Bernie Sanders still won't endorse Hillary Clinton

Bernie Sanders has not yet endorsed Hillary Clinton.

(Image credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Speaking with NBC News' Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held firm on his reluctance to outright endorse Hillary Clinton for president. Mitchell mentioned Sanders' statements last week that he would vote for Clinton in November, and asked the senator whether there's a distinction between the vote and an endorsement or whether they're "one and the same."

"No, they're not one and the same," Sanders replied. "What I am trying to do now, in a variety of ways, is to see that we have a Democratic platform that represents working families, that is prepared to take on the fossil fuel industry and Wall Street."

When Mitchell noted that Clinton's lead over presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is in the single digits, and that she could use a wave of support — presumably brought on by Sanders' endorsement — to boost her in the polls, Sanders demurred. "It's not a question of my endorsement. It's a question of the American people understanding that Secretary Clinton is prepared to stand with them as they work longer hours for low wages, as they cannot afford health care, as their kids can't afford to go to college," he said. "Make it clear that she is on their side. … I have no doubt that if Secretary Clinton makes those positions clear, she will defeat Trump, and defeat him by a very wide margin."