Donald Trump Calls Democratic Primary 'Rigged' Amid His Impeachment Trial

President Donald Trump claimed the Democratic primary for the 2020 presidential election is "rigged" against Sen. Bernie Sanders in a tweet Wednesday as Trump's impeachment trial in the Senate gets underway after a weekslong impasse over the general procedures outlining the historic hearings.

They are taking the nomination away from Bernie for a second time. Rigged!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 22, 2020

This was just one of the numerous tweets from Trump Wednesday, in another of which he called 2020 Democratic primary candidate Tom Steyer "a major loser," claiming, "This is the second time with Bernie!"

Wednesday's tweetstorm isn't the first time Trump has claimed the Democratic primary is rigged, tweeting on Jan. 17 that Sanders' presence at the impeachment trial was secretly a conspiracy to keep him from campaigning in Iowa.

"They are rigging the election again against Bernie Sanders, just like last time, only even more obviously," he wrote at the time. "They are bringing him out of so important Iowa in order that, as a Senator, he sit (sic) through the Impeachment Hoax Trial. Crazy Nancy [Pelosi] thereby gives the strong edge to Sleepy Joe Biden and Bernie is shut out again."

Sanders, however, has not aligned himself with Trump's comments, denying there is any kind of underhanded behavior going on with the primary and accusing Trump of attempting to create divide within the Democratic party ahead of the primary.

"Let's be clear about who is rigging what," Sanders said in a statement in response to Trump's accusation Friday, according to The Boston Herald. "It is Donald Trump's action to use the power of the federal government for his own political benefit that is the cause of the impeachment trial. His transparent attempts to divide Democrats will not work, and we are going to unite to sweep him out of the White House in November."

Photo credit: Mark Wilson, Getty