Bernie Sanders Pivots Progressives Ahead of a Second Trump Administration

Over the course of two presidential campaigns, Sen. Bernie Sanders, the Vermont independent, seemed to sell out to the Democratic Party to capture the party’s nomination. In 2024, however, Sanders might be returning to his heterodox ways by signaling his approval of some of President-elect Donald Trump’s plans. 

The independent socialist senator became a household name when he sought the Democratic Party’s nomination for president in 2016. Although he lost to Hillary Clinton, he won the progressive wing of the Democratic Party a seat at the table. To forward his progressive causes as a Democratic candidate, however, he had to change some of his once-nonnegotiable positions. 

For example, prior to running for president in 2016, Sanders called open borders a “Koch brothers proposal,” referring to the wealthy Koch brothers, David and Charles, who funded a number of conservative and libertarian causes.  

“That’s a right-wing proposal [open borders] which says essentially there is no United States … It would make everybody in America poorer, then you’re doing away with the concept of a nation state, and I don’t think there’s any country in the world which believes in that,” Sanders said in 2015.  

“If you believe in a nation state or in a country called the United States or U.K. or Denmark or any other country, you have an obligation in my view to do everything we can to help poor people,” he continued. 

Nevertheless, Sanders’ immigration policy as a presidential candidate proposed ending deportations of illegal immigrants and “raids” of places where illegal immigrants lived and worked by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. 

Furthermore, in 2006, Sanders had a “C-” rating from the National Rifle Association, which is on the higher side for someone who caucuses as a Democrat, after he voted in favor of the Protection of Lawful Commerce in Arms Act the previous year. Sanders was one of the 60 caucused Democrats who voted in favor of the bill, while 140 Democrats opposed it. Under this law, firearms manufacturers and dealers are not held responsible when crimes are committed with their products. 

As a presidential candidate, however, Sanders went all-in on gun control and called for a ban on “assault weapons.” 

But maybe the old Bernie is back. Ever since the American people presented Trump with their “mandate,” Sanders has signaled some support for Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency. 

In a turn of events that drew the attention of Democrats and Republicans alike, Sanders tweeted: “Elon Musk is right. The Pentagon, with a budget of $886 billion, just failed its 7th audit in a row. It’s lost track of billions. Last year, only 13 senators voted against the Military-Industrial Complex and a defense budget full of waste and fraud. That must change.” 

In a statement after the 2024 presidential election, Sanders said, “First, it was the white working class, and now it is Latino and black workers as well. While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.” 

The Democratic Party lost this year’s elections because it neglected to acknowledge the struggles faced by America’s working class, according to Sanders. 

This is where the Department of Government Efficiency comes in. Tech mogul Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy will lead this nongovernmental organization to make recommendations on where to cut government spending and address economic issues of the working class. 

Sanders’ support doesn’t end at the Department of Government Efficiency, however. He also defended Trump’s pick for director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, amid a slew of criticism directed at her. 

Maybe this is political bluster on Sanders’ part. But it could well be that Sanders is firing a warning shot to the Democratic establishment: Progressives are prepared to be a thorn in the side of the Democratic Party if their causes are sidelined.  

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