NEW YORK (AP) — Bernie Sanders is launching his second presidential campaign with a call for Americans from all walks of life to join his fight for a political revolution, one he's been waging for four decades.
Sanders is calling Donald Trump the most dangerous president in modern U.S. history, and the Vermont senator says his campaign is built to defeat Trump.
Sanders also says his Democratic campaign will create an economy and government that works for all people, and says the government will be based on economic, social, racial and environmental justice.
Sanders spoke at an outdoor rally at Brooklyn College, where he went to college before transferring to the University of Chicago. He also grew up in Brooklyn. Supporters carrying signs lined up in the snow hours before he was set to speak.
He was scheduled to make an appearance in Chicago Sunday evening.
Shana East, founder of Illinois for Bernie, which is now known as the Illinois Progressive Network, said the rally at Navy Pier is significant for several reasons.
"Bernie went to college at the University of Chicago," East said. "That's where he first began his political activism and the fight to desegregate off-campus student housing in Hyde Park."
Sanders will also be the first 2020 Democratic presidential candidate to hold a public event in Illinois, and East expects a big turnout.
She said political issues in Chicago are a "microcosm" of political issues nationwide.
"There's increasing moves towards austerity. We're told that we don't have the money to take care of our people, for everyone to have healthcare, for people to have education, we're not creating enough new jobs. Bernie is speaking to the lived experience of a lot of folks who are struggling. That's going to be important this time around."
Sanders was narrowly defeated in Illinois by Hillary Clinton during the March 2016 primary.