Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Saturday hit back at former President Barack Obama by rejecting his warning that Democratic White House contenders risk losing the 2020 election by lurching too far left.
Speaking to Democrat donors in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Obama asserted the “average American doesn’t think we have to completely tear down the system and remake it. And I think it’s important for us not to lose sight of that.” While the former president’s remarks were not targeted at a particular candidate, political observers called them veiled criticism of Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), both who have promised structural changes such as “Medicare for All” and sizable a Wealth Tax if elected president.
Appearing at a forum aired by Univision, Sanders was pressed on whether he concurred with Obama’s assessment.
“Well, it depends on what you mean by tear down the system,” Sanders replied.
“The agenda that we have is an agenda supported by the vast majority of working people,” he added. “When I talk about raising the minimum wage to a living wage, I’m not tearing down the system. We’re fighting for justice.”
Warren also responded to Obama’s comments, attempting to assuage the veiled swipe with some praise for the former president’s enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), commonly referred to as “Obamacare.”
“I so admire what President Obama did,” Warren told supporters during a campaign event in Iowa.
“He is the one who led the way on health care and got health care coverage for tens of millions of Americans when nobody thought that was possible,” she added.
While Warren sought a conciliatory tone, others were far from impressed with Obama’s analysis, prompting some Twitter users, including former Hillary Clinton adviser Peter Daou, to get the hashtag “Too Far Left” trending on Twitter Saturday.