Cardi B and Bernie Sanders Team Up to Get Young People Involved in Politics
Cardi B isn’t one to shy away from sharing her opinion
Photo: Instragram/BernieSanders
Cardi B isn’t one to shy away from sharing her opinion. Nor does she shy away from voicing her thoughts on the current political climate or healthcare, so it’s no surprise that we finally get to see her sit down with 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
The 26-year-old rapper shared a photo of herself with the Vermont U.S. Senator on Instagram where they talked about various political issues at TEN Nail Bar, a black-owned Detroit nail salon. “We [are] working on a way to involve more young people in the political process,” Sanders told CNN about the video they’re working on together. “The future of America depends on young people. They are voting in large numbers, but not large enough numbers.”
During Cardi B and Bernie Sanders’ meeting, they talked about a range of issues including eliminating student debt, climate change, and raising the minimum wage. Cardi B has also been a vocal supporter of Sanders in the past. She took to Instagram to let her followers know they should “stay tuned to see how [Bernie Sanders] will fight for economic, racial, and social justice for all.”
“Together, let’s build a movement of young people to transform this country,” Cardi B adds. On Twitter, the rapper also expressed her admiration and thoughts on Bernie Sanders. “I been reading about Bernie Sanders and I’m really sad how we let him down in 2016,” she writes in a tweet. “This man been fighting for equal rights, HUMAN rights for such a long time. Seeing this country become a better place been really his passion for a long time not a new front for a campaign.”
However, the New York rapper has also been critical of the Republican Party and Donald Trump. She recently posted a video on Instagram where she asks influencers to get politically involved and engaged in order to inform other young voters. “You see the Republicans,” Cardi B says int he video. “They’re afraid to stand up to Trump because he might take their positions away from them, but the Democrats, they just don’t give a f*ck.”
In the video, Cardi B continues to discuss the importance of shining light on the progressive work done by the Democratic party to counteract the negativity that stems from Trump’s tweets – which she calls a distraction. She then goes on to call out mainstream media for giving his tweets so much attention.
In response to a potential endorsement from Cardi B, Sanders tells CNN, “…what Cardi B does is not only [that] is she an enormously popular entertainer, [but she is] is speaking to young people about the important issues that are on their minds and I applaud that very much.”
This collaboration comes after Sanders appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and talked about the ongoing conversations he’s had with Cardi. “We have talked on the phone on several occasions,” Sanders said. “She is really smart, and she is deeply concerned about what’s happening in this country. She comes from a humble background. She knows what it’s like to live in poverty, to struggle, and she wants to make sure we can improve life for working people, and I’m delighted that she’s a supporter.”
Cardi has also posted on Instagram supporting Rep. Ilhan Omar and earlier this year she posted about feeling “scared” after the government shutdown when Trump was seeking funds for the border wall, saying “our country is in a hellhole right now all for a… wall.”
Her involvement with Sanders is her first official foray into the political sphere with a high-profile candidate and naturally, her music may also come into play at some point. At the end of a “Pod Save America” podcast last week, Sanders was asked whether Cardi B would perform at his inauguration if he wins: “We’re putting together a committee to take a look at that.”
