‘Man of the People’ Bernie Demands King-Size Beds and Plush Travel Accommodations

Sen. Bernie Sanders requirements for travel are sparking denunciations of hypocrisy from critics who say the avowed socialist is paying mere lip service to his supposed championing of the working class, according to a new book

The report: An excerpt from “Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats’ Campaigns to Defeat Trump,” penned by The Atlantic staff writer Edward-Isaac Dovere, reveals the Vermont Independent’s campaign trail habits, including a list of demands for accommodations and a “Senator Comfort Memo” compiled by his staffers.

  • King-size beds and bathtubs in hotel rooms: “Hotel rooms had to be away from elevators and from ice machines, so that quiet was guaranteed,” Dovere wrote, according to an excerpt obtained by Fox News. “He didn’t like getting upgrades and would often switch with an aide if he got the nicer room— ‘If there’s a bomb in there, it’s yours tonight,’ he’d joke— but he liked suites, and he liked bathtubs, and he insisted on a king-size bed, which had to have a down comforter or another blanket in the closet. He preferred that the extra blanket be dark blue, and made of cotton.
  • A penchant for flying private: “Charter flights were a revelation to him. He would always be a little embarrassed pulling into the private terminals, but boy, did he get a kick out of not worrying about being late for a flight that couldn’t take off without him.”
  • The rock star treatment: Sanders reportedly demanded his hotel room be kept at a crisp 60 degrees, required an assortment of snacks and drinks and preferred that the color of an extra blanket kept in the closet be dark blue.

Context: While Sanders’ supporters have touted him as as a “man of the people,” the democratic socialists’ detractors highlight his millionaire net worth and multiple homes.

  • Political observers have noted how Sanders’ rhetoric against millionaires changed after he became one himself in 2016.
  • “Millionaires and billionaires are pouring unbelievable sums of money into the political process in order to fund super PACs and to elect candidates who represent their interests, not the interests of working people,” Sanders’ said during an Oct. 2015 Democratic presidential debate.
  • During his 2020 run for president, Sanders’ jabs at millionaires had all but disappeared.
By We'll Do It Live