Bernie Sanders may not be quite ready to formally end his Democratic presidential bid, but he says he will vote for Hillary Clinton in November.
Speaking on MSNBC Friday morning, he was asked if he planned to vote for Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, in the fall election.
“Yes. Yeah, I think the issue right here is, I’m going to do everything I can to defeat Donald Trump," the Vermont senator said. "I think Trump, in so many ways, will be a disaster for this country if he were to be elected president.”
As recently as Thursday, Sanders declined an opportunity to endorse Clinton when asked if he was prepared to do so during an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Speaking to supporters in New York the same day, he vowed to press on with his campaign.
“Our goal from day one has been transform this nation," he said. "And that is the fight we are going to continue.”
During Friday's Morning Joe interview, Sanders indicated his focus going forward was to ensure Trump is defeated and to help shape the Democratic platform that will be adopted at the party's July convention in Philadelphia.
Blasting the presumptive GOP nominee's past remarks on Hispanics, women and Muslims, Sanders said: “This is not somebody who should become president," adding that his "job right now is to fight for the strongest possible platform in the Democratic convention.”
In another interview earlier this week, Sanders seemed to concede that his own hopes of capturing the Democratic nomination were dashed. Speaking with C-SPAN, Sanders described ongoing talks with Clinton's team and acknowledged that “it doesn’t appear” he would be the Democratic presidential nominee.
Contributing: Nicole Gaudiano
