Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on Wednesday burst out in profanity when asked about the future of his flailing presidential campaign, telling CNN congressional correspondent Manu Raju: “I’m dealing with a fucking global crisis.”
“Right now I’m trying to do my best to make sure that we don’t have an economic meltdown and that people don’t die,” Sanders added, in reference to the Senate’s effort to craft legislation aimed at relieving financial strain caused by the deadly coronavirus. “Is that enough for you to keep me busy for today?”
Bernie Sanders when @mkraju asked his timeframe for a decision: "I'm dealing with a fucking global crisis."
"Right now I'm trying to do my best to make sure that we don't have an economic meltdown and that people don't die. Is that enough for you to keep me busy for today?"
— Eric Bradner (@ericbradner) March 18, 2020
Sanders’ blow-up comes after he said that he is reassessing his campaign after another round of losses against former Vice President Joe Biden in the Democrat primary. Biden swept Tuesday’s three-state primary in Arizona, Illinois, and Florida.
“Our campaign has had a very good night,” Biden said in a live-streamed speech from his home in Delaware. “We move closer to securing the Democratic Party’s nomination for president and we’re doing it by building a broad coalition that we need to win in November.” Last night’s loss means the Vermont senator now must win over 63 percent of the remaining 1,757 delegates to clinch the nomination.
A Sanders spokesman denied a report that the Vermont senator was suspending his campaign, but that word came as Sanders pulled down digital advertising on Facebook and Google, triggering further confusion in a contest already upended by the coronavirus.
Earlier Wednesday, campaign manager Faiz Shakir said Sanders “is going to be having conversations with supporters to assess his campaign.” But Shakir also suggested that Sanders was in no hurry to make any decisions about ending his 2020 bid, noting that “the next primary contest is at least three weeks away.”
More immediately, Shakir said, Sanders “is focused on the government response to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuring that we take care of working people and the most vulnerable.”
Reports later surfaced that Sanders was suspending his campaign, prompting spokesman Mike Casca to say that the candidate was “not suspending. Nothing has changed since this morning’s statement.”
In the meantime, Sanders’ campaign deactivated digital ads purchased as recently as Tuesday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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