Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump may not share a lot of personality traits. Sanders, for example, is matter-of-fact, a little on the grouchy side, and a fashionably disheveled dresser. Trump is a bombastic showboat who is always the classiest person in the room.
When it comes to the major issues, however, the two candidates have a lot in common. In fact, their positions are so similar that a recent Free Beacon analysis has determined that Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders are, in all likelihood, the same person. This would explain why Trump conducts so many television interviews over the phone, and why the two candidates have never been seen together in the same room.
Here's where they agree:
Healthcare:
Both Trump and Sanders agree that Obamacare did not go far enough to provide Americans with fantastic healthcare. They would prefer a single-payer system, the likes of which, according to Trump, works "incredibly well" in countries like Canada and Scotland.
Taxes:
Both candidates have proposed plans to raise revenue by hiking taxes on the rich. Sanders wants to tax wealthy Americans at a 90 percent rate, but Trump is actually slightly more radical on this issue, having once proposed what would be the largest tax increase in American history.
Campaign finance:
Sanders has repeatedly accused Republican politicians of being puppets of rich donors like the Koch brothers. So has Trump. Sanders believes that our campaign finance system must be reformed because rich individuals and corporations have too much sway in American politics. Trump not only agrees, he is a walking testament to that broken system. Trump recently explained how he was able to purchase the attendance of Bill and Hillary Clinton at his wedding in 2005, and has repeatedly bragged about how his personal wealth makes him immune to the interests of donors and special interests who might try to limit a candidate's ability to "tell it like it is."
Iraq war:
Unlike Hillary Clinton, neither candidate voted for the Iraq war.
Immigration:
Trump speaks about the issue in a more colorful fashion, but Sanders is also skeptical of mass immigration, telling Vox that the Koch brothers are secretly plotting to install an "open borders" immigration policy, which would "make everybody in America poorer." Sanders voted for the Senate immigration bill, but only after publicly denouncing many of its provisions. "We should not pass legislation which makes it harder for young people to get jobs in order to put away a few bucks to help pay for college," he said on the Senate floor.
Trade:
Trump is right to say that he and Sanders have similar views on trade. In fact, their rhetoric is almost identical. Both candidates have denounced the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement, which Hillary Clinton once promoted as the "gold standard" of trade agreements.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership will increase our trade deficits & send even more jobs overseas. This is a bad deal. Time for smart trade!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 3, 2015
The TPP vote today will mean a continuation of disastrous trade policies which have cost our country millions of decent-paying jobs.
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) June 23, 2015
Gun control:
Both candidates are slightly more centrist on guns than their party's base. Here's how PBS described each candidate's position on guns. See if you can tell which is which:
- "Limit restrictions on guns. Ban some assault weapons and extend the waiting period for purchase."
- "A mixed approach. No federal handgun waiting period. Some protection for gun manufacturers. Ban assault weapons."
How did you do?
Apart from personality, the most significant difference between "Donald Trump" and "Bernie Sanders" is that one is leading the Republican field, and the other is polling a respectable second in the Democratic primary. The most disconcerting aspect of our analytical conclusion that Trump and Sanders are (almost certainly) the same person is that it may shatter the dreams of the "silent majority" clamoring for a Trump-Sanders unity ticket.