CNN’s Anderson Cooper hosted a town hall with Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders on Wednesday, and, even by CNN’s standards, it was quite the softball session. Not only did both men take advantage of fact-checker Daniel Dale apparently having better things to do with his time by accusing President Trump of “whitewashing American history,” but Cooper even invited the president of American University’s College Republican chapter to use the word “softball” in his question.
There were other lowlights as well, such as when Cooper wondered if there was anything at all in the federal budget that could be cut, “There's a lot of talk—from the DOGE team about, or from Elon Musk, about waste, fraud, and abuse and what they're finding. Have you seen much evidence of waste, fraud, and abuse? Because what they put on their wall of receipts, some of the top items, the biggest savings they allege to have implemented turned out to be mistakes or just lies.”
Even the socialist Sanders acknowledged there’s got to be something that can be cut, “Look, am I going to sit here and tell anybody in America that the United States government doesn't have a bureaucracy and there isn't waste? Of course there is.”
Later, Cooper turned to Trump’s executive order about the Smithsonian, “Some of these moves have been reversed, but President Trump’s also now going after the Smithsonian, accusing them of, quote, ‘divisive, race-centered ideology.’ Do you think the administration is trying to whitewash American history?”
Since Dale was not there to point it out in real time or afterwards, it should be noted that the executive order states in plain English that the Smithsonian will not be allowed to teach that “our Nation’s unparalleled legacy of advancing liberty, individual rights, and human happiness is reconstructed as inherently racist, sexist, oppressive, or otherwise irredeemably flawed [emphasis added].”
Nevertheless, Sanders confidently declared, “Of course they are.” He would go on to suggest Trump doesn’t want the Smithsonian to teach about the history of racism and slavery, “There's so much in our history that we can be proud of. But like every other country, Anderson, there's a lot in our history that we should not be proud of, that we should learn from. You know, slavery and racism and sexism and homophobia. All right. That's nothing to be proud of. But we learn from those things. We overcome them.”
Further on in the program, Cooper introduced a questioner, “I want to introduce Grace Thomas. She's a local civil rights attorney. She's a Democrat. Grace?”
Thomas began by pronoun-checking Cooper, “They/them pronouns, actually. Thank you.” As for the actual question, Thomas worried that practical electoral concerns are hurting the party’s ability to play identity politics, “Polling and turnout data indicate that men of all racial demographics are turning away from the Democratic Party. But of course, white men, in particular, do not feel that the DNC's messaging targets them in the issues that they care about.”
Sanders began his reply by trying to portray himself as the embodiment of all things good and decent, “Look, this is, it is no great secret that in America, people have strongly different points of view, right?... I believe that we got to end all forms of bigotry, et cetera, et cetera. Not everybody agrees with me.”
For Sanders, the solution was to focus on his socialist economics, “On many economic issues, there is widespread agreement. And the failure of the Democratic Party, in my view, has been, they have not been aggressive in standing up to powerful corporate interests, in laying out an agenda, and implementing an agenda that speaks to the needs of the working-class.”
Further still, Cooper introduced “Joel Pritikin. He's a student at American University, originally from Venice, California. He's president of the College Republicans. Joel?”
If you were hoping that might mean Sanders would get a challenging question, you would be out of luck, as Pritkin asked, “I wanted to give you kind of a softball question. Who on the other side have you worked the best with, as a senator?”
Sanders would cite Sens. Rand Paul, Mike Lee, and Roger Marshall as his answers. Meanwhile, the hour CNN spent with Sanders made it clear which side it is on.
Here is a transcript for the April 9 show:
CNN Town Hall
4/9/2025
9:11 PM ET
ANDERSON COOPER: They — there's a lot of talk about — from the DOGE team about or from Elon Musk about waste, fraud, and abuse—
BERNIE SANDERS: Yes.
COOPER: —and what they're finding. Have you seen much evidence of waste, fraud, and abuse? Because what they put on their wall of receipts, some of the top items, the biggest savings they allege to have implemented turned out to be mistakes or just lies.
SANDERS: Look, am I going to sit here and tell anybody in America that the United States government doesn't have a bureaucracy and there isn't waste? Of course there is.
…
COOPER: Some of these moves have been reversed, but President Trump’s also now going after the Smithsonian, accusing them of, quote, "divisive, race-centered ideology." Do you think the administration is trying to whitewash American history?
SANDERS: Of course they are. I mean, that's what I just mentioned right now.
Look, to be a strong nation, we have to be a well-educated nation. And to be a well-educated nation, we have to face the truth. And the truth is, as much as Americans, we should be extraordinarily proud of. You know, I've been — when I give speeches, I now, I should have studied this harder when I was in the sixth grade. But you got people back in the 1790s who wrote the Constitution. You know what? That was an extraordinary document for the 1790s. Talk about separation of powers, which Trump is trying to do away with.
So there's so much in our history that we can be proud of. But like every other country, Anderson, there's a lot in our history that we should not be proud of, that we should learn from. You know, slavery and racism and sexism and homophobia. All right. That's nothing to be proud of. But we learn from those things. We overcome them.
…
COOPER: I want to introduce Grace Thomas. She's a local civil rights attorney. She's a Democrat. Grace?
GRACE THOMAS: They/them pronouns, actually. Thank you.
COOPER: Oh.
THOMAS: Good evening, Senator Sanders. Polling and turnout data indicate that men of all racial demographics are turning away from the Democratic Party. But of course, white men, in particular, do not feel that the DNC's messaging targets them in the issues that they care about.
Should progressive campaigns craft policies and messaging to better encapsulate these voters? And if the answer is yes, how do they do so without abandoning marginalized voters of color and gender?
SEN. BERNIE SANDERS (I-VT): Okay. Thank you for the question, Grace. Look, this is, it is no great secret that in America, people have strongly different points of view, right? On abortion, for example, I believe very much that women have a right to control their own bodies. People disagree with me. I believe that we've got to combat homophobia. I believe in gay marriage. My state helped led way on that. Not everybody agrees with me. I believe that we got to end all forms of bigotry, et cetera, et cetera. Not everybody agrees with me.But you know what, Grace? On many economic issues, there is widespread agreement. And the failure of the Democratic Party, in my view, has been, they have not been aggressive in standing up to powerful corporate interests, in laying out an agenda, and implementing an agenda that speaks to the needs of the working-class.
…
COOPER: This is Joel Pritikin. He's a student at American University, originally from Venice, California. He's president of the College Republicans. Joel?
SANDERS: Hey, Joel.
JOEL PRITIKIN: Hi, Bernie. I wanted to give you kind of a softball question. Who on the other side have you worked the best with, as a senator?
SANDERS: I've worked with a couple of people. And it's funny. I'll give you an example. Rand Paul is kind of a maverick on the Republican side. But Rand worries very much about authoritarianism. And so he and I have worked on some of those issues.
Mike Lee and I have worked on trying to make sure that Congress, not the President, has the power to declare to — the constitutional power to declare war. I have worked with Roger Marshall from Kansas on trying to expand community health centers.
So, there are Republicans that I admire and work with. We disagree on a whole lot of issues, but we do try on occasion to come together for the American people.
