As the Democratic Party grapples with its sweeping electoral loss and a new political reality, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont has been resolute about his diagnosis of where the party went wrong.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which has abandoned working class people would find that the working class has abandoned them,” he said in a statement after the 2024 presidential election.
This week — when Republicans cemented their control of the House, giving President-elect Donald J. Trump a unified Congress to enact his agenda — Senator Sanders spoke to Michael Barbaro, host of the New York Times podcast “The Daily,” about his take. The two discussed the fallout of the election and where Mr. Sanders sees the Democratic Party going from here.
Below are takeaways from their conversation, with excerpts edited for length and clarity. You can listen to their full conversation on “The Daily.”
Bernie Sanders Says Democrats Have Lost Their Way
An interview with the Vermont senator on the fallout of the election defeat.Sanders is in a fighting mood, but he may be willing to work with Trump.
When asked how he felt about being in the minority with Trump poised to bring an aggressive agenda to Congress, Mr. Sanders said, “Our job is to rally the American people to make it clear, especially to working people, that we need an economy and a government that works for all and to expose as best we can what Trump and his administration are doing.”