In a new interview during his UK tour with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt) reiterated his criticism of the American political establishment, accusing it of serving the billionaire class instead of working people.
What Happened: "What Trumpism is about is an understanding that the system in America is not working for working-class people," Sanders said to the Guardian. While admitting that Trump has "hypocritically" leveraged that anger, Sanders cautioned that his so-called solutions "will only make a bad situation worse."
The Democratic Party, according to him, does not address income inequality. "Their weakness is, I think, that their credibility is now quite low. And they don't have much of a message for working people, other than to say Trump is dangerous. I think that's just not enough," he said.
He shared how his advice to Kamala Harris's 2024 campaign was to focus on working-class needs, but it was dismissed in favor of appeasing billionaires and projecting conservatism. "They thought that was the right approach. I did not think that was the approach, and I was public about that," Sanders said.
Why It Matters: Sanders highlighted what he views as a sinister convergence of wealth and political power that undercuts democratic institutions. He criticized Project 2025 as a "movement for authoritarianism," referring to Trump's attacks on the media, judiciary, and legal tenets.
Despite his warnings, Sanders sees hope in his rallies alongside Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, which are drawing crowds even in conservative states. "Large numbers of people… do not want to see oligarchy in America, do not want to see authoritarianism," he said.
"We're going to take on the billionaire class," Sanders asserted. "They're going to start paying their fair share of taxes."
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