Bernie Sanders On Trump’s Fake Populism: ‘This Guy’s A Fraud’ [Opinion]

On Sunday morning, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders appeared on CNN’s State of the Union with Jake Tapper and bluntly called Donald Trump a fraud, who misled to voters about his populist agenda. After a discussion on a variety of topics such as Trump’s apparent xenophobia, his misogynistic behavior, and the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court, Tapper asked Sanders about a proposed filibuster of the appointment. Bernie made it clear that he supported a requirement of 60 votes in order for the Senate to confirm Gorsuch.

Sanders expressed concern that Trump’s new administration is acting in an authoritarian manner in attempts to overreach his office. He criticized the new president’s implication that U.S. District Court Judge James Robart is not a real judge because he ruled against Trump’s illegal travel ban, and expressed concern for workers’ rights, women’s rights, and for the environment under Trump.

Bernie Sanders then reiterated that he supports the 60-vote requirement to break a filibuster in order to approve Gorsuch.

“I want a Supreme Court that’s going to stand up for civil liberties, for our constitutional rights, for the rights of workers, for environmental rights, for the rights of women. So yes, 60 votes to appoint the next Supreme Court Justice.”

Tapper then showed Bernie a video of Trump telling JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon that he would look into easing regulations from the Dodd-Frank act so more wealthy people could borrow more money. When Tapper asked him if he could see any upside to “relaxing any of the Dodd-Frank regulations,” Bernie chuckled for a moment before responding.

“You know, it’s hard not to laugh to see President Trump alongside these Wall Street guys. I have to say this, Jake, and I … don’t mean to be disrespectful. This guy’s a fraud.”

And Sanders is right. Donald Trump is a fraud. He’s the worst kind of fraud. He is a billionaire real estate mogul who surrounds himself with other billionaires and who ran on a populist platform of being a people’s president. Trump’s fraud began when he told his supporters he believed in policies and laws that would benefit the American people, and promised to fight the big banks, to build the Mexican wall, to bring manufacturing back, to “drain the swamp. And most importantly, he promised to make our country “great again.” Bernie was having none of it, though, and called out Trump’s hypocritical appointments.

“This guy ran for President of the United States, saying, ‘I, Donald Trump, I’m gonna take on Wall Street’ … Then suddenly he appoints all these billionaires. His major financial adviser comes from Goldman Sachs.”

Since Trump was elected president on November 8, Bernie Sanders has made it his mission to hold him accountable for his promises. As I wrote in a previous Inquisitr piece, Sanders promised to fight Trump ferociously against policies that hurt Americans, while also vowing to supporting his good policies. And thus far, Bernie has kept his word, in both Congress and on Twitter, the social media platform the new president favors.

Sanders criticized Trump’s education pick, Betsy DeVos. He voted against former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson. He condemned Trump’s Muslim travel ban and executive orders to reinstate the Keystone XL and to approve the Dakota Access Pipeline. Last week, Bernie commented on Trump’s speech, mocking the president’s interest in his television program over the well-being of Americans.

“Congratulations to President Trump on his deep, spiritual awakening at the National Prayer Breakfast.”

In early January, Sanders gave a speech on the Senate floor, during which he argued for increased spending on Medicare Medicaid and Social Security, which he said a vast majority of Americans support. He displayed a poster-sized tweet Trump had sent in December of 2015 supporting no cuts to Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid, cornerstones of Trump’s campaign. Bernie likely already knew Trump was a fraud and was striking preemptively to ensure he did not soon forget his campaign promises. But it appears he has cast those promises on the wayside, with nearly 20 executive orders issued in his first two weeks as president.

Bernie Sanders was one of the first in a growing number of federal legislators who are now speaking out against Donald Trump’s authoritarian power grab. Even so, saying Trump’s a fraud on national television is the kind of honesty and courage that drew millions of people to support Bernie in the primaries. Will Trump eventually “Feel the Bern” and change his ways? Unless he experiences a true spiritual awakening, probably not. For the time being, we’ll just repeat Bernie’s phrase: This guy’s a fraud.

[Featured Image by John Minchillo/AP Images]