Sen. Bernie Sanders, the independent from Vermont, said Democrats lost working-class voters to President Donald Trump because the party failed them on economic issues, acknowledging a weakness that has reshaped American politics.
Asked in an interview on MS NOW what Democrats had done wrong to lose working-class support, Sanders pointed to the party's economic record. «What I think what Trump did, again — this gets back to my view — that the Democratic Party failed working-class people on economic issues,» Sanders said. He added that Democrats had much to be proud of on civil rights, women's rights, gay rights and environmental issues, but not on working-class issues. «No, I don't think they've done a good job,» he said.
Sanders, who has long criticized the party's economic direction, cited unfulfilled promises and trade agreements he blamed for the loss of American manufacturing jobs. «What they did is for years, they heard the Democrats say, 'Oh, we're going to do this, we're going to do that, and we're going to help you.' And they didn't,» he said. «Democrats pushed through terrible trade deals, which cost us millions of good-paying manufacturing jobs, et cetera, et cetera. They lost faith in the Democratic Party, and not unjustifiably.»
The comments reflect a debate inside the party over how to win back voters who have drifted toward Republicans. The Republican National Committee's national press secretary, Natalie Baldassarre, said in a statement that Democrats can no longer claim to be the working-class party when they raise taxes, send jobs overseas and harm industries. She said the party's only interest is appeasing its far-left base while working families pay the price.
Voting data from the 2024 election illustrates the shift. A Fox News Voter Analysis found that Trump defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris 53% to 45% among voters with household incomes between $50,000 and $99,999. Harris carried voters earning $100,000 or more by 53% to 46%. Trump also won voters who reported falling behind financially by 29 percentage points, while about 40% of voters identified inflation as the most important factor in their vote, a group that backed Trump by nearly two to one.
Sanders has raised the issue before. After Trump's 2024 victory, he said it should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party which abandoned working-class people would find that the working class had abandoned them. He noted that the shift began with white working-class voters and now includes Latino and Black workers as well. «While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they're right,» he said at the time.
The debate over class and party loyalty has grown as the gap between rich and working Americans widens and more households feel squeezed. Sanders has argued that forcefully taking on corporate lobbying and fighting for working-class issues can win support across party lines, a message he says is gaining ground with everyday Americans.