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Scaramucci: Bernie could 'absolutely' beat Trump

Former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci isn’t shy about his feelings towards President Donald Trump following his 10-day tenure in the White House.

Scaramucci previously made it clear that he doesn’t think Trump will get re-elected president, asserting that Democratic candidates Michael Bloomberg and former Vice President Joe Biden have a chance to beat him.

Recent polls and early Democratic primaries, though, indicated that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is becoming the clear frontrunner. And despite the fact that Sanders is a self-proclaimed socialist, Scaramucci said that “he absolutely can win.”

“If you think Bernie Sanders can’t win, you’re not paying close enough attention to the Bernie Sanders movement, the same way people weren’t paying close enough attention to the Donald Trump movement in 2016,” Scaramucci said on Yahoo Finance’s On the Move (video above.

February 23rd 2020 - Bernie Sanders wins the 2020 Nevada Democratic Caucuses. - February 12th 2020 - Bernie Sanders wins the New Hampshire Democratic primary. - File Photo by: zz/Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx 2016 7/25/16 Bernie Sanders at Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, PA.
Bernie Sanders wins the 2020 Nevada Democratic Caucuses. (Photo by: zz/Dennis Van Tine/STAR MAX/IPx)

A recent poll from Morning Consult backs up Scaramucci’s claim that Sanders could beat Trump: 32% of Democratic voters stated he’s the best candidate to go up against the current commander-in-chief, with Bloomberg second at 19% and Biden third at 18%.

According to Real Clear Politics, Sanders would beat Trump by approximately 2.4 points if the election were held today.

Sanders’ momentum

Sanders took 46.8% in the most recent Democratic primary in Nevada, which was more than double the next closest contender, Joe Biden. At the Iowa Caucus, Sanders virtually tied with former Mayor Pete Buttigieg (the Associated Press has still not declared a winner). And at the New Hampshire primary, Sanders topped Buttigieg.

Overall, Sanders holds a commanding lead over his fellow Democratic candidates heading into Super Tuesday on March 3.

(Screenshot/Google via AP)
(Screenshot/Google via AP)

Scaramucci described Sanders’ increasing popularity as a “virus in the market,” while others have been critical of the Sanders movement. Former Biden advisor and current Chief Transparency Officer at TransparentBusiness, Moe Vela, previously told Yahoo Finance that “socialism has no chance of beating Trump in 2020.”

A November 2019 Gallup poll found that 39% of Americans have a positive view of socialism, a 3% increase from 2010.

The positive views of socialism are “simply because I think people hear it and it sounds so good,” Vela said. “I like free things too. I go to sales at department stores all the time because I’m attracted to a sale. However, the reality in policy, in the United States and in governance, is somebody has to pay for that.”

President Trump, who has equated Democrats with a surge of socialism in America, would likely focus on the socialism angle in a general election against Sanders.

FILE - In this Jan. 9, 2020, file photo, President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. As the Democratic primary intensifies ahead of the first voting contests, President Donald Trump and his allies have issued a series of favorable comments about Democrat Bernie Sanders. It's a strategy aimed at trying to take advantage of Democratic divisions and trying to attract some Sanders' supporters to Trump's campaign if the senator is not his party's nominee. (AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin, File)
President Donald Trump points as he arrives to speak at a campaign rally, in Toledo, Ohio. (AP Photo/ Jacquelyn Martin, File)

Adriana is an associate editor for Yahoo Finance. She can be reached at adriana@yahoofinance.com. Follow her on Twitter @adrianambells.

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