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Bernie Sanders’ wife dismisses 2020 White House bid

Posted at 11:41 AM, Nov 12, 2016
and last updated 2016-11-12 11:41:14-05

Sen. Bernie Sanders’ wife, Jane, dismissed speculation Friday that her husband was considering another bid for the White House in 2020.

“See? That’s exactly the wrong question, Wolf,” Sanders told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on “Wolf” when asked whether the Vermont senator would vie for the Democratic presidential nomination in four years. “Nobody cares except the political pundits. He is not — he’s concerned about 2017.”

Sanders said her husband, whose democratic socialism platform became a lightning rod for progressives disenchanted with a perceived center-left political establishment, was instead focused on healing a divided country after a bitter campaign cycle.

“He’s concerned about our Muslim population in feeling great fear right now,” Sanders said. “We’re hoping that President-elect Trump will give them a reason to not feel that any more.”

Sanders continued, “(Bernie Sanders is) concerned about the fact that people are hurting, that the water systems in Flint are still not repaired,” before adding that “what happens in 2020 will happen in 2020.”

Sanders — who was a top aide and adviser during her husband’s run for the White House and is now heavily involved with his political organization, Revolution — echoed Bernie Sanders’ support of Rep. Keith Ellison to become the next head of the Democratic National Committee.

However, Sanders did not clarify whether her husband would caucus as an independent during the Senate’s next session.

“My one hope with President Trump is that he said he is going to go in there and represent the working people,” Sanders said, underscoring the need for Democrats and Republicans to find common ground on trade, globalization, jobs and infrastructure. “And then we need to fight him back on some of the other areas that he is talking about.”