Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer

Born in 1957, Tom Steyer graduated with a B.A. from Yale in 1979 and an MBA from Stanford in 1983. By this time he was already active in the world of finance, and eventually rose to manage the hedge fund Farallon Capital, becoming a billionaire. After retiring from business in 2012, he became a climate and environmental activist.

Campaign Website

Arms Trade Treaty

Steyer explicitly supports the Arms Trade Treaty.

Response to Amnesty International questionnaire, June 2019

“Any new president is going to have to be repair the damage that Donald Trump has done to the United States foreign policy. He has made friends with our enemies, and enemies out of our friends. Our country is safer when more countries have free and fair elections; when countries respect the rights of women and minorities; when citizens are allowed to freely express themselves, question their leaders, and protest; and when they follow the rule of law. Greater democratic rules lead to greater economic growth and greater stability around the world. Our foreign policy should reflect our values. As the largest producer of arms in the world, we should be pursuing treaties to restrict small arms trade and gun trafficking. I would rejoin the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty.”

Arms Sales to Saudi Coalition

Steyer explicitly supports ending arms sales and military support to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

Washington Post questionnaire, "Do you support ending military and intelligence assistance for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen?"

"Steyer supports ending military and intelligence assistance for Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen, he told The Post."

Twitter post following President Trump’s veto of S.J. Res. 7, April 17, 2019

“Speaking of constitutional authorities @realDonaldTrump, Congress should use theirs to look into your business dealings with Saudi Arabia. We deserve to know why you would side with this murderous regime by continuing our involvement in the Yemen Civil War.”

Firearms Export Oversight

Steyer’s position on this issue is unknown. He supports banning assault-style weapons domestically, but has not directly addressed broader export oversight rules..

"We Can End Gun Violence”, campaign website, September 30, 2019

“I will fight for commonsense gun laws that have long been studied and proven, and I will fight to: [...] Ban high risk weapons including assault weapons, device modifications, high capacity ammunition magazines, and strengthen laws on untraceable firearms, including ghost guns, 3D printed guns, and home manufactured guns [...] Regulate sellers by monitoring their inventory and restricting sales locations [...] Prohibit manufacturing of guns outside of traditional supply chains, including 3D printing and ghost guns”

Mine Ban Treaty

Steyer explicitly supports reversing the Trump administration’s new landmine policy, but has not indicated if he would seek to join the Mine Ban Treaty. Steyer condemned the new landmine policy and promised to work toward peace in the Korean peninsula.

Statement from Steyer’s senior press secretary Benjamin Gerdes as reported in Vox, February 4, 2020

“Trump’s cruel and reckless decision to reverse the landmine policy is further proof that he’s unfit to serve as commander-in-chief
Every day, someone around the world loses a limb or a life by stepping on one of over 100 million landmines. As president, Tom will immediately reinstate the Obama administration’s policy of banning landmine production and will work toward lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula."