Sanders on Beating Trump If He Were 2016 Dem Nominee: ‘I Think It’s Likely’

On Sunday’s broadcast of Showtime’s “The Circus,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a candidate for the 2016 Democratic Party presidential nomination, was asked about the possibility if he had won the nomination over eventual nominee Hillary Clinton how might the contest between he and Republican nominee Donald Trump have turned out.

Sanders resisted speculation but said had he been the nominee, it was “likely” he would have beat Trump in a head-to-head match-up.

Partial transcript as follows:

HEILEMANN: You obviously recognize the power of populism in a way that Hillary Clinton didn’t and a lot of other people didn’t in American politics last year. Were you surprised on Election Day?

SANDERS: If you allow me, I know this word populism is floated around a lot. What I recognized was pain. All over this country people are hurting and they are hurting very badly. Trump understood that, by the way, and that’s why he said, ‘The whole system sucks. I’m going to blow it up.’

Well, it turns out he lied.

HEILEMANN: Do you think had you been the Democratic nominee that you would have beaten Donald Trump?

SANDERS: Who knows. I mean —

HEILEMANN: Really?

SANDERS: I mean, yeah, I think it’s likely, but you never know.

As you well know I am not into speculating, it doesn’t matter.

HEILEMANN: Well it matters a little bit.

(h/t RCP Video)

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