Bernie Sanders told Americans not to be concerned about his health following a debate moderator’s question about whether a heart attack he suffered earlier this month would hamper his performance as president.
“I’m healthy. I’m feeling great,” said the Vermont senator, 78, sparking a laugh from the audience. “Let me invite you to a major rally in Queens, New York, and we are mounting a vigorous campaign all over this country. That’s how we are reassuring the American people.”
Despite the heart attack earlier this month, Sanders’ debate performance proved one of his most energetic outings of the primary season.
Sanders early on Tuesday night spoke passionately about the need to impeach President Trump over the Ukraine whistleblower scandal.
“I think that it is absolutely imperative we go forward with impeachment,” Sanders said at the beginning of the fourth round of Democratic debates.
The democratic socialist member of Congress then turned to one of his favorite topics. Sanders talked up his plan for Medicare for All, which would eliminate private insurance and essentially nationalize the country’s healthcare system.
“The issue is whether the Democratic Party has the guns to stand up to the healthcare industry, which made $100 billion in profit, whether we have the guts to stand up to the corrupt price-fixing pharmaceutical industry, which is charging the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs,” he said.
On Oct. 4, Sanders announced he was hospitalized in Nevada and had suffered a heart attack. Following a three-day stay in a Las Vegas hospital and procedure where doctors implanted two stents, he initially said he would be forced to change the nature of his campaign out of concern for his health. He later walked back that statement.
Since the summer, Sanders’ poll numbers have steadily dropped.
His national polling reached a high point in March at 27%, 4 points behind former Vice President Joe Biden. Over the summer, though, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren overtook him in the polls, climbing to front-runner status. A RealClearPolitics average of polls from Oct. 6-13 has Sanders at 15.6%, with Warren at 23.4%, 5 points behind Biden.
