Senator Bernie Sanders has endorsed Joe Biden, dismissing calls for the man he calls “the most capable president in our modern history” to stand down in the next US presidential election.
U.S. Senator Sanders, a symbol of progressive causes, Opinion articles Trump published an article in The New York Times endorsing Biden, who has come under fire from Democrats for his ability to beat Donald Trump after his disastrous defeat in a television debate.
“Despite our differences on certain issues, he is the most effective president in our modern history and the favorite to defeat Donald Trump, a demagogue and pathological liar,” Sanders wrote.
“It’s time to learn a lesson from France’s progressive and centrist forces, who despite serious political differences came together this week to defeat right-wing extremism once and for all.”
Sanders has joined Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, another key figure on the Democratic left, in endorsing Biden, but more than two dozen Democrats have called for him to step down, citing his weakness during the debates and his bleak reelection prospects against Trump.
So far the only Democratic senator to call on Biden to resign is Vermont Independent Peter Welch, who, like Sanders, primarily votes Democratic.
Sanders wrote that Democrats in the “firing squad” needed to “stop bickering and obsessing over the minutiae” of Biden’s performance and start focusing on Trump’s much bigger problems, including the former president’s felony convictions, sexual abuse conviction, bankruptcy and what Sanders called “thousands of documented lies and falsehoods.”
“We know Biden is old, he makes mistakes, he walks awkwardly and his debate with Trump was a disaster,” Sanders wrote. “But we also know that the presidential election is not an entertainment contest.”
“Enough is enough! Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he is the candidate and he should be the candidate.”
Biden has stressed he has no plans to withdraw from the November election despite trailing or tying with Trump in the polls. He said he made the “stupid mistake” of being too busy before the debate, including a tiring overseas trip.
“Where was Trump?” the president said of his rival. “Was he in a golf cart? Was he filling out his scorecard before hitting the ball?”
Speculation about the 81-year-old president’s future has prompted Trump and his Republican allies to launch attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris, the front-runner to succeed Biden. Trump has given her a new derogatory nickname, “Ruffin’ Kamala,” which he tried out at a campaign rally in Florida this week.
