The senator Bernie Sandersa prominent figure on the American left, today called for Mr Joe Biden candidate of the Democratic party for the presidential elections, despite pressure to withdraw, due to doubts expressed about the state of his health.

“That’s enough! Mr. Biden may not be the ideal candidate, but he will be the candidate and he must be the candidate. And, with an effective campaign that speaks to working-class families and their needs, she will not only beat Mr. Trump but beat him comfortably,” Sanders said in an op-ed in the New York Times, urging Democrats to ” to stop the fights and not to refine the cone”.

After the disastrous telephone battle of June 27 against the 78-year-old Donald Trump, Biden has been heavily criticized for his physical and mental state. About 20 MPs and senators are calling for him to withdraw from the election. But he assured on Friday, in a speech in Detroit, that he will remain in the race.

Sanders had contested the Democratic nomination against Biden in 2020 but was defeated. Today he supported him, stressing that “he will do everything in his power to see him re-elected”.

“Yes, I know: Biden is old, gruff, stiff-necked, and had a disastrous telefight with Trump. But I also know this: the presidential election is not an entertainment contest. They don’t start, and they don’t end with a 90-minute phone call,” he added.

The 82-year-old senator cites the recent parliamentary elections in France as an example:

“It is time to learn a lesson from the progressive and centrist forces in France who, despite their deep political differences, united this week to confront right-wing extremism,” he concluded.