Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said his movement succeeded in swaying public opinion toward progressive causes, and he cited several issues that were viewed as outlandish in 2016 but have since gained wide popularity. | Alex Brandon/AP Photo 2020 Elections Sanders ponders second run, lays out policy objectives

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is considering another go for president in 2020, but for now, he’s asking himself whether he’s the best pick.

Speaking at George Washington University to promote his latest book, Sanders on Tuesday revisited his unsuccessful 2016 campaign and talked about the future priorities for the progressive movement. All the while, the question of his candidacy in two years loomed over the audience.


But Sanders demurred on the topic until asked at the end how close he was to making a decision. The senator replied that he was taking the temperature around the country to see whether he would be the strongest candidate to take down President Donald Trump. Still, he said he was “thinking about it.”

“The issue is not ego,” he said. “It is the understanding that we’re in a pivotal moment in American history.”

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Most of the evening was spent rehashing several points he makes in his new book, “Where We Go from Here,” which was released this week. Sanders discussed how he and his campaign, which he described as a “surprisingly good campaign,” mobilized behind Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton after losing the party’s nomination, choosing not to pack up and go home, but to continue to push for progressive causes even after the election.

Sanders said his movement succeeded in swaying public opinion toward progressive causes, and he cited several issues that were viewed as outlandish in 2016 but have since gained wide popularity — from raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour to universal single-payer health care for all. The independent senator heralded the successes of progressive Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterm elections as a bellwether of a cultural shift to the left in the country.

“We busted the discussion open, and maybe that was the most important accomplishment,” Sanders said.

He also listed several issues that should be core progressive policy priorities going forward, from tuition-free college to ending the war on drugs — a list that hinted at a possible presidential platform.

But Sanders turned away from what he called “personality politics,” urging the audience and media to focus on policy.

“People turn on the TV and they hear, ‘Who’s running in 2020? Who’s running in 2096?’” Sanders said. “‘Did you hear this about Nancy Pelosi?’”

Still, he came to the media’s defense in light of Trump’s verbal attacks on the press, and characterized the Trump presidency as a national turning point. This year’s Democratic gains in the House, however, will mean Trump will now face substantive accountability for the first time, he said.

Sanders called out Trump’s affinity for autocratic leaders like President Vladimir Putin Russia and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, adding that he would introduce legislation to end U.S. involvement in the war in Yemen.

The senator also advocated an investigation into Trump’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and reiterated that any attempt to interfere with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 election should be viewed as obstruction of justice and an impeachable offense.

But Democrats “cannot simply be the anti-Trump party,” Sanders said, and should instead focus on policy that affects rural and working-class Americans.

“We have got to be bold,” he said. "We have got to understand that there is a lot of pain in this country and that there are millions of Americans who are not staying up nights worrying about the absurd tweet that Donald Trump sent out. … They’re worrying about the fact that their kids will likely have a lower standard of living than they do.”