VIDEO: Bernie Sanders at Brookings on standing up for working families

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced today that he is running for president in 2016. In February, the Vermont independent described his economic agenda in remarks at Brookings, during which he said “I think it is imperative that we have candidates who stand up for the working families of this country who are prepared to take on the big-money interests.” Watch:

Sanders added that:

On the other hand I also understand political realities. And that is, when you take on the billionaire class it aint easy and if I do something … I want to do it well and it’s important not just for my ego that I do it well but it’s important for millions of people who share the same set of beliefs that I hold. So to do it well we would have to put together the strongest grassroots movement in the modern history of this country where millions of people are saying, ‘enough is enough …

There is a lot of sentiment that enough is enough, that we need fundamental changes, that the establishment—whether it is the economic establishment, the political establishment, or the media establishment—is failing the American people. But the gut feeling, the decision that I’m going to have to reach is whether there is that willingness to stand up and fight back. If not, I don’t want to run a futile campaign. If I run I want to run to win, to run to win we need millions of people actively involved.

Learn more about the event and watch the full video here.

Abby Greenbloom contributed to this post.