Bernie Sanders reveals whether or not he's starting a third party (2025)

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Bernie Sanders on Sunday slammed Democrats for lacking a vision for the future and revealed whether or not he's going to start a third political party.

Sanders, the Independent senator from Vermont, and Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have taken their 'Fighting Oligarchy' tour across the country. Their progressive push of Democrats have led to questions about whether they will split from the party.

'We're not trying to start a third party,' Sanders told NBC's Meet the Press. 'What we're trying to do is strengthen American democracy, where faith in both the Democratic and Republican parties right now is extremely low.'

But he had harsh words for his fellow Democrats.

'What Democrats lack right now is a vision for the future,' he said.

Sanders said all he is hearing on his tour is that people want economic reassurance.

'What the American people are saying is that they want, and what our tour was about, is to say that they want an economy that works for all of us,' he noted.

He said Democrats have failed to show how they will help people maintain a standard of living, make a decent wage and have affordable healthcare.

'Those are some of the issues that need to be discussed,' Sanders said.

Sanders has railed against Democrats after the 2024 election when Republicans took control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives.

He accused the party of ignoring working class priorities, arguing that led to its losses.

He and Ocasio-Cortez have taken their tour nation-wide, including deep into red state areas.

Sanders is taking on rock star status, even stopping at Coachella

He was one of the top acts at the music festival, drawing a massive crowd.

He and Ocasi-Cortez' tour have drawn thousands of people to see them.

Ocasio-Cortez, 35, is seen as a potential successor to Sanders' mantle - the 83-year-old Vermont senator jokingly called her his 'daughter' in Salt Lake City - and a contender for the Democratic nomination in 2028.

But she is still weighing her political future. Her other options include running for Senator in New York but she'd have to primary sitting Senator Chuck Schumer, who angered liberals by working with the Trump administration on a budget plan.

Her friends told Politico she is not convinced of making a run.

'The only way she ends up running is if things continue the way they're going, where it's just going down this dark path and no one really steps up,' said a person familiar with Ocasio-Cortez's thinking said.

'And she kind of gets pressured into it, like she just feels it's her moral obligation to do it.'

But, the person added, 'She'd love for someone to be leading the party.'

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