CNN's Chris Cuomo grills Bernie Sanders about Medicare-for-all health care, socialism

Chris Cuomo and Bernie Sanders debate Medicare-for-all

(Image credit: Screenshot/YouTube/CNN)

last updated 8 June 2018

On CNN Thursday night, Chris Cuomo and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) spent a good 15 minutes talking health-care policy, but Cuomo started off with politics, noting that President Trump's poll numbers are improving. "Don't you think that President Trump deservedly gets credit for this strong economy, that it's not just a byproduct of what's going on globally?" Cuomo asked.

Sanders did not agree, saying Trump has to explain why Germany, Japan, Mexico, and the U.K. also have historically low unemployment. "Our economy is doing well in terms of unemployment," he said. "But we are not doing well in terms of raising wages for working families," and policy-wise, Trump "is going to war against working people. He is a tool of the wealthiest people in this country, and I think the American people understand that."

Cuomo walked over to a whiteboard, saying he had done his homework and Sanders had to explain three things about his Medicare-for-all plan, starting with the idea that "socialized medicine," and thus socialism, "smacks of the end of capitalism." Sanders said Cuomo "is going to have to do some more homework," pointing out that every other capitalist society has single-payer health care, and Americans love Medicare.

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Cuomo noted that Americans hate change, and one in nine Americans works in health care, so Sanders' plan endangers their jobs. "We will create more jobs under a rational Medicare-for-all system than currently exists," Sanders replied. "There will be a transition, just in the same way, Chris, as we have to transform our energy system away from fossil fuel. We create more jobs, but there will be pain and you gotta deal with that pain." "Right, but dealing with pain is not something that is done well in politics," Cuomo noted, and they sparred about the political viability of raising taxes versus eliminating private health insurance costs — and also, more personally, family dynasties. 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.