In the midst of a day that saw several prominent Democrats endorse Joe Biden, President Trump tweeted a “coup” was being waged against Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.). The endorsements came on the eve of Super Tuesday, when frontrunners Biden and Sanders will compete for more than a third of the delegates needed to seal the nomination.
“They are staging a coup against Bernie!” the president tweeted around 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Speaking about the primary to reporters on the South Lawn of the White House moments later, Trump added, “It’s rigged against Bernie, there is no question about it.”
https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1234592543821705219?s=20
“It’s rigged against Bernie, there is no question about it”
Donald Trump pic.twitter.com/qu6X2S9gAS— Jérôme Cartillier (@jcartillier) March 2, 2020
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) dropped out of the race on Monday, less than 24 hours after Pete Buttigieg did the same. Both candidates will endorse Biden before polls open on Tuesday and both are expected to attend a rally on his behalf in Dallas on Monday night. Billionaire Tom Steyer also left the contest after finishing third in South Carolina this weekend.
In addition to Klobuchar and Buttigieg, former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and former national security adviser and U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice endorsed Biden on Monday as well.
Buttigieg’s endorsement reportedly came after a chat with former President Obama. Obama has yet to endorse his former vice president for the nomination, although speculation over his behind-the-scenes role abounded on Monday. According to CNN, Obama called Biden after his win in South Carolina, but has no plans to endorse him before Super Tuesday.
Trump’s tweet echoed the concerns of Sanders supporters, many of whom are deeply skeptical of the party establishment. Biden and Sanders will face off against Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Michael Bloomberg on Tuesday.
