Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders blasted the media for its coverage of the presidential race, saying that news outlets have turned politics “into a beauty contest.”
The Democrat Socialist senator appeared on CNN’s “The Source” last Monday where he faced questions from host Kaitlan Collins about the president’s advanced age and his ability to carry out the duties of president.
Sanders, who is a year older than Biden, admitted that Biden’s age and mental acuity were concerns but insisted that voters were more concerned about whether they could afford to pay rent or feed their families.
Sanders urged President Biden to remain focused on the issues the voters cared about and suggested that the circus around Biden’s age was the media’s fault. He said the media had turned politics “into a beauty contest” or “a Grammy Award” contest, and said Americans should vote for someone based on which candidate’s policies would “improve your life.”
He suggested that voters shouldn’t vote for Republican challenger Donald Trump whom he claimed believes that “climate change is a hoax.”
He also claimed that Trump sought to take away women’s right “to control their own bodies” and accused the former president of appointing “extremely anti-union leaders” in his previous administration.
Sanders told Kaitlan Collins that President Biden needed to make the case for his reelection by directly interacting with the American people. He said the president should “turn off the teleprompter” and speak to voters directly, adding that the American people could judge for themselves how the president was doing.
He argued the media was the reason Biden has not been able to do this, suggesting that the media is more focused on “who is the best entertainer.”
He said policy should be injected into the presidential race so voters could see the contrast between Biden and Trump. He said if that happened, Biden would “do just fine.”