--- title: RNC: Bernie Sanders Rejects Donald Trump Call for Support description: Sanders took to Twitter to explain why his supporters should not back Trump in case there was any question during the billionaire's speech canonical: https://time.com/4418807/rnc-donald-trump-speech-bernie-sanders/ author: Justin Worland article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-07-22T11:44:06.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-06T09:43:06.741Z article:section: Politics og:title: RNC: Bernie Sanders Rejects Donald Trump Call for Support og:description: Sanders took to Twitter to explain why his supporters should not back Trump in case there was any question during the billionaire's speech og:url: https://time.com/4418807/rnc-donald-trump-speech-bernie-sanders/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ce7ca69602afce8/69889ec38e06010e51466d08/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-speech.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1596 og:image:height: 898 og:image:alt: bernie sanders donald trump speech og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: RNC: Bernie Sanders Rejects Donald Trump Call for Support twitter:description: Sanders took to Twitter to explain why his supporters should not back Trump in case there was any question during the billionaire's speech twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4ce7ca69602afce8/69889ec38e06010e51466d08/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-speech.jpeg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # How Bernie Sanders Responded to Trump Targeting His Supporters > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=91b5821f-a4d2-45c8-8f0f-97b28e9974e2&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: What A Trump vs. Sanders Debate Might Look Like [Watch (HLS stream): What A Trump vs. Sanders Debate Might Look Like](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/J4jM7tWK.m3u8) (2:08)  _Published 2016-05-26_  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jul 22, 2016 11:44 AM UTC  by [Justin Worland](https://time.com/author/justin-worland/)  ## Justin Worland Senior Correspondent Jul 22, 2016 11:44 AM UTC Newly minted GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump namechecked Bernie Sanders fans during his [speech accepting the nomination](http://time.com/4418398/donald-trump-convention-speech/?xid=homepage), seeking their support now that their preferred candidate has left the race. “I have seen firsthand how the system is rigged against our citizens, just like it was rigged against Bernie Sanders. He never had a chance,” Trump said. “But his supporters will join our movement, because we will fix his biggest issue.” The Democrat runner-up didn’t see it that way. In case there was any question—and there never really was—Sanders took to Twitter to explain why his supporters should not back Trump. For Sanders, the list is long — from the Supreme Court to his stance on the minimum wage. “Is this guy running for president or dictator?” Sanders said in his most pointed [Tweet](https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/756319683301650433). > [](https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/756328913253511168) > [](https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/756315061413552128) > [](https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/756327187242889216) > [](https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/756326836032765956) > [](https://twitter.com/BernieSanders/status/756319793028878336) Sanders is [expected to deliver](http://www.politico.com/story/2016/07/dnc-2016-schedule-of-events-and-speakers-225617) a keynote speech on behalf of Hillary Clinton on Monday at the Democratic National Convention. ## Transcript If we could raise 10 or 15 million dollars for charity, which would be a very appropriate amount. I'd love to debate Bernie, actually . >> Mr. Trump, Obamacare is one of the things you call a disaster. Complete disaster. What I'd like to see is a private system without the artificial lines around every state. I am on the health education labor committee. That committee wrote the Affordable Care Act, but right now what we have to deal with is the fact that 29 million people still have no health insurance. And then we have to take care of the people that can't take care of themselves, and I will do that. Through a different system. But my moving forward, rallying the American people, I do believe we should have healthcare for all. We are doing it the old- fashioned way, 650, 000 individual contributions. I feel a little bit foolish. PEople are offering me millions and millions of dollars. When you're in first place You can collect so much money. And I keep turning him down. I feel like, am I a fool? I feel very foolish. Nobody up here can address the major crisis facing our country unless millions of people begin to stand up to the billionaire class. There's no better word to describe our leader and our administration than the word what? Stupid. Stupid, these are stupid people. I am asking you to be part of a political revolution. All the Ivy League that I have, the Wharton School of Finance, somehow they've never come up with a better word to describe what we're going through. Where millions of people begin to stand up and finally say enough is enough. This great country and our government belong to all of us, not just a handful of billionaires. And we will make America great again. Thank you. Thank you very much. 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