Bernie Sanders delivered a pep talk for his supporters on Wednesday following a disappointing showing in Tuesday’s primary elections aka “Super Tuesday II,” where he fell well behind rival former vice president Joe Biden.
He began the address to the press by calling President Donald Trump a “racist, sexist, homophobe, xenophobe and religious bigot who must be defeated.” Sanders vowed to do all he could to further that mission.
“Last night, obviously, was not a good night for our campaign in a delegate point of view,” he said, though he went on to say his campaign is “strongly winning” in polling and among “younger people.” He called on the Democratic establishment to appeal to those voters.
“While our campaign has won the ideological debate, we are losing the debate over electability,” the senator acknowledged.
“Super Tuesday II” numbers supported that statement. Of the five states that have been called — Idaho, Michigan, Mississippi and Missouri — Biden has won four of them. In 2016, Sanders won Michigan and Idaho.
The reversals were a blow to the Vermont senator, who was a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination. However, his progressive policies have been seen as polarizing among party members and voters.
Biden currently has 856 delegates while Sanders trails with 708 delegates. 1991 delegates are needed to secure the nomination. The two candidates will debate one-on-one Sunday in Arizona — though due to coronavirus fears, there will be no live audience.
Watch his press conference above.