As speculation intensifies that he is about to embark on a second run for the presidency, Sen. Bernie Sanders delivered his own response to President Donald Trump's first Oval Office address, following the official Democratic response by congressional leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer.
Sanders begins by seemingly agreeing with Trump that America faces a "national emergency" but quickly says it's an emergency of Trump's own making. In Sanders' view the emergency is not an influx of immigrants, but the government shutdown. He proceeds to list all the constituencies threaten by a prolonged shutdown such as recipients of food aid, small business and farmers who receive government assistance and national security workers who won't get paid.
Sharpening his rhetorical knifes, Sanders charges that "President Trump lies all of the time" and proceeds to debunk some of Trump's favorite talking points.
Sanders tries to bring discussion back to his agenda, claiming Trump is "divert[ing] our attention away from the real crises" such as "starvation wages," 30 million without health insurance, poverty among seniors and climate change. "
We don't need to create artificial crises," closes Sanders, "We have enough real crises" -- words that could be easily used on the presidential campaign trail.
Sanders begins by seemingly agreeing with Trump that America faces a "national emergency" but quickly says it's an emergency of Trump's own making. In Sanders' view the emergency is not an influx of immigrants, but the government shutdown. He proceeds to list all the constituencies threaten by a prolonged shutdown such as recipients of food aid, small business and farmers who receive government assistance and national security workers who won't get paid.
Sharpening his rhetorical knifes, Sanders charges that "President Trump lies all of the time" and proceeds to debunk some of Trump's favorite talking points.
Sanders tries to bring discussion back to his agenda, claiming Trump is "divert[ing] our attention away from the real crises" such as "starvation wages," 30 million without health insurance, poverty among seniors and climate change. "
We don't need to create artificial crises," closes Sanders, "We have enough real crises" -- words that could be easily used on the presidential campaign trail.