Sen. Bernie Sanders Stops Short Of Full-Throated Joe Biden Endorsement In His First Interview After Dropping Out

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A humbled Sen. Bernie Sanders paid a visit to The Late Show’s Stephen Colbert tonight and vowed to do whatever he could to help Joe Biden defeat Donald Trump in the November presidential elections.

However, asked by Colbert if he was giving a “full-throated endorsement” to Biden’s candidacy, Sanders hedged. He merely said he was talking to Biden and his advisers. The move leaves Sanders much wiggle room and leverage heading into the final stages of the pre-convention Democratic campaign, with a Biden vice presidential running mate yet to be announced and Biden’s appeal among younger voters far less than Sanders.

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Sanders, who has appeared on Colbert’s show several times, did say he would “do everything that I can do to make sure that Donald Trump is not reelected.”

Sanders finally ended his second bid for the Democratic nomination after weeks of dithering, as Biden’s commanding lead in delegates and the restrictions caused by the pandemic left Sanders’s campaign essentially dead in the water.

Sanders told Colbert, “It’s not a great secret that Joe Biden’s politics are different than mine. What I would say is Joe is a very decent human being. I hope to be able to work with Joe to move him a more progressive direction.”

He added, “Joe understands he will have to bring new people into his world – and maybe start moving in a different direction, to some degree, then he’s done in the past.”

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