Trump: Sanders should run as an independent

Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Friday Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders should run as an independent.

“I would love him to run as an independent,” Trump said at the National Rifle Association conference. He indicated Sanders should not leave the race if he loses the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton, an all but certain prospect. Trump said he’d love for the race to be between himself, Clinton and Sanders.

Trump, who has complained that the Republican primary process is “rigged,” said Sanders was victim to the same problem.

“You talk about a rigged system, he keeps wining and he's losing,” Trump said of the Democratic race. That party rewards delegates proportionally, so even when Sanders wins a state, Clinton receives some delegates for her portion of the votes.

This story was originally published May 20, 2016 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Trump: Sanders should run as an independent."