Trump calls Bernie Sanders a 'communist,' adds 'Moscow is wonderful,' in Hannity Super Bowl chat

If you were wondering how President Trump would attack each of the top Democrats who might face off against him in November, Fox News host Sean Hannity saved you the trouble. In an interview that aired before the Super Bowl on Sunday, Hannity asked Trump what "comes to your mind" when he read the names of various Democratic contenders. Former Vice President Joe Biden was "sleepy," Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) was a "fairy tale," and Michael Bloomberg was "little."

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who draws his inspiration from European-style democratic socialism, got "communist," in part because he and his wife, Jane, took their "honeymoon" in the Soviet Union in 1988. Trump has his own odd relationship with Russia, and his answer appeared to reflect that, too. "I think he's a communist," Trump told Hannity. "I mean, you know, look, I think of communism when I think of Bernie. Now, you could say socialist, but didn't he get married in Moscow? And that's wonderful, Moscow is wonderful."

"Might have been his honeymoon, I'm not sure." Hannity said. "Well, whatever," Trump continued "But you don't necessarily think in terms of marriage, Moscow. And it's wonderful. I'm not knocking it, but I think of Bernie sort of as a socialist but far beyond a socialist."

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

If you are curious about Trump's other word-association attacks on some of the leading Democrats, you can read the transcript below. Peter Weber