Biden says Sanders' supporters have 'shifted the fundamental conversation in this country'

Former Vice President Joe Biden delivered a message on Tuesday night to supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), following his wins in the Florida and Illinois Democratic presidential primaries.

Biden spoke from his home in Delaware, with the address streamed online. He first discussed the coronavirus pandemic, and said tackling it is "a national emergency akin to fighting a war. It's going to require leadership and cooperation from every level of government and it's going to require us to move thoughtfully and decisively to quickly address both the public health crisis as well as the economic crisis. It's going to require us to pay attention to the medical and scientific and health experts. It's going to require each of us to do our part."

Americans, he said, are "up to this challenge" and are "moving quickly to adapt our routines to meet this challenge." Coronavirus is forcing the country to "put politics aside and work as Americans. The coronavirus doesn't care if you're a Democrat or Republican. It will not discriminate based on national origin, race, gender, or your ZIP code."

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Switching his attention to Tuesday's primaries, he thanked poll workers and said his wins show he's "building a broad coalition we need to win in November." He may not agree with Sanders on "tactics, but we share a common vision: for the need to provide affordable health care for all Americans, reducing income inequality that has risen so drastically, to tackling the existential threat of our time, climate change." He praised Sanders and his supporters for their "remarkable passion and tenacity" on these issues, and said they "shifted the fundamental conversation in this country."