Bernie Sanders endorses Joe Biden for president

"We've got to make Trump a one-term president and we need you in the White House." Bernie Sanders endorses Joe Biden for president.

Transcript

00:00Today, I am asking all Americans, I'm asking every Democrat, I'm asking every

00:05independent, I'm asking a lot of Republicans to come together in this campaign to support

00:12your candidacy, which I endorse, to make certain that we defeat somebody who I believe,

00:21and I'm speaking just for myself now, is the most dangerous president in the modern history

00:27of this country, a president, and you made this point, who downplayed this pandemic,

00:34who ignored the advice that some of his people were giving him, who has not used the Defense

00:41Production Act early on so that we could produce the masks, the gowns, the gloves,

00:47the ventilators that our medical personnel desperately need, who today, as I understand,

00:54that is threatening to fire Dr. Fauci, who has been an unbelievable, I mean, it is,

01:00who has been, day after day, the voice of science to the American people trying to explain

01:08how we go forward in this crisis. We've got to make Trump a one-term president,

01:13and we need you in the White House. So I will do all that I can to see that that happens,

01:19Joe, and I know that there is an enormous responsibility on your shoulders right now,

01:26and it's imperative that all of us work together to do what has to be done, not only in this moment,

01:34but beyond this moment, in the future of this country.

01:38Bernie, I want to thank you for that. It's a big deal, and you know,

01:46I think that your endorsement means a great deal. It means a great deal to me. I think people are

01:53going to be surprised that we are apart on some issues, but we're awfully close on a whole bunch

01:59of others, and I think you've made, if I am the nominee, which it looks like now you just made me,

02:09I'm going to need you, not just to win the campaign, but to govern.

02:13And so do you have any questions for me, Bernie, at all?

02:17I did, Joe. You know, just let's talk about some of the areas that I think

02:26we are actually fairly close. There are some areas where we disagree, but some where

02:29we are fairly close. Let's talk about the economy, and above and beyond the crisis that we're in

02:37right now, you know very well that millions of our people are working for starvation wages,

02:44and one of the fights that I've been waging for a number of years now is to raise that minimum wage

02:51to at least 15 bucks an hour. Is that something, Joe, that you are supportive of?

02:56Bernie, I am extremely supportive of that, and I thank you for leading on it. I thank

03:00you for your endorsement, your support, but it means, look, it means a great deal

03:04to me personally. As I said in my statement when you suspended your campaign, I want to thank you

03:08for being the powerful voice, and you've been the most powerful voice for a fair and more just

03:13America. It's a voice like yours that refuses to allow us just to accept what is. You've refused

03:20to accept that we can't change what's wrong in our nation. You refuse to accept that health and

03:25well-being of our fellow citizens and our planet isn't the responsibility of somebody else. It's

03:30our responsibility. And you don't get enough credit, Bernie, for being the voice that forces

03:36us to take a hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves, have we done enough? And we haven't.

03:41Well, I'm pleased to announce that Bernie and I have agreed to establish, as we said, we already

03:46talked about it, six policy working groups, one on the economy, one on education, one on criminal

03:53justice. It should be reform, not punishment. One on immigration, climate change, and the economy.

04:01These groups are made up of thoughtful leaders that have worked with Bernie and some of whom

04:05have supported me as well. And the task is for them to develop creative new ideas and proposals.

04:11And we're looking forward to turning that work into positive change for the country.