Pressing his “political revolution” to turn its attention to defeating Donald Trump, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said he will work with Hillary Clinton to transform the Democratic Party itself and “create the America that we know we can become.”
Mr. Sanders spoke on Thursday night in a livestream address to political supporters two days after the final primary election of the nomination race. The major task they now face is to “make certain” the presumptive Republican nominee loses in November, he said, adding that he plans to begin his role in that process “in a very short period of time.”
“But defeating Donald Trump cannot be our only goal. We must continue our grassroots efforts to create the America that we know we can become,” Mr. Sanders said, pointing to his 1,900 delegates at next month’s Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia.
Although Ms. Clinton has secured enough pledged delegates and superdelegates to become the presumptive nominee, Mr. Sanders did not concede the race or refer to Ms. Clinton as the likely nominee, instead offering a lengthy list of policy proposals he hopes to see approved by the party.
The two rivals met Tuesday night at a Washington, D.C., hotel to discuss policy goals and future plans. Mr. Sanders said that while it was “no secret” that he and Ms. Clinton had “strong disagreements on some very important issues,” it was “also true that our views are quite close on others.”
Mr. Sanders said he anticipated working with Clinton “to transform the Democratic Party so that it becomes a party of working people and young people, and not just wealthy campaign contributors.”
The speech could be Mr. Sanders’ final address before the summer convention and was viewed by more than 2,00,000 people, according to the campaign. It sought to shape his legacy as a one-time “fringe” candidate who generated a massive following through sprawling rallies and threatened Ms. Clinton for the nomination.
Sanders’ agenda Looking ahead to the convention, Mr. Sanders said the party must support a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage, pay equity for women, a ban on the sale and distribution of assault weapons and a defeat of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
Mr. Sanders thanked his supporters for providing more than $200 million in donations, most in increments of $27, and rattled off what they had accomplished — 1.5 million people who attended his rallies and town meetings and more than 75 million phone calls from volunteers “urging their fellow citizens into action.”
“We have begun the long and arduous process of transforming America, a fight that will continue tomorrow, next week, next year and into the future,” he said.
Published - June 17, 2016 11:30 pm IST
