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By Aiden Pink April 18, 2018

Sen. Bernie Sanders has found an unexpected ally in his fight to strengthen Social Security spending: Cardi B, the stripper-turned-rapper behind “Bodak Yellow,” one of the biggest hits of last year.

Cardi B, born Belcalis Almanzar, is a self-proclaimed history buff who says she can name all the presidents in order. In a recent interview with GQ, she spoke about her love of Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

“First of all,” she said, “he helped us get over the Depression, all while he was in a wheelchair. 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.”

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Her comments were picked up by the advocacy group Social Security Works, whose tweet was in turn picked up by Sanders.

“Cardi B is right,” Sanders tweeted. “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.”

He followed up on his comments with a video:

Cardi B, who like Sanders was born in New York City, felt the Bern during the 2016 presidential election, calling on viewers to “vote for Daddy Bernie, b****.”

Sanders has also praised other rappers for their advocacy. He recorded a series of videos with rapper Killer Mike during the presidential primaries, and wrote on Twitter in 2016: “Jay Z is right: We have to end the war on drugs.”

Sanders had a short-lived musical career himself, participating in a folk album in Vermont in 1987:

Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink

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