U.S. Senate, We're Going To Focus On Exactly What The American People Asked Us To Do."

***Hear Senator Gillibrand's Full Interview Here***

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand appeared on MS NOW's PoliticsNation with Al Sharpton to discuss Democrats' plan to bring down the cost of living and deliver much-needed relief for working Americans under their newfound Senate majority.

She highlighted her party's laser focus on lowering costs for American families, including by ending the Iran war, restoring access to healthcare, and holding the president accountable for his corruption and his prioritization of vanity projects over the wellbeing of American families.

Senator Gillibrand also addressed the president's promotion of Stephen Miller to chief of staff and threats to veto commonsense legislation next Congress:

"[President Trump] did put in place the architecture of this culture of corruption and chaos and high costs in putting Stephen Miller as chief of staff, so he does not seem positioned to be listening to the American people to get stuff done. But that's not going to daunt. It's not going to stop us. We're going to work on getting all those costs down by passing commonsense legislation. And if President Trump dares to veto restoring Medicaid, covering dental and vision and hearing, getting costs for medicines down - if he dares to veto things that get the cost of groceries and housing and fuel costs down, he will - his party will lose even bigger in '28."

Watch Senator Gillibrand's interview with Reverend Al Sharpton here. Full transcript of Senator Gillibrand's interview below:

REV. AL SHARPTON: Senator, you said Democrats now have to end the war in Iran, lower cost, and hold President Trump accountable. What does that actually look like when you take control in January?

GILLIBRAND: Well, Reverend, as you said, this election was about change. People were fed up with Trump's corruption and chaos and high costs. They voted for change, and so this Congress and in the U.S. Senate, we're going to focus on exactly what the American people asked us to do. We're going to try to get our healthcare costs down, make sure prescription drugs are more affordable, make sure people have access. Trump cut millions off of Medicaid. Make sure our seniors can get dental, vision, and hearing. So get costs down and make it more accessible, more affordable. Focus on food costs. Focus on housing costs. Focus on fuel costs. The war in Iran has driven up all of those costs, and it's unauthorized. It's illegal. The American people don't want it. It is deeply unpopular. So we need to end the war to get those costs down, and address the chaotic tariffs, which are also keeping food costs and housing costs and medicine costs high. So we have to right the ship, get costs down, and hold this president accountable for his corruption and the chaos that he created across this country.

SHARPTON: Senator, President Trump is already calling himself Mr. Veto. And after losing Congress, he responded by putting Stephen Miller in charge of the White House. Not exactly a signal that he's looking for compromise. How do you govern with a president who appears ready to fight you at every turn?

GILLIBRAND: Well, it's true. President Trump does have his little veto cap, and he has threatened to use it. And he did put in place the architecture of this culture of corruption and chaos and high costs in putting Stephen Miller as chief of staff. So he does not seem positioned to be listening to the American people to get stuff done. But that's not going to daunt, it's not going to stop us. We're going to work on getting all those costs down by passing commonsense legislation. And if President Trump dares to veto restoring Medicaid, covering dental and vision and hearing, getting costs for medicines down - if he dares to veto things that get the cost of groceries and housing and fuel costs down, he will - his party will lose even bigger in '28.

SHARPTON: Now, Senator, you and Senator Chuck Schumer deserve a lot of credit for what happened Tuesday. He helped recruit candidates like Roy Cooper and Sherrod Brown, and you, as a DSCC chair, helped build a map that expanded into states Democrats weren't supposed to win. But there's still a real debate about who should lead this new majority. At least five incoming Democratic senators have said they won't support Schumer or want new leadership, and others still haven't committed. What's your view on this?

GILLIBRAND: Well, first of all, it really was a blue tsunami. I mean, the weight of what was accomplished is so significant. Our candidates were so brilliant; they understood exactly what was at stake in this election by listening to voters. And we have won seven Senate seats, and we are likely to win two more. And of those seven, five are in states that Donald Trump won by double digits. So I think people are grateful for the hard work that our candidates did, being on message, campaigning constantly, being in their communities, talking about costs and talking about solutions. And I think they're grateful for Senator Schumer's hard work in not only helping to marshal these incredible candidates, but raising them the resources they need to win. We were outspent astronomically by the Republicans because they had so many super PACs and so many billionaires. But our individual candidates went toe to toe with every one of their opponents and were able to communicate effectively. And that credit really has to go to Senator Schumer as well as all these incredible candidates that really got this done.

SHARPTON: Senator, as DSCC chair, you have to feel pretty good about this map. Democrats won states that Donald Trump, as you said, carried by double digits. But success also created different problems late in the race. Places that had been considered long shots became competitive. Angie Nixon lost Florida by less than three points. Jamie Davis lost Louisiana by less than two, and Scott Colom is still in a razor-thin race in Mississippi. This isn't about second-guessing every spending decision, but is there a lesson here about expanding the map earlier and taking some of these red state candidates seriously sooner. What might the party do differently next time?

GILLIBRAND: Well, just so you know, we did take these candidates very seriously. I've been working with Scott Colom for over a year and a half. He's come to a bunch of our big events nationally. Our supporters across the country got to know him. We invested $8 million early to register new voters in Mississippi. So Scott has been on our radar for a very, very long time, and so we were always trying to double down to expand the map. We had four expansion states, and we won three out of four. It was Mississippi, it was Kansas, it was South Carolina and Florida. And of the four states, Angie's state just happened to be the most expensive. It is a behemoth of a state. It is deeply red. But it is a testament to her candidacy, her unbelievable, inspiring candidacy that she organized her state. She had a very late primary, and she still got her vote out. She ran an incredible race. We've always taken her seriously. I've personally done fundraisers for her, and she really hit the ground running. But what it does tell us is that all of these states are going to be in play next cycle. We have another shot at Florida next cycle. We have another shot at North Carolina next cycle. And we have Wisconsin. So we have so many opportunities for the next cycle to continue to build on this map to continue to raise the kind of money that allows us to keep expanding. Again, to win five states that Trump won with double digits, you will add to that two more if we win, and when we win, let's just say, when we win Mississippi and Alaska because we are up in both of those states.

SHARPTON: All right, Kirsten Gillibrand. Always good to be with, have you with us, and to be talking to you. New York senator and chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. Thank you.

###