Sen. Bernard Sanders said Wednesday that President Trump is trying to divide the American people, and that despite his shortcomings in the minds of Democrats, Mr. Trump is not “stupid.”
“Now, Trump may be crazy, he may be a racist, but he is not stupid,” Mr. Sanders said at a 2020 presidential candidate forum at the NAACP’s annual convention in Detroit. “He is doing what demagogues have always done, and that is to pick on minorities, to divide people up in order to gain power.”
“The antidote, in my view, to what Trump is doing is exactly the opposite, and what our campaign is about is bringing people together … around an agenda that works for all of us — not just the 1%,” Mr. Sanders said.
The senator also touted his “Medicare for All” universal health care proposal. He reiterated his support for studying the issue of reparations for descendants of slaves, although he has stopped short of supporting direct financial payments.
“Here is my fear: The Congress gives [the] African-American community [a] $20,000 check and [says] ’thank you, that took care of slavery — we don’t have to worry about anything more,’” Mr. Sanders said. “I think that’s wrong.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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