Steyer on Warren-Bernie convo: ‘I didn’t hear anything’

 Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer said he didn’t hear what Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said during what appeared to be an uncomfortable exchange after Tuesday night’s presidential debate.

“I didn’t really hear anything,” @TomSteyer says about being in the middle of an interaction between Sens. Warren and Sanders after last night’s debate. “… I just said my good nights as fast as I could.” https://t.co/2ApJKUT2E2 pic.twitter.com/ohA81aOsnY

— New Day (@NewDay) January 15, 2020

“I didn’t really hear anything,” Steyer said in a Wednesday morning interview on CNN. “I just said my good nights as fast as I could.”

Steyer, a businessman who has made climate change the central issue of his campaign, was also asked by MSNBC shortly after the exchange if he heard any details from the conversation. 

“All I was trying to say was to both Sen. Warren and Sen. Sanders, ‘It was great to see you. Thank you for participating in this,'” Steyer told MSNBC. “And whatever they were going on between each other, I was trying to get out of the way as fast as possible.”

Sanders held out his hand to Warren as the two approached each other on stage Tuesday night, but they never shook hands.

They appeared to have a short conversation before Sanders turned to walk away.

For a portion of the conversation, Steyer was the third wheel. He appeared to have come over to wish each candidate well after the debate.

Tensions between Warren and Sanders are high after a CNN report that Sanders told Warren in a 2018 meeting that he did not think a woman could win the presidency. 

Sanders has vigorously denied he said any such thing, an account he had repeated earlier in the night when asked directly.

“As a matter of fact, I didn’t say it,” Sanders said.

Warren, however, has said she disagreed with Sanders on the issue when they spoke about it in December 2018. 

The two progressives had previously not battled with one another and have spoken fondly of each other. They share many of the same policy views, though a rare disagreement did appear Tuesday night on the subject of a new trade deal with Mexico and Canada.

Sanders said the deal was not worth supporting, while Warren supports it and described it as a modest improvement.

The two are battling ahead of the Iowa caucuses. Both are seen as legitimate contenders to win in Iowa.