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(CNN) — Former Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders tried Monday to calm a crowd skeptical of Hillary Clinton, using a rally in advance of his convention speech to call for the party to unify against Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
“We have got to elect Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine,” Bernie Sanders said, which prompted some attendees to shout him down.
“Brothers and sisters, brothers and sisters, this is the real world that we live in,” Sanders said, before adding, “Trump has made bigotry and hatred the cornerstone of his campaign. Throughout this campaign he has insulted Mexicans and Latinos. He has insulted Muslims. He has insulted women and African-Americans.”
Sanders is expected to speak at the convention Monday night.
Earlier in his remarks on Monday afternoon, Sanders addressed the other elephant in the room: the impending resignation of Debbie Wasserman Schultz as chair of the Democratic National Committee.
Sanders broached the topic after rattling off a series of post-primary victories by his supporters, from helping pass the “most progressive platform ever written in the history of the Democratic Party” to ensuring a 60% reduction in super delegates in the next presidential election.
When Sanders mentioned Wasserman Schultz’s resignation, his supporters cheered wildly.
“Her resignation opens up the possibility of new leadership at the top of the Democratic Party that will stand with working people, and that will open the doors of the party to people who want real change,” he said.
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