Bernie Sanders offered some advice for Hillary Clinton as she competes against Donald Trump for the presidency.
The Vermont senator and former Democratic presidential candidate appeared on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and said that Clinton needs to turn away from "all this personality stuff" and focus on issues, while Trump is busy blaming problems on minorities.
The Republican candidate "is dividing us up. The cornerstone of his campaign is bigotry," Sanders said.
"The American people do not agree with Trump," Sanders said.
Clinton needs to press him on issues and suggested questions she could ask:
"Mr. Trump, do you really think billionaires need a massive tax break? Mr. Trump, do you really think that when the entire scientific community tells us that climate change is real and a threat to the entire planet, that you think it's a hoax? What's your scientific basis for that? You want to abolish the Affordable Care Act for 20 million in this country off health care. How many are going to die? How many are going to become much sicker? What's your view on taking on the drug companies?
"You go issue by issue and I think you expose him for the fraud that he is," Sanders said.
Sanders said that Clinton can connect better with millennial voters by focusing on issues, and he urged voters to do the same.
"In politics, we look too much at personality – we like you, we don't like you — and I think we've got to back away from that and say we're not looking at Trump and Clinton. We're looking at the needs of the American people," Sanders said.
Sanders called on voters to "Look at the issues. Don't get hung up on Trump's kids or whatever, the story of the birther issue. Stay focused on the issues of relevance to your life."
During the "Morning Joe" panel, Jeremy Peters of The New York Times asked Sanders how he would address millennials who are supporting third-party candidates.
Sanders said he believes that electing Clinton is the best way to see their goals realized, and he called on potential third-party voters to "think hard about it."
"Before you cast a protest vote – because either Clinton or Trump will become president— think hard about it. Think about what the country looks like and whether you're comfortable with four years of a Trump presidency," Sanders said.
On CNN's "New Day," Sanders said if Trump wins, his plan is to "try to overcome my depression and see where we go from there."
He also commented on the "birther" controversy about whether President Barack Obama was born in the U.S. He posted a clip of that discussion on his Twitter account.