Influencers Transcript: Valerie Jarrett, April 4, 2019

ANDY SERWER: The face of a nation or company doesn't stand alone. Advisors guide the biggest decisions with little fanfare to show for it. Valerie Jarrett is among the most powerful of those in recent history. A senior advisor to President Barack Obama over both his terms, Jarrett helped make the administration's most crucial decisions on issues like economic stimulus and health care reform.

Before her stint in the White House. She served as Deputy Chief of Staff to Chicago mayor Richard Daley and worked as a corporate lawyer. True to form, she remains a senior advisor to the Obama Foundation. She's here to talk about the intersection of business and the public interest, and how to make tough decisions that take both into account.

Hello, everyone. I'm Andy Serwer, and welcome to "Influencers." And I want to welcome our guest, Valerie Jarrett. Valerie, great to see you.

VALERIE JARRETT: Thank you, Andy. I'm delighted to be here.

ANDY SERWER: Congratulations on your book, Finding--

VALERIE JARRETT: It's a big day.

ANDY SERWER: --your voice.

VALERIE JARRETT: Big day for me.

ANDY SERWER: Yes.

VALERIE JARRETT: Thank you.

ANDY SERWER: It's really a great read. I just finished it. And a couple of huge takeaways. First of all, I have to ask you, is this even the same United States of America, or the same White House, that we're living in today versus the one where you occupied the White House several years ago?

VALERIE JARRETT: It's definitely the same United States of America. It is not the same White House. And look, elections have consequences. But for a lot of people around America, they're just trying to make ends meet. Today is equal pay day. Working women are trying to figure out how they can get paid equally for the work that they do. People are trying to put food on the table for their families, and I think they're sick and tired of Washington really having a rhetoric and tone that doesn't reflect the core decency of our country.

ANDY SERWER: I guess people are really concerned, Valerie, about America being so divided up. And I wonder, how will we ever get unified or closer together again? And you say that Americans have lost confidence in their institutions. Is that part of it? And how do we get back together again?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, it's the power of the individual, working collectively for good. And part of what I tried to accomplish in my book is to encourage people to find their voices and recognize the power that each voice has, beginning with voting, for example. I was so disheartened in the last presidential election to see that 43% of eligible voters didn't even participate. And I think everybody has a responsibility to participate. Because if we don't, I assure you the special interest groups will go in there and fight for the status quo.

And what we need is for Americans to realize that if you want to have a government that reflects your values and your priorities, where the leaders are fighting for you every day, then you have to vote for people you think will do that. And you have to take the time to understand their record, how they've prepared for this new position, and whether they're going to chart the course where you win.

And my takeaway is that everybody needs to get involved. And the midterm elections were heartening. I was delighted to see so many additional women elected to Congress. I think that it's important that people who elect us represent the rich diversity of our country, and I think they're breathing a breath of fresh air and shaking things up a little bit.

ANDY SERWER: So you don't look, to me, to be disillusioned.

VALERIE JARRETT: You know why? Because I spent a lot of time just talking to ordinary Americans, who are still doing extraordinary things. And I spend a lot of energy trying to help people be civically engaged, whether it's voting, whether it's working at the Obama Foundation, creating a platform for Civic Engagement to help take evidence-based strategies to scale, and excite people about the possibility of participating and making their communities better. There's so much that's good in the world, and so I try to focus on that, and get other people to appreciate that, through using their voices, they can actually affect change.

ANDY SERWER: You had a remarkable upbringing, and fascinating too. You grew up in Iran, all over the world, and then the whole Chicago experience. Did you ever expect to be in the White House for all that time?

VALERIE JARRETT: Not in my wildest dreams. And in fact, I always joke with President Obama that when I first met both he and Michelle Robinson, before they were even married-- when they were just engaged-- I was so impressed with his commitment to service and desire to give back, and his intellect, and his intellectual curiosity.

He had everything going for him, and I thought maybe-- just maybe-- one day, you'll be mayor of Chicago. [LAUGHS] That was the most I could dream. That was my definition of reaching the pinnacle. And so not only did he exceed my expectations from way back in the day, but I did as well.

ANDY SERWER: So after those two terms in the Obama White House, it just ends. How do you--

VALERIE JARRETT: Just like that.

ANDY SERWER: Right.

VALERIE JARRETT: In one second.

ANDY SERWER: That chapter in the book where you talk about turning off the lights, literally, was really striking. And how do you process that and move on from that rush that you had for all those years, and what are you doing now?

VALERIE JARRETT: So he helped me with that. I think it was in September of 2016 I said to him, don't you wish we just had four more years? The first years, we were coming out of the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, we passed the Affordable Care Act, repealed Don't Ask, don't tell, realized that the Republicans weren't going to work with us in the second term-- we were doing a lot of work through executive actions and doing what we could within the administration.

I said, don't you wish we just had one more term? And he said to me, Andy, Valerie, 20 million people have health care. We've ended two wars. Osama bin Laden is no longer a threat to us. We have to really established relationships, improved our reputation around the world. We've entered a climate agreement in Paris with nearly a couple of hundred countries to combat climate change. We have a deal with the world powers to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons. Cuba is back with diplomatic relations. We've worked as hard as we could. We've had a great run. Let's go.

And I think that he realized before I did the importance of you do your best, and then you need fresh set of legs coming in and attacking it again. And our hope, obviously, was that there would be a different set of legs that followed him that would have continued his vision for America, but elections have consequences. And guess what, next year, we have another chance and another opportunity to elect somebody who we do think reflects his vision for America.

ANDY SERWER: So what are you doing now? You just finished the book.

VALERIE JARRETT: Yeah. So the book was a big piece of business, and I finished that. I joined the faculty at the University Chicago Law School. And so I love being around young people and the faculty, and the issues that I care about, from gender equity to criminal justice reform, that's a great incubator to focus on those issues. I'm helping President Obama with his foundation. Michelle Obama and I founded an organization called When We All Vote that's designed to change our culture around voting in a non-partisan way, trying to get everybody to appreciate they have to get out and vote.

I co-chair the United State of Women, which grew out of our White House Council on women and girls, our fight for gender equity, so every girl every woman has that chance to achieve her dreams. And I'm on the speaking circuit, and loving every bit of it. I love the fact that I wake up in the morning and I'm at the stage of my life, Andy, where I do exactly what I find fulfilling.

And after eight years of working on everything that came before President Obama's desk, it's kind of nice to be able to pick and choose the issues that I care the most about, from gender equity, to criminal justice reform, to fighting to reduce gun violence, to encouraging people to get involved civically. That's what I care passionately about.

ANDY SERWER: All right. As the first friend, I want to ask you for a little inside scoop. You talked about what they were doing a little bit. What else are the Obamas up to, and how are they doing, and how's the library going-- all those things?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, Mrs. Obama just finished her book and started her tour a few months ago. Best selling memoir ever in history. No surprise to me because I've known her story and shared a good bit of it. So what an extraordinary woman she is, and a gift that she wrote a memoir to share with everybody.

He's busy working on his book and standing up the foundation. We have offices both in DC and in Chicago, and the plans are coming to fruition. The programs are taking shape. The relationship with the universities, such as the University of Chicago and Columbia, are all gelling, and so it's an exciting time to be a part of the Obama Foundation as well.

And look, I think they're doing well. Their daughters are grown. They're amazing young women. I think for every family, when you see your kids go off, and you feel like I've done a good job, that's a wonderful time in life. And they get to spend time with each other again, without the pressures that he was under as President of the United States. So as he often said to me, he'd heard from reliable sources that being the former president was a really good job, and I think he's enjoying it.

ANDY SERWER: Right. All right. Well, let's talk about 2020 a little bit. I gather you haven't endorsed anyone yet.

VALERIE JARRETT: I have not.

ANDY SERWER: OK. Let me ask you about some specific candidates though. Joe Biden, obviously a little controversy surrounding him right now. Do you still feel that he would be qualified to be president?

VALERIE JARRETT: Look, I think he had it right this weekend, when he said that it's an important time in our country. It's a time of change, and it's a time where women, their voices should be heard, and we need to pay attention to them and respond accordingly. So I was impressed with his comment. And I think everyone who wants to run for office should run for office. That's part of the magic of our democracy. You get in there and you get to try to earn the confidence of the American people. And should he choose to do that, I'm sure that he will make a compelling case.

I think we have an embarrassment of riches in the Democratic Party right now, and I'm heartened to see so many qualified candidates throw their hat in the ring and still believe that they can make a difference in our country. And I also have been impressed with the optimistic vision that many of them have described for our country and the direction they want to take it. And so it's very early, having been through two presidential campaigns. I know just how early we are right now, and I'm looking forward to seeing how things unfold.

ANDY SERWER: All right. Well, I guess Joe Biden has to deal with his controversies and see if that pans out for him or not.

VALERIE JARRETT: I think every candidate has to be willing, as President Obama said, lift up your hood, and let people kick your tires, and see what you're made of.

ANDY SERWER: What about Buttigieg? Are we ready for a millennial gay president?

VALERIE JARRETT: [LAUGHS] He's fabulous. And look, he's caught fire. There are a lot of people who'd never heard of him a year ago, who have been caught up--

ANDY SERWER: Do you know him at all? Have you--

VALERIE JARRETT: I do know him because one of my responsibilities in the White House, of course, was being responsible for Intergovernmental Affairs. And so our nation's mayors were a part of my portfolio. And I worked for a mayor, so I'm very prejudiced about loving mayors and what they do-- the economic engine of our cities. And so he's a terrific candidate.

ANDY SERWER: What economic message, Valerie, do the Democrats need to deliver to the electorate?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, I always say that the candidates who are the most authentic, who describe what they care about and what their vision for America is in a way that reaches people where they are-- where you sit there and you think, my goodness, that candidate's talking to me. That candidate understands my life, my challenges. I was a single mom, but a single mom with means. I was a lawyer. I had great childcare. I have parents who supported me.

There are a lot of working families right now that are really struggling. And so as a single working mom, I want a candidate who's thinking about what my life is like and how to make it better. And so I think part of the magic of the democracy is everybody who gets a vote, you get to decide on your own what's important to you and what message will resonate with you, and do you have the confidence that the person can not only deliver the message, but execute in this very very, toxic time in which we're living in Washington.

ANDY SERWER: Elizabeth Warren wants to ban stock ownership for members of Congress. Kamala Harris wants to raise the pay for teachers. Are any of these messages resonating with you?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, look, my mom is a professional in early childhood education, and I have a great appreciation for teachers, and I've often thought that we put our most valuable asset in the hands of people who are not paid for the job that they do. But the broader point I think I would want to make is that I'm glad that candidates are putting their ideas out there.

I think that, too often, we tend to focus on controversy or we focus on one gaffe here or there, or we focus on issues that the American people aren't thinking about when they're sitting around their kitchen table trying to figure out how to make ends meet. And so I think we have to look for candidates who have an economic vision and a strategy for equal opportunity, to make sure that people aren't struggling to figure out how to make ends meet in a country that is the wealthiest country on earth, and try not to let ourselves get distracted the way we did in the last election by rallies in the theater of the race. Focus on the substance.

And so to the Democratic candidates who are in the arena, who are coming forth with policy ideas, I commend them. And it's the beginning of a conversation, and good for them for putting their ideas out there and saying, well, tell us, American people, what do you think of these ideas?

ANDY SERWER: It's so funny reading your book, where you describe yourself as being so shy.

VALERIE JARRETT: I know. I've come a long way, believe me.

ANDY SERWER: Right?

VALERIE JARRETT: Believe me, I used to be painfully shy.

ANDY SERWER: It's hard to believe.

VALERIE JARRETT: Painfully shy. I know.

ANDY SERWER: It's hard to believe. And then--

VALERIE JARRETT: Now I can't shut up. Is that what you're trying to say?

ANDY SERWER: No, that's fine.

VALERIE JARRETT: [LAUGHS]

ANDY SERWER: And your book is filled with strong women characters-- your mother, other role models, mentors. How important, Valerie, is it to have a woman president, either right now or soon?

VALERIE JARRETT: Look, I wish we'd had a woman president back in 2016. So I think it's important that everybody have the opportunity to compete. And the fact that we have now, I think, five women who are actually running for president, that's unprecedented. I think it's terrific. And I think that, over the course of this campaign, we're going to find out whether they have what it takes to really bring it around the finish line. And when I say they, I mean all of the candidates who are running.

And so I'm interested in seeing what happens in the next year. It's going to be fascinating to watch. It's already quite captivating, but I think we do have to keep the spotlight on the policies that are going to move our country forward, and not just the theater.

ANDY SERWER: And it's important to pick, from the Democrats perspective, a candidate who can beat President Trump. Is that the most important thing?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, I will say this to you, Andy. I met with several of the candidates who are running. And generally, I keep my advice confidential, but the two things I've said to them is, number one, be authentic. People see through if you're fake. You better be true. The American people are quite discerning. And number two, keep your eye on the prize, and that's the general election. And don't bloody up your opponents so much in the primary that whoever emerges as a nominee goes into the general election in a weakened condition.

And I actually think that that's not just good advice for the general, but it's good advice for the American people to get behind a candidate. What resonates with me is somebody who tells me what they're going to do, not somebody who's putting down all the other candidates in the primary. But what are you going to do for our country, how are you going to make my life better, and why should I trust that you can do that?

ANDY SERWER: Let's hope the campaign is like that. Shifting gears a little bit, I want to ask you about Lyft. You're on the board of that company. It just went public. Stock's been a bit weak. Are you disappointed?

VALERIE JARRETT: You know what, I can't, obviously, comment on the stock price, but I can tell you I joined the board because I believe in the core business. Not only was I Commissioner of Planning and Development for Chicago, but I chaired of the Board of the Chicago Transit Authority. And the first time I met Logan Green and John Zimmer, the founders, they talked to me about their vision and how they were so frustrated by congestion, and realizing that people weren't being served well by the existing way that we move people around in our cities. And how could they contribute to make that journey easier?

And I love that dedication. I think that they are shrewd businessmen, but they also believe in diversity as a strength. They believe in a social conscience and a commitment to our cities. At the announcement last week in Los Angeles, I had the privilege of joining them for that. And Mayor Garcetti was there, and where we announced an investment to help end the homelessness in Los Angeles. And so they put their money where their mouth is, and they invest in the cities in which they do business. They prioritize our drivers, allowed our most loyal drivers to be able to invest and be owners themselves.

And so I think that they have all the qualities, over the long-term business, that will be quite successful. I'm very proud of them.

ANDY SERWER: A lot of potential still for that company?

VALERIE JARRETT: I think they have enormous potential. Absolutely. Absolutely.

ANDY SERWER: What about tech companies generally? Maybe not the ridesharing companies as much as the social media companies. So different than from, say, 2008-- the Facebooks, the Googles, the Twitters. Do those companies need more regulation, or even need to be broken up?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, look, I think what is important is that we have a conversation about how to try to keep the mischief that's happening on those platforms at a minimum. We have evidence that there is all kinds of mischief going on now. And they are huge, and it is hard to monitor all of that. And so what my advice to them has been-- I've spent a fair amount of time traveling around Silicon Valley-- is to work with the regulators. What do you think the solutions are? Help educate them to understand your business and figure out are there ways where you could make it safer, and less able to be penetrated and threatening to our civilization as we know it.

And so having spent time both at the local level in government and also in the federal government, I always find that it's a lot easier if you work with the regulators than try to fight them. Look, banks spent a lot of money fighting Dodd-Frank. Millions of dollars were trying to keep it from happening, and I wish that they had spent more time trying to work with the regulators to ensure that we never were in a situation where the taxpayers had to bail out the banks again, as opposed to just saying, no, come and work with us.

And there are examples of financial institutions who do that. And I think that that's a healthier approach to solving the problems that we have, rather than just trying to ignore the problems or say no to the regulators.

ANDY SERWER: And speaking of Dodd-Frank, though, there's been a backlash to that not only from Wall Street-- which is not surprising-- but also from Congress, itself, which has looked to roll it back, including some Democrats. Does that surprise you?

VALERIE JARRETT: It did a bit. But look, you make the best judgments you can while you're in the positions that you're in. And you have to be willing to adjust to the circumstances, just as you were saying about the tech companies. When President Obama was in office, much of what they were doing was bringing the world closer together, offering ways for us to communicate more effectively, share information, gather and discuss important ideas together, socialize together.

And now we're seeing a lot of the misdeeds that can be done on those platforms, and so you have to adjust. And I think part of what you expect from your government and from business leaders is when new issues do come to the surface, deal with them. Deal with them responsibly, deal with them in a transparent way, where everybody can see what's going on, and try to learn from what's happened in the past.

ANDY SERWER: You talk about watching the election returns in 2016 with the Obamas, and watching a movie. What was that like as the returns came in, and the mood sort of changed, I guess?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, it was pretty depressing, to say the very least. It wasn't what I expected. I actually didn't see it coming. And as I said to you earlier, I was so profoundly disappointed that 43% of eligible voters didn't vote. And so that struck me, but I also am old enough to appreciate that our democracy has never moved forward in a straight line, and there always have been zigs and zags along the way. And sometimes those are wake up calls, and I was heartened to see, beginning the day after the inauguration, the Women's March.

I was amazed to see these young people from Parkland who won the hearts of the American people, who turned out in millions all over the country for the March for Our Lives. The level of activism that we're seeing around this country is another reason why I'm still very optimistic, and I think that that's a good thing for our country. I think we have to hold our elected officials accountable, and that has nothing to do with party politics. That has to do with good government.

ANDY SERWER: So many things, Valerie, fell into place for President Trump to win that election. I think even he was surprised, or at least that's what accounts would have us believe. In any way, though, do you think that President Obama is responsible for Donald Trump being elected?

VALERIE JARRETT: No, I don't.

ANDY SERWER: Because of any of the policies that he had, that he didn't reach out to those disenfranchised white rural voters enough, or something like that? You don't think that's the case?

VALERIE JARRETT: I think we made an immense effort to improve the lives of rural America. I believe our agenda was one that touched every American and make their lives better. The Affordable Care Act that is now enjoying record popularity provided a safety net of health insurance for people who had been discriminated against.

And so I think, look, we did the best we could while we were there. President Obama inherited the worst economy since the Great Depression and, by all measures, moved our economy forward, cutting the unemployment rate in half. So no, I think there are a lot of reasons why he won, but I wouldn't put it on the shoulders of President Obama.

ANDY SERWER: Is there any advice you'd like to give to President Trump?

VALERIE JARRETT: No. I'm out of the senior advisor role, and so he's surrounded by people. And I think that, as I said, presidents get to pick the people to whom they listen, and they get their counsel and advice. I had eight years to give President Obama my advice, and now I'm working to try and encourage the Democrats who were running in the next election to present themselves as well as possible.

ANDY SERWER: Ah. Does that mean you would potentially get back in the game for someone else?

VALERIE JARRETT: You know, it's too early to say. I certainly will get behind whoever the nominee is. I can tell you that for sure.

ANDY SERWER: President Trump said he would delay reforming the Affordable Care Act until after the 2020 election. And I'm chuckling a little bit because, of course, he might not be there to do that. Let's talk about the ACA because I knew that was a big deal for you.

VALERIE JARRETT: It was a big deal for the American people. Let's be very clear.

ANDY SERWER: Yes.

VALERIE JARRETT: We did that in order to reform our health insurance system in this country to ensure that people could have access to health care. And I find it astounding that the Republicans are still talking about repealing it. One in two Americans have a preexisting condition. I have one. People in my family have one. My guess is that everybody in this room knows somebody with a preexisting condition.

And as of the Affordable Care Act being passed, insurance companies can no longer discriminate against people. And a preexisting condition could be asthma. It could be a woman who is in childbearing age. It could be something more serious, like cancer or a heart condition. When you need it most, you shouldn't have to worry about losing your insurance or paying higher rates. You shouldn't have to face lifetime or annual caps when you need it the most. Young people should be able to stay on their parents' plans. Women should have preventive care. Senior citizens shouldn't have to cut their prescription drugs in half in order to make them stretch.

And so why, after all this time, are the Republicans still talking about repealing it. And I would hasten to add, 10 years later, they still don't have a replacement plan that they're prepared to get behind. And so you would take it away and hurt hundreds of millions of Americans, instead of working with what you have to make it better, to score some sort of a political point when the majority of Americans actually support the Affordable Care Act? I don't get it.

ANDY SERWER: You make a strong case.

VALERIE JARRETT: I don't get it.

ANDY SERWER: But it's interesting that-- isn't the fact that he's saying, we'll take care of that after the election, is almost capitulation? It's--

VALERIE JARRETT: It's recognizing the fact that it's popular and, even maybe within his own party, he didn't get support for repealing it now, even though that was what I was hearing a couple of days ago, is, well, let's just repeal the whole thing. And I don't know anymore inside information on where the Republicans stand than you, but from what I've heard in the news, he didn't get a lot of traction up on the Hill from his own party about repealing the Affordable Care Act.

ANDY SERWER: Well, that's what they would indicate, I would guess, wouldn't it?

VALERIE JARRETT: That's what that would indicate, I think too.

ANDY SERWER: Yes. Right. What about Medicare for all? What do you think about that?

VALERIE JARRETT: Look, Medicare is a very popular program. And I think that there is nothing wrong with trying to figure out a way to get from where we are now to ensuring every American has access to it. Does it happen overnight? No, but I think that it's well within the conversation to be talking about, how do we improve on our existing system? President Obama passed the Affordable Care Act and that made a lot of progress, but what do we want to do next?

And in a country as wealthy as ours, shouldn't we be able to assure that health care is a right, not a privilege?

ANDY SERWER: Right. Right. I want to ask you about wealth and income inequality, because it seems to me that's sort of a root cause of a lot of our problems in this country. And I want to ask you if you agree with that, number one, and, number two, what you think of Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and Senator Warren's proposals to tax the wealthy at a much greater extent than they are already? Does that make sense to you?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, this is what I think. I think we are a nation that is increasingly becoming a nation of rich and poor, and part of what made our country strong was having a robust middle class. And so I'm all for ways of creating a larger middle class-- not dividing up the pie, but increasing the size of the pie. That comes with education. That comes with having a workforce that's prepared for the jobs of the future.

Technology is a revolution that our generation is going through. And it's creating amazing efficiencies, but what happens to those people who are out of work as a result of those efficiencies? The gig economy has a lot of advantages. Lyft, for example, 91% of our drivers working fewer than 20 hours a week. So they're supplementing their income with driving a Lyft and that provides them with a cushion, but what else are we doing to make sure that people who want to provide for their families have the wherewithal to do that?

And so I think the conversation should be a very open one. And I think that there is no reason why we cannot increase the taxes on the very wealthy, but, at the same time, where are we spending that money? Are we investing in infrastructure, which would create jobs right away? Something that President Obama tried to get Republicans to do for eight years, traditionally something that was bipartisanally supported because it does provide our economy not only with a shot in the arm, but it keeps us globally competitive.

What are we doing to make college more affordable? What are we doing to improving the public education system? What are we doing to making sure that everybody who wants to grow up and go to college can do so and afford it? There are lots of ways that we could be growing the middle class, and that's the lens through which I look at it.

ANDY SERWER: I want to drill down with infrastructure just with the limited time we have left and I ask you about that. Isn't that just a blue state/red state problem, that so many projects are in blue states, and that's why the Republicans don't go along with it? And then also ask you about your take on the Green New Deal, if you have an opinion there.

VALERIE JARRETT: Well I'll start with that first. Look, it's a moonshot. And I commend so many of the young members of Congress-- when I say young, I don't mean just in age, but in tenure-- to coming up with ideas that we can all look for towards the future. And it doesn't have to be materialized today or tomorrow, but we should be thinking, down the line, how do we position our country and the world so that we survive and thrive?

Climate change is a scientifically proven reality. We can not put our heads in the sand and ignore it. If we do so, we do so to the detriment of our children and our grandchildren. And so I think we should be thinking boldly. We should be trying to figure out what can we do to improve the climate of our world, not just our country.

The Paris Accord went a long way. I was very disappointed to see the United States pull out of it. Heartened to see business leaders, such as the former mayor of New York, Mayor Bloomberg, commit to continue to work on climate change, notwithstanding the president pulling out of it-- businesses and governors all across our country are doing the same thing. And so, yes, I think we ought to be tackling these big issues. We shouldn't be shying away from them and putting them off for future generations to have to deal with to their peril.

ANDY SERWER: And the infrastructure problem, how do we solve that?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, look, I don't know that it breaks down in red and blue states because my view is that it's the United States competing in a global marketplace.

ANDY SERWER: Right.

VALERIE JARRETT: And so if we invest in the airport here in New York-- and I've been in and out of LaGuardia-- you compare that to airports-- and I know, Andy, you have been all over the world.

ANDY SERWER: Yes.

VALERIE JARRETT: It's embarrassing.

ANDY SERWER: It is.

VALERIE JARRETT: And it is now getting an infusion of cash, and that's a good thing. It's not only creating jobs here in New York, but, for people who live in red states who want to do business around the world, having the ability to move our goods and services more easily around is important. And so infrastructure should not be a partisan issue. It should be a bipartisan issue, and it has always been so historically.

And so what changed? And how do we get back to focusing on the big challenges that we have, the long-term solutions that require people to put their short-term political interests aside and remember why they were elected? And that's in service of the American people.

ANDY SERWER: And last question, Valerie. This show is called "Influencers." You talked a little bit about this, but how would you like to use your influence on the world?

VALERIE JARRETT: Well, I'm at the stage of my life, as I said, where I can focus where I want. And as you said, I'm no longer shy. I have a big voice and I intend to use it, and I intend to fight for gender equity both here and around the world. I intend to try to continue to reform our criminal justice system, which I think is injustice. I want to continue to try to end gun violence.

I'm really heartbroken to think that in a country such as ours-- this great, great country-- that we have this epidemic of gun violence. Over 3,000 people die every single year. 2/3 of them take their own lives. What are we going to do to change that? So there are a lot of big challenges that we have, and I want to use my voice to help not only catalyze change, but also empower other people to understand the power of their voices.

That's really why I wrote the book. It was a way of saying to folks, look at this young, shy girl from the south side of Chicago, who ended up working for the President of the United States, and who had bumps along the road both professionally and personally, but I was resilient.

And I learned, I suppose, Andy, I would say to you in closing, that it's important to get out of that comfort zone. And I was just clinging to my comfort zone miserably. And it was when I broke free of it, and I began to have the courage to appreciate the adventure and the zig, and the zag, the swirl, the swerve-- however you want to refer to it. That's really where the magic of life happens. And I've been very fortunate, and I just want so many other people who are searching for their voice to know that it's possible to find it, and to do something good with it.

ANDY SERWER: Valerie Jarrett, thanks so much for joining us.

VALERIE JARRETT: You're welcome. My pleasure, Andy.

ANDY SERWER: I'm Andy Serwer. You've been watching "Influencers." We'll see you next time.