Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders Bernie SandersMcConnell accuses Democrats of sowing division by 'downplaying progress' on election security The Hill's Campaign Report: Arizona shifts towards Biden | Biden prepares for drive-in town hall | New Biden ad targets Latino voters Why Democrats must confront extreme left wing incitement to violence MORE on Sunday shot back against a negative Washington Post editorial, saying it proves he's not loved by the establishment.

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"I am not greatly beloved by the economic establishment, by Wall Street, by the big money interests, or by the major media of this country including the Washington Post," Sanders said on CNN's "State of the Union."

The editorial, published last week, said Sanders is peddling "fiction” to progressive voters.

“Mr. Sanders is not a brave truth-teller,” the editorial stated. "He is a politician selling his own brand of fiction to a slice of the country that eagerly wants to buy it."

Sanders said on Sunday he's being attacked because he's too ambitious, noting campaign proposals to expand Social Security and reform healthcare.

"We are taking on the establishment," he said. "The Washington Post is the establishment. It doesn't surprise me they don't like my ideas."

Sanders also defended his proposals on ABC's "This Week," saying he does not have "radical" ideas. He said every proposal is "supported by the vast majority of the American people."

"The problem is ... that Congress is so dominated by big money interests, they are much more concerned about campaign contributions than they are about the needs of working families," he said.

"These are not radical ideas," he added. "And demanding that the wealthiest people and the largest corporations in this country start paying their fair share of taxes, that we break up these large Wall Street conglomerates, these are not radical ideas."

Sanders said Americans support his proposals.

"Now the real question is, can we effectively take on the drug companies and the insurance companies and Wall Street and corporate America?" he asked.

--This report was updated at 10:37 a.m.