Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), while maintaining past criticisms voiced about President Trump, has praised the commander in chief’s political prowess.
“It is clear that this shutdown has got to end as soon as possible,” Sanders said on CNN’s “The Source with Kaitlan Collins” on Monday. “But what‘s also clear is that Trump now understands that he has to finally deal with the health care crisis that his legislation, the big beautiful bill, has caused.”
“Trump may be crazy and Trump may lie all of the time, but he‘s a good politician,” Sanders told Collins.
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Sanders said Trump sees the same polls he sees, and that Americans “can’t afford health care now.”
“And you, Mr. Trump, want to double health care premiums for over 20 million people,” The Vermont senator continued. “You want to throw 15 million people off the health care that they have. You‘re going to destroy a broken health care system. We may not be able to recover from that. I think Trump understands that the Republicans understand that.”
Sanders also slammed House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and said he wished Johnson “had not given his members a vacation.”
“They‘re not here,” Sanders said. “That‘s pretty pathetic.”
On Monday, Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social that he would work with Democrats in Congress “on their Failed Healthcare Policies, or anything else, but first they must allow our Government to re-open.”
The government shutdown began after Senate Republicans and Democrats could not reach a funding deal, with Democrats demanding an extension of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies on track to expire at the end of 2025.
Last Wednesday, Sanders appeared with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), a close political ally, in an online video talking about their votes related to the government shutdown. They talked about the lapse in ACA premium subsidies being the main reason to withhold their votes.
“At a time when we’re already paying by far the highest prices in the world for health care, at a time when people can’t afford it right now,” Sanders asked Ocasio-Cortez. “So what happens?”
“That means people getting bankrupt over chemotherapy, people going to the pharmacy and not being able to get their insulin,” Ocasio-Cortez replied.