Important Update: On April 13, 2020 Sanders formally endorsed Joe Biden. The below fact check was about a tweet sent on April 8, 2020 when no endorsement had been made yet.
Has Bernie Sanders, who suspended his presidential campaign, already endorsed Joe Biden? No, as of early afternoon ET on April 8, 2020, this was not the case. Sanders, the independent senator, did not endorse Joe Biden for president during his annoucement that he was suspending his campaign for the Democratic Party nomination.
The claim that Sanders endorsed Biden originated from a tweet (archived here) put out by former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney on April 8, 2020, titled "Sheepdog 2.0". It opened:
Sheepdog 2.0 just kicked off. Bernie endorses Joe Biden. #FeeltheBURN again.
This is what the post looked like on Twitter at the time of writing:
McKinney, from Atlanta, Georgia, was the 2008 presidential nominee for the Green party.
Sanders, a democratic socialist who won in early primary states but lost to Biden in most states starting with South Carolina, still represents the vast progressive movement. He livestreamed to his supporters, and he congratulated Biden, calling him a "very decent man."
He did vow to "work with [Biden] to move our progressive ideas forward," but has so far stopped short of an endorsement.
"I wish I could give you better news, but I think you know the truth," Sanders said. "And that is that we are now some 300 delegates behind Vice President Biden, and the path toward victory is virtually impossible."
The senator vowed to stay on the ballots for upcoming primaries in order to win more delegates for the Democratic National Convention, which has been postponed for now until August.
He said that, with the delegates, he hopes to influence the Democratic convention's rules and issues.
Biden Tweeted a series of messages about Sanders.
I know Bernie well. He's a good man, a great leader, and one of the most powerful voices for change in our country. And it's hard to sum up his contributions to our politics in one, single tweet. So I won't try to. https://t.co/Z6OkCDWFNm
-- Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) April 8, 2020
The message from Biden continued:
To Bernie and Jane, as friends, from Jill and me: You haven't just run a political campaign; you've created a movement. And make no mistake about it, we believe it's a movement that is as powerful today as it was yesterday. That's a good thing for our nation and our future.
We know how hard this is. You have put the interest of the nation - and the need to defeat Donald Trump - above all else. And for that we're grateful. But we want you to know: we'll be reaching out. You'll be heard by me. As you say: Not me, Us.
And to Bernie's supporters: I know that I need to earn your votes. And I know that might take time. But I want you to know that I see you, I hear you, and I understand the urgency of this moment. I hope you'll join us. You're more than welcome: You're needed.
Together we will defeat Donald Trump. But we will also address the climate crisis. We will make college affordable. And we will make health care available to all. We will not just rebuild this nation - we'll transform it. And I'm asking you to join me.
President Trump was quick to weigh in:
Bernie Sanders is OUT! Thank you to Elizabeth Warren. If not for her, Bernie would have won almost every state on Super Tuesday! This ended just like the Democrats & the DNC wanted, same as the Crooked Hillary fiasco. The Bernie people should come to the Republican Party, TRADE!
-- Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 8, 2020
