Senator Bernie Sanders used a live television interview to argue that President Donald Trump might yet sign a Medicare for All bill, insisting the US leader is 'not stupid' and 'a good politician' even as the proposal faces significant political obstacles.

The Vermont independent made the remarks in a televised interview with MS NOW host Chris Hayes on Thursday 5 November, two days after US news organisations projected that Democrats had won control of both chambers of Congress in the midterm elections.

'Donald Trump may be a bit crazy, but he is not stupid, and he is a good politician,' Sanders said. He suggested Trump, seeing a country where 'everybody knows the system is broken', might ask himself: 'What do I got to lose?'

'I am not absolutely certain that Trump would not sign it,' he added.

Sanders Pushes Back on TV Host's Scepticism Over Medicare for All

Sanders, whose Medicare for All proposal would establish a government-administered, single-payer healthcare system said healthcare 'is a human right'. He claimed the policy is now backed by 'over 60%' of Americans and 'probably 80–90%' of Democrats. He did not cite a poll, and the figures are his own estimate.

Hayes acknowledged that polling on the idea had risen, but said 'the odds of Donald Trump signing that into law' were 'pretty small'. He also asked whether Democrats would hold both chambers.

Sanders interrupted him. Trump, he said, has the constitutional right to veto a bill, but Democrats have a duty to pass one and send it to the president's desk.

'Whether he would or not, our job is to produce it,' Sanders said. 'He wants to veto it, Republicans want to sustain that veto, that is their responsibility. The American people will see it.'

The senator has promoted Medicare for All for years, and support for it has grown within the Democratic Party. He has previously spoken of Trump in similar terms. In an October 2025 interview on The Daily Show, hosted by Jon Stewart, Sanders also said Trump was 'not stupid' and that the president understood the healthcare system was failing.

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Critics Question Bernie Sanders' Medicare for All Strategy

Jonathan Alpert, a psychotherapist and author, told Fox News Digital that Sanders 'knows how to tap into people's frustrations'. However, he said calling healthcare a human right 'doesn't automatically make Medicare-for-all the answer'.

Any such bill would face steep obstacles. Congress can override a presidential veto only with a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate, requiring substantial support from Republicans if Democrats do not hold the necessary numbers. Sanders himself said Republicans would be responsible for sustaining a veto if Trump used one.

Fox News Digital said it had asked the White House for comment on Sanders' remarks. Fox News Digital said it had asked the White House for comment but did not report receiving a response. The new Congress is due to convene in January.

Sanders' argument is that the political calculation matters as much as ideology. He has presented Trump as a politician who responds to public pressure, and has suggested the president might want credit for delivering what other wealthy nations already provide. Whether Trump shares that view is unknown.

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