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Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders is a senator from Vermont. Sanders was first elected to the Senate in 2007 and was re-elected in 2012 and 2018. The senator also ran an unsuccessful presidential campaign in 2016, losing the Democratic primary to Hillary Clinton. From 1991 until 2007, he was the representative of Vermont’s At-Large District of the House of Representatives. Sanders was the mayor of Burlington from 1981 to 1989. He received a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Chicago. In 2019, he announced he was running for the Democratic nomination for president and dropped out in April 2020.

Bernie Sanders Website

Scorecard

true
0% 21 Checks
mostly true
0% 63 Checks
half true
0% 49 Checks
mostly false
0% 27 Checks
false
0% 19 Checks
Pants on Fire
0% 0 Checks
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Latest Fact-Checks By Bernie Sanders

Clear
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on May 12, 2025 a post on X
“Republicans just unveiled their ‘big, beautiful bill,’ which will take Medicaid & health insurance away from 13.7 million Americans.”
Half-True
By Amy Sherman, Louis Jacobson • May 16, 2025
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on January 2, 2025 a statement to the media
H-1B guest workers are “being employed as dog trainers, massage therapists, cooks, and English teachers.”
Mostly False
By Amy Sherman • January 9, 2025
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on November 10, 2024 an interview on CNN's "State of the Union"
Inflation-adjusted weekly wages “are lower today than they were 50 years ago.”
False
By Louis Jacobson • November 11, 2024
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on September 17, 2023 an interview on CNN's "State of the Union"
“CEOs are now making 400 times more than their average worker.”
Mostly True
By Louis Jacobson, Matthew Crowley • September 21, 2023
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on July 19, 2023 a press release.
“Tens of millions of Americans live in communities where they cannot find a doctor while others have to wait months to be seen.”
Mostly True
By Michelle Andrews • July 28, 2023
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on April 30, 2023 an interview on CNN’s “State of the Union”
"We pay by far the highest prices in the world for prescription drugs, in some cases 10 times more than the people of any other country."
Half-True
By Michelle Andrews • May 18, 2023
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on December 11, 2022 an interview on CNN
“We have 85 million Americans who have no health insurance.”
Half-True
By Amy Sherman • December 13, 2022
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on November 29, 2022 an interview
In the first three quarters of 2022, “the railroad industry made $21 billion in profits, provided $25 billion in stock buybacks and dividends” and CEOs are paid up to $20 million a year, while railroad workers have "zero guaranteed sick leave."
Mostly True
December 8, 2022
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on October 3, 2021 an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press"
"The pharmaceutical industry has 1,400 lobbyists on Capitol Hill right now trying to stop" Medicare drug price negotiation.
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • October 5, 2021
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on August 29, 2021 a speech
“It is a result of the $300 per month that working parents are now receiving for their young children that we have reduced childhood poverty in the United States by 50%.”
Half-True
September 15, 2021
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on April 8, 2020 an op-ed published in The Guardian
“It has been estimated that only 12% of workers in businesses that are likely to stay open during this crisis are receiving paid sick leave benefits as a result of the second coronavirus relief package."
Mostly True
By Shefali Luthra, Shefali Luthra • April 13, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on March 15, 2020 a Democratic presidential primary debate
Says a 2007 immigration bill “was opposed by (the League of United Latin American Citizens), the largest Latino organization in America. The Southern Poverty Law Center called its guest-worker programs akin to slavery. … And you know who voted with me on that one, Joe? Barack Obama.”
Half-True
By Miriam Valverde • March 17, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on March 11, 2020 a television ad attacking Joe Biden
Says Joe Biden "has advocated cutting Social Security for 40 years"
Mostly False
By Jon Greenberg • March 12, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on March 8, 2020 an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press"
“Trade agreements like NAFTA and permanent normal trade relations with China, which forced American workers to compete against people making pennies an hour, has resulted in the loss of 160,000 jobs here in Michigan."
Mostly True
By Jon Greenberg • March 10, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on March 4, 2020 a news conference
"If you look at California, if you look at people of color in general, African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, we won that big time. Big time. Not even close.”
Half-True
By Chris Nichols • March 9, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on February 24, 2020 a CNN town hall
Says Democratic members of Congress who represent Cuban Americans in Florida and have been critical of Sanders “just so happen to be supporting other candidates.”
Half-True
By Amy Sherman • March 2, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on February 19, 2020 a debate
“Mike Bloomberg owns more wealth than the bottom 125 million Americans.”
Mostly True
By Louis Jacobson • March 2, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on February 25, 2020 in remarks during the South Carolina Democratic primary debate
“(A recent study) said ‘Medicare for All’ will lower health care costs in this country by $450 billion a year and save the lives of 68,000 people who would otherwise have died.”
Mostly False
By Shefali Luthra, Shefali Luthra • February 26, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on February 23, 2020 an interview on CBS News' "60 Minutes"
“When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program.”
Mostly True
By Jon Greenberg • February 24, 2020
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
stated on February 7, 2020 campaign talking points issued days before the New Hampshire primary
“Pete Buttigieg is a favorite candidate of Wall Street and the health care industry.”
Half-True
By Victoria Knight • February 19, 2020
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Latest Fact-Checks About Bernie Sanders

Viral image
Viral image
stated on September 27, 2020 a Facebook post
In 2017, Joe Biden paid $3,742,974 in federal income taxes and Kamala Harris paid $516,469 while Donald Trump paid $750.
Mostly True
September 28, 2020
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
stated on March 15, 2020 the Democratic debate in Washington D.C.
Says Bernie Sanders voted against the auto bailout
Half-True
By Amy Sherman • March 16, 2020
Facebook posts
Facebook posts
stated on March 9, 2020 a Facebook post
“Sen. Bernie Sanders led the effort to dump Vermont's nuclear waste on a poor Latino community in Texas.”
Half-True
March 13, 2020
Republican National Committee
Republican National Committee
stated on March 5, 2020 a mass email
On key issues including taxes, health care, the Green New Deal, abortion, and guns, there is “no daylight between” Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden.
Half-True
By Louis Jacobson • March 10, 2020
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
stated on March 5, 2020 an interview with NBC
Says Bernie Sanders “voted against the Brady Bill five times for background checks on people.”
Mostly True
By Louis Jacobson • March 9, 2020
Viral image
Viral image
stated on February 23, 2020 a Facebook post
Says Bernie Sanders “only had 3,444 votes” in Nevada.
False
March 6, 2020
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
stated on March 5, 2020 an interview with NBC
“You’ve raised a lot more money than I have, Bernie.”
True
By Louis Jacobson • March 5, 2020
Scott Walker
Scott Walker
stated on February 24, 2020 a tweet
"Bernie (Sanders) is a communist."
False
By Eric Litke • March 4, 2020
Facebook posts
Facebook posts
stated on February 20, 2020 social media
“Bernie Sanders voted in favor of every war during his tenure.”
False
By Louis Jacobson • March 2, 2020
Viral image
Viral image
stated on February 29, 2020 a post on Facebook
“Bernie Logic: Nobody can live on $7 an hour. We must raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Also we must raise the tax rate to 52%. $15 an hour * 52% = $7.80. $15 an hour - $7.80 = $7.20. $7.20 an hour!!!”
False
By Aaron Sharockman • February 29, 2020
X posts
X posts
stated on February 22, 2020 a tweet
"Not once in his entire career in Washington, D.C., which started way back in 1991, has Democratic Socialist Bernie Sanders ever voted yes on sanctions against Russia."
Half-True
February 27, 2020
Bloggers
Bloggers
stated on February 8, 2020 a post on Facebook
Says Bernie Sanders “collaborated with Marxist regimes in the Soviet Union, Nicaragua and Cuba.”
False
By Jon Greenberg • February 27, 2020
Joe Biden
Joe Biden
stated on February 23, 2020 an MSNBC interview
Says Bernie Sanders “opposed Obamacare, didn't like the fact we didn't push a single-payer option.”
Mostly False
By Miriam Valverde • February 27, 2020
Facebook posts
Facebook posts
stated on February 19, 2020 a Facebook post
Say Bernie Sanders said, “Italians are gangsters and Irish are drunk and Jews are greedy and black people smell.”
False
February 25, 2020
Pete Buttigieg
Pete Buttigieg
stated on February 22, 2020 a speech
Says Bernie Sanders would “go beyond reform and reorder the economy in ways most Democrats — let alone most Americans — don’t support."
Mostly False
By Louis Jacobson • February 25, 2020
Facebook posts
Facebook posts
stated on February 20, 2020 an image
“Bernie Sanders wants free health care for all and was asked how he would pay for it. His answer was raise taxes to 52% on anybody making over $29,000 per year.”
False
By Daniel Funke • February 21, 2020
Instagram posts
Instagram posts
stated on February 14, 2020 a meme
Photo shows Bernie Sanders at the 1969 Stonewall riots.
False
By Daniel Funke • February 18, 2020
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren
stated on January 14, 2020 a debate
"Look at the men on this stage. Collectively, they have lost 10 elections. The only people on this stage who have won every single election that they’ve been in are the women, Amy and me."
True
By Louis Jacobson • January 15, 2020
Facebook posts
Facebook posts
stated on November 17, 2019 a Facebook post
Says Maxine Waters, Nancy Pelosi and Bernie Sanders have passed six bills in a combined 67 years.
False
By Daniel Funke • November 21, 2019
Viral image
Viral image
stated on June 9, 2016 a Facebook post
Says Bernie Sanders wants "to make the cut off date for abortions up to 36 weeks" because he says "a baby at that point feels no pain and has no rights to life."
False
August 9, 2019
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