Mr Obama’s endorsement came as the Democratic establishment piled pressure on Mrs Clinton’s primary rival, Mr Sanders, to step aside so Democrats could focus on defeating Mr Trump.
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He said on Thursday he would compete in the final primary in Washington, D.C., on June 14.
Bernard Sanders Thursday morning in the Oval Office, hoping to give the populist presidential candidate a tactful push toward a clear surrender to Hillary Clinton in their hard-fought battle for the Democratic nomination.
In his endorsement, Mr Obama said: “I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office”.
Wilson said achieving Democratic unity won’t be “an easy road”. Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s lone challenger, though it was filmed Tuesday.
Critically, Sanders supporters also want to see Clinton embrace more left-leaning policies, according to Neil Sroka of Democracy for America, a political action committee that endorsed Sanders.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi was also conciliatory on Thursday, telling reporters that Sanders “has to make his own decisions”.
“It was a healthy thing for the Democratic Party to have a contested primary”. “And he pushed the party and challenged them”. Jeff Merkley of OR, the one Senate Democrat to endorse Sanders, said Clinton was the nominee and offered his congratulations. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. The Vermont senator planned to meet with Vice President Joe Biden, too.
Sanders told his defiant supporters that “the struggle continues” Tuesday, even after crushing defeats to Clinton in California and New Jersey. Clinton officially clinched presumptive nominee status earlier this week. Obama sought to reassure Democrats that Clinton shares their values and is ready for the job.
“There are a lot of discussions going on right now and there will be discussions with the Clinton campaign about how to ensure Senator Sanders goals for a progressive agenda are addressed”, the source said.
Her late and somewhat sputtering victory set off a blitz of private phone calls and back-channel negotiations, all aimed at sussing out Sanders’ demands, easing him out of the race and putting the full-court press on Trump.
“There are millions of Americans, not just Democrats, who have cast their ballots for the very first time”, Obama said.
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Mr Trump has said he welcomes Mr Sanders’ voters “with open arms” while Mrs Clinton has vowed to reach out to voters who backed her opponent in the Democratic primary.
