Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke out about the political rift among House Democrats, saying House Speaker Nancy Pelosi should take it easy on Congress’ younger members.

The 2020 Democratic contender came to the defense of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her progressive colleagues in their public clash with Pelosi, telling NBC’s Chuck Todd on Sunday’s “Meet the Press,” “I think it goes without saying that the future of our country and the future of the Democratic Party rests with young people.”

“What Alexandria and other young women and women of color are saying, we have got to reach out to young people,” he continued. “We have got to hear the pain of the working class of this country. And that is causing some political disruption within the leadership of the Democratic Party.”

Pressed by Todd on whether he believed Pelosi was being too tough on the four women, the Vermont senator said, “I think a little bit. I think you cannot ignore the young people of this country who are passionate about economic and racial and social and environmental justice. You’ve got to bring them in, not alienate them.”

Ocasio-Cortez and Pelosi have been trading barbs as the speaker has tried to rein in both progressive and centrist members of her caucus over policy disagreements that have boiled over onto Twitter.

The progressive darling accused the speaker of the “singling out of newly elected women of color” in an interview with the Washington Post after Pelosi made comments that appeared to be directed at Ocasio-Cortez and her freshman progressive colleagues known as “The Squad” — Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley.

Pelosi chided her colleagues for airing their grievances on Twitter.

“So, again, you got a complaint? You come and talk to me about it,” Pelosi told Democrats, Politico reported. “But do not tweet about our members and expect us to think that that is just OK.”

The feud stemmed from the four congresswomen’s opposition to the emergency border funding bill, which still passed with Pelosi’s backing.

Earlier this month, Pelosi told the New York Times, “All these people have their public whatever and their Twitter world, but they didn’t have any following. They’re four people and that’s how many votes they got.”

Ocasio-Cortez responded in a tweet to her 4.3 million followers, saying, “that public ‘whatever’ is called public sentiment,” adding that it is how “we actually achieve meaningful change in this country.”