Bernie Sanders calls on Donald Trump to fire Stephen Bannon
"We are not going backward"
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On Wednesday, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders called on President-elect Donald Trump to remove Stephen Bannon’s appointment to the White House.
The self-proclaimed Democratic socialist called the promotion unacceptable and said that hatred and bigotry cannot be tolerated by anyone in office.
“Over the years, we have made progress in becoming a less discriminatory and more tolerant society – and we are not going backward,” Mr Sanders said in his statement.
“The appointment by President-elect Trump of a racist individual like Mr. Bannon to a position of authority is totally unacceptable.
"In a democratic society, we can disagree all we want over issues, but racism and bigotry cannot be part of any public policy.”
Mr Sanders is just one of many Democrats condemning the president-elect for appointing Mr Bannon as his chief strategist.
He also doubled-down on his comments during a speech at George Washington University on Wednesday night.
“The president of the United States should not have a racist at his side,” he told the audience.
“I call up on Mr Trump to rescind the appointment of Mr Bannon.”
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