Bernie Sanders criticizes Democrats for abandoning working-class voters following the results of the 2024 US election

Senator Bernie Sanders issued a sharp rebuke Democratic PartyThe failure to address the needs of the American working class claims that the party's abandonment of its core base has resulted in a significant loss of support among voters. After the 2024 US election, Sanders, an independent senator from Vermont, issued a statement accusing the party's leadership of defending the status quo at a time when the American people are increasingly frustrated and demanding real change.
“It should come as no great surprise that a Democratic Party that has failed the working class is finding that the working class has failed them,” Sanders said in a statement following the election results. He emphasized the loss of support not just among whites Working class votersbut also Latino and black communities, whose support has been crucial to Democratic victories in recent years.

As the country prepares for a likely Republican-controlled Senate and House of Representatives and Donald Trump consolidates his power, Sanders lamented the Democratic Party's lack of a bold, transformative agenda. “While the super-rich are doing phenomenally well, 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck,” he said, underscoring the increase economic inequality in the country. He also pointed to the stagnation of wages, noting that after accounting for inflation, the average American worker's real weekly wages are lower today than they were five decades ago.
Sanders, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, has long been a staunch supporter of government-funded universal health care, higher taxes on the rich and ambitious solutions to combat climate change. Despite his tireless efforts, the Democratic leadership had failed to bring about meaningful policy changes that would improve the lives of the American working class. He also highlighted the challenges facing young people, many of whom worry about a future marked by job insecurity and the increasing threat of automation and artificial intelligence.
A consistent critic of military intervention, Sanders also criticized the Democratic Party's foreign policy, particularly its continued support for Israel in the ongoing conflict with Hamas. He has repeatedly tried to block U.S. arms sales to Israel and has spoken out strongly against the years-long war.
“Today, despite strong opposition from the majority of Americans, we continue to spend billions to finance the extremist Netanyahu government’s all-out war against the Palestinian people, which has led to the terrible humanitarian catastrophe of mass malnutrition and the starvation of thousands of children,” said Sanders said in his statement.
While Sanders supported Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential race after Biden defeated him in the Democratic primary, he has made it clear in the past that he would not seek another run for the presidency. Instead, he focused on supporting progressive causes and working in Congress to achieve his policy goals.
Looking ahead, Sanders called for a serious reassessment of the direction of the Democratic Party. “Those of us who are concerned about grassroots democracy and economic justice need to have some very serious political discussions,” he said.