Bernie Sanders Urges Supporters To Defeat Trump & Continue The Political Revolution

When Bernie Sanders scheduled a major announcement today, many suspected that he would announce the suspension of his campaign. Sanders instead used the address to announce that he plans to work with Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, to help create a more progressive Democratic party and defeat presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump. "We do not need a major party candidate who makes bigotry a major part of his campaign," Sanders said of Trump. A major goal he expressed was to create a historically-progressive party platform at the upcoming convention. He does not appear to plan to drop out of the race any time soon, although his remarks didn't indicate that he would make an unduly strong contest to Clinton's nomination. Instead, he focused on their need to collaborate. Sanders used much of the rest of the speech to repeat his campaign talking points. He talked about the political revolution that he had helped foment, referencing his massive base of young and lower-income donors and campaign volunteers. "Real change always occurs from the bottom on up," Sanders said during his remarks. "Tens of millions of people [must] say loudly and clearly, enough is enough." Sanders also criticized the lack of a 50-state strategy by the Democratic party, especially in the poorest states. He called upon the party to welcome working and young people into the fold. Perhaps most interestingly, Sanders encouraged his supporters to work locally to affect change. He specifically pushed them to seek state and local offices, offering support through his website. He clearly hopes his commitment to real change will continue at the grassroots level.

Watch the full speech below.