Biden adviser Symone Sanders dispels "myth" of disagreements in campaign
Symone Sanders, a senior campaign adviser to Vice President Joe Biden, believes her candidate is unique in his desire to hear from a variety of perspectives. In an interview with CBS News' Major Garrett for this week's episode of "The Takeout" podcast, Sanders said it was a "testament" to Biden that he had broadened his circle of advisers.
"We have a good mix going on," Sanders said about the makeup of Biden's campaign. "And I do believe that's how we were able to, frankly, capture the nomination and that's how we'll defeat Donald Trump."
Sanders also disputed that there was any sort of "palace intrigue" in the campaign, with different advisers jockeying for favor.
Highlights from this week's episode:
- Symone Sanders on how the diversity of Biden's advisers helps his campaign: "I do believe that's how we were able to, frankly, capture the nomination and that's how we'll defeat Donald Trump."
- Biden's strengths: "The strength of Joe Biden is the fact that he is a listener, he has empathy, he is always constantly critically thinking about things and how he can retool them and make them better."
- Defeating Trump: "It's not going to be easy to beat Donald Trump. We are not running as if it will be easy."
"There is this notion that he may not be listening to some people, that there are some people that do not have his ear, and I would just like to dispel that myth. The strength of Joe Biden is the fact that he is a listener, he has empathy, he is always constantly critically thinking about things and how he can retool them and make them better," Sanders said.
Sanders was the press secretary for Senator Bernie Sanders' insurgent campaign in 2016, but she said that she is working with Biden this election cycle because she believes he "correctly diagnosed what is happening in America." Sanders believes that Biden's message that "we are in a 'battle for the soul of this nation' is more on point now more than ever."
"I believed in what Joe Biden said, I absolutely agreed with him, and that's why I joined his campaign," Sanders said.
Sanders slammed the Trump campaign for trying to "throw a number of salacious conspiracy theories and project them onto the vice president," such as the claim that Biden is mentally unfit for office.
"I think that he has demonstrated time and time again that he can rise to the occasion, while Donald Trump does not," Sanders said about Biden.
She also said that the Biden campaign was working hard to engage a variety of voters, including African-American voters and working class white voters.
"Our strategy is dynamic, it is tailored to specifically what state we are talking about," Sanders said. "It's not going to be easy to beat Donald Trump. We are not running as if it will be easy."
For more of Major's conversation with Sanders, download "The Takeout" podcast on Art19, iTunes, GooglePlay, Spotify and Stitcher. New episodes are available every Friday morning. Also, you can watch "The Takeout" on CBSN Friday at 5pm, 9pm, and 12am ET and Saturday at 1pm, 9pm, and 12am ET. For a full archive of "The Takeout" episodes, visit www.takeoutpodcast.com. And you can listen to "The Takeout" on select CBS News Radio affiliates (check your local listings).
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