Bernie Sanders calls on voters to mount an 'unprecedented response' and throw Trump out of office

• Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont called on American voters on Monday to mount an "unprecedented response" at the ballot box and remove President Donald Trump from office.
• "In response to the unprecedented set of crises we face, we need an unprecedented response — a movement, like never before, of people who are prepared to stand up and fight for democracy and decency and against greed, oligarchy, and authoritarianism," Sanders said at the Democratic National Convention.
• He repeatedly emphasized his belief that Trump had authoritarian instincts, and he tore into the president for his response to the coronavirus and for the subsequent economic collapse.
• Scroll down to watch key moments from Sanders' speech.

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont urged Americans on Monday to mount an "unprecedented response" to vote President Donald Trump out of office.

"In response to the unprecedented set of crises we face, we need an unprecedented response — a movement, like never before, of people who are prepared to stand up and fight for democracy and decency and against greed, oligarchy, and authoritarianism," Sanders said during the Democratic National Convention.

The progressive firebrand called the 2020 election "the most important in the modern history of this country," adding, "The future of our democracy is at stake."

"The future of our economy is at stake. The future of our planet is at stake," he said. "We must come together, defeat Donald Trump and elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris as our next president and vice president. My friends, the price of failure is just too great to imagine."

—The Hill (@thehill) August 18, 2020

Sanders also tore into the president for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic and for the subsequent economic collapse.

"How has Trump responded? Instead of maintaining the $600-a-week unemployment supplement that workers were receiving and the $1,200 emergency checks that many of you received, instead of helping small businesses, Trump concocted fraudulent executive orders that do virtually nothing to address the crisis while threatening the very future of Social Security and Medicare," Sanders said.

"But the truth is that even before Trump's negligent response to this pandemic, too many hardworking families have been caught on an economic treadmill with no hope of ever getting ahead," he added. "Together, we must build a nation that is more equitable, more compassionate, and more inclusive. I know that Joe Biden will begin that fight on day one."

The Vermont senator then contrasted Biden with Trump on both policy and demeanor.

"To heal the soul of our nation, Joe Biden will end the hate and division Trump has created," Sanders said. "He will stop the demonization of immigrants, the coddling of white nationalists, the racist dog whistling, the religious bigotry, and the ugly attacks on women."

—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 18, 2020

Sanders dropped out of the 2020 presidential race in April following a lackluster finish in several key states on Super Tuesday and later contests.

He officially endorsed Biden days later, urging his supporters to make Trump a "one-term president."

Biden also praised Sanders and said he would need Sanders "not just to win the campaign, but to govern."

"You've been the most powerful voice for a fairer and more just America," Biden told his former competitor, adding, "You don't get enough credit, Bernie, for being the voice that forces us to take a hard look in the mirror and ask ourselves, 'Have we done enough?'"