Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks to guests during a campaign stop at Berg Middle School on January 11, 2020 in Newton, Iowa. Image by Scott Olson/Getty Images

By Aiden Pink January 13, 2020

Sen. Bernie Sanders admitted in an interview with The New York Times editorial board that he is “not good at pleasantries” and doesn’t make a practice of wishing people happy birthday.

“Look, I don’t tolerate [expletive] terribly well, and I come from a different background than a lot of other people who run the country,” he said. “I’m not good at backslapping. I’m not good at pleasantries. If you have your birthday, I’m not going to call you up to congratulate you, so you’ll love me and you’ll write nice things about me. That’s not what I do. Never have. I take that as a little bit of a criticism, self-criticism. I have been amazed at how many people respond to, ‘Happy Birthday!’ ‘Oh Bernie, thanks so much for calling.’ It works. It’s just not my style. I try to stay focused on the important issues facing working families in this country, and I fight for them.”

Sanders was interviewed for 90 minutes by the editorial board, which is slowly releasing its interviews with all of the Democratic presidential candidates before it announces its official endorsement next week.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Most of the interview focused on policy and political strategy, with Sanders going into detail about his plans to fight climate change and housing insecurity, and how he plans to get his “Medicare for All” proposal past a Republican-controlled Senate.

Sanders also spoke about his health (his daughter is encouraging him to do yoga) and his phone use (he doesn’t have any apps). When asked about his religious beliefs, Sanders responded, “I am Jewish. I am proud to be Jewish. I was bar mitzvahed from the Kings Highway Jewish Center, a long time ago. I am not actively involved in organized religion. I believe in God. I believe in the universality of people. That what happens to you impacts me. And I certainly believe in the constitutional right of freedom of religion.”

Aiden Pink is the deputy news editor of the Forward. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter @aidenpink

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount