Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Wednesday that the U.S. is moving toward an “oligarchic form of society” and urged Vice President Harris to make that message more central to her campaign.
In doing so, Sanders said on CNN’s “The Lead with Jake Tapper,” Harris would appeal to the supporters of former President Trump who once backed the senator in his presidential bids.
“Here’s the message,” Sanders said, when asked how Harris could target those voters. “And it’s a message that I know is difficult for many politicians to bring forth. And that is the recognition that increasingly, the United States is moving toward an oligarchic form of society.”
Sanders, who ran for the White House in the 2016 and 2020 elections, pointed to the growing inequality in the country and the accumulation of wealth among a handful of select billionaires.
“The billionaire class and the 1 percent have never, ever had it so good. Period. End of discussion,” the senator said, noting they have “more income and wealth inequality than any time in American history.”
At the same time, Sanders continued, “tens of millions of people, working people, struggling to put food on the table. That is the reality.”
He did not place blame on any specific politician but called on today’s political leaders to address the inequality, as well as the outsized influence that wealthy Americans can have on elections.
“It’s not Kamala Harris’s fault, it’s not Joe Biden’s fault, not Donald Trump’s fault, it’s been that way for a long time, getting worse,” the Vermont independent said. “But, you know what? You got to recognize that.”
Sanders also gave Harris advice for what her message should be: “Look, working people of America: I am on your side, and I am prepared to take on the billionaire class, including these wealthy campaign contributors who right now are dominating the political process.”
He said she should work to get rid of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which paved the way for corporations and other outside groups to spend unlimited funds on elections.
He added that the decision “allows billionaires to buy elections.”
“I think you got a working class that is hurting, that I think is turning to Trump only because they don’t see real alternatives,” Sanders said. “And I think if she gives them an economic alternative that says, ‘I am going to stand for you, I’m going to take on these greedy people who want it all,’ I think she could turn some Trump people around and win this election, maybe win it big.”
The Hill has reached out to the Harris campaign for a response.
