US Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has denounced Republican frontrunner Donald Trump as a “nutcase”, saying he is making "outrageous" statements every day.
Speaking in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on Saturday, Sanders called on Democratic voters to support him because he is the best candidate to beat Trump in a general election.
“What more and more people are understanding is that our campaign would be by far the strongest campaign against Donald Trump,” Sanders said.
The US senator from Vermont referenced a recent survey that showed him leading Trump in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup.
According to a CNN/ORC poll last month, Sanders has a 20-point lead in a head-to-head contest against Trump. Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton held a 12-point lead over Trump in the same survey.
“And that’s before he really began to expose what a nutcase he really is,” Sanders added.
Sanders has increased his attacks against Trump this week after the billionaire businessman made more disrespectful remarks against women.
Trump, who has never held elected office, is currently leading the race for the Republican presidential nomination. His campaign has been marked by controversial statements, including disparaging remarks about women, Mexican immigrants and Muslims.
“One of the problems you have dealing with Trump, it really is hard to keep up with him,” Sanders said on Friday.
“You know, every day there is some other outrageous, absurd statement. And I’ve chosen not to spend my entire campaign responding to every one of his absurd statements, because that’s all we would, you know, have time to do,” he added.
Sanders is leading Clinton by five points in Wisconsin, with the state’s April 5 primary election which is being seen as a make-or-break for the candidates.
Sanders whose campaign was boosted by landslide victories in Alaska, Washington and Hawaii, is hoping to cut further into Clinton’s lead in next week's elections in the state.
He believes his recent string of victories shows he can not only win the Democratic nomination, but also succeed in the general presidential election against the Republican nominee.
Sanders has long been critical of US foreign policy and was an early opponent of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Clinton tends to be more hawkish and inclined to use military force.
Sanders, 74, is also a leading proponent of issues such as income inequality, universal healthcare, parental leave, climate change, and campaign finance reform in the US.