Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said Thursday he isn’t “absolutely certain” President Donald Trump would veto a Medicare-for-all bill if one reached his desk, pushing back on skepticism from MS NOW host Chris Hayes during an interview.
Sanders argued health care “is a human right” and claimed the policy is now backed by “over 60% of Americans, probably 80-90% of Democrats.”
Hayes cut in, noting he’d seen the polling move but questioned whether the math works. “I think you and I would agree, the odds of Donald Trump signing that into law, pretty small,” Hayes said, asking whether Democrats would even hold both chambers.
Sanders rejected the premise outright.
“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 then made a case that Trump might actually sign it.
“No. 2. 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 added that regardless of the outcome, Democrats should still bring the bill forward. “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 broadens among its base.
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Psychotherapist and author Jonathan Alpert told Fox News Digital that Sanders has been “giving the same speech for decades” and argued that framing health care as a human right doesn’t settle the policy question.
“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 said Sanders appears to be flattering Trump’s ego to improve the bill’s odds. “He’s appealing to Trump’s ego, dangling the possibility of a historic political victory. It’s a clever bit of psychological maneuvering,” Alpert said, adding that “other politicians may want to take a cue from Bernie.”
Sanders made the remarks after Democrats’ sweeping wins in Tuesday’s midterms, in which the party retook control of both the House and the Senate. Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.
