Bernie Sanders Says Progressives And ‘Honest Conservatives’ Are Coming Together To Defeat Donald Trump

In an interview with comedian Trevor Noah broadcast on Friday, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said that Americans of different political persuasions are coming together to defeat President Donald Trump in the upcoming election, The Hill reported.

Sanders acknowledged his differences with former Vice President Joe Biden and said that a vigorous debate about the direction of the U.S. can be held once Biden wins the presidency.

“We’re going to come together to defeat Trump. And the day after Biden is elected, we’re going to have a serious debate about the future of this country, but it will be done within the framework of a democratic society,” he said.

Sanders said that there is a “united front” of Americans who want to prevent Trump from serving another term in office, alleging that progressives, moderates and even conservatives are part of Biden’s winning coalition because they all oppose Trump.

“You have some honest conservatives who are saying ‘you know what, I’m a conservative, but we gotta get rid of this guy because he is just not what America is supposed to be about.’ And you’re working with progressives. So this is what coalition politics is about.”

A self-described democratic socialist, Sanders sought the presidential nomination twice, in 2016 and in 2020. Four years ago, he lost to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. This year, he outlasted more than a dozen other candidates but was ultimately defeated by Biden.

Since exiting the presidential race, Sanders has thrown his full support behind the former Delaware senator, urging left-leaning Democrats — many of whom appeared reluctant to embrace the party leadership — to support him in the upcoming election.

In an interview last week, Sanders acknowledged that “a lot of my supporters are not enthusiastic” about voting for Biden but noted that progressives understand how dangerous Trump is, expressing optimism about the November contest.

Some prominent Democrats who backed Sanders in the primaries have been reluctant to embrace Biden’s agenda. Notably, Reps. Ro Khanna of California and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan have vowed to vote against the Democratic Party platform, criticizing the nominee for refusing to embrace left-wing policies.

Still, Trump and his allies have repeatedly attacked Biden as a puppet of progressive Democrats.

In an advertisement released on Thursday, Trump’s reelection campaign accused the Delaware moderate of embracing policies championed by the “radical left.”

Sanders was featured in the ad, which was seemingly meant to suggest that his wing of the party would hold a tremendous amount of power in Biden’s administration.