Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., says while he disagreed with late President George H.W. Bush on a lot, he would take him back in the White House over President Trump any day.
“Of course I disagree with him [H.W. Bush], but he was an honest man, he was a decent man, he loved his country very much,” Sanders told late night comedian Stephen Colbert Thursday night, eliciting audience applause. “We wish that we could have a president who was honest back in the White House again.”
Bush died Friday at 94, and Trump and first lady Melania Trump, along with all four former living presidents and their wives, attended his funeral this week at the Washington National Cathedral.
The independent senator, who lost the Democratic primaries to Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election cycle, praised Bush for being a war hero. Sanders who in 1990 was elected to his first House term midway through Bush’s tenure, said he always found the 41st president a kind person despite their political differences.
Sanders has not said whether he will seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, adding he is taking a hard look and discussing it with his family.
“There’s some really good people out there, many of them are personal friends of mine, who are thinking about running, as well,” Sanders told Colbert. “I’m trying to ascertain, quite honestly — going beyond ego — which candidate has the best chance to beat Trump. And which candidates’ ideas can most turn this country around, so that we have a government that works for all of us, and not just the people on top.”
