In New Hampshire, Sanders has increased his lead among likely Democratic primary voters, now besting the former secretary of state 57 percent to 38 percent.
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The 45-minute meeting was scheduled less than a week before the Democratic Party’s nominating process kicks off February 1 with the Iowa caucuses.
Bernie Sanders is leading in the latest polls in New Hampshire, and appears to be a serious contender against Hillary Clinton in Iowa.
Obama, who the White House says will not endorse a candidate in the Democratic primary but will campaign for the eventual nominee, is watching the current election with an eye toward his legacy. Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley is a distant third in Democratic polls.
In a statement, White House press secretary Josh Earnest described the upcoming meeting as “informal”, saying Obama and Sanders discussed arranging the session during last month’s Congressional Holiday Ball.
“I would like the chairman of the party and the campaigns to agree that we can debate in New Hampshire next week”.
Talking to reporters in the White House driveway, Sanders acknowledged he and the president have had differences, but he said he has largely backed Obama’s agenda. Sanders first discussed this meeting last December when Sen. Sanders is happy to have more debates but we are not going to schedule them on an ad hoc basis at the whim of the Clinton campaign. But visitor logs show that in Sanders’ some 40 visits during Obama’s tenure, he’s only once met privately with the president, a year ago, according to the Washington Post. I think, you know, voters are pretty sophisticated.
Amy Dacey, the DNC’s chief executive officer, said on Twitter earlier Wednesday that “Democrats have a debate schedule, and we’re sticking to it”. “If you’re gonna go with somebody who has the courage to make moral decisions when they’re not popular, I think this is the guy”, Sarandon said.
Despite his criticism of Obama on health care, Wall Street regulation and other economic issues, Sanders said that on the “major issues I have stood by his side” against Republican opposition.
Sanders, an independent who often votes with Democrats on Capitol Hill, said Bloomberg’s interest in a presidential bid brought forth “one of the issues that I think galls the American people – that we’re moving toward an oligarchic form of society”.
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Weaver said Sanders hopes there will be at least 3 or 4 more debates following the two remaining scheduled debates planned in Wisconsin and Florida.
