Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is facing some backlash from progressives Monday after announcing his plan to give his own rebuttal to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address, which is scheduled for Tuesday.
Sanders’ rebuttal will air on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter after the Democrats’ response to Trump. The Dems have chosen 2018 Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams to give the party’s response. She lost her bid for the governorship to Republican Brian Kemp.
Some progressives have expressed their displeasure with him giving his own response, explaining that he will be competing with the party’s official response. Some have also brought their respective races into why they think Sanders shouldn’t give his own rebuttal.
Why is he talking over the black woman our party chose to speak for us? https://t.co/wsn8G3EMwh
— Amy Siskind (@Amy_Siskind) February 4, 2019
.@BernieSanders Senator, this is a bad idea, and it’s a bad look. I say this with respect: don’t do this. Give @StaceyAbrams the stage tomorrow night. All of it. https://t.co/bamcWGwEtR
— Charlotte Clymer (@cmclymer) February 4, 2019
Bernie Sanders should reconsider doing his own response tomorrow. Stacey Abrams, the first black woman to ever give a State of the Union rebuttal, deserves the spotlight. She’s more than capable of mopping the floor with Trump without any help.
— Adam Best (@adamcbest) February 5, 2019
Despite being a registered Independent, Sanders caucuses with the Democratic Party.
Sanders also gave his own address following the president’s Oval Office address last month. Trump was addressing the nation during the longest government shutdown on record and discussed the fight over obtaining funding for a border wall.
Democratic Party leaders Speaker Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Schumer gave their party’s rebuttal to the president, but Sanders did his own, as well. (RELATED: Twitter Goes Wild Over Chuck And Nancy’s ‘Painfully Awkward’ Appearance In Trump Rebuttal)
Many anticipate Sanders will run for the Democratic nomination for the 2020 presidential election, but he hasn’t announced it yet. If he does, Sanders will be joining an already-packed house.
