--- description: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders released a statement in response Donald Trump's election victory title: Bernie Sanders Says Trump 'Tapped Into the Anger of a Declining Middle Class' image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66ea6e226d3c5bca/6988adf5428a9e62f5cd4f51/bernie-sanders-trump-react.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Politics](/section/politics/) ## Politics Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [2016 Election](/tag/2016-election/) ## 2016 Election Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Bernie Sanders Says Donald Trump 'Tapped Into the Anger of a Declining Middle Class' by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Nov 10, 2016 12:08 AM CUT  Bernie Sanders on September 28, 2016 in Durham, New Hampshire. Bernie Sanders on September 28, 2016 in Durham, New Hampshire.Justin Sullivan—2016 Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Nov 10, 2016 12:08 AM CUT Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders finally [commented](http://www.sanders.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/sanders-statement-on-trump "undefined") on Donald Trump’s [election victory](http://time.com/4564440/donald-trump-wins-2/?xid=homepage "undefined"), saying “Trump tapped into the anger of a declining middle class that is sick and tired of establishment economics, establishment politics and establishment media.” Sanders echoed his own [presidential campaign’s message](http://time.com/4550015/bernie-sanders-hillary-clinton-democratic-party-pressure/ "undefined") by noting that American people are “tired of working longer hours for lower wages, of seeing decent paying jobs go to China and other low-wage countries.” He added that people are also sick of seeing “billionaires not paying any federal income taxes,” something Trump may have been [able to do for more than a decade](http://time.com/4515840/donald-trump-tax-records-loss/ "undefined"). Trump himself performed better than expected in Rust Belt states — exactly where Sanders did well in the primary. “To the degree that Mr. Trump is serious about pursuing policies that improve the lives of working families in this country, I and other progressives are prepared to work with him,” Sanders wrote in conclusion. “To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him.” ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4565698/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-election/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4565698/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-election/"},"headline":"Bernie Sanders Says Donald Trump 'Tapped Into the Anger of a Declining Middle Class'","datePublished":"2016-11-10T00:08:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:44:30.865Z","description":"\"To the degree that he pursues racist, sexist, xenophobic and anti-environment policies, we will vigorously oppose him\"","url":"https://time.com/4565698/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-election/","keywords":["2016 Election","2016 Election topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66ea6e226d3c5bca/6988adf5428a9e62f5cd4f51/bernie-sanders-trump-react.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt66ea6e226d3c5bca/6988adf5428a9e62f5cd4f51/bernie-sanders-trump-react.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Bernie Sanders","caption":"Bernie Sanders on September 28, 2016 in Durham, New Hampshire.","creditText":"Justin Sullivan—2016 Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/2016-election/","name":"2016 Election"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4565698/bernie-sanders-donald-trump-election/","name":"Bernie Sanders Says Donald Trump 'Tapped Into the Anger of a Declining Middle Class'"}}]}] ```