Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) was once President Joe Biden's primary rival in 2020. Now, the influential senator is calling on Biden — whom he has already endorsed in 2024 —to communicate a bold message to voters still on the fence about his candidacy.
A recent Bloomberg/Morning Consult poll found that Biden is still trailing former President Donald Trump in the seven swing states most likely to decide the November election — Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The chief concern about Biden among holdout voters in those states is his age, according to pollsters. But Sanders told MSNBC host Alex Wagner that Biden can regain the advantage by communicating a message embracing economic populism.
"President Biden has established a good record over the last four years. There's a lot that he has to be proud of," Sanders said. We took this country, under his leadership, out of the pandemic and the economic downturn, from the pandemic a lot faster than people thought. We have started to rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, putting more money into transforming our energy system and dealing with climate change. He's been a strong supporter of women's right to control their own bodies."
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"He has a good record. But I think what he's got to talk to the American people about, is an understanding that despite our accomplishments over the last three and a half years, ordinary Americans have been hurting for decades. We don't talk about it," Sanders continued.
He reminded Wagner's audience that there are still "massive" levels of income inequality and a healthcare system that the Commonwealth Fund ranked in 2023 as the worst and most costly in the world. He also described the child care system as "collapsing." A Bank of America study released in February found that American adults pay, on average, 30% of their monthly income in child care costs — the second-highest rate in the world.
"The president has been good, he's been out walking the picket line with striking workers for the first time in American history. I applaud him for that," Sanders said, with the caveat that Biden still has to win over struggling Americans on the campaign trail.
"He's gotta get up there and say, 'look, give me a second term. Give me real, Democratic control over the House and Senate, you know what, we're gonna take on the ruling class of this country, we're gonna take on greedy corporations, and we're gonna provide an economy that works for working people, not just the one percent,'" Sanders said. "I think if he gets that message out, he could win this election."
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Watch the full video of Sanders below, or by clicking this link.