Senator Bernie Sanders dropped a bombshell on the Flagrant podcast when he agreed the Democrat Party is also a threat to democracy.
The admission left podcast hosts Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh shocked.
And Bernie Sanders stunned podcast hosts when he admitted this awful truth about the Democrat Party.
Sanders confirms Democrat Party is a threat to democracy
Bernie Sanders has been an outspoken critic of the Democrat establishment for years.
The Vermont Senator, who identifies as an independent but caucuses with Democrats, has frequently butted heads with party leadership during his presidential runs in 2016 and 2020.
But Sanders took his criticism to a new level during a recent appearance on the Flagrant podcast with Andrew Schulz and Akaash Singh.
When Singh asked Sanders if Democrats are also a threat to democracy, the Senator didn’t hesitate.
“Yes, fair enough,” Sanders responded. “Yeah, I’m not going to argue with that point, and that’s why I’m proudly an independent.”
The moment came after a discussion about how Democrats have handled their primary process since 2008.
Schulz, who described himself as a “lifelong Democrat,” expressed frustration with the party, saying it “completely removed the democratic process from its constituents.”
“We talk a lot about the Republicans being autocrats and oligarchs and taking over democracy,” Schulz said. “But from the Democrat perspective — and I’m a lifelong Democrat — I felt like the Democratic party completely removed the democratic process from its constituents.”
Sanders’ response was simple but devastating: “No argument here.”
Sanders reveals Democrat establishment “hated” his supporters
The Vermont Senator didn’t stop there. He went on to describe the animosity he faced from party insiders during his presidential campaigns.
“The hatred that we felt in 2016 and 2020 from the Democratic establishment…” Sanders recalled. “Give you an example: we would do rallies and have thousands of people—often young people of color, working-class people—coming out. They were great, full of energy.”
But the reception was very different at official Democrat Party events.
“And then we’d go to Democratic Party events, and there’d be a few hundred people—mostly older, whiter, wealthier,” Sanders explained. “Then you saw the clash. The establishment did not want to open the door.”
Sanders described an elitist attitude from party leaders who seemed repulsed by working-class voters.
“They hated the idea that all these people whose hands were a little bit dirty, who didn’t have PhDs, who weren’t wealthy—imagine them walking in,” Sanders said. “‘It’s my party, man. You ain’t getting in. Yes, we will fight you in the most ruthless ways that we can.'”
Sanders admits party is funded by wealthy donors
When asked how the Democrat Party became so disconnected from working-class Americans, Sanders pointed to campaign financing.
“During the ’60s and ’70s, Democrats caught on—you could raise a lot of money from wealthy people, and that became the path,” Sanders explained. “So it gets back to campaign financing and all that stuff.”
The result has been a party that caters to elites rather than ordinary Americans.
“You’ve got a Democratic establishment now which is funded by wealthy people,” Sanders continued. “You have consultants who are really way out of touch with reality, who make a whole lot of money in campaigns. And the working class is ignored.”
Sanders noted that this creates an opening for Republicans, including Donald Trump, to appeal to voters who feel abandoned by Democrats.
Sanders blames consultants for Harris campaign failure
The podcast hosts pressed Sanders on Kamala Harris’s failed campaign, with Schulz criticizing her message as essentially promising more of the same.
Sanders defended Harris personally but blamed her campaign team.
“That was her bloody consultant,” Sanders said. “I mean, I know Kamala. She’s a friend. She’s very smart. That’s what her bloody consultants told her to say. I begged them.”
When Schulz asked why Harris couldn’t push back against poor advice, Sanders acknowledged the criticism.
“You’re right. Look, there’s no argument,” Sanders admitted.
The exchange highlights the ongoing civil war within the Democrat Party in the wake of Trump’s return to the White House, with progressives like Sanders arguing the party needs fundamental reform while establishment figures resist major changes.
Sanders revealed he’s working to recruit thousands of new candidates to run for offices from school board to Congress, with many planning to run as independents rather than Democrats.
“In the last month, we have enlisted—I think—7,000 people who are prepared to run for office,” Sanders said. “And by the way, a good percentage of them don’t want to run as Democrats. They want to run as independents.”
When asked if Democrat leadership is more willing to listen to progressives now, Sanders was blunt: “Are they more willing to listen to me? No, they’re not.”
