CNN analyst: Republicans 'may regret' hoping Sanders wins nomination
President Trump continues to ride the Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), but some analysts think he and the Republican might want to think twice about what they're wishing for.
Trump on Sunday congratulated Sanders on his big win at the Nevada caucuses, which helped increase his lead in the Democratic presidential primary substantially, making him the frontrunner to take on Trump in the general election in November. The president said it remains to be seen if Sanders can hold on, but he just hopes the Democratic Party treats Sanders fairly, perhaps hinting that he believes there may be some sort of effort from more establishment Democrats to stop his victory from happening.
Not everyone is buying Trump's call for fairness, though. Former Obama adviser David Axelrod, for example, thinks Trump is doing what he can to divide Democrats to boost his own re-election bid.
Who really believes @realDonaldTrump wishes @BernieSanders well?
His goal is not to see to it that Democrats treat Bernie “fairly”-because Trump surely won’t, if Sanders is nominated.
His goal is to divide Democrats. And you’d better believe there is a digital play behind it. https://t.co/z5VdpyiT6Z— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) February 23, 2020
There's also the notion out there that Trump and his supporters believe Sanders give them the best shot at staying in the White House because the senator's more extreme ideological leanings will turn swing voters back to the GOP. But CNN political commentator Mark McKinnon, who worked for former President George W. Bush, believes Republicans may be too sure of themselves, especially because Sanders is able to rile up passion in his supporters in a fashion similar to Trump himself.
"Republicans may regret what they ask for," CNN political commentator Mark McKinnon says. "... Sanders has got a narrative and his narrative is very much like Trump's ironically ... he just has a different prescription and a different cause" (corrects video) pic.twitter.com/JoFCjTToCD
— State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 23, 2020
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