Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.) gave another strong indication Sunday that his 2016 presidential campaign is coming to an end, as he couldn't directly tell Meet The Press host Chuck Todd whether he is still an "active candidate."
"Are you still an active candidate for president?" Todd asked.
"Well, let me just say this," Sanders said. "I am doing everything that I can and will continue to do everything that I can to make sure that Donald Trump does not become President of the United States. I think this man, in a dozen different ways, is not fit to become president."
Sanders said he would meet with presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Tuesday to "get a sense of what kind of platform she will be supporting." Sanders' far-left populism made him a star on the campaign trail and drew enormous crowds, but he was still defeated by Clinton, who was the preferred pick of the party's establishment.
"After we have that kind of discussion and after we can determine whether or not we we are going to have a strong and progressive platform, I will be able to make other decisions," Sanders said.
"I was just going to say, that doesn't sound like you are an active candidate," Todd said. "It sounds like you are winding down your campaign. You're just trying to decide how comfortable you're going to be in supporting Hillary Clinton. Is that a fair assessment?"
"Well, no, what's fair is that what our campaign has always been about are addressing the many crises facing this country, and there are millions of people who want bold change in this country," Sanders said.
He touted his strong number of delegates he'd won during the primary fight, again signaling that his intent now was to influence the Democratic Party platform as much as possible.
Clinton effectively clinched the Democratic nomination this week as she moved over the "magic number" of delegates, making her the first woman to ever head a major-party ticket. Sanders had previously vowed to fight through to the Democratic National Convention, but a solid Clinton win in California on Tuesday blunted his momentum.
Clinton received endorsements from President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) after wrapping up the nomination, showing how quickly the Democratic Party's brass wanted to unite around her after a bruising primary battle.
Sanders met with Obama at the White House Thursday, saying afterward he intended to stay in the race but adding he would do everything possible to defeat Trump.