Former Bernie Sanders presidential campaign press secretary Briahna Joy Gray turned heads Monday when she revealed that she won’t join Sanders in endorsing Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden for the upcoming election cycle.
According to The Hill, Gray tweeted out that she will not join Sanders in endorsing Biden Monday.
“With the utmost respect for Bernie Sanders, who is an incredible human being & a genuine inspiration, I don't endorse Joe Biden,” she wrote. “I supported Bernie Sanders because he backed ideas like #MedicareForAll, cancelling ALL student debt, & a wealth tax. Biden supports none of those.”
With the utmost respect for Bernie Sanders, who is an incredible human being & a genuine inspiration, I don't endorse Joe Biden.
I supported Bernie Sanders because he backed ideas like #MedicareForAll, cancelling ALL student debt, & a wealth tax. Biden supports none of those.
— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) April 13, 2020
Early Monday, Sanders abruptly appeared alongside Biden in a livestream and endorsed the former vice president in a show of party unity and a rallying cry for voters to support the likely Democratic nominee.
Gray, Sanders' national spokeswoman until he suspended the campaign last week, isn’t sold on supporting Biden as the 46th president of the country.
Just minutes after the Biden-Sanders joint press conference, Gray responded on Twitter, saying she refused to endorse Biden — despite Sanders relenting his support.
At the joint press conference, both Biden and Sanders acknowledged that they hadn’t seen eye to eye on all the issues but said they are willing to work together to defeat Trump in November.
"I think that your endorsement means a great deal," Biden said. "It means a great deal to me. I think people are going to be surprised that we are apart on some issues but we're awfully close on a whole bunch of others. I'm going to need you — not just to win the campaign, but to govern."
After Sanders implored his followers to vote Trump out of office, Biden made a promise to the young base of supporters, saying he would do whatever it takes to win their support.
“To your supporters: I see you, I hear you, I understand the urgency of what it is that we have to get done in this country, and I hope you’ll join us,” Biden said.
The two agreed to set up policy working committees to move the party toward achieving some of the progressive goals Sanders supports, a commitment Gray said would help her change her stance on Biden’s presidency.
I look forward to seeing what these task forces come up with: The support of a multitude of progressives hinges on Biden making meaningful concessions to the left — not just lip service — not merely symbolic overtures. https://t.co/coVsKMPAcM
— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) April 13, 2020
In a subsequent Twitter post, Gray wrote that she finds Biden’s sexual assault allegations, his controversial civil rights record and reports of unwanted touching as issue areas preventing her from supporting his campaign.
Since the year began, Gray has been as popular on social media for her takes on social justice issues as she is for being known as Sanders’ top spokesperson. In March, Gray was under fire for a Twitter response to former presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
In the tweet, Gray criticized Harris’ attempt to get free coronavirus testing for those in need and used it as a moment to highlight Sanders’ stance on universal health care.
This is a good start, but is it ok to die from cancer or diabetes becuase you’re poor? https://t.co/3emqCgcfC9
— Briahna Joy Gray (@briebriejoy) March 31, 2020
Despite warnings from peers and other savvy politicians, it doesn't look like Gray will be censoring her Twitter fingers any time soon. Tuesday morning, she retweeted a Slate article admonishing The New York Times for ignoring sexual assault allegations made against Biden.
In the below video, Gray tackles the argument that the values Sanders led his 2016 campaign with are now those of the mainstream.