POPSUGAR

Bernie Sanders Can't Keep It Together After Hearing Trump Applaud Universal Health Care

Apr 22 2018 - 12:01am

President Donald Trump has a way with words, you could say: he's especially skilled at inadvertently blurting out opinions on subjects he apparently knows nothing [1] about. During a meeting with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump praised the country's healthcare system — but he didn't seem to realize he was praising a universal healthcare system. Bernie Sanders, one of the most vocal single-payer proponents, was quite pleased with Trump's comment (even if the president was completely ignorant of Australia's health care).

Trump says Australia's (single payer) health care system is better. @BernieSanders [2]: "Thank you Mr. President" https://t.co/wuQHu8ilkW [3]

— All In w/Chris Hayes (@allinwithchris) May 5, 2017 [4]

MSNBC's Chris Hayes played a clip of Trump's comment while interviewing Sanders on May 4. In the clip, Trump simultaneously criticizes the American healthcare system and lauds Australia's. "We have a failing health care — I shouldn't say this to our great gentleman and my friend from Australia because you have better health care than we do," Trump said.

Following a familiar fit of laughter, Sanders jokingly takes Trump's comment at face value. "The president has just said it. That's great. Let's take a look at the Australian healthcare system, and let's move," Sanders said. "Maybe he wants to take a look at the Canadian healthcare system or systems throughout Europe. Thank you, Mr. President. Let us move to a Medicare-for-all system that does what every other major country does."

Sanders has previously said that he would introduce a Medicare-for-all bill [5] into Congress as an alternative to the Republicans' disastrous American Healthcare Act [6]. While it doesn't seem like the president will push for a single-payer healthcare system anytime soon, he's at least aware of its efficacy.


Source URL
https://www.popsugar.com/news/Bernie-Sanders-Laughs-Trump-Comment-Australian-PM-43506546