Bernie Sanders Holds Rally in DC

Gathering of Sanders' faithful follows President Obama's endorsement of Hillary Clinton on Thursday

Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders will hold a rally this afternoon in Southeast D.C., hours after meeting with the president and days before the final Democratic primary.

Sanders is scheduled to speak in Lot 3 of RFK Stadium, near the Stadium-Armory Metro station, at 7 p.m., with doors opening at 4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees are asked to RSVP online.

"With the D.C. primary coming up on June 14, Bernie will be holding a conversation about the issues that matter to him: making college tuition-free, getting big money out of politics, combating climate change and much more," a statement from the Vermont senator's campaign said.

A huge crowd of people lined up to attend the rally, with some people arriving near dawn. The crowd was upbeat. 

Sanders met with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office Thursday morning. Obama was expected to talk about ways Sanders can keep up the fight for his policy agenda, but not his bid for the presidency. The White House said Sanders requested the meeting.

Sanders faces questions about whether he will back Clinton and when he may end his bid for president. He lost four of six contests in primary elections Tuesday, and Hillary Clinton is now the Democrats' presumptive nominee.

But Sanders has vowed to campaign through Tuesday's final primary in D.C. and pursue a contested Democratic convention in Philadelphia.

Obama formally endorsed Hillary Clinton shortly after the meeting with Sanders. His endorsement added to a growing chorus of Democratic leaders pushing Sanders to step aside so the party can focus on taking on Republican Donald Trump.

Ever the everyman, Sanders stopped for coffee and a scone at a Peet's coffee shop across from the White House before he arrived at the White House.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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