Bernie Sanders, a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” on Thursday, crediting the host for broaching the idea of a debate with Donald Trump — apparently now a possibility.
“You saw what I did for you,” Kimmel said to Sanders, shortly after the Democratic presidential candidate sat down with him on his late-night show.
Sanders replied, “You made it possible for us to have a very interesting debate about two guys who look at the world very, very differently.”
“Oh boy, do you guys look at the world differently,” Kimmel said.
Trump was a guest on Kimmel’s show on Wednesday, and said that he would be open to a debate with Sanders if the money goes to charity. At a press conference on Thursday, Trump said that he would “love to debate Bernie. He’s a dream.” But he called for raising $10 million or $15 million for charity.
Sanders told Kimmel that ABC had contacted him about such an event, which he thinks should be held in a giant stadium.
On Thursday, Cenk Uygur, host of “The Young Turks,” offered to donate $1 million to charity if Sanders and Trump would come on his show to debate.
Kimmel said that he thought it would be “one of the highest-rated events in television history.”
Kimmel also ran a clip of Hillary Clinton, in an interview last week, declaring the race for the Democratic nomination “already done,” with herself the nominee.
“Just a tinge of arrogance there I think,” Sanders said.
He added, “I kind of think on June 7, the people of California will have a message for Secretary Clinton.”
He admitted that his campaign has to do “really, really well” in the remaining states to have a chance, given that he is at 46% in pledged delegates. Clinton holds an even wider lead when superdelegates are factored in, and Sanders dismissed that count.
He called the idea of superdelegates — party officials and others who can decide on their own who to support — “patently absurd and undemocratic and kind of dumb” because many decided to back Clinton before other candidates got in the race.
He also cited polls showing him beating Trump by a wider margin than Clinton.
“If the Democrats want the candidate who is most likely to beat Trump and beat him badly, I think you are looking at the guy,” Sanders said.
Kimmel read a question that Trump had for Sanders — whether he would run as an independent, given that he has been “treated very unfairly” by the Democratic party.
“I really appreciate his concern,” Sanders said, sarcastically. “I can tell it comes straight from his heart.”
