PHILADELPHIA — Bernie Sanders, in rousing form Monday, doubled down on his endorsement of Hillary Clinton.
Amid upheaval within the Democratic Party, the socialist senator set aside his disappointment and his supporters’ rage over leaked emails that exposed the Democratic National Committee’s efforts to kill his campaign during the primaries.
Speaking to the convention hall and on TV nationwide, Sanders said: “Any objective observer will conclude that, based on her ideas and her leadership, Hillary Clinton must become the next president of the United States. The choice is not even close.”
Sanders was greeted in the convention hall by a standing ovation that lasted about three minutes despite his repeated attempts to quiet the crowd and start talking.
Delegates in the arena waved “Bernie” signs as he took the stage.
He thanked the 1,846 pledged delegates who were in the Wells Fargo arena, many of whom heckled earlier speeches by chanting the Vermont senator’s name. He told them he would “look forward” to their roll call vote on Tuesday.
But he implored his supporters to back Clinton now that she and Donald Trump had become their only two options.
“I understand that many people here in this convention hall and around the country are disappointed about the final results of the nominating process. I think it’s fair to say that no one is more disappointed than I am,” Sanders said. “But to all of our supporters, here and around the country, I hope you take enormous pride in the historical accomplishments we have achieved.”
Sanders said the election “is not about, and has never been about, Hillary Clinton, or Donald Trump, or Bernie Sanders or any of the other candidates who sought the presidency” before laying out a series of arguments against Trump’s campaign.
“While Donald Trump believes in huge tax breaks for billionaires, he believes that states should actually have the right to lower the minimum wage below $7.25,” Sanders said. “What an outrage!”
“Like most Republicans, he chooses to reject science,” Sanders added. “He believes that climate change is a ‘hoax,’ no need to address it.”
The Vermont senator attacked Trump’s healthcare proposals, arguing the Republican nominee would “throw 20 million people off the health insurance they currently have” if he is elected.
Sanders took the stage Monday amid turmoil at all levels of the Democratic Party.
Delegates who had begrudgingly accepted Clinton’s victory in the primary were incensed by the revelation late last week that Democratic National Committee officials had conspired to stifle Sanders’ campaign ahead of key nominating contests. Their backroom efforts, exposed when Wikileaks published thousands of internal emails on Friday, sparked outrage among pro-Sanders delegates as they gathered here ahead of the convention’s first night.
The DNC’s leadership was scrambled by backlash. Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz was first stripped of her primetime speaking slot and then, as outrage grew, was forced her to announce her resignation Sunday evening.
The Florida congresswoman had been slated to address the Pennsylvania delegation at a breakfast Monday morning, but she did not appear. Later Monday, the DNC announced that Wasserman Schultz would not even turn up to gavel in convention proceedings that afternoon.
Clinton’s campaign reportedly moved Monday to quell what appeared to be a nascent uprising among delegates who felt Sanders was denied a fair shot at the Democratic nomination.
Sanders’ speech came after Michelle Obama and Sen. Elizabeth Warren made impassioned pleas of unity to Democrats who might still be skeptical of Clinton’s victory.
