Andrew Yang endorses Joe Biden

Former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang endorsed former vice president Joe Biden live on CNN.

“I believe that Joe Biden will be the Democratic nominee and I’ve always said I’m going to support whoever the nominee is,” Yang said live on CNN shortly after Biden was declared the winner in Michigan.. “So I hereby am endorsing Joe Biden to be not just the nominee for the Democratic Party but the next president of the United States.”

Former Democratic presidential candidate and CNN political commentator Andrew Yang endorses Joe Biden: "The math says Joe is our prohibitive nominee." #CNNElection https://t.co/JQH5uwkcxl pic.twitter.com/M8tQmTMf7w
— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) March 11, 2020

Yang, who became a CNN commentator after dropping out after the New Hampshire primary in February said he previously supported Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), in 2016. He called the Vermont Senator an “inspiration” who encouraged his own presidential bid, but pointed out Sanders no longer has a viable path to the Democratic presidential nomination.

“I say this having supported Bernie Sanders in 2016. Bernie was an inspiration for me, inspired my run,” Yang said. “But the math says Joe is our prohibitive nominee. We need to bring the party together. We need to start working on defeating Donald Trump in the fall.”

He went on to add that he gets the “desire for a revolution” coming from the Sanders campaign, but it is time to back Biden against Trump.

“I have such admiration and respect for Bernie and what he meant to so many Americans,” Yang said. “I think Bernie called out the real problems in a very powerful and necessary way. At this point can you see very clearly that Biden is building a lead that is going to grow in the days ahead. We need to come together as a party starting tonight.”

The technology entrepreneur called Biden the “right man for the job” to keep President Trump from winning a second term as well as the right person to govern the country in the coming years.

Yang said Biden asked for his endorsement last week when they spoke on the phone.

“It was hard to say ‘no’ to Joe at the time,” he said.

Yang’s endorsement came after Biden won Michigan, Missouri and Mississippi primaries. The technology entrepreneur joins 10 of his former rivals who endorsed the former vice president.