‘We don’t have to hate China’: Bernie Sanders reacts to Trump’s 125% tariffs | World News
Hours after US President Donald Trump raised tariffs on Chinese imports to a steep 125 per cent, Senator Bernie Sanders on Wednesday delivered a sharp rebuke of escalating trade war and warned Americans about the creeping threat of authoritarianism.
“We don’t have to hate China. We don’t have to hate other people. Let’s figure out a way to work together,” he said in his message during a conversation with CNN.
Sanders, 83, called for unity and cooperation in the face of rising global tensions. He urged Americans to break down the barriers that divide them — not only politically, but across borders — and to remember their shared humanity.
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“The goal has got to be to break down these barriers that separate us as human beings — come together as Americans and come together globally as human beings,” he said.
While Sanders said tariffs “used selectively” are a good idea — especially as tools to protect American workers from exploitative trade deals — he condemned Trump’s unpredictable and widespread tariff hikes as harmful and unjustified.
“To arbitrarily, out of nowhere, come up with a tariff that they can’t even justify or explain to virtually every country on Earth is absolutely counterproductive,” he said.
He criticised past trade agreements like North American Free Trade Agreement, arguing they incentivised companies to outsource jobs and devastate US communities.Story continues below this ad
“What these trade agreements, in essence, said to corporate America: ‘Hey, no problem. You can throw American workers out on the street. You can go to Mexico, you can go to China and hire people for pennies an hour,’” Sanders said. “And I thought that that was a horrible idea. It was a horrible idea.”
Sanders also pushed back against White House claims that Apple iPhones could be made in America without dramatically raising costs, saying the real-world impact of Trump’s trade war would be felt most working people through increased prices and instability.
‘Bow down to our new king’
Beyond trade, Sanders delivered a grim warning about what he sees as Trump’s growing authoritarian tendencies. From targeting media organisations and judges to threatening universities and law firms, Sanders argued the president is systematically chipping away at democratic norms and replacing them with a hunger for personal power. When asked whether he thought Trump was serious about seeking a third term — despite constitutional limits — Sanders didn’t hesitate: “Yeah, I do.”
He accused Trump of building a system where “one guy assumes all of the power,” adding, “That is not what people fought and died to create in this country.” Sanders said the stakes go beyond political divisions, warning that the nation is at a crossroads: either remain a free society or allow power to consolidate under a would-be strongman.Story continues below this ad
“This is whether or not we remain a free society,” he said. “Or do we all bow down to our new king, President Trump? That is not the kind of nation I think we want to become.”
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