VOA Special English
Sanders Ends Campaign, Biden Likely to Face Trump

    2020/4/8

    United States Senator Bernie Sanders ended his presidential campaign on Wednesday. The move leaves former Vice President Joe Biden as the likely Democratic Party nominee to face President Donald Trump in November. Trump belongs to the Republican Party.

    The Vermont senator told supporters, “I have concluded that this battle for the Democratic nomination will not be successful. And so today, I am announcing the suspension of my campaign.” Sanders praised Biden as “a very decent man.” The senator said he would work with the likely nominee “to move our progressive ideas forward.”

    Biden thanked Sanders on Twitter for putting “the interest of the nation – and the need to defeat Donald Trump – above all else.”

    Democratic U.S. Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders announces to supporters that he is suspending his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in a livestream broadcast from his home in Burlington, Vermont, U.S. April 8, 2020.
    Democratic U.S. Presidential candidate Senator Bernie Sanders announces to supporters that he is suspending his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination in a livestream broadcast from his home in Burlington, Vermont, U.S. April 8, 2020.

    In an appeal to Sander’s supporters, Biden wrote “I know that I need to earn your votes. And I know that might take time. But I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of this moment. I hope you'll join us. You're more than welcome: You're needed.”

    President Donald Trump reacted to the announcement with a message on Twitter. It said that the nomination race had ended just the way the Democratic Party wanted.

    “The Bernie people should come to the Republican Party, TRADE!” he added.

    Sanders was the early leader in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020.

    He received firm support from young people and non-professionals. He seeks free college education, cancellation of current student loan debts, and free healthcare for Americans. He also calls for passage of the “Green New Deal,” a Democratic Party proposal designed to deal with climate change.

    The Vermont senator won the nominating elections in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada.

    After Joe Biden’s first victory in the state of South Carolina, others in the race, as well as Democratic Party leaders, announced their support for Biden’s nomination. That helped Biden win many primaries that followed, including 10 out of 14 states on Super Tuesday.

    The coronavirus outbreak effectively put a stop to official campaigning by the candidates. Primaries have been postponed or cancelled in many states.

    Sanders announced his decision Wednesday from his hometown of Burlington, Vermont. He said, “Standing united, we will go forward to defeat Donald Trump, the most dangerous president in modern American history.”

    I'm John Russell.

    Hai Do wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor.

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    Words in This Story

    conclude - v. to decide after a period of thinking or research

    decent - adj. polite, moral and honest

    primary - n. an election in which members of the same political party run against each other for the chance to be in the general election