Bernie Sanders releases ad suggesting Obama endorses him, hours after Super Tuesday bloodbath

The former president has not yet backed a candidate for the White House — but you wouldn’t think that after watching this new ad released by the Sanders campaign

Bernie Sanders has released a new advertisement touting his links to former President Barack Obama the day after moderate voters and the Democratic establishment appeared to coalesce behind former Vice President Joe Biden on Super Tuesday.

The ad, which borrows a strategy previously used by many other presidential hopefuls, features the former president discussing his relationship to the candidate and celebrating his “authenticity” and “passion” towards issues like veterans’ health care.

The end of the advertisement, which reportedly aired in Florida on Wednesday morning, shows Mr Obama saying the Vermont senator’s famous catchphrase “Feel the Bern!” to a cheering crowd.

Mr Sanders’ 2020 campaign released the ad after the former vice president raked in nine victories out of the 14 states that participated in Super Tuesday, a historic turnaround after multiple former Democratic candidates dropped out of the race a day before the first set of primaries nationwide and endorsed Mr Biden.

The Vermont senator, who also won several key states and scores of delegates on Tuesday, appeared set for a long battle against Mr Biden after the unexpected results with a new slate of television ads.

His campaign was reportedly set to release three new advertisements, two of those attacking the former vice president on cuts to Social Security and his stance on trade, as well as the ad linking Mr Sanders to Mr Obama.

Those ads were scheduled to be released in crucial battleground states next week, including Arizona, Indiana, Florida, Illinois, Missisippi, Missouri, Ohio and Washington, according to NBC News.

“Bernie is somebody who has the virtue of saying exactly what he believes,” the former president is heard saying in the ad, as a clip plays of Mr Obama and Mr Sanders walking into the White House together.

“I think people are ready for a call to action,” Mr Obama continues. “They want honest leadership who cares about them. They want somebody who’s going to fight for them. And they will find it in Bernie.”

Mr Sanders also tweeted out the advertisement attacking Mr Biden on social security, writing on Wednesday: “I'm proud to have fought my entire career against cuts to Social Security. Joe Biden cannot say the same.”

Despite the former vice president’s sweeping victories on Super Tuesday, Mr Sanders won the biggest prize of the night with a victory in California’s Democratic presidential primaries.