On the eve of Tuesday’s primaries, which represent his last chance to clinch the Democratic nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) joined Martha MacCallum and Bret Baier for a town hall in Michigan.
Sen. Sanders is on the record praising communist leader of Cuba, Fidel Castro, on account of a literacy program launched by the Cuban government, which Sen. Sanders says merits praise. When pressed by Baier about his recent comments praising authoritarian dictator Fidel Castro, which received an abundance of justified backlash, Sen. Sanders doubled down.
When asked if he has any regrets about his sentiments about Castro, Sen. Sanders said “no:”
Bernie Sanders defends, doesn't regret praising Fidel Castrohttps://t.co/U7KFs5rLfp pic.twitter.com/kNCl8WDbWt
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 9, 2020
When reminded of his Democratic colleagues rightfully condemning his favorable view of Castro, Sen. Sanders claimed that criticism is another effort of the Democratic establishment to undermine him:
“We’ve got a lot of Democrats who are attacking me, you know that. Nothing new there,” Sen. Sanders said.
Sen. Sanders has no issue with Fidel Castro, but previously claimed President Trump is an authoritarian leader:
Here is the simple truth. Donald Trump, like his friends in Russia, Saudi Arabia and North Korea, is an authoritarian leader who does not believe in democracy. The election officials in FL, GA and AZ must ignore the rantings of this president and COUNT EVERY VOTE.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 12, 2018
Tuesday's primaries in Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota and Washington will be Sen. Sanders' last chance to gain momentum back after a series of sweeping wins and high-profile endorsements for former Vice President Joe Biden. Follow along with our coverage here.