Sanders, Clinton Meet for First Time Since Becoming Presumptive Nominee

The question is whether Clinton does, given Sanders’ insistence that he will not fully step aside before the Democratic convention next month in Philadelphia.

Mrs Clinton already has fully engaged in the general election campaign against Mr Trump, which has been re-framed by the mass shooting at an Orlando gay club on Sunday by an American man claiming allegiance to Islamic State.

“Our job is not to allow politicians, Mr. Trump or anyone else, to divide us up by where our family came from, the color of our skin, our religion or our sexual orientation”, Sanders said.

“But both of them stopped actively campaigning against Walter Mondale”. What Mr Sanders is doing now is “publicly to begin a conversation that will end with a party that has been unified around issues and principles”, Ms Dunn said. “It generally takes some time”. Clinton clinched her nomination last week, but Sanders declined to drop out and pledged to give every voter a chance to decide between the two candidates. “I think his supporters would like the opportunity to go to the convention, together, as Mr Sanders delegates”, Ms Dunn said.

Clinton delivered a speech earlier on Tuesday in which she launched into her sharpest broadside yet against, Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

In remarks to members and in an interview with the Huffington Post, Chris Shelton said Mrs Clinton isn’t as populist as the union might want but is thoughtful and experienced. In the six weeks remaining until the Democratic convention, Mr Sanders said he intends to keep promoting the tenets of his platform. The D.C. primary will offer up 20 pledged delegates, and Clinton has always been favored there, so the vote will not tip the scales in either direction.

But Sanders made clear during a closed-door meeting with Democratic senators on Capitol Hill, and later at an outdoor press conference, that he meant to shift his battle from Clinton to reforming the Democratic National Committee.

A person close to Sanders said the meeting should be “amicable and hopefully constructive”.

Clinton holds a 2-percentage point lead over Sanders among Democrats and independents who were asked which candidate they prefer. His demand for replacement of the DNC leadership is likely to be unmet.

“He had an opportunity to talk to us about his campaign and how it has changed him and what he has learned”, said Sen.

Clinton enters the meeting hoping Sanders will help her, particularly among white working class voters and young voters.

Tuesday’s vote wraps up a spectacular primary season that saw conservatives flock to a celebrity billionaire and political novice in Trump, as liberals energized little-known Sanders to mount a surprisingly strong challenge against one of the nation’s best-known political figures.

Sanders also announced he will address his supporters Thursday at 8:30 ET via livestream, where he could reveal his next steps.

Sanders told reporters that he wanted to see “the most progressive platform ever passed” at a convention, one which “makes it crystal clear that the Democratic Party is in fact on the side of working people”.

Yet in Sanders’ statement from spokesman Michael Briggs, the senator does not refer to Clinton as the presumptive nominee but instead congratulates her “on the campaign she has run”.