Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont dropped out of the 2020 presidential race on Monday. In addition, he has officially endorsed former Vice President Joe Biden.
“We've got to make Trump a one-term president, and we need you in the White House,” Bernie Sanders said in a livestream video with Biden, Business Insider reported. Sanders, who raked in a series of wins in early primary and caucus states, decided to withdraw his bid for the Oval seat on Wednesday when his campaign’ s momentum stalled. His decision would make Joe Biden the presumptive Democratic nominee.
“You've been the most powerful voice for a fairer and more just America,” Joe Biden told Sanders. “You don't get enough credit, Bernie, for being the voice that forces us to take a hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves, ‘Have we done enough?’”
Before the livestream event, Sanders invited people via a social media post. “We must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history,” he posted on Twitter. “I'm joining @JoeBiden's livestream with a special announcement.”
During the livestream, Sanders asked everyone to support Biden. “Today 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,” he said, according to BBC. “It's imperative that all of us work together.”
Biden expressed his gratitude to Sanders for putting the interest of the nation first. “You've put the interests of this nation and the need to beat Donald Trump above all else. As you say – ‘Not me, us’,” Sanders said. “I see you, I hear you, I understand the urgency of what it is that we have to get done in this country, and I hope you'll join us,” he addressed Sander’s supporters.
The two former rivals also touched on the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. They discussed possible ways for the U.S. to respond to the pandemic and economic crisis threat that the country is facing.
The United States is the hardest-hit country and occupies the top spot in terms of both the number of confirmed cases and the number of fatalities. As of April 14, there are 586,941 COVID-19 infections in the country, which resulted in 23,640 deaths due to the pathogen based on data from Worldometers.