What We Know: Sanders and Obama behind closed doors

With the West Wing as his backdrop, Sen.

US President Barack Obama walks through the colonnade at the White House in Washington, DC, on January 25, 2016.

Emerging from the White House after meeting with Obama for 45 minutes, Sanders said he wasn’t bothered by a recent interview in which Obama appeared to be tilting toward his former secretary of state. He said he believed the president and the vice president have been “fair and even handed”.

-Sanders said the two talked foreign policy, the economy and “a little bit of politics”.

“I’m not shouting”, Clinton said on the trail. “I was on the floor of the Senate disagreeing with him over taxes”.

Like Clinton, Sanders opposes the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a key part of Obama’s trade agenda. “By and large, over the last seven years on major issue after major issue, I have stood by his side to where he has taken on unprecedented Republican obstructionism, has tried to do the right thing for the American people”.

Sanders said Wednesday he didn’t see the interview as a dig. The proposal comes as Clinton and Sanders are locked in a tight race in first-to-vote Iowa and Clinton is trying to close the gap on Sanders in New Hampshire.

“That ability to engage Democrats and excite them and inspire them will be critical to the success of Democrats up and down the ballot, whether Senator Sanders is the nominee or not”, Earnest said.

-It was their first extended sit-down since Sanders launched himself into the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Obama allies bristle at comparisons between Sanders and the president.

“I do want you to know that I am not just shouting slogans, I am not just engaging in rhetoric”, Clinton said.

Sanders said with a laugh that he didn’t directly ask for Obama’s endorsement.

Speaking at the CNN Democratic Town Hall on Monday, Clinton said she was “really touched and gratified” when she read Obama’s quote. They reflected the reality of the relationship between the two men – there isn’t much there.

Bernie Sanders, who wants to succeed him, over the White House on Wednesday for a private chat.

But as president, Obama has not relied on Sanders for advice or legislative heft. Obama remains focused on ensuring a Democrat wins the White House and on protecting his legacy. Sanders has gained momentum in the early-voting state, shrinking front-runner Hillary Clinton’s lead. Later, the White House noted that Sanders’ said he would revisit his position following Obama’s warning.

Calling the meeting “constructive and productive”, Sanders cautiously praised the Obama administration’s economic work, saying there is still work to be done.

Minnesota hosts its primary on March 1. He last met privately with Obama in December 2014 to alert the president of his plans to run for his job, Earnest said.