Desperately trying to ride the coattails of Bernie Sanders’ popularity, Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley (D) is trending further and further left, now openly praising socialism.

Whilst improvising ways to bash President Trump for saying that the U.S. will never be a socialist country, CNN host Erin Burnett asked Merkley “Do you agree, Sen. Merkley, with the bottom line, America should never be a socialist country?”

Rather than responding with a simple yes or no, Merkley responds by saying Trump “just couldn’t restrain himself from going into campaign mode” before accusing former House speaker Paul Ryan of wanting to dismantle Social Security and Medicare and says that Trump wants to “tear them apart.”

Burnett asks him “But you don’t see that as socialism, right, in terms of the word? It is a word of significance.” to which Merkley says “It is a society coming together to increase the standard of living of our seniors. And that is pretty much the definition. And the president is attacking it.”

Video via the Washington Free Beacon channel on YouTube:

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A rumored 2020 Presidential candidate, it’s ironic that Merkley himself launches into campaign mode while also not answering Burnett’s question. His professional politician non answer somehow manages to straddle every fence without committing to anything.