Senator Josh Hawley told Fox News on Wednesday that his Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill were “terrified” of the possibility of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) being the face of their party as its presidential nominee.

Hawley said should Sanders be the 2020 Democratic nominee, it would be a disaster.

“I mean, listen, Bernie would be a disaster for the Democratic Party,” he said. “And it just shows you how far left the activist core of that party has gone, a socialist who wants to make us — remake this country in the image of Cuba and China. I mean, can you believe the things he’s saying about Cuba and China. He talked about China being a model for lifting people out of poverty. I mean, really? The most authoritarian government on the face of the planet a model? I don’t think so.”

The Missouri Republican concurred with his colleague Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) on labeling Sanders a “Marxist,” and added he detected Sanders’ “taste” for authoritarian governments.

“I mean, if you praise Cuba and you praise China, I don’t know how there’s any other conclusion,” he said. “I mean this is a guy who clearly has a taste for authoritarian governments, who thinks that the United States needs to look more like these authoritarian regimes. I mean, that just isn’t America.”

“And I think that when people listen to this — already you — the other Democrats know that Bernie would be a disaster at the top of the ticket and I can tell you from conversations I’ve had with Democrats on Capitol Hill, they are terrified at the idea of Bernie as being their standard-bearer,” Hawley added. “But, listen, I think it’s going to happen, and that’s why Donald Trump is going to win big in November.”

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