News / Politics

Vermont senator says he will probably vote for Clinton

Friday, 24 June 2016 5:42 PM [ Last Update: Friday, 24 June 2016 5:42 PM ]

Bernie Sanders speaks during a campaign rally in New York on June 23 2016. (AFP photo)

US presidential hopeful Senator Bernie Sanders has expressed willingness to vote for his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the US presidential elections in November.

In a strong expression of support, Sanders made the announcement during an interview with CNN on Friday when asked whether he would vote for Clinton, saying, “In all likelihood, it will be Hillary Clinton.”

“My job right now as a candidate is to fight to make sure that the Democratic Party not only has the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party, but that that platform is actually implemented by elected officials,” Sanders added.

He refused to say whether the time will come that he fully endorses the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, saying he is waiting to see what she says about his priorities.

"I think the system has many, many flaws, but we knew what we were getting into," Sanders said, referring to his doubts about Clinton’s fair winning of nomination. "I'm not saying that they changed the rules. No, they didn't."

Presumptive US Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a campaign event in North Carolina on June 22, 2016. (AFP photo)

Sanders also rejected the idea that he should withdraw from the race and said he is focusing on his leverage over the Democratic Party platform.

"Why would I want to do that when I want to fight to make sure that we have the best platform that we possibly can, that we win the most delegates that we can", the Vermont senator said.

In the interview, Sanders took a swipe at Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying, “I think the issue right here is I am going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump. I think Trump in so many ways will be a disaster for this country if he were to be elected president,"

“We do not need a president whose cornerstone of his campaign is bigotry," Sanders added. “This is not somebody who should become president.”

The Vermont senator also noted that while he knows he hasn't run a campaign that could win his Party’s nomination, he still sees the chance for victory.

"I don't have the votes to become the Democratic nominee, you know that, I know that, we're good at arithmetic," Sanders said.

Clinton became the presumptive Democratic nominee as she garnered the last round of delegates and super-delegates up for grabs in primaries in New Jersey and California in early-June.

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