Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders made a surprising appearance on former Vice President joe Biden’s livestream to give the rival for the Democrat presidential nomination an enthusiastic endorsement against President Donald Trump.
Denouncing Trump as a “racist, sexist, homophobe” who “lies all the time,” Sanders announced he was now supporting Biden’s presidential bid. The self-described democratic socialist had suspended his campaign last week, saying he would stay on the ballot to influence party policy at the convention – but apparently changed his mind on Monday.
“I am asking all Americans — I’m asking every Democrat, I’m asking every independent, I’m asking a lot of Republicans — to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy which I endorse,” Sanders said.
We’ve got to make Trump a one-term president and we need you in the White House.
Biden told Sanders he will need his help to get elected and to govern, “if I’m the nominee, which I guess you just made me.”
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Formerly bitter rivals for the nomination, Biden and Sanders traded softball questions with each other, gushing over party talking points they agreed on, while criticizing every move Trump has made to cope with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Biden and Bernie are having this weirdly obviously choreographed Q&A between themselves
Sanders appeared to offer his key policy points – $15 minimum wage, free college – to Biden, who seemed to endorse them in his trademark-style rambling responses.
In the course of one of those answers, Biden also promised “comprehensive immigration reform” to give “millions of citizens [sic] on a pathway to citizenship,” before talking about sweating in “undocumented” Iraqis who had joined the US military after the 2003 Iraq War.
The former vice-president to Barack Obama also asked Sanders supporters to join him and help “transform this nation… as one of the most progressive administrations since [Franklin Delano] Roosevelt.”
Many Sanders supporters disillusioned with the Democratic Party were vowing never to support Biden as late as Sunday. Whether his sudden endorsement will sway them remains to be seen. It did, however, double the viewership of Biden’s livestream, with a peak of just under 4,300 people over the course of the 35-minute broadcast.
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