Last updated: Dec. 18, 2024, 2:23 p.m.
Meet the Press’ Kristen Welker asked Sen. Bernie Sanders about pardoning Biden’s son, and Sanders responded by taking Welker to school.
Transcript by Meet The Press:
Kristen Welker:
Senator, was pardoning Hunter Biden the right decision for the country??
Sen. Bernie Sanders:
Well, I’m thinking two things. As a father, as a parent, I think we can all understand that Biden is trying to protect his son and his family when the opposition is going after them. On the other hand, I think it is dangerous in a sense that a precedent has been set. This is a very broad pardon and, depending on the circumstances, could pose problems for future presidents.
Kristen Welker:
Do you think this pardon will allow him to leave behind his legacy, Senator?
Sen. Bernie Sanders:
Well, I think his legacy is a strong legacy. I think President Biden is probably the most progressive president in American history since FDR when it comes to domestic policy. And I think the economy today is in a very strong position in many ways. But I believe that as President Trump. When Kristen takes office, we need to understand. This is something I feel very strongly about. And it’s not talked about enough. We are rapidly moving towards an oligarchic society. Never before in American history have so few billionaires, so few people, had so much wealth and power. Never before have there been so many sectors of Wall Street and power so concentrated. And never before in American history have the people at the top held so much political power. We can’t go around the world saying, “Oh, Putin has an oligarchy in Russia.” Well, here too our oligarchy was born. And in this last election, billionaires from both parties spent billions to elect their candidates. Right now, here in Vermont, we believe we have one-man, one-vote town meetings. It’s democracy, not billionaires buying elections. These are the issues we must focus on. We have to rebuild the middle class. 60% of our people live paycheck to paycheck. We are the only major country on earth that does not guarantee health care to all people. Many older people are suffering, and childhood poverty rates are high. So I look forward to working with President Trump when he has ideas to help the working class. If he wants to attack democracy and a woman’s right to control her own body, we will stand firm against it.
video:
Sen. Sanders (I-Vermont) had money to spare. Joe Biden will easily go down in history as the most progressive American president since FDR. The Biden presidency will be studied for decades to come for its transformative effectiveness. President Trump’s corruption and criminality, and the damage he has likely done to American democracy, will also be studied.
Mr. Welker’s question was not short-sighted. President Trump has filled his Cabinet with billionaires and is seeking to redistribute power and wealth upward through the largest oligarchy in the history of this country.
Hunter Biden’s pardon makes no sense at a time when billionaires have bought the presidency and are now trying to take over the federal executive branch.
Billionaires buying elections may be the most pressing threat to the country right now, and Bernie Sanders was right to take Kristen Welker to school.
