Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders used the financial troubles of Atlantic City to poke at presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump this week.
What Sanders said about AC, Trump
Sanders, while campaigning in New Jersey — the state’s Democratic primary is on June 7 — brought up Trump’s presence in the much-maligned casino town.
Atlantic City is facing bankruptcy without intervention from the state. Trump’s name, of course, once adorned two of the city’s casinos.
Here is what Sanders said:
“You don’t think he is a brilliant, successful businessman who can continue the tide of prosperity to America that he has brought here to Atlantic City?” Sanders said sarcastically about the presumptive Republican nominee. The crowd booed and jeered the reference to Trump.
He also mentioned Trump donor Carl Icahn, who earlier this year saved the Trump Taj Mahal from bankruptcy. The Trump Plaza shuttered in 2014.
Can Sanders beat Hillary in NJ?
Sanders is fighting an uphill battle in trying to win the Democratic nomination against Hillary Clinton. And the situation seems dire for him in New Jersey, where he trails by huge margins in some polls.
Still Sanders has not given up on the state. Stumping in a struggling town like AC, of course, is the bread and butter of Sanders, who runs largely on an economic platform.
What’s going on in AC these days?
The stalemate that has been going on for weeks in the statehouse persists,and the sides appear to be digging in even more.
Gov. Chris Christie wants an immediate state takeover of the flailing city, while Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto is pushing for a more hands-off approach.
Prieto recently said that “bankruptcy is always the other option that’s there” in reference to negotiations about AC that seem to be going nowhere. It’s not clear if anyone is prepared to actually take that step, however.
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