Sanders-Trump Debate More Likely Now That This Tech CEO Just Put Up The $10 Million

Former Bloomberg for President Backer and New York Technology CEO Offers Up the Big Money

Richie Hecker is now the $10 million man. The chairman and CEO of Traction and Scale, a technology investment firm based in New York told BuzzFeed he’s willing to pony up the big money to see Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump debate. Target date: June 6, one day before the California primary.

The debate was Senator Sanders’ idea, to which Trump agreed, tacking on a $10 million “fee” for charity – something Trump’s not very good at following through with.

“Yesterday, Mr Trump asked for a $10 [million] donation to charity in order to accept Mr Sanders’ challenge to debate him,” Richie Hecker told Buzzfeed News in a statement. “We are willing to offer that $10 [million] donation in return for the opportunity to host the debate.”

“We would host the debate as a physical event and live stream it to the world,” Hecker says in his statement to Buzzfeed. “As a technology incubator and investment company, Traction and Scale builds transformative user experiences and will host the debate on our cutting-edge mobile technology. We have distribution to 250MM Americans on social media through this channel.”

Hecker says he wants the debate to “focus on compromise and solutions,” which would be an interesting and new challenge for both candidates. 

“We would invite the candidates to look at the forum less as a debate, and more as a negotiation for the future of America. We believe that Mr Sanders and Mr Trump collectively represent the voice of the American people. We are confident that convening the voice of the people in a nonpartisan forum will spark the revolution and make America great again.”

Hecker in January wrote an op-ed calling for Mike Bloomberg to run for president. He later started an unsuccessful campaign to draft the  former New York City Mayor.

 

Image by Gage Skidmore via Flickr and a CC license