Former US presidential hopeful, Bernie Sanders has endorsed Joe Biden’s campaign to take on Donald Trump in November’s election.

Senator Sanders pulled out of the contest to be the Democratic Party’s nominee last week, leaving Joe Biden as the only remaining candidate.  Sanders urged all Americans to unite to defeat Mr Trump.

“Today I am asking all Americans – I’m asking every Democrat, I’m asking every independent, I’m asking a lot of Republicans – to come together in this campaign to support your candidacy which I endorse,” Mr Sanders, 78, told Biden.

Mr Biden said he was “deeply grateful” for the endorsement and said he needed Mr Sanders not just for the campaign, but to govern.

“You’ve put the interests of this nation and the need to beat Donald Trump above all else. As you say – ‘Not me, us’,” he said.

The endorsement of Biden by his leading Democratic rival marks a key moment for Democrats as the party seeks to unify and turn its focus toward a November match-up with President Donald Trump.

The endorsement stands in contrast to the extended 2016 fight between Sanders and Hillary Clinton, who became the nominee that year. Sanders endorsed Clinton, but only after the end of a drawn-out nomination fight which extended to the Democratic national convention.