Sen. Bernard Sanders said Sunday that Republicans should “worry very much” about their prospects in the 2018 midterm elections, saying voters are starting to doubt President Trump’s promises to the working class.
Mr. Sanders, a Vermont independent who launched a progressive movement during last year’s Democratic primary, said large voter turnouts in Alabama, Virginia and New Jersey in 2017 suggest that the American people think Mr. Trump is falling short.
“What you’re seeing is a referendum on Donald Trump, about a man who said one thing during the campaign, and his actions are very, very different,” Mr. Sanders told CNN’s “State of the Union.”
He said Mr. Trump promised “health care for everybody” but pushed an Obamacare replacement that was projected to leave about 30 million fewer people without coverage a decade from now.
The GOP tax plan is a boon for corporations and the wealthy, while offering little for the middle class, the senator argued. And he said Mr. Trump promised to take on the drug companies, yet tapped a former pharmaceutical executive to lead the Health and Human Services Department.
“If I were Republicans, I would worry very much about 2018,” Mr. Sanders said.
Mr. Trump, however, is bullish about the GOP’s prospects and plans to hit the road in support of his party’s candidates.
He’s pointing to record highs on Wall Street and the success of his tax-cut efforts, saying Americans will see more money in their pockets and that a negative news cycle is the only thing holding him back.
“Despite only negative reporting, we are doing well — nobody is going to beat us. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he said Sunday on Twitter.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.