(RepublicanNews.org) – Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders is not afraid to diverge from President Joe Biden on the Israeli military operations in Gaza, even after joining the president just a month before on the campaign trail.
Back in April, Sanders stood beside Biden on stage for various White House events where the two touted their records and joint efforts to reform climate response policies and access to healthcare, while also going viral on TikTok together digging into former President Donald Trump. The two have forged a working bond over the last few years on various policy fronts, but the escalating violence in the Middle East is one area where the two octogenarians part ways.
On Friday, May 3rd, Sanders appeared on CNN for an interview and told host Christian Amanpour that others have called the situation “Biden’s Vietnam.” He said that despite the positive aspects of Lyndon Johnson’s presidency during the Vietnam War, how he handled that conflict alienated a lot of “young people” and “a lot of the Democratic base.” Sanders says Biden’s “views on Israel” and the war in Gaza are having a similar impact.
Biden has maintained a milquetoast position on the matter, supporting Israel’s “right to defend itself” while also trying to appease his voter base by entertaining ceasefire talks, facilitating pausing in conflict for hostage exchanges, and sending aid to both sides of the venture – one to help Israel restock resources, and the other to help civilians in the Gaza Strip impacted by the war Israel has waged relentlessly for seven months to weed out Hamas militants.
That war kicked off after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7th, which killed over 1,200 in Israel and then captured over 200 people who were then brought over the border into Gaza. Since Israel launched its military operations in the Palestinian territories, almost 35,000 more people have been killed in Gaza according to Palestinian statistics.
His disagreements with Biden on the war on Gaza do not seem to dissuade Sanders from continuing to back the president, even though he understands why many Americans “are less than enthusiastic about Biden.”
Sanders said it comes down to having “maturity” when dealing with politics, and that people can either vote for Biden, vote for “someone” who he said could be “the most dangerous person in American history” (referring to Trump), or not at all, which Sanders said would also allow “the other guy,” i.e. Trump, to win.
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