ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel closed out his week of Brooklyn shows by welcoming Sen. Bernie Sanders to a rare Friday episode. What was not rare, however, was Kimmel using the interview to team up with his guest in an effort to give the liberal audience a pep talk on why Democrats need to win in November. According to Sanders, one such reason is that Republicans are killing people with their health care policies.
Sanders was giving his typical stump speech when he hyped three far-left Senate candidates in particular, “That’s why this election is so important. I am an independent. I caucus with Democrats. But it is absolutely imperative, in my view, to do two things. We have to elect strong progressives to the United States Congress who have the guts to take them on the oligarchs. People like Abdul in Michigan and Peggy in Minnesota and Angie in Florida, but in addition to that, we have to make sure that Democrats control the House and the Senate so we can hold this guy accountable.”
After Bernie Sanders stumps for Abdul El-Sayed, Peggy Flanagan, and Angie Nixon, Jimmy Kimmel almost stumbles on a good question, but can't quite get there, "Now, obviously Trump doesn't want that to happen. And he has offered every American $5,000 if the GOP wins. Which is, you… pic.twitter.com/1xqx9ulIGT
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) October 3, 2026
Kimmel reacted by almost accidentally stumbling into a decent question about whether socialism is just an attempt to bribe voters with free money. However, he could not get all the way there and instead just wondered if Trump will actually follow through on his $5,000 dividend pledge, “Now, obviously Trump doesn't want that to happen. And he has offered every American $5,000 if the GOP wins. Which is, you know—I mean, it's kind what they accuse you of, right? Handing out money randomly. Do you think he will pay that $5,000 if they win?”
If Trump is being a hypocrite for offering voters free money, then Sanders and Democrats are also hypocrites for suddenly opposing it and calling it a bribe.
As it was, Sanders relaunched into his usual talking points that naturally failed to mention that it was Democrats who originally wrote the law that sunset expanded Obamacare subsidies during the Biden era and sold them a temporary COVID relief measure, “If you believe what Donald Trump says—I mean, this is how crass it is. These guys have already given $1 trillion in tax breaks to the one percent. They have thrown 15 million Americans off their health care, low-income and working-class people. Thousands of those folks are going to die.”
He also attacked Trump as “a guy who promised the American people during his campaign, we're going to end endless wars. Got us into this terrible war in Iran. Nineteen Americans dead, hundreds wounded, thousands of civilians dead, hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money. All right, I would suggest that whether you're a conservative, progressive, whatever you may be, do not trust what Donald Trump says.”
The Iran War has reportedly cost $43.6 billion, not “hundreds of billions.” Meanwhile, Bernie Sanders-style health care would cost the taxpayers over seven times that on an annual basis, while his free college plan would cost five times that according to his own estimates, but don’t expect the fact-checkers to care. Kimmel certainly didn’t.
Here is a transcript for the October 2-taped show:
ABC Jimmy Kimmel Live!
10/3/2026
12:28 AM ET
BERNIE SANDERS: If I may get political here for a moment if I have to—
JIMMY KIMMEL: Sure, go ahead.
SANDERS: That’s why this election is so important. I am an independent. I caucus with Democrats. But it is absolutely imperative, in my view, to do two things. We have to elect strong progressives to the United States Congress who have the guts to take them on the oligarchs. People like Abdul in Michigan and Peggy in Minnesota and Angie in Florida, but in addition to that, we have to make sure that Democrats control the House and the Senate so we can hold this guy accountable.
JIMMY KIMMEL: Now, obviously Trump doesn't want that to happen. And he has offered every American $5,000 if the GOP wins. Which is, you know—I mean, it's kind what they accuse you of, right? Handing out money randomly. Do you think he will pay that $5,000 if they win?
SANDERS: If you believe what Donald Trump says—I mean, this is how crass it is. These guys have already given $1 trillion in tax breaks to the one percent. They have thrown 15 million Americans off their health care, low-income and working-class people. Thousands of those folks are going to die.
This is a guy who promised the American people during his campaign, we're going to end endless wars. Got us into this terrible war in Iran. Nineteen Americans dead, hundreds wounded, thousands of civilians dead, hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money. All right, I would suggest that whether you're a conservative, progressive, whatever you may be, do not trust what Donald Trump says.
