...
By Ryan Bort
Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
Bernie Sanders is not dropping out.
Or so the Democratic presidential candidate told Stephen Colbert last night on the Late Show. Yes, Hillary Clinton has received the necessary number of delegates to clinch the nomination, and yes, the media's campaign narrative has shifted squarely to "Trump vs. Hillary." But when an amused Colbert asked Sanders point-blank if he was continuing his campaign, the answer was, "Absolutely." Is he still a candidate? "Yes." Is he going to drop out of the race? "No." Is he going to endorse Hillary Clinton soon? "No." (Though Sanders has now said he would vote for Clinton in order to help ensure Donald Trump isn't elected.)
All this begs another question: Why? Sanders's answer to that one was a little longer. After pointing out that campaigns are not solely about winning and losing nominations, but transforming America, he told Colbert what he hopes to get out of the Democratic Convention at the end of July.
Read More on Entertainment
"We got 12 million votes during our campaign. In every single primary and caucus, we recieved the lion's share of young people, people under 45 years of age who are prepared to stand up and fight for real change in this country. That's what we're bringing into the Democratic Convention. What do we want in return? We want our 12 million supporters to be heard."
Sanders knows he has no chance to win the nomination. After explaining to Colbert why he wasn't dropping out, he said that his campaign and Clinton's have been in talks, and that he wants to make sure she's "going to come out very strongly in moving toward making public colleges and universities tuition-free." He also wants to make sure that, above anything else, Trump isn't our next president. So what does he have to say about his most fervent supporters potentially voting for Trump to avoid another establishment politician in the White House? "My supporters are smart enough to know that we do not want a bigot to become president of the United States of America."
The most touching moment of the interview came when Colbert asked Sanders to reflect on his campaign. When asked what he will remember most, the senator from Vermont pursed his lips and got reflective.
"There are many," Sanders said. "Walking out in Portland, Oregon, and seeing 28,000 people out in an arena. On a more poignant note, talking to parents in Flint, Michigan, whose kids were poisoned by the water they drank and as a result developed brain damage. You learn so much and you see so much of what goes on in America that is rarely seen on TV. There are beautiful, beautiful people out there who love this country and want to transform this country. That was the most gratifying aspect of this whole thing. A couple of weeks ago I was out California, in the farmland in central California, and you see young Latinos and young blacks and young white kids really loving this country and wanting to see it doing a lot better than we're doing right now. And that gives me incredible amounts of hope and energy."
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines