Former Green Party candidate and consumer advocate Ralph Nader says the two-party American political system creates "second class citizens" out of third-party candidates.

He speaks with Here & Now’s Jeremy Hobson about the flaws he saw in the Democratic primary, and says those who still blame him for Al Gore’s presidential loss in 2000 are “fact deprived.”

Interview Highlights: Ralph Nader

On which candidate he's supporting

"I don't pick between two, I don't like the Democratic Party or the Republican Party. I think they are indentured to big money super PACs with the exception of Bernie, of course. Now I believe in voting your conscience, which means there are small parties that offer up options too, the Green Party, that's probably going to have Dr. Stein as the candidate, or the Libertarian Party that has already nominated the former governor of New Mexico, Gary Johnson. There are other parties too, and you can always write in your vote. I believe in maximum choice for the voters."

On third-party candidates participating in debates

"They're not going to get to the 15 percent, that's an incredibly high hurdle that historically has almost been off limits to third-party candidates, and so the debate commissions is going to have to be pressured by public opinion, by media reviews, by asking who's on the board of this debate commission, so they lower their private barrier down to, say 5 percent, which is a more reasonable barrier."

On voting for a Republican or a Democrat over a third-party candidate

"I think voters in a democracy should vote for anybody they want, including write in or even themselves. I don't believe in any kind of reprimand of voters who stray from the two-party tyranny and from the commonality that these two parties have demonstrated in terms of allowing big money to corrupt politics, allowing Wall Street to override and take much control of Washington, and allow our foreign policy to be so militarized.

If you don't deny major candidates your vote, you can't possibly change it. That's the only language they understand, is to deny them the vote. Having said that, I think Hillary Clinton will defeat Donald Trump, because she has the greatest ally, which is Donald Trump defeating Donald Trump. He is unself-controllable. Not just uncontrollable, he is unself-controllable."