Bernie Sanders said a Trump presidency would be an “absolute disaster” for the entire world during an interview with The Nation published Tuesday.
“The first thing that I’ve got to think about is: What does a Donald Trump presidency mean for the people of my state and for the people of this country? And for the people of the world? I think it would be an absolute disaster,” Sanders said when asked why he decided to endorse Hillary Clinton to the dismay of many members of his populist progressive base. “Therefore, as a United States senator, I’ve got to do everything that I can to make sure that Trump does not become president.
“The point is not to say that we love Hillary Clinton or that we agree with her on all of the issues. The goal is to go above that and ask: Which candidate will do a better job for middle-class and working-class families? I think the answer is obvious,” Sanders said.
“But if Trump is elected president … I just don’t know what America looks like four years after his election, in terms of the kind of bigotry that will be erupting, in terms of the kind of divisiveness that we will see, the kind of demagoguery that we will see.”
Though Sanders’ underdog campaign is credited for having a huge impact on the Democrats’ platform, the socialist politician maintained that the the party “needs revolutionary change.”
Sanders railed against the party’s current strategy, arguing that they have become susceptible to their “same old weakness: much too much dependency on consultants and TV ads rather than mobilizing people.”
Trump has gained significant support among working-class whites who traditionally vote for Democrats, while Clinton is commonly criticized for spending much of her campaign hobnobbing with the nation’s wealthy cosmopolitan elite.
“I think Democrats have got to be running a grassroots campaign — mobilizing people and being prepared to take on the 1 percent with an agenda that speaks to the needs of ordinary workers,” Sanders said.
