During a brief break from the campaign trail in Iowa, presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders is scheduled to meet President Barack Obama privately today in the Oval Office.
There’s no formal agenda, according to White House press secretary John Earnest. “The president and Sen. Sanders first discussed this meeting last December when Sen. Sanders attended the Congressional Holiday Ball,” Earnest said Tuesday.
According to The Washington Post, Sanders has visited the White House 40 times during Obama’s time in office. But only once, on Dec. 15, 2014, did the two meet privately.
Today’s meeting comes two days after Politico released an interview with Obama filled with praise for Sanders’ chief rival, Hillary Clinton.
Mentioning Clinton’s impressive political resume and her tireless effort, Obama’s words were interpreted by many as a gift to the former secretary of state, who is in a tight race in Iowa against Sanders.
A fresh survey released by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday gave Sanders a slight edge over Clinton, 49 percent to 45 percent, with a margin of error of 4 points.
Sanders has been eager to tie himself to Obama on the trail, likening his campaign’s enthusiasm from young people to the historic energy Obama harnessed in his 2008 bid.
The president brushed off analogies between the campaigns in the Politico interview, instead portraying Sanders more as a gadfly than a serious politician.
“I think Bernie came in with the luxury of being a complete long shot and just letting loose,” Obama said.
While some of Obama’s comments were flippant, he praised the broad message of Sanders, saying “he has the virtue of saying exactly what he believes, and great authenticity, great passion, and is fearless. His attitude is, ‘I got nothing to lose.’ ”
The Post reported that the two have recently consulted on issues including veterans affairs and the Iran nuclear deal.
And in 2006, Obama, then a charismatic U.S. senator from Illinois, campaigned for Sanders and Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt.
“I want to make sure everybody is as enthusiastic as I am about making sure that these guys end up in Washington, where they can keep stirring up some trouble,” Obama told a rowdy Vermont crowd on a balmy spring day.
After the meeting this afternoon in Washington, Sanders is scheduled to jet back to Iowa for an evening town hall meeting with actress Susan Sarandon in Mason City. Iowa voters will caucus Monday to choose presidential nominees.
