In Leaked Recording, Donald Trump Admits He Feared Running Against Bernie Sanders In 2016
On Saturday evening, the legal team of Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas released an audio recording of a 2018 private dinner between President Donald Trump and his confidants. In the recording, the president can be heard saying that he wants his people to get rid of former United States Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch, who is now one of the key witnesses in the impeachment case against him.
Ukraine was not the only subject the group of men discussed, however. The 2016 presidential election came up during the conversation, and Trump revealed that he did not want to run against Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, according to Common Dreams.
Trump told his confidants that he was glad former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton picked Tim Kaine as running mate instead of Sanders. Sanders, the president told his associates, would have been a much tougher opponent because of his position on trade.
“Because [Sanders’] a big trade guy,” Trump can be heard saying in the leaked recording.
“You know he basically says we’re getting screwed on trade. And he’s right. Had she picked Bernie Sanders it would’ve been tougher. He’s the only one I didn’t want her to pick.”
Sanders, who ran against Clinton in the 2016 Democratic primary, eventually lost and endorsed the former secretary of state. In the general election, Trump famously attacked Clinton for supporting trade agreements such as NAFTA, which he blamed for the decline in U.S. manufacturing, campaigning as a protectionist.
Sanders is running for president again, and this time he seems better positioned to win than in 2016. For instance, according to the latest poll of Iowa Democratic primary voters, Sanders is leading the field with 25 percent of the vote. Former South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg is in second place, with 18 percent.
The situation is similar in New Hampshire. In the Granite State, Sanders has surged to a commanding, double-digit lead, according to the latest WBUR poll. Buttigieg came in a distant second, having secured the support of 17 percent of New Hampshirites. In national polls, former Vice President Joe Biden is still ahead, although Sanders seems to be cutting into his lead.
The once-crowded Democratic primary field is starting to narrow down, and the race appears to be a contest between Sanders and Biden, with Buttigieg and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren battling for third place.
In a general election, Sanders would be a clear favorite against Trump, according to polls. In nearly every head-to-head match-up poll listed on RealClearPolitics, Sanders is beating the president.
