Bernie Sanders Hasn’t Forgotten Chris Matthews’ Nazi Invasion Metaphor, Bashes Corporate Media “Venom”

Greg Evans
·3 min read

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Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders doesn’t seem to be forgiving – or at least forgetting – the Nazi army metaphor that now seems like the beginning of the end for Chris Matthews at MSNBC.

A day after Joe Biden’s Super Tuesday victory, Sanders told reporters that his own campaign has had to face “venom by some in corporate media” – and he used the Matthews gaffe as an example.

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Although not mentioning the now-retired Hardball host by name, Sanders said today that “there has not been a campaign that has been having to deal with the venom by some in the corporate media. This campaign has been compared to the coronavirus on television. We have been described as the Nazi army marching across France.”

Watch the Sanders clip below.

The coronavirus reference was to a comment made by Michael Smerconish on CNN last weekend.

Following the February 22 Nevada caucuses, MSNBC’s Matthews likened Sanders’ seemingly unstoppable wins to the Nazi takeover of France during World War II. Matthews apologized two days later, saying in part, “Senator Sanders, I’m sorry for comparing anything from that tragic era, in which so many suffered, especially the Jewish people, to an electoral result in which you were the well-deserved winner.”

On Monday, Matthews surprised viewers – and co-workers – with an on-air announcement of his immediate retirement, apologizing for comments he’s made about women’s appearances. The apology came shortly after the publication of a GQ magazine article by journalist Laura Bassett describing how the Hardball host “inappropriately flirted” with her before an appearance on his show, making her “noticeably uncomfortable on air.”

In his retirement announcement, Matthews did not mention his previous apology to Sanders for the Nazi comparison.

Today, Sanders said that he hoped that the media could focus on an “issue-oriented campaign” which “deals with the concerns of the American people.” He called the last debate, held in South Carolina and co-hosted by CBS News, “insulting to the American people. It was a food fight. It was about who could yell the loudest.”

“That is not what the American people want. They want a serious debate on serious issues.” He also called for a one-hour event with Biden that would focus on health care and not be restricted to the short answers of recent debates.

Watch Sanders’ Super Tuesday reaction below. The reference to Matthews’ comment begins at the 1:04 mark.

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