‘The Dems are working hard to take the prized nomination away from Bernie. Backroom politics, which Bernie is not very good at…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) President Donald Trump predicted this weekend that former mayor Pete Buttigieg’s surprising exit from the 2020 race is a sign that establishment Democrats are gearing up to take down Bernie Sanders.
Pete Buttigieg is OUT. All of his SuperTuesday votes will go to Sleepy Joe Biden. Great timing. This is the REAL beginning of the Dems taking Bernie out of play – NO NOMINATION, AGAIN!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 1, 2020
Buttigieg is reportedly considering endorsing Joe Biden, who won South Carolina’s primary and is polling well in other key southern states, such as Florida. Buttigieg spoke on the phone with Biden immediately after dropping out, according to Axios.
Two sources close to Buttigieg confirmed that an endorsement of Biden is likely, but it’s still unclear whether Buttigieg will make the announcement before or after Super Tuesday.
Biden has already said that he will contest the Democratic Party’s nomination if Sanders wins with only a plurality. “The rules have been set,” Biden told CNN. “You don’t change the rules in the middle of the game.”
Trump has frequently blasted the Democratic Party for trying to undermine Sanders’s campaign. “The Dems are working hard to take the prized nomination away from Bernie. Backroom politics, which Bernie is not very good at. His people will not let it happen again!” Trump wrote on Twitter last week.
Sanders’s campaign manager Faiz Shakir fired back at Trump, telling him to focus on “the job of being president.”
Thanks for your concern. Are you even thinking about coronavirus, the tanking markets, or just generally the job of being president? https://t.co/S3mEn4pgdJ
— Faiz (@fshakir) February 28, 2020
Buttigieg also reportedly spoke with former President Barack Obama, who has not yet endorsed a candidate, and discussed how Buttigieg could use his endorsement as political leverage, according to CNN.