If you woke up this morning expecting a sitting U.S. senator to cosign a rapper's views on politics, then step right up, it's time to claim your prize. That's exactly what Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders did on Thursday, April 18, when he used a Cardi B quote to make a statement on policy. More specifically, Bernie Sanders tweet about Cardi B was all about Social Security and making America great again.
"Cardi B is right," Sanders account tweeted on Thursday. "If we are really going to make America great we need to strengthen Social Security so that seniors are able to retire with the dignity they deserve."
Attached to the tweet was a quote Cardi B said in a profile with GQ about former President Franklin D. Roosevelt, otherwise known as FDR. "He's the real 'Make America Great Again' president," she said, "because it it wasn't for him, older Americans wouldn't even get Social Security."
No, we weren't kidding. Yes, that was Bernie Sanders cosigning Cardi B, and people on Twitter reacted as surprised as you probably are right now.
"Bernie Sanders giving Cardi B a shout out? File that under: Tweets I never expected," Detroit Free Press reporter Katrease Stafford tweeted.
"Bernie Sanders citing Cardi B, what a time to be alive," Washington Examiner reporter Kelly Cohen tweeted.
"Cardi's going to make such a good president," New York Post editor Seth Mandel tweeted.
But wait, there's more.
Reporter Yashar Ali — who's gained a following for his reporting about allegations against Harvey Weinstein and for tweeting just about any and all interesting things — summed up just how mind-blowing the Bernie Sanders endorsement of Cardi B is.
"What a time to be alive ... both Bernie Sanders and Grover Norquist are referring to Cardi B when it comes to policy. I will claim some of the credit for this," Ali tweeted on Thursday. If you don't know who Grover Norquist is... well, first, I don't blame you. But, Norquist is a conservative political figure regarded as an "anti-tax crusader."
After Cardi B posted a video rant about how much the government taxes her, Norquist boosted the video on Twitter, essentially giving his own cosign to Cardi B's views on tax policy. "This taxpayer explains that she would like somewhat more transparency in how government spends her tax dollars." Norquist tweeted.
In other words — somehow, some way — Cardi B is attracting the admiration of both liberal and conservative figures.
You can't make this stuff up.
Oh, and, you know what else you can't make up? An encyclopedic knowledge of presidents. There's no faking it, you really have to know your history, just like... Cardi B.
"I love political science," the 25-year-old rapper said in an interview with GQ magazine. "I love government. I'm obsessed with presidents. I'm obsessed to know how the system works."
The GQ interview is where the Bernie Sanders-endorsed quote about FDR originates from. Here's what she had to say about the former president in full.
"First of all. he helped us get over the Depression, all while he was in a wheelchair," Cardi B told GQ. "Like, this man was suffering from polio at the time of his presidency, and yet all he was worried about was trying to make America great—make America great again for real. He's the real 'Make America Great Again,' because if it wasn't for him, old people wouldn't even get Social Security."
She then went on to talk about FDR's wife, perhaps the most famous former first lady, Eleanor Roosevelt. "I would say she was almost like Michelle Obama," Cardi B said. "She was such a good humanitarian, and we both got the same birthday, October 11."
Cardi B, ladies and gentlemen. Rapper, bipartisan figure, presidential historian.
What a time to be alive indeed.
