(CNSNews.com) - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a firm critic of President Trump, nevertheless praised Trump's engagement with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un at a CNN town hall Monday night.
Moderator Wolf Blitzer asked Sanders if he, as president, would also meet with Kim Jong-un:
"See, now, after all of the nasty things I said about Trump, let me say a good thing here, all right?" Sanders responded.
Look, nuclear weapons in the hands of a brutal, irresponsible dictator is a bad idea, and if Trump can succeed, in fact, through face-to-face meetings with Kim Jong-un and rid that country of nuclear weapons, that is a very good thing.
So I think that the idea of going and meeting face-to-face with your adversaries is a good idea. I would like the president of the United States to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia together, to bring the Palestinians and the Israelis together, all right?
So I wish the president the best of luck. This is a very important issue. And if we can get nuclear weapons out of the hands of Kim Jong-un, that would be a very good thing.
Sanders described himself as a Democratic Socialist who believes that "economic rights" -- including health care, education, and a decent-paying job -- should be guaranteed.
"And all over the world, these ideas are taking place," Sanders told the town hall. "You go to countries in Scandinavia, of course, health care right is a right. Higher education is free. They have strong preschool programs. They make sure that their elderly folks can retire in dignity. These are not radical ideas.
"So what democratic socialism means to me is having, in a civilized society, the understanding that we can make sure that all of our people live in security and in dignity.
"Health care is a human right. All people should have health care," Sanders continued. "You can't get ahead in this country, in this world, unless you have a decent education. We have got to, as a right, end the kinds of discrimination, the racism, and the sexism, and homophobia that exists. So to me, when I talk about democratic socialism, what I talk about are human rights and economic rights."