Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said in a Thursday interview that he isn’t convinced President Donald Trump would veto a Medicare-for-all bill, even as MS NOW host Chris Hayes questioned whether such legislation could ever become law.
“Healthcare is a human right. We need Medicare-for-all, which is now supported by over 60% of Americans, probably 80-90% of Democrats,” Sanders said.
Hayes pushed back, noting the practical odds. “I think you and I would agree, the odds of Donald Trump signing that into law, pretty small,” Hayes said, pointing to polling showing rising support for Medicare-for-all and noting that during a recent race, Abdul El-Sayed was attacked on many issues but not on that one.
Sanders rejected the premise.
“Hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it, hold it. Two points. Point No. 1: Trump has the constitutional right to veto if he wants to do it. But we have the constitutional right to represent the American people and to pass the damn thing and to show the American people that we are sick and tired of maintaining a broken system.”
He continued with a notably different read on the president’s political instincts.
“You know what? Donald Trump may be a bit crazy, but he is not stupid. And he is a good politician. And if this guy looks out all over the country, and he says, ‘Oh my God, everybody knows the system is broken. You know what, what do I got to lose?’ So, I am not absolutely certain that Trump would not sign it.”
Sanders said the outcome of a veto fight isn’t the point. “But whether he would or not, our job is to produce it. He wants to veto it, Republicans want to sustain that veto, that is their responsibility. The American people will see it,” he said.
Sanders has pushed Medicare-for-all for years, and the idea has gained ground within the Democratic Party as support has grown.
A pointed reaction
Psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert told Fox News Digital that Sanders has been “giving the same speech for decades.”
“He knows how to tap into people’s frustrations, but calling health care a human right doesn’t automatically make Medicare-for-all the answer,” Alpert said. “Now, Bernie is saying Trump ‘may be a bit crazy, but he is not stupid’ and calling him ‘a good politician.’ That’s quite a compliment coming from someone who’s spent years attacking Trump. Even Bernie seems to recognize what many Democrats refuse to admit: Trump is a skilled politician who knows how to read the public.”
Alpert argued Sanders’ comments were a deliberate strategy. “He’s appealing to Trump’s ego, dangling the possibility of a historic political victory. It’s a clever bit of psychological maneuvering. Bernie may think Trump is crazy, but apparently he’s smart enough to know that flattering him might get him further than attacking him. Other politicians may want to take a cue from Bernie,” he said.
Sanders made the remarks days after Democrats won big in Tuesday’s midterm elections, retaking control of both the House and the Senate. Fox News Digital said it reached out to the White House for comment.
