‘Extremely Despicable’: Biden Adviser Symone Sanders Calls on Trump to Apologize Over Report He Privately Mocked His Christian Supporters

Symone Sanders, senior adviser to the Joe Biden campaign, slammed President Donald Trump over a new report that he ridiculed his own devoutly religious supporters behind their back — and she called on him to apologize.

During an appearance on MSNBC’s The ReidOut, Sanders was asked about an article in the The Atlantic, published on Tuesday, that detailed how Trump broadly dismissed his Christian backers and mocked the evangelical leaders who back him, privately calling them “hustlers.”

Host Joy Reid referenced the report and asked if the candidate would try to target them during the first presidential debate later on Tuesday evening.

“Does the Biden/Harris campaign view parts of Donald Trump’s base, evangelicals, white working class voters, et cetera, as targets to try to attract tonight?” Reid asked. “Or is this really mostly about getting out the base to include never-Trumpers in this election that’s already happening?”

“Joy, this is about the voters for us. We have identified what we believe are key coalitions,” Sanders replied. “These are working families. Working families are white folks, they’re also Black people Native American, Asian American, Pacific Islander. They are Latino and Hispanic. They’re women, they’re young people. We are really speaking to a broad coalition of folks. We are talking, and Joe Biden tonight will be speaking to, anyone who is exacerbated by the devastation that they’re feeling in this country, someone who is looking for a plan and leadership to help this country turn the corner, and, again, build back better than we were before. That’s the vision that he’s presenting.”

Sanders then turned to directly address the anecdotes in The Atlantic piece.

“Let me just say one thing about the alleged report,” Sanders said. “It is despicable, frankly, extremely despicable. If what is alleged in that report is true, frankly, President Trump owes the voters people in this country an apology.”

Sanders then noted that Trump has also openly attacked the faith of Biden, a devout Catholic, and made absurdly incendiary statements that if the former vice president wins in 2020, Biden will outlaw religion and “hurt the Bible, hurt God.”

“I’ve seen it myself,” Sanders added, alluding to the allegations in The Atlantic. “It’s despicable that on a regular basis Donald Trump himself and the campaign attacks Vice President Biden and his faith. That’s not who we are, that’s not who Joe Biden is. And I think it’s time for President TDrump to step up to the plate and just exhibit even an ounce of empathy. I hope he can find some.”

Watch the video above, via CNN.