"We have a president who has strong authoritarian tendencies; who wants to, everyday, undermine American democracy," Sanders said on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher."
"In my state and all over this country you have men and women who have fought and died to defend American democracy, and this guy looks all over the world and he kind of likes these authoritarian leaders."
Trump has, at times, been accused of leading like an autocrat himself, with critics pointing to his frequent attacks on political opponents, the news media and government institutions, like the Justice Department, as evidence.
Trump doesn’t respect the independence of any institution around him, he has authoritarian tendencies and does not see that he is not supposed to meddle in some aspects of the government is not surprising, though it is still troubling.
Trump has repeatedly sought to undermine the Justice Department and has publicly foughtwith the FBI.
Trump has said he would “absolutely” consider an attempt to break up the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the West Coast’s court system that has a liberal bent. And he has demonstrated time and time again he doesn’t respect the norms and traditions of government where he doesn’t see fit — by not separating himself from his businesses, consistently attacking and threatening the press, and actually profiting from the presidency.
