champions of the Constitution and of civil rights. The Democrats stood against authoritarianism, against censorship, against colonialism, imperialism, and unjust wars.”

“We were the party of labor, of the working class,” he added. “The Democrats were the party of government transparency and the champion of the environment. Our party was the bulwark against big money interests and corporate power. True to its name, it was the party of democracy,” he said during a nationally televised press conference Friday, announcing he was suspending his independent presidential campaign and backing Trump.