Bernie 'speaks to yearning that is deep and real': Biden heaps praise on his 'authentic' opponent… in 2016 (VIDEO)

Bernie Sanders has been labeled a polarizing radical incapable of uniting Democrats against Donald Trump, but his opponent and DNC darling Joe Biden thinks the Vermont senator has vast appeal – at least he said so in 2016.

In an interview with CNN's Gloria Borger, a much more articulate, four-years-younger Biden explained why he thought Sanders – now his main opponent to clinch the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination – was a political force to be reckoned with.

"I think that Bernie is speaking to a yearning that is deep and real, and he has credibility," Biden cooed while commenting on Sanders' positions on economic issues that impact ordinary Americans.

The former vice president was adamant about Sanders' "authenticity" when it comes to combating wealth inequality and stagnant wages – problems which have become even more pronounced in the current Democratic primaries cycle.

In fact, Sanders (circa 2016) even shared Biden's comments on Twitter.

"Joe Biden explains why Bernie Sanders is the best to beat Trump," joked a Twitter user who shared the clip.

The clip quickly went viral, racking up more than 17,000 retweets and 59,000 likes as of Thursday.

It seems that the video wasn't the only thing that didn't age particularly well. Social media commentators also marveled at how Biden's verbal abilities have radically changed in the last four years. A brutally blunt follow-up post included a video compilation of all of Biden's head-scratching verbal gaffes made while on the 2020 trail.

"Do you really think the DNC/Democrats want to defeat Trump?" the tweet quipped.

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