Bernie Sanders: Democrats shouldn't be surprised that the middle class has “abandoned” their “disastrous campaign” for Trump

In a statement after President-elect Donald Trump's race was called, the longtime progressive lawmaker delivered a sharp rebuke to the Democratic Party, saying it had failed “working-class” voters.

“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party that has failed the working class is finding that the working class has failed them,” Sanders wrote in a statement. “While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change. And they’re right.”

It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party that has failed working class people is finding that the working class has failed them.

While the Democratic leadership defends the status quo, the American people are angry and want change.

And they are right. pic.twitter.com/lM2gSJmQFL

— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) November 6, 2024

“Will the big money interests and well-paid consultants who control the Democratic Party learn real lessons from his disastrous campaign?” Sanders added later in the statement. “Do you have any ideas about how we can take on the increasingly powerful oligarchy that has so much economic and political power? Probably not.”

Sanders called on those passionate about “grassroots democracy” and “economic justice” to have “serious policy discussions” in the coming weeks and months after the election.

On Tuesday, Trump captured several battleground states that Biden won in 2020, as supporters, particularly young men, turned out in large numbers. The shift reflects Bernie Sanders' strong appeal to this demographic in 2016, despite Sanders' more progressive agenda.

Sanders has long championed policies that support the working class, from advocating a $15 minimum wage to calling for universal health care, making him a natural ally for voters frustrated by economic inequality . While he ultimately endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president in July, Sanders had initially withheld his support, expecting Harris to make commitments on progressive issues important to the working class.