Biden vs. Bernie: 'View' Host Whoopi Goldberg Pressures Sanders Over Decision To Stay In Democratic Race

During an interview Wednesday on "The View," host Whoopi Goldberg repeatedly pressured Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders over his decision to remain in the race, while he trails far behind in the delegate count to former Vice President Joe Biden.

“I have to ask you this question now because I have been watching to see what you were going to do, and I'm told that you intend to stay in this race for president because you believe there is a path to victory,” Goldberg said. “I want to know what that path is because this feels a little bit like it did when you didn't come out when Hillary Clinton was clearly the person folks were going for.”

“That’s not quite accurate,” Sanders replied. “I worked as hard as I could for Hillary Clinton.”

Goldberg claimed it took a “long time” for Sanders to endorse and support Clinton during the 2016 election. She then repeated her question: “Why are you still in the race?”

“Last I heard, people in a democracy have a right to vote, and they have a right to vote for the agenda that they think can work for America, especially in this very, very difficult moment," Sanders replied. “We are assessing our campaign, as a matter of fact, where we want to go forward, but people in a democracy do have a right to vote. And right now in this unprecedented moment in American history, I think we need to have a very serious look at how we need to go forward.”

As the coronavirus has spread, Sanders has promoted his “Medicare-for-All” policy, which would mean every American would receive free public insurance paid by taxes. Sanders believes the program would be critical for citizens who have lost their jobs due to the virus, as most Americans currently receive health insurance from their employer.

Biden has previously said he would not support “Medicare for all,” citing the cost of the program. He also claimed that the policy would not help hospitals dealing with the burden of coronavirus. In their last debate, Biden noted that Italy has a single-payer system and have been ravaged by COVID-19.

Both Sanders and Biden have called off in-person rallies due to the coronavirus, and have instead used digital events to connect with supporters. Both candidates have frequently criticized President Trump for his response to the crisis, as he originally downplayed the severity of the virus and compared it to influenza.

Biden currently has 1,217 delegates, while Sanders has 914.