Bernie Sanders reaches out to Donald Trump supporters: 'He thinks the low minimum wage is a good idea'

Bernie Sanders makes a play for Donald Trump supporters

(Image credit: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images)

published 20 December 2015

At Saturday night's Democratic debate, ABC's David Muir asked Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) if after the terrorist attack in San Bernardino, there is ever a case where racial profiling is okay. Sanders said that if people see something suspicious, like boxes of guns and ammunition delivered to a neighbor's door, they should report it, calling that a "no brainer." Lots of Americans are scared of terrorism, the Vermont socialist said, but they are also scared about their economic security, watching the top 1 percent getting wealthy while they are getting poorer.

Then Sanders turned to Donald Trump and his supporters, arguing that Trump has taken the American middle class' economic anxieties and said the solution is scapegoating Mexicans and Muslims. Sanders then made a plea that perhaps the people who go to Trump rallies should support him instead. Sanders, who has made the fight against income inequality the central message of his campaign, said Trump "thinks the low minimum wage is a good idea," and that low wages are a good idea in general. You can watch below. Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.

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