Bernie Sanders endorses Hillary Clinton as Democrat presidential candidate

Washington D.C July 13US Senator Bernie Sanders has withdrawn his presidential campaign and endorsed his one-time rival Hillary Clinton in the race to the White House, ending his long-shot bid as the Democrat nominee.

“Secretary Clinton has won the Democratic nominating process,” Sanders declared on Tuesday in a joint appearance in the US state of New Hampshire.

After an often bitter campaign, Sanders said he will do everything he can to make Clinton “the next president” of the US.

“This campaign is about the needs of the American people,” Sanders added, echoing some themes of his own year-long campaign.

He also criticised Clinton’s presumptive Republican opponent Donald Trump for his “reckless economic policies”, which he warned could lead to trillions of dollars of debt.

Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett, reporting from Portsmouth, said that while Clinton and Sanders have differences in policies, they share ideological beliefs.

The 74-year-old US senator from Vermont vows to work hard to make the former Secretary of State become president.