Donald Trump has begun encouraging Sen. Bernie Sanders to run as an independent since he was “treated terribly by the Democrats.”
Trump tweeted Tuesday, “Bernie Sanders has been treated terribly by the Democrats—both with delegates & otherwise. He should show them, and run as an Independent!” (RELATED: ‘Morning Joe’: ‘Why Does The Democratic Party Even Have Voting Booths? This System Is So Rigged’ [VIDEO])
There may be some self-serving motivation for Trump to encourage Sanders to run as an independent. A hypothetical independent run would split the Democratic vote between Sanders and Hillary Clinton, thus lowering the bar of victory that Trump would need.
Trump would just need to achieve 270 total votes in the Electoral College in order to become president.
The Republican frontrunner is not the first to offer his opinion on how Sanders has been “treated” by the Democratic Party. With the system of superdelegates that the Democrats employ, the vast majority of whom have expressed their desire to vote for Clinton instead of Sanders, there has been an ongoing discussion of a “rigged” system on the Democrat side. (RELATED: Rigged? Bernie Wins Wyoming, Hillary Leaves With More Delegates)
In multiple states, Sanders has won the popular vote. But with the addition of superdelegates, Clinton has received more delegates in total. (RELATED: CNN’s Tapper Challenges DNC Chair To Explain ‘Rigged’ Superdelegate System [VIDEO])