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And now, from the University of Chicago Institute of Politics and CNN Audio, the Axfiles with your host, David Axelrod.

Five years ago, Senator Bernie Sanders was my first guest on the Axfiles podcast at literally five years almost to the day.

And so, I was thrilled that he agreed to come back and mark that occasion at this very momentous time in our politics to talk about his own journey, the movement he built, and where the country is right now.

We had this discussion in front of an audience, students at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago, where Senator Sanders is an alum.

And we talked about that too. Here's that conversation.

Senator Bernie Sanders, it's great to see you. You were five years ago almost to the day, the first guest on my podcast, I think you're the 407th as well.

And so, it's such a pleasure to have you back, especially at such a consequential time.

So, thank you for doing this. We've got an audience here from the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago.

And so, before we plunge into current events, I do have to ask you this one historical bit, which is, you and I have a similar history, sons of Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, you grew up in New York City, you went to the public schools there, spent a year at Brooklyn College, which was a public institution there.

And then you came to the University of Chicago. What caused you to transfer to the University of Chicago?

Well, two factors, I think, the most significant one is my mother had died some months before my first year in Brooklyn College.

And it was just time for me to get out of my house, get out of Brooklyn and to look for something new. Brooklyn College was a good, good college, but I just wanted to get away from Brooklyn.

And then it turns out a friend of mine, a good friend of mine had gone to the University of Chicago. He said it was a good place. I applied and there I was.

I don't have access to your transcripts, but I'm given a belief that you pretty much measured in activism here more than any particular subject.

And that Bernie Sanders really sort of became Bernie Sanders in some ways during those years in Chicago.

Well, David, that's accurate. I think I will give you insight to those transcripts.

And they will clearly show that I was not one of the outstanding students in the history of University of Chicago.

Join the club.

It's a matter of fact, the dean requested that I take a little bit of time off to think about my academic future.

But I think there were two factors at the University that shaped me. Number one, it certainly was an extraordinary intellectual environment and the classes were very, very good.

But it also had a wonderful, wonderful library. It was then called the Harper Library. I don't know what it is called today.

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