He’s bern-ed out.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) strongly suggested over the weekend that he had no interest in a third run for the presidency in 2028, citing his advanced age.
“Oh, God. Let’s not worry about that. I am going to be 84 years of age next month, as a matter of fact. So I think that speaks for itself,” Sanders told CNN’s “State of the Union” in an interview that aired Sunday.
The far-left Vermonter launched two bids for the Democratic nomination in 2016 and 2020, losing out to Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, respectively.
When asked whom he wanted to see bear the Democratic standard in three years, Sanders told host Dana Bash: “I want to see, obviously, the most progressive candidate that we can have … rally the grassroots of America.”
“Will they stand up and fight for economic and social and racial justice? Absolutely. There are some great young people,” added the senator, who declined to mention any names.
If Sanders were to run in 2028 and win, he’d assume office at the age of 87, becoming the oldest-ever US president.
Sanders won re-election to the Senate last year, and publicly cast doubt on running for a fifth term in 2030, also due to his age.
In recent months, Sanders and far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) have crisscrossed the country on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, holding their most recent rallies in West Virginia and North Carolina over the weekend.
“People are hurting,” Sanders told Bash, “and they want candidates to come before them to stand up for the working class and take on the oligarchs, who have so much economic and political power.”
In March, Sanders stormed out of an ABC News interview when asked if he would like to see Ocasio-Cortez join the Senate.
The Bronx and Queens representative has been a subject of speculation that she will either primary Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) or run for the presidency in 2028.
Sanders was also asked to weigh in on President Trump’s suggestion that Vice President JD Vance would “probably be favored” for the Republican nomination.
“I think he has nothing really — neither Trump nor he, nor the Republicans of today have anything of significance to say to working-class people,” Sanders responded.
“What they’re trying to do is to divide us up. ‘Oh, you’re a Muslim. You’re undocumented. You’re black. You’re gay. Let’s divide everybody up so that rich can become richer.’ Our job is to bring people together. Doesn’t matter to me who heads the Republican Party.”
Read the full article here