Bernie Sanders blasts Trump over Iran war, calls him 'pathological liar' and an 'authoritarian'
WASHINGTON, DC: Sen. Bernie Sanders branded President Donald Trump a "pathological liar" while discussing the ongoing US-Israel conflict with Iran.
In a recent interview with MS Now host Chris Hayes, the Vermont senator ripped into the commander-in-chief over US military actions in the Middle East.
A costly war and a grim warning
Sanders didn't mince words when asked to weigh in on the situation. “Look, we are living, as I think most people know, with a president who is a pathological liar,” Sanders began. “He is an authoritarian. What concerns most is wealth and power. I think he has very little empathy for his fellow human beings.”
“And you’re quite right, it is extremely dangerous that a man like that is president of the United States,” he added.
Still, Sanders wasn’t only looking backward. “And Chris, what we have got to do, I mean, is figure out why that happened and how we build a political movement of working people that ends Trumpism once and for all, starting in 2026,” he said.
Bernie Sanders: “We are living with a president who is a pathological liar. He is an authoritarian. What concerns him most is wealth and power. I think he has very little empathy for his fellow human beings. It is extremely dangerous that a man like that is President of the… pic.twitter.com/Nv16YlyRrX
— Marco Foster (@MarcoFoster_) March 23, 2026
With reports of a massive war supplemental request (pegged between $100 billion and $200 billion) headed toward the Senate, Sanders said the spending was wildly out of step with the everyday struggles of American citizens.
“You’ve got people all over who can’t afford healthcare and can’t afford childcare. And this guy, in addition to giving tax breaks to billionaires, now wants to spend another 100 to 200 billion dollars on a war that should never have been fought. So I think, you know, clearly, the Trump people are in a bit of a panic,” he said, adding, “They are losing ground.”
Sanders also took his argument online, posting on X that the war has already racked up $22.8 billion in costs and suggesting what that money could have done instead.
“For $22.8 billion, we could provide Medicaid to 6.8 million kids, build 2.6 million public housing units, fund Head Start for 1.3 million, hire 240,000 teachers, and cancel $20,000 in student debt for 1 million borrowers,” he said.
The war in Iran has already cost $22.8 billion.
— Sen. Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) March 17, 2026
For $22.8 billion, we could:
• Provide Medicaid to 6.8 million kids
• Build 2.6 million public housing units
• Fund Head Start for 1.3 million
• Hire 240,000 teachers
• Cancel $20,000 in student debt for 1 million borrowers
Conflict escalates as global tensions rise
Since February 28, coordinated strikes by Israel and the United States on Iran have reportedly resulted in around 1,300 deaths. The casualties include the country’s then-Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, along with several senior political and military figures of the regime.
Iran has responded in kind, launching drones and missile attacks targeting Israel, Jordan, Iraq, and multiple Gulf nations that host US military bases.
In a recent post on X, Sanders shared a collage featuring Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, accusing them of pushing the world toward instability.
According to him, the trio was “plunging the world into barbarism, oligarchy and authoritarianism.”
Trump, Netanyahu and Putin: plunging the world into barbarism, oligarchy and authoritarianism. pic.twitter.com/SWkoS5hunN
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) March 23, 2026
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