Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders told an audience of supporters Thursday that he would work with presumptive nominee Hillary Clinton to make sure Republican Donald Trump never reaches the White House.
While stopping short of endorsing Clinton or conceding the Democratic contest, Sanders said defeating Trump and defeating him "badly" was his major political objective.
"We do not need a major party candidate who makes bigotry the cornerstone of his campaign," the Vermont senator said in the city of Burlington.
He accused Trump of insulting Hispanics, Muslims, women and African-Americans, and of calling global warming a hoax.
Sanders promised to work for the most progressive platform in Democratic Party history at next month's convention in Philadelphia.
"But the political revolution means much more than fighting for our ideals at the Democratic National Convention and defeating Donald Trump. It means that at every level, we continue the fight to make our society a nation of economic, social, racial and environmental justice," he said.
Sanders met Tuesday night with Clinton after she won the last primary election of the year, in Washington, D.C. He said he looked forward to continued discussions between the campaigns.
Sanders has said he will not drop out of the race until every vote is counted at the convention, although Clinton already has enough delegates to ensure the nomination.
Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has reserved most of his harsh comments for Clinton. He has called Sanders, a self-proclaimed socialist, "our commie friend."
But knowing that a lot of Sanders supporters have said they will never back Clinton, Trump says his campaign welcomes them "with open arms."
