Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders meet after last 2016 primary
Washington Bernie Sanders walked in the front door of the Capitol Hilton at around 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, and Hillary Clinton arrived a few minutes later -- her motorcade dropped her off in an alley behind the hotel, where she slipped inside through a back door.
While they were meeting, Hillary Clinton would be declared the winner of the Washington, D.C. primary, the last Democratic primary contest of the 2016 cycle. It was a victory of little import, since she had clinched the nomination in early June. Clinton congratulated Sanders on the campaign he had run, and he congratulated her, campaign aides said. Still, there was no mention in the statement released by his campaign that he had conceded the race to Clinton.
According to Sanders and Clinton aides, the two rivals had a positive talk about unifying the party and the threat they believe Donald Trump poses to the country. The two were joined by Sanders' wife, Jane Sanders; his campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, and Clinton's campaign chairman, John Podesta and her campaign manager, Robby Mook.
The candidates talked about some of the progressive issues they agree on -- like raising wages for working families, getting rid of undisclosed money in politics, and cutting college costs for students and their families.
Clinton and Sanders agreed to continue working on their shared agenda, including the platform development process for the upcoming Democratic National Convention.
The two met for over an hour and a half and then quietly exited in the same manner they came in, Clinton leaving by the back door, Sanders through the front. Neither answered any questions from reporters staking them out.
The summit marked the first time the two have met since Clinton accrued enough delegates to clinch the nomination.
Asked about the summit in interviews earlier Tuesday, Clinton said that she expected to have a "wide ranging conversation" with Sanders.
"We're going to discuss our common goals and how we can work together," she told Telemundo's Jose Diaz-Balart. "I very much am looking forward to having his support in this campaign because Donald Trump poses a serious threat to our nation."
She said in an interview with Pittsburgh station WTAE that she would spend much of the meeting "listening."
"I want to hear what's on his mind," she said, "what he wants to see in our general election, in our convention, what he wants to see our Congress do if we get the votes to be able to take action in the future and how we can work together."
But when asked about compromises that she might make when it comes to her agenda, Clinton insisted that she and Sanders are on the same side of many issues.
"We both want everybody in this country to have healthcare," she said. "We want to do something to reduce inequality. We want to raise the minimum wage. We want to make college affordable
Sanders, too, had talked earlier on Monday about his aspirations, but many of the reforms he mentioned were aimed at the Democratic party. He said he wanted to revitalize the party, and he called for changes to the leadership, including the replacement of current DNC chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, open primaries in the next presidential primary cycle, same-day voter registration, and making the platform more progressive.
On Thursday night, Sanders will address his supporters via LiveStream from Burlington, Vermont.
"He wants to talk directly with grassroots supporters about how the revolution continues," explained Michael Briggs, Sanders' spokesman. The campaign is encouraging supporters to host house parties and tune in.
CBS News' Rebecca Shabad contributed to this report.