Bernie Sanders said it is “irresponsible” for his supporters not to support Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden Tuesday, one day after his former press secretary refused to do just that.
In an interview with the Associated Press, the Vermont senator laid out the choice his supporters face now that he has officially suspended his own campaign to secure the Democratic nomination: “Do we be as active as we can in electing Joe Biden and doing everything we can to move Joe and his campaign in a more progressive direction? Or do we choose to sit it out and allow the most dangerous president in modern American history to get reelected?”
He went on to say, “I believe that it’s irresponsible for anybody to say, ‘Well, I disagree with Joe Biden — I disagree with Joe Biden! — and therefore I’m not going to be involved.’”
On Monday, after Sanders announced his support for Biden, his former press secretary Briahna Joy Gray tweeted, “With the utmost respect for Bernie Sanders, who is an incredible human being & a genuine inspiration, I don’t endorse Joe Biden. I supported Bernie Sanders because he backed ideas like #MedicareForAll, cancelling ALL student debt, & a wealth tax. Biden supports none of those.”
Asked about that by the AP, Sanders distanced himself, pointing out that she, like his other staffers, is now a “former” employee and “not on the payroll.”