Senate

Sanders says he wouldn’t ‘drop dead’ if Trump decided on universal healthcare

by Justine Coleman - 04/09/20 9:00 PM ET

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Thursday that he wouldn’t “drop dead” if President Trump decided to provide universal healthcare during the pandemic.

Sanders told MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” that Trump has “absolutely no ideology,” so it wouldn’t surprise him if he ended up pitching “Medicare for All,” without calling it that.

“You’re hearing it first right here,” he said. “He may not call it Medicare for All – I would not drop dead if in one form or another Donald Trump got up and said, ‘You know we’re in a terrible crisis. People can’t afford their health care bills. I think we should guarantee health care for all people.”

The Vermont progressive asserted Trump’s goals revolve around winning and enriching his friends, adding “he will say and do anything to do that.”

Sanders recommended congressional Democrats not promote “their 83-point programs that they often do” and instead push “simple, straightforward” plans to “let the people know which side they are on.”

The Vermont senator dropped out of the presidential race on Wednesday after concluding he wasn’t going to win the nomination. During his first interview since dropping out, he said the coronavirus crisis played a role in his decision because he wanted to help the working class through this difficult time.

“I want to play as good a role, as strong a role as I can in protecting the working people of this country during the economic collapse and doing everything I can to make sure that all of our people have the health care that they need right now.”

Sen. Sanders tells @chrislhayes the coronavirus pandemic was a deciding factor in suspending his presidential campaign

“What finally shaped my decision was the reality that as a United States senator, I have got to deal with this unprecedented crisis that our country is facing” pic.twitter.com/5ykcOpt4lh

— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 10, 2020