During a Sunday interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos, former Vice President Joe Biden spoke about the candidacy of Bernie Sanders and the electability of his campaign’s Democratic socialism, Newsweek reports.
According to Biden, beating Donald Trump will be more challenging while defending the Democratic Socialist tag that Sanders has attached to himself. However, he acknowledged that he would support a Sanders nomination as best as he could.
“I think it’s going to be incredibly more difficult,” he said. “Look, if I don’t get the nomination and Bernie gets it, I’m going to work like hell for him.”
Nevertheless, the 77-year-old politician added that it would be a “bigger uphill climb” to run on a ticket associated with the Democratic Socialist tag and said that Trump would have a “field day” with such opposition.
While the centrist faction of the Democratic Party continues to fear a Sanders-Trump match-up, The Intercept previously reported that the president has been growing concerned about the Vermont senator and the possibility of facing his platform. He has reportedly addressed Sanders more in the first few weeks of 2020 than in the entire period since last summer, with this increase notably observed amid a decrease in attention to Biden.
In a previous 2018 conversation with indicted Rudy Giuliani associate Lev Parnas, Trump revealed his nervousness on the possibility of facing Sanders as Hillary Clinton ‘s running mate in 2016.
“I think Bernie as vice president would have been tougher. He was the only one I didn’t want her to pick,” he said.
“You know, I got 20 percent of [the] Bernie vote, people don’t realize that, because of trade, because he’s a big trade guy.”
Bernie Sanders reacts to jabs from President Trump and Joe Biden on his self-proclaimed label of Democratic Socialist. #FNS #FoxNews pic.twitter.com/Y5obzwDcag
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) February 9, 2020
Trump has described Sanders as a “communist” — a label Sanders has brushed off, The Hill reported. During a recent interview with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday , the 78-year-old politician suggested that Trump might not “know the difference” between a communist and a Democratic Socialist.
Sanders remains in a prime position ahead of the New Hampshire primary on Tuesday. In the latest update to the 7 News/ Emerson College tracking poll, Sanders tops the field with 30 percent support, while Pete Buttigieg — his closest competitor in the Iowa caucuses ?– has 20 percent support. Trailing Buttigieg is Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who has surged to third with 13 percent support.
In terms of age, Sanders leads with voters under 50 with 44 percent support, with Buttigieg in second with 17 percent, and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren in third with 13 percent.
