In an interview with comedian and podcast host Theo Von, Senator Bernie Sanders opened up about his experiences in the 2016 and 2020 Democrat presidential primaries, where he claims the Democrat establishment conspired to prevent him from securing the nomination.

Sanders believes that his downfall was orchestrated by a powerful elite within his own party.

“Was there a chance that you were getting that nominee, or as an Independent, can you get then plotted with the Democratic party and put in… was there even a call about it or anything?” asked Von.

“I ran in ’16. I ran against Hillary Clinton, and I ran in ’20,” said Sanders.

“Yeah, I remember. I felt like you didn’t get treated fairly, to be honest with you. I didn’t,” Von replied.

Sanders didn’t hold back, saying, “I didn’t. That’s what happens when you take on the establishment.”

The socialist Senator from Vermont, a bum who didn’t earn a steady paycheck until he was 40, pointed out that as soon as he began to rise in the polls, a coordinated effort emerged among various candidates to consolidate support behind Biden.

“What happens is I won the popular vote in Iowa. I won the New Hampshire primary. I won the Nevada primary,” Sanders said.

“The establishment got very, very nervous. There were a whole lot of candidates in the Democratic primary, and they said, ‘Hey, it’d be a good idea if you all dropped out, let Joe Biden be the one candidate.’”

Sanders highlighted a crucial point about the influence of money in politics. He lamented that while anyone can run for office, those with substantial financial backing are often guaranteed success.

“You want to run for office, can you? Yeah, you can. You get a certain number of signatures. But if you’re going to win, and I have ten times more money than you do, I will beat you 95% of the time. I mean, that’s a fact, right? You’ll beat me. Maybe if you’re really an exceptional candidate, and I’m a real idiot, you will beat me once in a while. But by and large, the money people will win,” said Sanders.

“If you’re asking me, are we a democracy? In one sense, we are. You can run for office. You can raise your issues. On the other hand, in terms of who has the real power? Money people do. I use the term oligarchy. An oligarchy is a society where a small number of very wealthy people control the economic and political life of the country. I think we are moving rapidly in that direction.”

WATCH:

Bernie Sanders on How the Democratic ‘Establishment’ Took Him Out of the Presidential Race

“That’s what happens when you take on the establishments. What happened is we won the first three primaries, and then the establishment got very, very nervous…and they said, ‘Hey, it… pic.twitter.com/d9Z2OGAuuH

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) August 14, 2024