Bernie Sanders Gets Booed Over Support for Hillary Ahead of Democratic Convention

Hours before the start of the Democratic National Convention, Bernie Sanders gave a speech to delegates and supporters in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Most of it went over well, with Sanders giving a familiar stump speech, but one crucial part of the speech was met with boos, when he told the supporters to vote for Hillary Clinton.

“Immediately right now, we have got to defeat Donald Trump. And we have got to elect Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine,” Sanders said to a chorus of boos and chants of “we want Bernie.”

“Brothers and sisters ... brothers and sisters, this is, this is the real world that we live in,” Sanders said trying to calm down the crowd. 

“Trump is a bully and a demagogue. Trump, Trump has made bigotry and hatred the cornerstone of his campaign,” he said haltingly, with boos still heard above the speech.

Sanders continued, stressing the importance of defeating Donald Trump. 

“Trump does not respect the Constitution of the United States or civil liberties. That is not just my opinion. That is what many conservative Republicans believe. Trump is a danger for the future of our country and must be defeated,” Sanders declared, as some applauded. “And I intend to do everything that I can to see that he is defeated.”

The start of the Democratic convention has gotten off to a rocky start, with Wikileaks releasing almost 20,000 emails made by the Democratic National Committee just days before the convention was set to start.  

The fallout from the leak has already lead to DNC Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz announcing her resignation at the end of the convention. She has also chosen not to speak or gavel in the convention for fear that the controversy would overshadow the rest of the convention. 

On Monday morning, Wasserman Schultz—from Florida—and Nancy Pelosi—from California—were both booed by Sanders supporters from their respective state breakfasts. 

Bernie Sanders is set to speak at the convention on Monday night, and he’s expected to continue to praise Hillary Clinton, and to call for unity in the Democratic party.