Bernie Sanders’ son castigates Democratic Party, offers praise for Trump

Congressional candidate Levi Sanders, son of former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), has spoken out against the Democratic Party, as well as former presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's treatment of "deplorables."

What are the details?

Sanders, who is running for Congress in New Hampshire as a Democrat, said in an interview with The Independent that one of the Democratic Party's biggest obstacles is a failure to boost voters' "confidence and self-esteem."

Sanders, 48, noted that Clinton's "basket of deplorables" comment about Trump voters illustrated his point perfectly.

"The Democratic Party has done a very poor job of bolstering people's confidence and self-esteem, and that has significant consequences when it comes to reaching out to low-income and working-class people," he explained.

"When Hillary Clinton used the word 'deplorable,' that had a significant effect on so many people," Levi added. "They basically said 'We understand that Donald Trump is not a nice guy, but he is one of us.' He said 'Yes, I know I’m a billionaire, but I’m like your weird uncle. I’m not politically correct and I’m not judging you,' and that’s the key."

Contrarily, Sanders believes that President Donald Trump and the Republican Party are doing a fantastic job at elevating the average American.

Sanders, however, didn't have full praise for Trump, and even called his presidency a "disaster" despite certain successes.

"Trump has done an incredible job in saying, 'Listen, you don’t really need to make more money. I’m not going to raise your minimum wage but I’m going to make you feel good about yourself – the Democratic Party has taken away your self-esteem and your self-worth,'" Sanders explained. "If you take someone’s self-esteem away you are done, but you can take away someone’s money."

What's Levi Sanders all about, anyway?

Sanders' platform is quite similar to that of his father.

"The basic difference is that I’m a vegetarian and he’s not," Sanders told Vice News in February.

Much of Sanders' platform includes an increase in minimum wage, a "Medicare For All" product, and tuition-free public college.

If elected, this would be Sanders' first public office.

In 2016, The New York Times reported that the younger Sanders ran for city council in Claremont, New Hampshire, in 2010. He finished in seventh out of nine city council candidates.

According to Time, Levi Sanders has "spent the bulk of his career working as a Social Security benefits specialist."