WEST LEBANON, N.
H. Senator Bernie Sanders, a prominent figure in the progressive movement and a two-time contender for the Democratic presidential nomination, has embarked on a two-day campaign tour in New Hampshire and Maine.
The objective of his tour is to rally support for Vice President Kamala Harris, in an effort to prevent the Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump, from reclaiming the White House.
According to Fox News, Sanders addressed a gathering of supporters in New Hampshire, a pivotal state in presidential elections, stating, "Trump cannot get elected. Weve got to do everything we can to make sure that does not happen."
However, the senator couldn't help but chuckle when asked about Trump's recent remarks suggesting that Harris, who has taken over from President Biden as the Democrats' 2024 presidential candidate, is more liberal than Sanders himself.
Over the past week, Trump has sought to portray Harris, a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, as an extreme liberal, citing her record in the U.S. Senate and as vice president.
At a rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, Trump claimed that Harris was the "most incompetent and far-left vice president in American history She is a radical left lunatic who will destroy our country if she ever gets the chance to get into office." He further suggested that Harris is "more liberal than Bernie Sanders. Can you believe it?"
In response, Sanders said, "I would hope that when he said, Can you believe that?, people said no." He added, "It's not true. Once again, Trump is lying. Let me just simply say that for better or for worse, Kamala Harris is not more progressive than I am."
Sanders, during his interview with Fox News and later at his event, criticized Trump, who was convicted of 34 felony counts two months ago, marking the first criminal trial of a former or current president in the nations history.
"This is the most important election, I think, in our lifetimes. I will do everything that I can to see that Donald Trump is defeated," Sanders asserted.
The senator argued that "the American people will not and cannot accept a president who is a pathological liar, somebody who believes that women should not be able to control their own bodies, somebody who in the midst of massive heatwaves thinks climate change is a hoax and somebody who actually does not believe in democracy, has not said that he will accept those election results if he loses. So, for all of those reasons, Trump must be defeated."
While Sanders is campaigning for Harris, he hasn't officially endorsed her. He believes that if Harris is to win the election, she needs to address issues that matter to the working class. "They want to know what the next president is going to do for them, and I hope very much that Vice President Harris will make that clear," Sanders said.
When asked about what Harris needs to focus on, Sanders mentioned the need to lower prescription drug costs, tax reform to ensure the wealthiest pay their fair share, expanding child care and affordable housing, and a strong stance on climate change. He also suggested that Harris' choice of a running mate will indicate whether she will adopt a progressive agenda in her presidential campaign.
Sanders' campaign tour comes less than a week after President Biden suspended his 2024 re-election campaign against Trump.
This decision, made under pressure from within the Democratic Party following a poor performance in the first presidential debate, led to a surge of endorsements for Harris from Democratic governors, senators, House members, and other party leaders. By Monday night, Harris had secured her party's nomination with the backing of a majority of the nearly 4,000 delegates to the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
However, Republicans argue that the process has been undemocratic, citing Biden's own words. Before dropping out, Biden had repeatedly cited the 14 million votes he won in this year's Democratic presidential primaries as a reason he should stay in the 2024 race.
"The voters and the voters alone decide the nominee of the Democratic Party," he emphasized.
Trump, at his rally in Charlotte, called the switch at the top of the Democrats' national ticket "an undemocratic move." Republican Senator Tom Cotton of Arkansas claimed that "Joe Biden succumbed to a coup by Nancy Pelosi, Barack Obama, and Hollywood donors, ignoring millions of Democratic primary votes."
Sanders, however, dismissed the GOP criticism. "These are extraordinary times and the Democrats had to move very quickly," he said.
"So I think that given the reality that Biden dropped out and having a Democratic convention coming, I think what happened is she announced her candidacy, she rallied the support she needs, and I think thats fine."
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