Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) expressed his belief that President Joe Biden will win re-election “in a landslide” on Sunday morning, adding that the “choice is pretty clear” for those who “believe in democracy.”
Towards the end of his interview on CNN’s State of the Union, Sanders—who ran against Biden in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary—was asked about the president’s recent re-election campaign announcement. Specifically, anchor Dana Bash wanted to know if Biden’s age could be a drag on his election prospects—a topic the president joked about during Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner.
“He would be 86 years old by the end of his second term. You’re one year older than President Biden,” Bash noted. “Is his age something that voters should consider in 2024?”
Saying “age is one thing,” the Vermont senator stated that “experience is another thing” before asserting that voters need to look at a candidate’s record. “Which side are they on? Are they on the side of the billionaire class, or are they on the side of working people?” Sanders mused.
Pointing out that it’s “no great secret that he and I have strong differences of opinion,” the progressive lawmaker said that any issues he may have with Biden pale in comparison to the alternatives proposed by the GOP.
“But when we live in a nation where you have a major political party, the Republican Party, where many, not all, but many of their leadership doesn’t even believe in democracy, they maintain the myth that Trump won the last election, they’re trying to keep people from voting, they’re trying to deny women the right to control their own bodies, so that’s a whole issue out there,” he declared. “If you believe in democracy, you want to see more people vote, not fewer people vote, I think the choice is pretty clear, and that choice is Biden.”
Finally, Sanders insisted that if the president stuck to a few core principles, he would easily secure a second term in office.
“And, second of all, what I do believe is, the Democrats and the president have got to be stronger on working-class issues,” the senator said. “They have got to make it clear that we believe in a government that represents all, not just the few, take on the greed of the insurance companies, the drug companies, Wall Street, all the big money interests, and start delivering for working-class people. You do that, I think Biden is going to win in a landslide.”
Currently, Biden’s approval rating sits at just 43 percent, and polls show him in a dead heat with Republican frontrunners Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
