Trump campaign goes after Sanders' 'brand of socialism' after his 2020 announcement

Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) announcement that he is running for president has already earned a response from President Trump's 2020 campaign.

A statement from the campaign's press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, says that Sanders has "already won" the debate in the Democratic primaries because "every candidate is embracing his brand of socialism." It goes on to characterize him as being in favor of "sky-high tax rates, government-run health care, and coddling dictators like those in Venezuela" and says that "only President Trump will keep America free, prosperous, and safe."

This pushback is notable in part because, as CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports, this is only the second time the Trump campaign has released a statement in response to a Democratic candidate jumping into the 2020 race. The first was released ahead of Sen. Elizabeth Warren's (D-Mass) announcement, with a statement at the time similarly saying she's in favor of "socialist ideas." Both statements end with almost the exact same sentence, with the Warren one reading, "Only under President Trump's leadership will America continue to grow safer, secure, and more prosperous."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

2020 announcements from candidates like Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) didn't garner statements from the Trump campaign, although Trump did tweet about the latter, saying that in her speech she "looked like a Snowman(woman)!"