Team Trump is trying to get Bernie Sanders the nomination. They should be careful what they wish for

In 2016, Hillary Clinton's campaign had a very similar campaign — with none other than our 'unelectable' president

The Keep America Great campaign may have made a serious oversight (AP)

In politics, people running for office — and their campaign managers — always hope their candidate will face off against someone who’s easy to beat.

The same people play up the weakest possible opponents as the the ones they supposedly fear the most — it’s the oldest strategy in the world. In 2016, Hillary Clinton and her operatives claimed the person they most wanted to face in a general election was Texas Senator Ted Cruz and played up Donald Trump, the reality TV star, as the one they least wished to contend with in a general election.

We know how that one worked out.

A familiar theme began to emerge as the Democratic primary season kicked into high gear a few weeks ago. Former vice president Joe Biden, viewed as the Democratic frontrunner for all of 2019 and early 2020, stumbled out of the gate, finishing fourth in Iowa and fifth in New Hampshire. Still, Biden remained the overall favorite, and that's when an unofficial "prop up Bernie" campaign started, led by none other than President Donald Trump.

One day before the South Caroline primary, Trump tweeted:

And then, following Biden's smashing South Carolina win on February 29th, the president said:

Trump supporters on Twitter followed suit, claiming the Democratic "establishment" was going to the well for Joe Biden at the expense of Sanders. Conservatives outlets began publishing pieces praising Sanders, not in terms of his proposals or policies, but supposedly because he, like Trump, is not beholden to the establishment. A headline at The Federalist blared: "Say what you want about democratic socialism, but Bernie's message is inspiring."

Even Tucker Carlson railed against the Democratic establishment for trying to hold back the nomination of a "rogue candidate, who might actually be serious about closing the carried interest loophole and forcing private equity barons to pay the same effective tax rate that you do”.

No one should take such rhetoric seriously. Tucker Carlson or any other Trump supporter doesn't want Bernie Sanders as president. Still, they do want him to get the Democratic nomination, simply because they think it will be easier for Trump to beat Sanders than it will Biden.

On the surface, it makes sense. Just like it did for the Clinton campaign in 2016. According to one story, before the counting began on election day, the Clinton campaign popped champagne, convinced of a win, prematurely celebrating the election of the first female president.

It didn't happen, and Trump's campaign — along with Trump supporters — who push for a Sanders nomination because they think it clears the way for Trump's second term should be careful what they wish for.

With election day nearly eight months away, anything can happen. The coronavirus outbreak could have an impact on the country's economic situation. Oil prices have plunged. Stocks continue to be volatile, and the muddled messaging from the Trump administration about how they intend to deal with an epidemic doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

The political world is one in which fortunes can change almost overnight. People guffawed at the possibility Donald Trump could win the GOP nomination in 2016, let alone the general election. And while the likelihood of Sanders getting the Democratic nomination is low, especially in the wake of Biden's robust Super Tuesday performance, it seemed only two weeks ago that the opposite was true.

If Sanders does run away with the nomination, then presumably the Trump campaign will start dancing to Eddie Murphy's Party All The Time as they prepare the "Do you really want a socialist as president?" ad onslaught and loop videos of Bernie praising Fidel Castro on TVs all over Florida.

But one never knows. Voters could shrug off Bernie's mishaps and problematic past statements, just as voters did in 2016 with Trump. Every time something new surfaced, people were convinced Trump doomed his chances. It's not off the wall to think history could repeat itself, a mere four years later.