Former White House candidate Bernie Sanders on Monday endorsed one-time rival and now the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for president, saying it was time to unite in the effort to defeat Donald Trump in November. "We must come together to defeat the most dangerous president in modern history," Sanders, a vocal leftist, said on Twitter shortly before making a surprise appearance on Biden's livecast where he endorsed the Democratic former vice president.
Senator Sanders had earlier ended his campaign, clearing the former vice president's path to nomination and a showdown with President Donald Trump in the November elections. Hours after becoming the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party on Wednesday, Biden held a virtual fundraiser with Kamala Harris as special guest, fuelling speculation that the Indian-origin US Senator may be his running mate in the presidential elections.
In his earlier remarks, Biden addressed Sanders' departure from the presidential race. "He's a powerful voice for a fairer and more just American, and I want Bernie and his supporters to know: I see you. I hear you. I understand the urgency of what you've done, and I hope you'll join us because we need all of you. We need all of you," he said. The former vice president then addressed the ongoing coronavirus pandemic gripping the country and the anxious time it has brought about while all Americans are facing the situation together but in isolation simultaneously.
"This disease is not only tearing through the nation and devastating families and wrecking the economy, we're starting to see and magnifying some of the worst systemic inequities that exist, amplifying some of the most unjust gaps in our society," Biden said, noting that counties with a majority black population have infection rates three times greater than majority white counties.
Biden said he had reached out to former President Barack Obama for advice on the selection process of his running mate. According to some media reports, Biden has shortlisted nine individuals as his potential running mate. Among them, include Harris and Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar. Biden has said that he will pick a woman as his running mate.