Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders acknowledged that the American economy “is doing well” — but said the 2017 tax overhaul backed by President Donald Trump isn’t the reason why.
“The economy is doing well. And I'm sure I don't have to give Trump any credit. I'm sure he will take all the credit that he wants,” the Vermont senator told ABC’s Jonathan Karl in an interview that aired Sunday.
“But what we should also know is that what we're looking at is a 10 year rebound from the Wall Street crash of 2008,” Sanders continued on “This Week.“
“I do not believe Trump's massive tax breaks for billionaires“ are “the cause of the good economy.”
The Labor Department reported Friday that U.S. employers added 263,000 jobs in April, with the unemployment rate falling to a five-decade low of 3.6 percent. But although the president receives high marks in public polling for his handling of the economy, Trump’s signature legislative achievement, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, remains unpopular as his reelection campaign rumbles into gear.
Democratic White House hopefuls have largely acceded that the economy is on a good track, but have stopped short of doling out any plaudits to the Trump administration — instead lamenting stagnant wages for workers and railing against an uneven distribution of wealth.
“When you talk about good economy … talk to the workers who are making $9 an hour or $10 an hour,” Sanders said. “The truth is that half of the people in this country today, despite the good economy, are living paycheck to paycheck, and millions of people are working two or three jobs, just to put food on the table.
”Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine