Bernie Sanders Has a Message for Donald Trump Voters in Lubbock, Texas [Watch]
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) spoke to a packed house in the heart of conservative West Texas on Saturday.
The senator spoke at an event organized by Our Revolution Texas, a group that promotes progressive ideals. Sanders' speech followed talks from former Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower, former Ohio Senator Nina Turner and T.G. Caraway, who is running for Precinct 4 county commissioner.
The crowd numbered near 1,000, with many people turned away at the door.
Sen. Sanders touched on topics that proved popular with progressives, liberals and independents alike during his bid for the democratic nomination for president in 2015-16, including medicare for all, free college tuition and increasing the federal minimum wage to $15/hour.
Sanders joked about being told by Jim Hightower that Lubbock "is not the most progressive community in America," before talking directly to any Trump voters in attendance.
"I am not of the belief, never have been, that the majority of Trump supporters are racists, or sexists, or homophobes, or bigots...I don't believe that. Some of them may be, but I don't believe that a vast majority of them are," Sanders said. "What I do believe is that these are people who are hurting. They're worried about their kids, they're worried about their parents. They're worried about the fact that they don't have enough money to do the things that they want to do. And they look around them, and they're saying, 'who's paying attention to me?'"
Sanders then commended Trump for running "a really smart campaign" and answering that question.
"Trump came along...and he said, I, Donald Trump, I hear your pain. And I'm going to stand up to the establishment. And I'm going to provide health care to everybody, and I'm going to provide tax reform for the middle class, and I'm going to take on the drug companies, and I'm going to get rid of the cesspool in Washington," Sanders said, concluding: "I just want to say to those folks: Don't listen to what Trump says or what he said, follow what he does."
The senator then pointed out that President Trump hasn't provided health care for everyone, that the bulk of the money being given back by the recent Republican tax cut (The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act) went to the wealthiest in the country, and "has appointed more billionaires to his administration than any president in the history of our country."
You can watch the moment from Senator Bernie Sanders' speech in Lubbock in the video above.