Bernie Sanders says Biden will be the Democratic nominee and it’s time to stop ‘bickering and nit-picking’

In an opinion piece published Saturday in The New York Times, Sen. Bernie Sanders defended President Joe Biden’s decision to remain the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, writing that “I will do all that I can to see that President Biden is re-elected” and calling on party members to stop “bickering and nit-picking” over his candidacy.

Sanders, I-Vt., who was one of several candidates in the 2020 Democratic primary campaign, which Biden ultimately won, added that he believes Biden is “the most effective president in the modern history of our country and is the strongest candidate to defeat Donald Trump.”

His piece was published two weeks after Biden’s dismal debate performance against Trump.

Still, Sanders, 82, blasted “the corporate media” for being “obsessively focused on the June presidential debate and the cognitive capabilities of a man who has, perhaps, the most difficult and stressful job in the world.”

He also blasted Democrats who have questioned Biden’s mental fitness and whether he’s strong enough to beat Trump again, accusing them of joining a “circular firing squad.”

So far, 18 Democratic lawmakers have called on Biden to step aside as the party’s presidential nominee.

Sanders’ written remarks acknowledged that Biden, 81, “may not be the ideal candidate” but added that “he will be the candidate and should be the candidate.”

“It’s time for Democrats to stop the bickering and nit-picking,” he wrote.

Sanders has routinely defended Biden since the debate, arguing that the election is about not age but policy.

“What we are talking about now is not a Grammy Award contest for best singer,” Sanders said on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” last weekend, adding: “What we have got to focus on is policy, whose policies have and will benefit the vast majority of the people in this country.”

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com