The Sanders campaign addresses that tense post-debate moment with Warren

Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders
(Image credit: Robyn Beck / Getty Images)

What did Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) say to each other during their tense post-debate exchange?

That remains a mystery, but Sanders' campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, has provided a bit more information, telling The Washington Post on Wednesday that Warren approached Sanders after the Democratic debate to "raise a concern."

This exchange between Sanders and Warren became one of the evening's most talked-about moments, primarily because Warren seemed to rebuff Sanders as he reached out for a handshake. The two then shared a few words that couldn't be heard on television but that appeared far from friendly. Although billionaire Tom Steyer was standing nearby, he told CNN he didn't really listen to the conversation.

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After Warren raised this unspecified concern, Sanders said "let's talk about that later," Shakir told the Post.

Although Shakir didn't explain what Warren's "concern" was, one would assume their conversation had something to do with their ongoing dispute about a 2018 conversation in which Warren claims Sanders said a woman couldn't be elected president in 2020. Warren said during Tuesday's debate she "disagreed" when Sanders allegedly said this, although she wasn't directly asked whether he did.

Sanders has said he did bring up during the conversation with Warren that President Trump, a "sexist," would "weaponize whatever he could" in 2020. But he has denied claiming a woman couldn't win, saying during the debate, "Anybody who knows me knows that it’s incomprehensible that I would think that a woman cannot be president of the United States."

Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.