Why Trump Fears Bernie Sanders

Donald Trump’s escalating attacks on Bernie Sanders show that he’s starting to realize something that still escapes most pundits: Sanders would be his toughest opponent to beat in November.

President Trump Departs White House To Attend College Football Championship Game

US president Donald Trump waves as he walks along the West Wing Colonnade before departing from the White House on January 13, 2020 in Washington, DC. Mark Wilson / Getty


Bernie Sanders has been in a tough fight with his fellow Democratic nomination contenders for nearly a year. But with polls showing him leading ahead of the Iowa caucuses next month, Sanders has become the target of a new round of attacks from none other than President Donald Trump.

Repeatedly bringing him up during a rally last week in Toledo, Trump and his campaign also sent out two emails blasting Sanders, with one describing the Vermont senator as a “wealthy, fossil-fuel guzzling millionaire” who “lectures Americans on how to live their lives while doing the exact opposite.” In a statement to Buzzfeed, Trump’s campaign spokesperson Tim Murtaugh also took aim at Sanders for his position on Iran: “Bernie Sanders is dangerous. He believes that taking out the most vicious terror chief on the planet sets a bad ‘precedent’ and he uses the same talking points as the Iranians and Russians by calling it an ‘assassination.’ He cannot be trusted to keep Americans safe.”

On its own, this line of attack is mostly uninteresting: a replay of the same basic schtick Republicans have used against Democrats for decades.

This article is for subscribers only. Please login or subscribe to access our full archives and beautiful print and digital magazine starting at just $3 a month.