Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders’ 2020 presidential campaign officials pushed back against fellow candidate Pete Buttigieg’s recent claim that Trump and Sanders supporters are similar.
The South Bend, Indiana mayor’s comment came during a Friday campaign event during which he said economic anxiety “kind of turns you against the system in general, and then you’re more likely to want to vote to blow up the system, which could lead you to somebody like Bernie, and it could lead you to somebody like Trump. That’s how we got where we are.”
Former Democratic Ohio Sen. Nina Turner, who co-chairs Sanders’ campaign, took to Twitter to push back on the comparison Sunday, saying Sanders’ supporters aren’t the same and that “Sen. @BernieSanders supporters are Democratic & Independent voters, many of whom are people of color.” (RELATED: Buttigieg Doubts That Trump Believes In God)
Democratic California Rep. Ro Khanna, a Sanders campaign adviser, followed suit later that day, calling Buttigieg’s statement “intellectually dishonest.”
Come on @PeteButtigieg. It is intellectually dishonest to compare Bernie to Trump. Bernie is for giving people healthcare, education, childcare, & more pay. He wants to blow up credentialed elitism — those who reject tuition free college for all. https://t.co/WmliyE8uDe
— Ro Khanna (@RoKhanna) April 22, 2019
Another campaign advisor, James J. Zogby, agreed with Khanna and Turner, tweeting that, “Equating Trump & Bernie is as outrageous as it is just plain dumb. It shows no understanding of politics, social dynamics, & reality.”
A virtual unknown throughout 2018, Buttigieg’s political career has been rising in 2019. According to the newest New Hampshire poll released Monday, Sanders is in first with 30% and Buttigieg in third with 15%.