Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., Discusses President Biden’s Pardon of Hunter Biden and the Minimum Wage
In an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” host Kristen Welker on Sunday, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., expressed mixed views on President Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden. Sanders acknowledged that Biden’s decision to pardon his son was likely motivated by a desire to protect his family, but also expressed concern that the pardon set a “dangerous precedent” for future presidents.
Despite this, Sanders praised Biden’s progressive domestic policies, saying that he leaves a “strong legacy” in this area. He also believes that the economy is “in very strong shape” and that Biden was the most progressive president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In the interview, Sanders also discussed the minimum wage, which has remained at $7.25 an hour since 2009. Sanders said that he would work with President-elect Trump to raise the minimum wage, but acknowledged that this had been a difficult issue in the past. The last time he tried to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, no Republicans voted in favor of the proposal.
Sanders believes that the minimum wage should be raised to $17 an hour, and hopes that lawmakers can work in a bipartisan way to achieve this goal. He emphasized that the current minimum wage is “an absolute disgrace” and that millions of people in the country are working for “starvation wages” that do not allow them to afford basic necessities like housing and food.