Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) admitted during a podcast aired Wednesday that President Joe Biden failed to establish “a secure border” where President Donald Trump succeeded.
Sanders appeared on the Tim Dillon Show, a podcast that has previously hosted Vice President JD Vance twice. Host and comedian Tim Dillon has a long streak of ranting about illegal immigration and asked Sanders what the Democratic Party’s policy should be on the matter.
“So, has historically the United States done well under Democrats and Republicans protecting the border? The answer is no. Trump did a better job,” Sanders said. “I don’t like Trump, you know, but we should have a secure border.
“And it ain’t that hard to do. Biden didn’t do it. Those before him did not do it,” Sanders added. “We should have a secure border period. I think most people in the Congress agree with that.”
Border security was also among the top concerns of voters ahead of Trump winning the election.
Dillon interjected to ask, “Why don’t you think he did it? Just outta curiosity. Why don’t you think Biden was more proactive with securing the border?”
“He did. He did some things,” Sanders said. “I think by the end of his term — if my memory is correct — the number of illegal folks coming in had gone down. But I’m not gonna sit here and tell you that overall it was a good job, it was not.”
This response from Sanders is a near 180-degree change from his stance on the matter in 2019. In March of 2020, Sanders, while running his own presidential campaign, said he would not close the borders amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Just as Trump was leaving office, he gave a speech where he warned about an impending crisis at the border. Sanders accused Trump of trying “to create artificial crises.”
