Sen. Bernie Sanders got into a tense exchange with a Trump-supporting small business owner about federal regulations hurting small businesses.
Sanders, participating in a CNN town hall event Monday, said it’s “very easy to blame” President Obama for unfavorable regulations, but that there is more to it than that.
Jim Jacobs, identified as a small business owner from Chester County, Pa., likely a realtor, who voted for President-elect Trump, said small businesses like his have been “kicked in the teeth by this administration. Its regulation after regulation and tax upon tax.”
“What Donald Trump does understand is the complexities of business and to reward the person who takes the risk,” Jacobs added.
He asked the Vermont lawmaker and former Democratic presidential candidate why the Obama administration is so adverse to the business owner?
Sanders replied that he doesn’t agree that the administration is tilted against business owners, and said he would have gone further than Obama to raised taxes on top 1 or 2 percent.
Jones shot back: “You haven’t lived until you’ve put a payroll on your credit card.”
“This is the reality of the backbone of this country,” he added.
Sanders asserted that the U.S. should be supportive of small businesses. When asked whether there is room to work with Trump on getting rid of regulations, Sanders deflected.
“Should a small business or a large business be be able to pollute the water or the air or the food? No. I hope you don’t believe that,” Sanders said.
“I don’t pollute air. I don’t pollute water. I don’t pollute food,” Jacobs replied. “However, when these rules and regulations comes in to cover all of business, and you’re trying to start a business, it’s tough enough.”
“I think we should take a look at it, but the devil is in the details,” Sanders said. “We gotta see what those regulations are.”
“Some of them by the way, may not all — it’s very easy to blame Barack Obama by the way,” Sanders continued. “Some of those regulations may be state maybe they’re local. I don’t know exactly the federal regulations.”
“But you’re saying you’re open to looking at it?” asked the host, CNN’s Chris Cuomo.
“Of course,” Sanders replied.
“Look, if there’s a regulation that doesn’t make any sense, why do you keep it? But some of them, if you’re taking about, you have some folks out there who really want the freedom to pollute our air or to pollute our water. They want to get rid of those regulations. I don’t agree. I think we have to protect our environment.”
