Trump predicts Sanders will ‘soon’ drop out of Democratic primary contest

President Trump on Wednesday issued a tweet meant to pounce on divides within the Democratic Party, predicting that Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) would “soon” drop out of the presidential race and repeating his assertion that the Democratic Party had worked to prevent Sanders’s nomination.

There is no solid evidence the Democratic National Committee (DNC) has sought to help one candidate or another, but the DNC has frequently been criticized by supporters of Sanders, who saw a bias in the party’s actions in the 2016 primary between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sanders.

In addition, most of the Democratic establishment has rallied behind former Vice President Joe Biden, who is now the front-runner in the race after a series of victories over Sanders, a democratic socialist vowing to enact significant change to the country if elected.

“The DNC will have gotten their fondest wish and defeated Bernie Sanders, far ahead of schedule,” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.

“Now they are doing everything possible to be nice to him in order to keep his supporters. Bernie has given up, just like he did last time. He will be dropping out soon! MAGA/KAG,” the president Trump wrote, using acronyms for his reelection campaign’s slogans.

Trump’s tweet came shortly after Sanders’s campaign said that the candidate would take time over the next few weeks to “assess his campaign” after Biden swept the states of Arizona, Florida and Illinois.

“The next primary contest is three weeks away,” Sanders’s campaign manager, Faiz Shakir, said in a statement. “Sen. Sanders is going to be having conversations with his supporters to assess his campaign.” 

“In the immediate term, however, he is focused on the government response to the coronavirus outbreak and ensuring that we take care of working people and the most vulnerable,” Shakir said.

The DNC will have gotten their fondest wish and defeated Bernie Sanders, far ahead of schedule. Now they are doing everything possible to be nice to him in order to keep his supporters. Bernie has given up, just like he did last time. He will be dropping out soon! MAGA/KAG

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 18, 2020

Trump, who formally clinched the Republican nomination with primary wins on Tuesday, has regularly provided commentary on the Democratic primary contest.

The president has mocked and criticized individual candidates in his tweets and at his campaign rallies. His campaign has also sought to sow doubts about the mental capacity of Biden, who is widely perceived as the likely nominee after a string of wins.

Biden gained steam after the South Carolina primary and a number of Democratic candidates dropped out of the race and announced support for his campaign, prompting Trump to allege that the primary had been “rigged” against Sanders.