'He is like me': Trump explains why Sanders would be his toughest opponent
by Rob Crilly
| February 24, 2020 12:35 PM
President Trump predicted that the congested Democratic nomination race will go all the way to the party’s convention and that Bernie Sanders could prove the toughest opponent to beat in a general election.
Speaking to reporters during his flight to see the Taj Mahal in Agra, India, he said Sanders would offer the stiffest test.
“I actually think he would be tougher than most of the other candidates because he is like me, but I have a much bigger base,†he said.
Sanders is leading polls in the race for the nomination. He also has proven more adept at attracting followers on social media than his rivals, a strength he shares with Trump.
Supporters say he is bringing new and infrequent voters into the political process. And his energetic followers also turn out in numbers for his rallies — another feature of Trump’s success.
The result is a rash of media think pieces comparing two insurgent candidates who ran far from the party's mainstream to try to clinch the nomination, who both like to say "yuuuuge," and who share a populist skepticism for conventional thinking on free trade.
Jeanne Zaino, professor of political science at Iona College, said the comparisons overlooked a crucial difference.
"Sanders has been in Congress an awfully long time, and he was an elected official before that. Although Bernie Sanders might not be the establishment favorite, unlike Trump, he is not coming from outside Washington by any stretch of the imagination."
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https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/he-is-like-me-trump-explains-why-sanders-would-be-his-toughest-opponent
