- Opinion
- 05 Jun 17
Bernie Sanders Uses Irish Trip To Lambast Trump & His Policies
During his flying visit to Dublin this Bank Holiday weekend as part of the Dalkey Book Festival, the former US presidential candidate confessed that he's still bewildered by how Donald Trump became US President.
Speaking last night at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, the Senator joked to the audience at the sold-out event: "I know you will be shocked to learn I am not a great fan of Donald Trump."
The 75-year-old pointed out that Trump was "lying through his teeth" during the presidential election and admitted that he was still shocked by how the former reality TV star is now in charge of the Oval Office. "How did someone like Donald Trump end up as President of the United States?" He said, and added that the US President "lies all the time"!
He explained that the American public are "finding it very strange that we have a President who seems to be more comfortable with autocrats and authoritarians than with leaders of democratic nations".
He also said that Trump's decision to pull out of the Paris climate deal was "incredibly stupid". He observed, "How in God's name do you make public policy in defiance of science?"
Asked if he would consider running again for the presidency in 2020, Sanders responded: "Honestly, I don’t know." He added that his only focus at the moment was to help the Democrats. "The decision I have made right now is to open up the Democratic party and bring millions more into it.”
During the flying visit, Senator Sanders, along with his wife Jane O'Meara Sanders, visited President Michael D. Higgins at Áras an Uachtaráin
The couple also took genealogy tests to trace their Irish roots. Senator Sanders told the audience last night that his wife's result came back as 96% Irish, which he pointed out is "more than the average Irish person in Ireland”.
As the event wrapped up, the Senator urged the Irish public to "have confidence that, at the end of the day, the American people are going to do the right thing”.
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