US Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont on Monday said that it’s “very, very unlikely” that he will run for president again.
During a Washington Post Live event, Sanders said, “I think the likelihood is very, very slim at that”.
He further added, “I think next time around you’ll see another progressive carrying the banner,” he added. “I think it’s very, very unlikely that I’ll ever be running for President again.”
Earlier in April, Sanders endorsed onetime rival Joe Biden for president and said that it was time to unite in the effort to defeat Donald Trump in November.
The swift backing marked a notable change from 2016, when Sanders lost the presidential nomination race to Hillary Clinton but delayed endorsing her candidacy.
That wait was seen as deeply damaging in that it exposed a divide within the Democratic Party.
Sanders also expressed hope that Biden, if elected, will look to the progressive wings of the Democratic Party for some cabinet picks.
The US Senator said, “I hope very much that Joe will take a hard look at some of the leading progressives in this country … what you need to bring into the Cabinet is not only people who have the progressive ideology, but people who have the experience of interacting with working class people who understand that now is the time to tell the billionaire class and 1 percent that this economy is going to change”.
Earlier, Sanders signaled it was crucial to unite around Biden’s campaign to defeat Trump, whom Sanders branded “the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country.”