At a speech in Atlantic City on Monday, Bernie Sanders criticised fellow presidential candidate Donald Trump as well as billionaire investor Carl Icahn and told supporters that the pair’s “greed and recklessness” had hurt the city’s struggling gaming industry.
According to a report from the PhillyVoice newspaper, the Democratic hopeful slammed Trump for his stance on the minimum wage as well as provocative statements the 69-year-old businessman had made about Muslims and Hispanics.
Regarding Icahn, whose Tropicana Entertainment owns the Tropicana Casino And Resort Atlantic City and the nearby Trump Taj Mahal Casino, the Vermont Senator accused the 80-year-old of seeking to destroy workers’ pensions and health benefits.
“When we talk about the decline of the American middle class and the increase in poverty, what we are talking about is workers right here,” Sanders told the crowd of several hundred people. “Billionaires like Carl Icahn come in here and attack the standard of living of dishwashers and maids.”
Before the rally, Sanders met with members of the Unite Here Local 54 union before going on to declare that “greed is not acceptable” and that he would “take these people on” if elected.
Despite trailing fellow 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton by almost 300 delegates, 74-year-old Sanders vowed to keep fighting until the party holds its convention in Philadelphia in late-July.
“Don’t let anybody tell you this campaign is over,” said Sanders.
New Jersey will hold its Democratic primary election alongside those in California, New Mexico, Montana and South Dakota on June 7 and Sanders is hoping a significant number of wins could help him gain momentum going into the decisive convention.
“If we can win here in New Jersey and win in California and win in some of the other states and if we can win a majority of the pledged delegates, we’re gonna go into Philadelphia and the Democratic Convention; and expect to come out with the Democratic nomination,” said Sanders. “It is an uphill fight but I have been used to uphill fights my entire life. I want you all to know that this campaign will fight for every remaining vote in every remaining state.”