Sen. Bernie Sanders on Sunday praised New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s progressive agenda while drawing sharp contrasts with President Donald Trump’s policies, arguing that the Democratic socialist’s priorities better reflect what Americans want despite mounting criticism of socialism following a string of progressive primary victories.

Appearing on the YouTube program “On Sunday” hosted by progressive commentator Jack Cocchiarella on MeidasTouch, the Vermont independent pointed to several policy differences between Mamdani and Trump.

“Trump cuts funding for childcare, Mamdani thinks that we should have free and universal childcare,” Sanders said. “Mamdani is trying to build low-income and affordable housing in New York City. Trump is cutting funding.”

Sanders also contrasted the two leaders’ positions on foreign policy, saying Mamdani opposes military conflicts and criticizing both the Trump administration and Israel’s current government.

He said Mamdani opposes, “as most of us do, the endless wars that are being fought right now through Trump, as well as the extremist Israeli government and their genocidal policies in Gaza,” whereas “Trump supports Netanyahu,” referring to Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

“Who do you think is on the side of the American people on these issues?” Sanders said. “I think what we are talking about is where the American people want us to be.”

Sanders dismissed attacks on democratic socialists, arguing that Trump and his allies have attempted to discredit the movement by portraying it as something far more extreme.

According to Sanders, all they have done is “come up with this boogeyman of communism.”

Trump, many conservative leaders, and a number of establishment Democrats have all questioned the growing influence of democratic socialists, particularly after several defeated incumbent Democrats in recent primary elections. Some veteran Democrats have also expressed skepticism about whether democratic socialist candidates can succeed in general elections.

Others on the progressive left see those victories as evidence that voters are looking for a different direction. Among them is popular Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, who has campaigned for progressive candidates such as Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. Piker argued that Democratic defeats—including Trump’s victories in 2016 and 2024—demonstrate that many voters are dissatisfied with the party’s current approach.

“There are a lot of people who are just like, ‘This is not working,’” Piker said in a preview clip for CNN’s “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper,” which was scheduled to air Sunday night.

Many congressional Democrats, however, have rejected claims that the party is facing an internal crisis, insisting that it remains broad enough to accommodate differing political viewpoints. They argue that disagreements over Israel or with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) do not amount to a takeover of the Democratic Party.

“The reality is that has the DSA taken over the Democratic Party? No,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.) previously said. “Does it represent anywhere approaching a majority of the party? No. But it does represent a visible vocal minority within the party, and there are DSA elected officials who are among the most popular elected officials in the country, so it’s a political reality.”

Not every Democrat agrees. Veteran Democratic strategist James Carville has warned that he would leave the party if democratic socialists and progressives ultimately came to define its identity.

“To talk about the larger Democratic Party, post the election in Michigan going forward, I am not going to be in the same party with Hasan Piker,” Carville said during an appearance on Fox News’ “The Sunday Briefing.”

{Matzav.com}