Hmm: Bernie Sanders Actually Gave Trump Credit for Something, But Did He Really Mean It?

Left-wing Senator Bernie Sanders garnered some attention over the weekend when he started to storm off of an interview with ABC's Jonathan Karl. It was a weird moment. Sanders seemed to take offense to Karl asking a question about whether Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez should challenge Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer in a primary. The Socialist scolded the journalist for 'doing nonsense' with the inquiry, though it's unclear why he considered it out of bounds. The Left is in an open mutiny against Schumer over his recent decision not to use a filibuster to shut down the government. There have been lots of whispers about Bernie's tour co-headliner being urged to try to unseat Schumer.

In fact, just days ago, she herself made a less-than-subtle reference to the idea in Arizona, during one of her joint events with Sanders:

AOC in Tempe AZ: "We need a Democratic Party that fights harder for us... one thing I love about Arizonans is that you all have shown that if a US senator isn't fighting hard enough for you, you're not afraid to replace her with one who will and win." pic.twitter.com/KAjm8t7bn6
— Brahm Resnik (@brahmresnik) March 21, 2025

In any case, during that same exchange with Karl, Sanders was willing to credit Trump on one major front:

Q: "Is there anything that you think Trump has done right?"

BERNIE: "Yeah, I think cracking down on fentanyl, making sure our borders are stronger. Look, nobody thinks illegal immigration is appropriate." pic.twitter.com/zKDJ1oGYWR
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) March 23, 2025

This is a politically savvy answer, quite honestly. But it's cynical. Trump's approval rating on fighting illegal immigration is strong, and Democrats have generally positioned themselves as out-of-touch extremists on the issue. To offer some positive reviews, landing where most voters are, is smart. But Sanders is not some authentic opponent of illegal immigration. "Nobody things illegal immigration is appropriate," he says now. But can you spot him here?

During a Democratic primary debate in 2019, the candidates were asked to raise a hand if they supported decriminalizing illegal border crossing. Nearly every single one did—including Joe Biden. Now they want you to pretend they didn't go ahead and immediately do it. https://t.co/4iV1rlSseD pic.twitter.com/UudfXI5BbJ
— Batya Ungar-Sargon (@bungarsargon) February 6, 2024

And how about here?

Last time Bernie Sanders ran for president, not long ago, he pledged to decriminalize illegal border crossings, as well as provide taxpayer-funded healthcare coverage to illegal immigrants. He clearly doesn't believe illegal immigration is 'inappropriate.' To the contrary, he actively encourages and incentivizes unlawful migration by promising to reduce penalties for it, and to give illegal immigrants healthcare upon their arrival. His healthcare plan, by the way, would rip existing coverage away from more than 177 million Americans, forcing everyone into an unresponsive and unaccountable government system, at a cost of trillions per year. As a reminder, we are already running shocking deficits, before any such multi-trillion-dollar scheme is factored in. Even after huge tax hikes on every American, this would still be unsustainable. Consider what we just learned on this exact question in Uber-Left, high-tax California:

Gavin Newsom’s California massively expanded a taxpayer-funded healthcare program for illegal immigrants. You’ll absolutely believe what happened next! pic.twitter.com/8SrnzrXv9Z
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 17, 2025

Sanders is well aware of this, just as he's aware of what happened in his own home state. And yet, he's addicted to this terrible policy idea. Bernie Sanders and his fellow Socialists are not remotely credible opponents of illegal immigration. They are credible proponents of ruinous government-run healthcare. I'll leave you with this:

"Today on how f*cked is Canadian healthcare: I need an MRI to see if I have a f*cking brain tumor. Go ahead guess when it is? Go ahead, guess. It's in 2026."pic.twitter.com/Brz8MtjpFN
— Defiant L’s (@DefiantLs) March 23, 2025