"The major political task that we face in the next five months is to make certain that Donald Trump is defeated and defeated badly," Sen. Bernie Sanders told supporters in a live webstream Thursday night. "And I personally intend to begin my role in that process in a very short period of time."
Sanders didn't concede the Democratic presidential nomination to presumptive winner Hillary Clinton, nor endorse her in Thursday night's 25-minute address. But in reiterating the main themes of his own campaign, Sanders said he looked forward to working with Clinton to "transform the Democratic Party". Sanders also called on his supporters to begin that work by running for local offices and for Congress.
Friday on Vermont Edition, we look at the new state of the presidential campaign. How will Sanders keep his call for a political revolution alive now that his effort to win the Democratic presidential nomination has fallen short? And how will Democrats and Republicans address recent controversial statements by the presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump? We look at Sanders' role in the ever-changing landscape of the presidential race with NPR campaign reporter Sam Sanders, co-host of the NPR Politics podcast, and Middlebury College political scientist Matt Dickinson, who specializes in the presidency.
Broadcast live on Friday, June 17, 2016, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.