‘He Has Been the Strongest, Most Progressive President in My Lifetime’
Bernie Sanders stands behind Joe Biden’s candidacy
Although acknowledging that President Biden faces “enormous pressure” from some other Democrats to step aside, a one-time presidential rival is fully backing Biden’s continued candidacy for reelection.
Ultimately, although it’s Biden’s decision whether to stay in the race, Sen Bernie Sanders remains strongly supportive of the incumbent.
The progressive Vermont independent who ran against Biden four years ago for the Democratic presidential nomination appeared as a guest Thursday on late-night TV comedian Stephen Colbert’s program.
A faction of Democrats have been calling for Biden to leave the race for a second term since the president’s abysmal performance last month in a debate against Donald Trump.
However, Biden — who announced earlier this week that he tested positive for COVID-19 — has vowed to remain the Democratic nominee.
“Well, the ultimate decision will be with the president. There is enormous pressure on him. And let me be very clear as to why I support the president,” said Sanders, who penned an opinion article in last Saturday’s New York Times suggesting Biden remain in the race. “Because I think of all of the candidates out there, I am more than aware of the disastrous debate he had and the problems he has, but I am also aware that he has been the strongest, most progressive president in my lifetime.
“He is the first president in American history to stand with workers on a picket line. He has taken on pharma and lowered the cost of prescription drugs. We are now rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure. We put more money into climate change than any time in history in the country. 5 million Americans have gotten student debt relief, and that’s for a start,” he added, to cheers and applause from Colbert’s studio audience. “So, he has a record to run on. But equally important, Stephen, he has recently come as you may know, come out with what he calls a 100 Day Agenda, if re-elected, what he will do with the Democratic House and Senate in the first 100 days.
“The ideas he’s talking about I think will resonate with the middle class and working class of this country,” Sanders said. “You’ve got half of the elderly people in America trying to make it on $30,000 a year or less. And you’ve got Republicans who want to cut Social Security. And you know what Biden is saying? ‘We’re not going to cut Social Security. We’re going to expand Social Security benefits by taxing the wealthy.’”
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