Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) reiterated his concerns that President Joe Biden‘s handling of the war in Gaza will hurt his support with young voters and the Democratic Party base.
Sanders’s continued concerns come despite actions he has recently taken threatening to withhold weapons from Israel if they go forward with a military operation in Rafah — the final Hamas stronghold in Gaza. The Vermont senator commended the president’s threats toward Israel but echoed his worries about support for the war, while speaking on NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
“I certainly support the president saying that it is absurd to provide Israel with 2000-pound bombs, which could level an entire square block in the midst of Rafah, which is an incredibly densely populated area — so the president is clearly right,” Sanders said. “What I worry about is that this war in Gaza right now is not only strongly opposed by young people, but a whole lot of people in the Democratic base.”
“Look, I am strongly supporting the president because many domestic issues he has done an excellent job, but I think there are a lot of people in the Democratic base who are concerned about his support for Israel in this war,” he added.
Sanders had previously cautioned that Biden’s handling of the war in Gaza may be what will lead to his undoing, similar to President Lyndon Johnson’s handling of the Vietnam War caused him to not seek reelection in 1968. Biden’s campaign pushed back on that comparison as an “over-exaggeration.”
Biden has seen several protest votes in Democratic primaries in states like Michigan, along with continued protests from students and young people on the Israel-Hamas war. The November election between Biden and former President Donald Trump is expected to be close, but Biden currently trails Trump in most polls — in a reversal of the polling data from four years ago.
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When asked again on Meet the Press if he still thinks Gaza could be Biden’s Vietnam, Sanders said, “Of course” it runs the risk of happening.
“A lot of people are very disappointed,” Sanders said. “It’s hurting him politically.”